Weber State Comment, Winter 1990 Debate team captures first U.S. double ranking Weber State College is ranked fifth in the nation in value debate and seventh in policy, the first time in debate history that one school has earned top ten spots in both debate arenas. “We’re delighted, excited, ecstatic,” said Michael Bryant, debate coach at WSC. The rankings come as Weber State enters the second half of its debate year, working towards the national championship that will be held in March in Georgia. ‘“‘We’re one of the few schools in the nation to offer both value and policy debate. One of the reasons I wanted to come here was because Weber State has it’s feet in both areas,” said the second year coach who came from Moorhead State University. “T’d like to say that I built up the debate the history of United States debate one school is ranked in the top ten in both policy and value debate. ia, [oe wal | | | | FZ AL CAAULTR TROLL edi Ye OS OLE 7 m; ae pas ee , MeN aR Lind Lecture Hall *Building Completed: 1969 *Dedicated April 1981 in memory of John G. Lind *Taught sciences at Weber from 1896-1938 *Referred to as “Father of Science Studies” at WSC eObtained numerous science collections still in use eMr. Lind died in 1944 program here at Weber State, but the truth is I stepped into a program that was already built. Weber State has a good national reputation in debate,” Bryant said. Policy is an intensive kind of debate that requires extensive amounts of research, Bryant said. “A student will usually spend 60-70 hours a week researching the topics,” he said. Information is compiled into legal briefs and used for competition in the National Debate Tournament. “We carry tremendous amounts of evidence with us, some 150 to 200,000 pieces,” Bryant said. “If nothing else policy debate teaches the kids research skills,” he added. Senior Ted Bixby, whom Bryant said “is one of the top debaters in the nation,” and sophomore James Martin have already qualified for an invitation to the national finals as one of the top U.S. debate teams. One of the best western novice teams, freshmen Danny Fitzgerald and Randy Butterfield, has a decent chance at the freshmen national championship and should also qualify for the overall championship, Bryant said. Four is the maximum any one school can take to the nationals, and only 64 schools are invited. Z Value debate is less intensive than policy, and is competed through the Cross Examination Debate Association. “There’s not as much evidence required in value debate. You can be in value debate © and still have a life,” he said. The value debate team of Tom DeGarlais, a senior, and sophomore Korry Harvey has won four of their last five tournaments, an unusual record. “Tt’s uncommon for any one team to be so consistent,” Bryant said. The two freshmen value debaters, Amber Bigler and Paul Newman, were recently married, and, despite that or maybe because of it, have won every single novice category tournament entered to date, he said. “Utah has one of the better high school debate programs in the nation. There’s no shortage of talented kids. We offer four to five scholarships each year and have 60 applicants. I wish we had more scholarships,” he said. Over half of this year’s squad are freshmen, which bodes well for the future, he said. The debaters start in July preparing evidence for the upcoming year’s topics. The pace is steady until the end of the March national tournament, after which the debaters spend their summer compiling a high school mie evidence book to sell to high school debate teams. The book, which costs $15, is filled with legal briefs built around the designated #™ high school primary topic, and is the money raiser to WSC debate schol“Something we fund the | J P arships. ew have not been able to achieve here 1s the recognition of the players. The students deserve recognition,” he said. “Weber State has been a national debate powerhouse for many years, and the future looks good. I think someday we will be able to do something that has never been done— win national championships in both programs,” Bryant added. WSC broadcaster elected to national post Browning Center for the Performing Arts *Building Completed: (First Phase) 1964, (Second Phase) 1966 *Dedicated April 1979 in recognition of Val A. Browning eProvided funds to develop and maintain the WSC Office of Cultural Arts ¢President of Browning Arms Company 1936-1962 ¢Chairman of the Board of Browning Arms Company and Browning Industries 1962-1977 eMr. Browning currently resides in Ogden A Weber State student was recently named to the board of directors of the National Association of College Broadcasters, only the second non-easterner in that organization’s history selected for that position. Gary Toyn, station manager for Weber State’s KWCR, a student radio station, was appointed during the annual meeting of the college broadcasters at Brown University in Rhode Island. “Tt’s a little overwhelming, and a neat challenge. As directors of the organization we have an input to say where the future of college broadcasting should go,” Toyn said. The National Association of College Broadcasters has a membership of almost 3,000 colleges and universities and oversees a multi-million dollar budget, he said. Six members, two from New York, one from Boston, one from Rhode Island, and Toyn of Utah, comprise the board of directors. The members meet weekly via a teleconference. “This is the second time only for someone west of the Mississippi to be on the board of directors. Inherently it has always been eastern people,” Toyn said. The organization is underwritten by a number of media moguls, including CBS, and works closely with the likes of Walter Cronkite and others, he said. Toyn received national attention recently for organizing a minute of silence on student and professional radio stations world-wide. The minute of dead air was to show support for students in China who were protesting for democracy. Close to 1,500 radio stations participated in the event. “There is no compensation (for sitting on the board), but it does help put Weber State on the map, and it is good experience. The board we just replaced all now have great jobs,” Toyn said. — For the first time in I t \ § I