Empowering Future Leaders
Westminster University Launches Speech and Debate program
by Claire Prasad (’18)
The air is buzzing with excitement and nerves as students get ready for a speech and debate tournament. Some students go over their notes, while others rehearse with teammates. After months of research and practice, the big day is finally here. Students of all experience levels step forward to deliver speeches or arguments to audiences of their peers, coaches, judges, and communities. The topics of these speeches and debates are varied, but evident in each one are the passion and dedication of the speaker. The idea to form Westminster University’s Speech and Debate program was first introduced by students and was finalized by faculty members, including Christy Seifert, PhD, the faculty advisor for the program. After researching programs at other institutions, students and faculty put a plan into place to develop a program that would fit the needs of Westminster University students.
“Because everything at Westminster is so student-centered, we didn’t want to come up with a program without any student input. We decided to take a more Westminster signature approach, and that’s where the Intro to Speech and Debate class comes in,” says Christy.
Intro to Speech and Debate is a new class that began meeting weekly at the start of the Fall 2024 semester; several scholarships are available to first-year and transfer students who enroll in the class. Along with learning public speaking skills and practicing with classmates in a supportive environment, students in the class played an important role in developing Westminster’s Speech and Debate program. They met with coaches from other universities, researched opportunities to get involved with the local speech and debate community, and discussed the events they’d like to train for and compete in during the Spring 2025 semester. In taking these steps, they helped build the foundation for a unique program.
“This is a great opportunity for our inaugural group of students to take a real leadership role in establishing something that will be here for a long time. Students can come back after they graduate and see the way that the program has grown and developed under their leadership. It's not just about the debating, it's also about the leadership that comes from being part of the debate team,” says Christy.
Westminster University alumnus Tanner Latham (’16) was hired as the speech and debate coach and adjunct professor for the class. Tanner’s personal experience with speech and debate began when he joined his high school debate team and fell in love with the sport. Tanner is also a high school debate teacher and is eager to grow Westminster’s program.
"My biggest hope for Westminster’s program is that it continues to grow and that Westminster becomes well-known in the speech and debate world,” Tanner says.
The Speech and Debate program encompasses more than just the class. There’s also a club that meets weekly and is open to all Westminster students. In the club, students can practice their skills and prepare for speech and debate events with Tanner and students from the Intro to Speech and Debate class.
The program also regularly holds campus events to engage with the Westminster community. In Fall 2024, speech and debate students hosted an election-night watch party and several tabling events.
In the future, Westminster’s Speech and Debate program will expand, with an additional class for students who want to become team leaders and fulfill the requirements for a Westminster University Leadership certificate.
Tanner encourages all interested Westminster students to join the Speech and Debate program, regardless of their previous debate experience.
“Through speech and debate, you learn crucial skills that will serve you in your personal life and your professional life. Whether you have some experience or no experience at all, we as a team want to build those skills together."
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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