Preparations for the third annual Great Debate competition are under way at five St. Petersburg College campuses. This is a competitive academic event that invites students to engage in debate of topical issues outside the classroom. By promoting critical thinking, effective communication, independent research and teamwork, the Great Debate fulfills three of the college’s Strategic Priorities: The Student Success Initiative, Out-of-Class Learning & Experiential Initiative, and College Experience Initiative.
Students who volunteer for the competition are randomly paired to debate the pro or con viewpoint of an assigned issue, with the top two debaters at each campus advancing to the finals and a chance to win up to $1,000 worth of prizes.
Great Debate Coordinators at each of the campuses have agreed on the times, locations and topic for the preliminary competition, which will be held during Student Activity Periods during the week of Oct. 10th. They have also reached out to faculty in the Humanities to encourage students to be part of the debate competition, either incorporated into coursework or offered as extra-credit opportunities. At least 10 students are needed to complete five debate pairs for each campus.
Faculty members are encouraged to identify qualified students to join this challenging out-of-classroom experience and to incorporate the research and debate techniques into their syllabi. They should contact their campus coordinators to recommend student volunteers or to incorporate a Great Debate segment into coursework.
The campus coordinators and dates/times/topics on each campus are:
St. Petersburg Gibbs: Legalizing Use of Marijuana for Debilitating Medical Conditions
October 10, 12:30-2:00 p.m., SS Lobby
Coordinator: Maribeth Beekman
Downtown/Midtown: Body-Worn Video Cameras Mandatory for Law Enforcement Officers
October 11, 12:30-1:30 p.m., American Stage Theater, 2nd Floor Lobby
Coordinator: Frank Jurkovic
Clearwater: Body-Worn Video Cameras Mandatory for Law Enforcement Officers
October 12, 12:30-2:00 p.m., ES 104
Coordinator: Dr. Michael Culligan
Seminole: Devise a Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Residents with No Criminal Record
October 12, 12:30-2:00 p.m., Digitorium (UP 160)
Coordinator: Dr. Bledar Prifti
Tarpon Springs: Who Is Best Qualified to Be President: Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?
October 12, 12:30-1:30 p.m., FA 132
Coordinators: Anthony Nappi
The top two debaters from each of the competitions will go on to the finals on November 15th from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. in the Seminole Campus Digitorium. Their topic: Suppression of Free Speech Has Gone Too Far, Especially on College Campuses. A total of $2,450 in prizes will be awarded. First-place winner will receive a $500 gift card and an IPad mini; second place debater will receive $500, third place $250, and so forth. To learn more or to view previous Great Debate competitions, please visit the event page.
David Klement
Executive Director
Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions
St. Petersburg College