Debate Team Begins Fall Season
Mississippi College debate team members are seeking to top last year's outstanding season.
Debate team coach Merle Ziegler, who teaches communication classes on the Clinton campus, believes he's got the talent to make it happen.
In 2008-2009, MC's team made it to the final rounds of every tournament and won at least one division, either at the varsity or novice levels. Senior Chase Porter of Picayune was the team's star debater and captain last year. But the anchor of the team graduated in May 2009.
There are a few MC debaters returning to the team, and the veterans hope to follow in Porter's footsteps during the new season.
Josh McCormick of Oxford, an English major with minors in philosophy and Biblical languages, history major Harris Swayze of Benton, and Bren Smith of Jayess are the three students filling varsity debater slots. Smith began working on his debate skills on the debate team at Lawrence County High.
Other MC team members include: Montana Moak of Brookhaven, Mallory Dowdy and Jared Ziegler, both of Clinton, and Randall W. Miller of Roseland, La. They will compete in the novice division.
An MC senior and Clinton High graduate, Jared Ziegler, 23, is the son of MC's debate coach.
Debate topics in practice in recent days have touched on America's recession (whether it is over or not) and discussions on the nation's costly system of health care, all very timely subjects. Debating "is a mental sport" that can be fun "if you enjoy the pull and tug of arguments," Jared Ziegler said. Law school or graduate school are options he's pondering for next year.
Any MC students interested in joining the debate team can come to practices at 3 p.m. every Tuesday at Room 112 Aven Hall or at 10:40 a.m. on Thursdays in the same room.
MC's debate season opens with a tournament Oct. 23-25 at Alexandria, La. with LSU-Alexandria, and Louisiana College expected to join the verbal sparring.
Other events on the MC schedule this fall include: the Red River Classic in Shreveport, La. Nov. 6-8, and the Bulldog Classic Nov. 20-21 in Jackson, Tenn. at Union University. Web Drake, a former MC debate coach and communication professor, is the debate coach at Union. Mississippi College hosts the Deep South Tournament Dec. 4-5 on the Clinton campus.
For more information, contact professor Merle Ziegler at 601.925.3456 or mziegler@mc.edu.
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