There’s plenty to debate these days, from presidential candidates to gay marriage to abortion and beyond. Oral Roberts University is preparing its students to engage in vigorous debates with the recent introduction of a competitive debate squad.
ORU’s Communication, Arts and Media department is behind the new effort.
“The motivation behind the debate squad is for our students to go out into the world and to be able to give reasons why they believe in what they believe,” says Agena Farmer, faculty adviser for the debate team.
Parliamentary debate and policy debate are the two main types of debating that students will participate in. Parliamentary debate focuses on persuading an audience, while policy debate is created using long-term research that has the goal of solving a problem. Students will have the opportunity to participate in numerous tournaments throughout the fall and spring semesters. By participating in intercollegiate debating, students can receive three hours of credit.
