Students in the Randolph-Macon College Franklin Debating Society won First Place at the Collegiate Forensic Association’s Winter Tournament January 29-30, 2016. The tournament was hosted by the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The team won 1st Place overall, outdistancing Brooklyn College by a handful of points, 224 to 217.

In parliamentary debate, the RMC team of Sean Gordon ’19 and Brianne Habit ’19 won 3rd Place with a 4-1 record, and Derek Dittmar ’16 and Emily Durando ’17 won 5th Place with a 3-3 record and high points. Dittmar was the 3rd place individual debater; Gordon was the 5th place individual debater. In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Taylor Evelyn ’17 won 1st Place and Stephanie Clute ’17 won 4th Place.

In the forensics categories, the results were as follows:
Poetry Interpretation: Martin Yoder ’17 won 2nd Place; Sydney Hinkle ’17 won 3rd Place; and Dittmar won 5th Place.
In Prose Interpretation, Durando won 4th Place, and in Drama Interpretation, Lauren Grace Wygal ’19 won 2nd Place.
In Dramatic Duo Interpretation, Dittmar and Durando won 2nd Place; and Jasmine Shepard ’16 and Hinkle won 5th Place. In Declamation, Durando won 1st Place; Shepard won 4th Place; Fidele Ntumba ’18 won 5th Place; and Habit won 6th Place.

In Persuasive Speaking, Gordon won 2nd Place. In Humorous Speaking, Dittmar won 3rd Place; and Caroline Kouneski ’19 won 4th Place. In Communication Analysis, Dittmar won 2nd Place.

In Extemporaneous Speaking, Dittmar won 4th Place; and Gordon won 5th Place. In Impromptu Speaking, Dittmar won 1st Place.In Pentathlon (five events), Dittmar was Number One and Durando was Number Four.

“Fourteen students—majors in at least 10 different departments—represented the college well at this event,” says RMC English and Communication Studies Professor Ted Sheckels, who coaches the Franklin Debating Society. Sheckels is also director of speaking for the Higgins Academic Center.

The Franklin Debating Society
Fostering the invaluable skills of public speaking and reasoned discourse, the Franklin Debating Society also gives students the opportunity to participate in lively debate competitions. Franklin Debating Society members compete intercollegiately in debate and a range of forensics activities. The Society annually hosts the touring British debaters as well as a 19th Century-style debating event.