Why Weber Debates By Grant Syphers DURING the 1929-1930 school year Weber College planned and carried out a debating schedule which was undoubtedly the greatest in the United States, if not the whole world. This schedule included the sending out of six debating teams; making contacts and establishing relationship with over seventy colleges throughout America; visiting about thirty states; and, in general, making a name and gaining a widespread recognition for Weber College. In view of this forensic record one would be very safe in maintaining that the accomplishments of this schedule alone would be justification for its continuance in future years. However, in carrying out a program of this sort, it is not the sole purpose of Weber College to advertise itself or even to make relationships with other schools. Of course, these factors are vital and important, but in a larger sense they are subordinated to the bigger thing-the junior college idea, which is, educators tell us, to prepare students in a general way for their future life. Specialized subjects are taught in the senior college, but during the first two years of college work the studies are prescribed in such a manner and the courses are so arranged as to give the student a general idea of all subjects at the same time avoiding a technical study of any one subject. In other words, the object of the junior college is to teach and prepare students to live their lives to the best advantage. If such is the case, it logically follows that any study or activity which so aids the student is a decided help in furthering the junior college movement. An extensive debating schedule is such an activity In order to support the above statement let us consider just what this debating schedule has done for Weber College. In the first place it has given about thirty students a chance to participate in the debates held. Out of this number, twelve debaters were selected to represent the school in other states. Eight of these twelve were boys and four girls. To be more specific, Caleb Shreeves and Kent Bramwell travelled through the Pacific Northwest; Lee Cain and John Nelson debated in Nevada and California; Dorothy Foulger and Alice Sorensen went as far east as St. Louis; Jay London and Floyd Farr went to Chicago; Virginia Nicholas and Dorothy LELAND H. MONSON Abbott journey through the South to Georgia; and finally Grant Syphers and Blaine Ramsden debated in the New England and Middle Atlantic States. These six teams have submitted resumes of their indivdual trips and consequently, for the following account I have taken information from these reports. In commenting on these records 1 shall try to point out just what good results have come from each trip as these results pertain to the junior college movement. The first debating team, composed of Mr. Kent Bramwell and Mr. Caleb Shreeves, left Ogden the night of February 9, 1930. They travelled through the states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, covering a distance of about 3000 miles and engaging in nine debates. I shall not go into a detailed discussion of this trip because it would take too long. However, I do wish to give a list of the school debated and the various successes met by Weber men in each encounter. The schools debated were: Northwest Nazarene College, Nam pa, Idaho; Idaho State College, Caldwell, Idaho; Willamette University, Salem, Oregon; Oregon State College, Corvallis, Oregon; Oregon Normal College, Monmouth, Oregon; Seattle Pacific College, Seattle, Washington; Bellingham Normal, Bellingham, Washington; Spokane University, Spokane, Washington; Wasnihgton State College, Pullman, Washington. Out of these schools the Weber debaters were successful in winning five debates, losing two, and engaging in two no-decision contests. Their trip covered a period of twelve days. The trip into the Northwest this year marks the third time that Weber debaters have invaded that territory. It seems that this has greatly added to Weber's reputation in that district for the boys found every school very friendly to them. To quote from their report, "Invariably," they said, 'We are glad to welcome these men from a school that has in the past sent us such good representatives.' " A further example of friendliness and good will was expressed when Mr. Hitman, who acted as chairman of the debate at Oregon Normal, said, "A school does not exist that Oregon Normal would rather debate than Weber College." The second tour, through California, was taken by Mr. John Nelson and Mr. Lee Cain. They left Ogden, Sunday, February 23, 1930, to debate twelve schools-eleven in California and one in Nevada. These schools were: University of Nevada-Reno, Nevada; Sacramento Junior College-Sacramento, California; State Teachers College-Chico, California; Santa Rosa Junior College-Santa Rosa, California; Taft Junior College- Taft, California; Bakersfield, Junior College -Bakersfield, California; Occidental College-Los Angeles, California; California Institute of Technology-Pasadena, California; University of Redlands-Redlands, California; Los Angeles Pacific College- Los Angeles, California; Stanford University-Palo Alto, California; College of the Pacific-Stockton, California.