Publish Date

Fall Semester Firsts

SPRINGFIELD, IL. (December 12, 2018) – The UIS Speech and Debate Team traveled to three competitions during the fall semester. After observing rounds at the Harris-Hahn-Howell Tournament held at Illinois Central College in October, the team traveled to Ohio in November and Missouri in December.

Team Members Sarah and Cameron
Team Members Sarah and Cameron

The Falcon Classic speech and debate tournament was hosted by Bowling Green State University in November. Junior Cameron Rexroad became the first person from the team to advance to a final round this season. She placed sixth in novice persuasion.

Team Members Cameron, Sarah, and Joel
Team Members Cameron, Sarah, and Joel

The Gateway Swing speech and debate tournament was hosted by Webster University in St. Louis. Three members of the team traveled to this competition and spoke about important societal issues such as rural domestic abuse and combating rape culture.

Director of Speech and Debate Timothy Bill explained “this was a great start to our year. We’ve learned a lot and come along way as a team in just a few short months. We’re going to have a really good spring semester.”

The UIS Journal has described the team’s return to campus in their article “Forensics Team Returns to Campus“.

The University of Illinois Springfield Speech and Debate Team is committed to training the next generation of civic leaders, public speakers, and communicators who are passionate about effecting change in their communities. The team is housed in the Department of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To find out more, please visit the Speech and Debate site.