SPARTAN DEBATE INSTITUTE BRINGS IN STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE NATION

7/28/2003

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Debaters from across the country are sharpening their skills at Michigan State University's13th annual Spartan Debate Institute (SDI).

SDI provides participants with instruction from some of the most sought after debaters and debate coaches in the country. Some members of the staff include coaches of the nationally acclaimed MSU debate team, which reached the final four of the National Debate Tournament this year.

Students have the chance to work with coaches from some of the top debate schools in the nation, including Harvard, Emory and MSU. The SDI sessions end Friday, Aug 1.

"The Spartan Debate Institute provides motivated high school students with the opportunity to immerse themselves into the upcoming 2003-04 high school debate topic. Students work on research, debate theory, argument strategy, speaking skills and judge adaptation, among other concepts," said Michael Eber, co-director of the SDI and director of debate at MSU.

The institute also showcases MSU and bolsters the reputation of both the debate team and the university at large. After experiencing a taste of college life here in East Lansing, it is common for SDI students to later attend MSU, he added.

The institute gives participants a venue to forge new friendships with students from across the United States, which helps expand the students' experience and broaden their perspective on new and effective debating techniques.

"The geographic diversity of our camp provides debaters with an opportunity to meet and interact with students from all different parts of the country," Eber said. "This summer, the SDI includes students from as far away as Florida, California, Washington and New Hampshire."

SDI gives students access to information and resources that they may not have received elsewhere. At the end of their sessions, participants receive a CD which includes research conducted by staff members and students. The disc allows SDI students to have stronger evidence to back up their future debates.

"The 'evidence CD' is just a small perk that we have so that students get a digital copy of the research they all do at the SDI," Eber said. "It allows each student to receive a digital copy of thousands of pages of research that get done over the course of their session. Students also go home with a printed hard copy of many debate files relevant to the upcoming high school debate topic, which relates to U.S. oceans policies."

For more information on the SDI, visit the Web at www.msu.edu/~debate/