After an absence of around a dozen years, competitive debate and forensics is making a comeback at Missouri Western State University. The new team will participate in its first tournament at the University of Central Missouri Oct. 18 and 19.
“I love working with these Missouri Western students,” said Sohail Jouya, who is coaching the debate team. “They are bright kids as dedicated to seeing this succeed as we are, and I’m confident we’ll be competitive with more established programs.”
While Jouya coaches the debaters, Abi Richardson will coach individual speaking events, such as extemporaneous speech, dramatic interpretation and informative speech. The team consists of seven members, five of whom will compete in the first event: Graham Deckard of Kansas City, Mo.; Eli Dodge of Stewartsville, Mo.; Kasey Maag of Cosby, Mo.; Haden McDonald of Rosendale, Mo.; and Brad Stanton of Savannah, Mo.
Bringing competitive forensics back was the vision of Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri
Abi Richardson coaches the forensics team’s individual events.Western’s president. Dr. Vartabedian competed in speech and debate as a student, coached at several previous institutions and while at Wichita State University hosted the first national tournament of the Cross Examination Debate Association in 1986.
Dr. Vartabedian invited students to an informational meeting early in the fall semester, and Jouya and Richardson assembled the team and began coaching. Getting ready for the first competition barely a month later has been a challenging but rewarding experience.
“We don’t regret a minute,” Richardson said. “It is hard work, with a lot of sleepless nights, but the support we’ve gotten from Missouri Western and from the debate and forensics community have been encouraging. And when the students are struggling to grasp a concept, and the light goes on and they get it – I’m not trying to sound cheesy, but we’ll talk about it all the way home.”
With programs around the country facing budget cuts or even elimination, Richardson said many in the forensics community are rooting for Missouri Western to succeed, and some have provided tangible support, including Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., and Hutchinson Community College and Kansas City Kansas Community Colleges in Kansas.
Restarting the debate and forensics team is something of a homecoming for both Richardson and Jouya. Richardson grew up in Savannah and attended cheer camps at Missouri Western. Jouya lived in St. Joseph for three years as a child and remembers being a frequent visitor at Missouri Western’s computer lab and football practice. He didn’t learn until he accepted the position that his mother attended Missouri Western and competed in forensics.
After the Missouri Mule, Missouri Western forensics and debate will compete in a tournament at Hutchinson Community College in early November. Two more tournaments are on the schedule in January and February at Webster University and again at the University of Central Missouri. If the competitors qualify, Jouya and Richardson also hope to arrange a trip to a national tournament for novice competitors.
The two coaches have plans to grow the program beyond this year. They’ve begun talking to area high schools to attract incoming freshman, and have hopes of hosting a forensics and debate workshop and a high school tournament next year.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.