Debate Team at Mississippi College Gears up for Another Season

Mississippi College student debaters Andrew Rock of McCalla, Alabama and Will Earnhart of Madison flank MC debate coach Merle Ziegler outside Aven Hall in early October. A Clinton resident, Ziegler is a communication professor on the Clinton campus.MC recently opened its 2016-2017 debate season. The Baptist-affiliated university will host a debate tournament the first weekend in December.

The first Clinton-Trump debate attracted a record 84 million viewers, including Mississippi College student Will Earnhart.

There were plenty of fireworks as Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald J. Trump engaged in a heated verbal sparring match at Hofstra University in New York. NBC’s Lester Holt moderated the nationally televised debate between the two White House rivals in September.

“It was pretty entertaining,” says Earnhart, a Madison resident who watched with keen interest as a member of the Mississippi College debate team. “It was good to see our politicians speak more like us.”

A 2012 Veritas School graduate, Will is eager to do some debating of his own in the weeks and months ahead. The MC team gears up for a new season on the Clinton campus this fall.

Led by coach Merle Ziegler, a Mississippi College communication professor, the MC squad travels to Union University in Jackson, Tennessee for its next debate competition on October 8.

Debating definitely appeals to Earnhart, an MC junior and finance major. “It’s a chance to test your knowledge on a wide range of subjects and exchange ideas.”

Last season, Earnhart, 22, tackled American policy issues from taxes to immigration. He spoke on topics like pop culture and sports.

One of his favorite debate subjects explored whether the NBA’s Golden State Warriors ranked as the best hoops team in league history. The Cleveland Cavs led by superstar Lebron James answered that question with their dramatic triumph over the Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

The son of Tray and Shay Earnhart, Will stays on top of his debate game by researching current events. He regularly reads “The Wall Street Journal” and other news publications. MC debaters hone their skills during weekly debate practices at Aven Hall.

MC sophomore Heather Trosclair, 19, of Petal is among the university’s newest debaters. Heather hopes to pick up a few pointers watching the Vice Presidential Debate on October 4 between Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and Republican Gov. Mike Pence. CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano will serve as the moderator at the 90-minute TV contest at Longwood University, Virginia.

“I will be watching from a debater’s perspective,” Heather says of the showdown between Kaine, a Virginia senator, and Pence, the Indiana governor.

Heather says she will enjoy seeing the two vice presidential candidates plot strategy during their lone debate on a national stage.

At Mississippi College, Trosclair is studying Spanish and international business. Debating teaches her to think quickly on her feet. Homeschooled in south Mississippi, the sophomore attended William Carey University in Hattiesburg before coming to MC.

This fall’s MC debate team will feature returning members like Andrew Rock, a pre-law major from McCalla, Alabama and political science major James Tulp of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Newcomers include Grace Jones, a communication major from Sachese, Texas.

An MC graduate student and president of the College Republicans, Tulp is monitoring a host of potential debate topics around the globe - from the presidential race to civil unrest in Syria. “It’s good to keep up with what’s going on in the world.”

Supporters of the Blue & Gold should mark their calendars. Mississippi College’s debate team will host their only tournament on the Clinton campus the first weekend in December.

For more information, contact debate coach Merle Ziegler at 601-925-3456 or mziegler@mc.edu