Union University will host a national speech and debate tournament for several hundred home school students this summer. It is the National Invitational Tournament of Champions (NITC), which is the year end event for Stoa, a national high school and junior debate organization that focuses on Christian home school students.
Union is reaching out to students and the Jackson community because they need approximately 1000 judges for the tournament, and last week there were still 900 spots available.
“One judge can cover multiple slots, but that is still a lot of people,” said Web Drake Associate Professor of Communication Arts, Department Chair, and Director of Debate at Union.
On Tuesday, debate team member Lauren Butler met with Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist to discuss the event, the need for volunteer judges, and the importance of learning how to speak and argue. Gist is going to allow flyers to be placed at every table during the prayer breakfast next week.
“He was very supportive of the whole event,” said Butler who is a sophomore history major.
As the Union community prepares for this nationally recognized event, Drake said he would encourage students to support it and be involved if they can. This will be an excellent opportunity to share with others all that they love about Union, and why it is their college home.
“We will have several hundred potential students on campus along with their families. It is an incredible recruiting opportunity. Plus, it falls in line with our mission. This is a true national championship. There will be some very bright and talented student here. It is truly excellence driven,” said Drake.
The tournament will take place May 29th through June 3rd. Anyone who would like to volunteer as a judge can sign up here http://www.uu.edu/homeschool/debate/. The necessary training will be provided. Judges can expect a time commitment of roughly two and a half hours per round. Food will also be provided for them that day.
Hey Melanie, Thanks for working on this story. You did a good job covering all the info, but we weren’t able to publish the story on time because you didn’t take a photo during either of your interviews, and you didn’t ask anyone you interviewed to submit one. Please try to stay on top of all the elements for your last story, including making sure there is a photo in the slider before you submit it.