Forensics Society debate team finishes fourth in national competition

Members of the Cornell debate team, from left: Paul Wenzel '03, Shannon Smith '01, Lara Douglas '03 and Maurice Ducoing '03, hold Cornell's national fourth-place trophy from the Cross Examination Debate Association. Their performance in CEDA's National Novice Tournament, March 3-5 at the University of Towson, and in earlier competitions, contributed to the team's fine national showing. Charles Harrington/University Photography

By Sarah Cottet '01 and Simeon Moss

The Cornell Forensics Society, a student speech and debate team, has had another fine year, with the debate team finishing fourth in the nation among 162 colleges and universities, according to the national Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA).

The rankings, announced at the CEDA nationals in Kansas City, March 17, are determined by counting a school's top two teams (most schools have several two-person teams competing in various CEDA competitions) at their six best tournaments throughout the year. The top five teams were Emory University, Liberty University, the University of Texas, Cornell and the University of Kansas.

Cornell debate team members earlier brought home top honors from the CEDA National Novice Tournament, March 3-5, at Towson University in Towson, Md. Among 55 collegiate teams from across the nation, comprising 110 debaters, Cornell's two teams excelled.

A team of freshmen -- Paul Wenzel, a communications major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (ALS), and Lara Douglas, a physics major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), won first place in the competition, while the team of Maurice Ducoing, a freshman in the School of Hotel Administration, and Shannon Smith, a junior in the College of Engineering, finished in eighth place.

Both teams had 6-1 records in the seven preliminary rounds of the competition. During the single-elimination rounds, Smith and Ducoing lost during the quarter finals to a team from the University of Rochester who, in turn, were defeated by Wenzel and Douglas for the championship.

During the competition, 20 speaker awards also were presented -- individual awards based on points and rankings received in the preliminary rounds. Out of all the debaters at Towson, Wenzel won first place, Douglas placed second and Smith placed 20th.

Pamela Stepp, Cornell assistant professor of communication and faculty adviser and director of the Cornell Forensics Society since 1982, said the four novice debaters have shown considerable strength and talent. As a result of their performance at Towson, they accompanied two varsity debate teams to the CEDA Nationals in Kansas City. The varsity team members were Matt Miller, a senior in Industrial and Labor Relations; Anna Singh, a junior in A&S; Beth Kronk, a senior in ALS; and Calvin Warren, a sophomore in A&S.

The Forensics Society, which includes a competitive speech team as well, "has had a brilliant year," said Stepp, and it has been fortunate, she said, to have the help of two talented coaches: Jethro Hayman, who has just received a three-year contract to be a lecturer and the assistant director of forensics, and alumna Jessica Wojtysiak '99, a former Forensics Society member who returned this semester to help the teams.

The coaches were instrumental, Douglas said, "in helping us to prepare answers to arguments, making sure all our evidence was where we wanted it, and they helped us to prepare answers to arguments they guessed the other teams would make."

The Forensic Society's speech team will be competing in two national tournaments in April, and Stepp says they too have an excellent chance of finishing in the top 10 nationally, with several students also finishing in the top 10 in the speech pentathlon. Last year the program ranked fifth in speech and debate.

Any student can join the Forensics Society, which has about 50 members, and may participate in speech or debate activities; prior experience is not necessary, said Stepp.

Students interested in more information can stop by the Forensics Society office in 202 Kennedy Hall or contact Stepp at pls8@cornell.edu. The group meets each Tuesday at 4:35 p.m. in 213 Kennedy Hall.