Four students representing two Missouri State debate teams, MoState GR and MoState NW, will compete in the National Debate Tournament (NDT) April 5-8, 2024.
Emory University in Atlanta, GA will host the 78th annual tournament, according to the organization’s website.
Sixth consecutive “double qualification” for Debate Bears
For six consecutive years, MSU’s debate program has sent two teams to the national tournament, according to Dr. Eric Morris, professor of communication and director of forensics.
“Six years is the longest ‘double qualification’ streak in program history, and particularly impressive since none of these four debaters is a previous qualifier,” Morris said.
This year’s debate topic is nuclear weapons, Morris said. Each year, the NDT committee selects one topic and develops a detailed process paper for debaters to follow for the following competition year. This year’s process paper is 650 pages.
Both Debate Bears teams are arguing the position of “No First Use” affirmatives for this topic.
Debater James Granger stays focused
Sophomore wildlife conservation and management major James Granger felt more relief than surprise when he learned his debate team had qualified for national competition, largely because of the intense preparation.
“I might compare it to the way it feels getting back a test you studied hard for,” Granger said. “There was some doubt lingering in the back of my mind about whether we’d make it. When we did, in fact, make it, it was somewhat of a relief—but also solidified the fact that we’d need to gear up to prepare.”
Preparing for nationals includes building up the team’s argument repertoire, Granger said.
“We’re working hard to build up the repertoire of arguments we have in our files,” he explained. “We’re not as big as a lot of the heavy hitting squads we compete against, so we’re honing in on the debates and arguments we know we can win, plus a few more unconventional tricks.”
“The most challenging part of prep is the less tangible parts,” Granger added. “It’s easy to count cards and articles and be able to say that you have the tools at your disposal to win. It’s another thing entirely to have the skills necessary to deploy those tools in the right way round-to-round.”
Granger has been involved in debate since his freshman year in high school.
“Even though I never really had much background or interest in public speaking, it kind of became my ‘thing’” Granger said. “All my teachers knew I was deeply involved in it, [and] I was team captain my senior year.”
Debate program helps develop career skills
Granger credits his professors and the debate program at Missouri State for his growth and for his success as a debater.
“Our coaching staff, Dr. Eric Morris and (assistant director) Nathan Rothenbaum, are of course the most influential on my debate experience,” Granger said. “As coaches, both him [Dr. Morris] and Nathan are very understanding people with a passionate commitment to our team.”
“I think the most I’ve taken away from debate has been the little things that accumulate—skills like breaking down complex info to people, being able to analyze text for key points, and obviously the rhetorical know-how to defend or criticize proposals,” he added. “Debate has helped me foster skills regarding teamwork and coordination, and also makes it necessary for me to keep up with current events, something which I’ve come to consider important.”
Granger also stressed that his professors in the William H. Darr School of Agriculture have been understanding and accommodating with his debate schedule.
“I often get interesting reactions when I tell other debaters I’m majoring in wildlife conservation,” Granger admitted. “It’s not an obvious field for a debater, but I think that those same skills of teamwork and scenario planning are broadly applicable to any kind of conservation or forestry work.”
Being part of a team a highlight of debate experience
While Granger readily admits he appreciates the opportunity to travel and enjoys the free food, being part of a team carries the most meaning for him.
‘The team dynamic has its own appeal,” Granger explained. “I’ve never been especially ambitious regarding how I personally want to win, but I feel a great sense of accomplishment if someone wins using an argument I wrote the file for.”
“I always consider an individual win to be a squad victory in some sense.”
Meet Team MoState GR
James Granger and Lennon Rauhoff represent the MoStateGR team.
Granger is an alum of Missouri State’s Debate Institute, an annual summer camp dedicated to providing in-depth instruction for high school debate students. He is from the Maplewood-Richmond area of St. Louis.
Rauhoff is a freshman double major in communication studies and political science. He currently serves as an assistant coach for several state/national debate qualifiers. He is from the Springfield area.
Granger and Rauhoff reached the quarterfinals at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) tournament Nov. 3-5, 2023. They have notched wins over debate teams from University of Oklahoma, University of Texas, University of Kansas and Kansas State University, among others. With other partners, their list of wins includes competitions against Northwestern University, University of Michigan and Purdue University.
Meet Team MoState NW
Matt Wilkinson is a junior speech and theater education major from Willard, MO, while Nico Neal is a freshman business major from the Springfield area.
Together, Wilkinson and Neal have won against debate teams from Baylor University, Michigan State University, University of Iowa, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, and University of Texas-Dallas.
When working with other debaters, Wilkinson and Neal have defeated teams from University of Kansas, University of Oklahoma, New York University, Northwestern University and University of Michigan.
Explore opportunities in debate
Photos provided by Eric Morris.