As intellectual beings, one of our most valuable skills is the ability to solve disagreements with debate. The ability to use logic to settle arguments is pivotal to our government and is also a way to show academic superiority at many of the most prestigious colleges. Two political science students, junior Ben Dunham and freshman Hunter Downing, are working together to revive the debate team that was once one of the most successful programs in the state. Dunham, a former member of the team, explained the importance of having intellectual competition at a university and how effective it is on students even after college.

“I see it as a vital activity for an academic institution to be participating in,” Dunham said. “Debate can teach you so many vital skills that you will use throughout your entire life, so it’s very beneficial for those who participate.”

The debate team has been removed from the school several times during its long history. The most recent disbanding occurred in 2012.

The program has had many impressive accomplishments. In the ‘40s Mesa Junior College team won the junior college national championship.

As Mesa State College in the ‘90s and early 2000s, the school won debates against regional schools like Colorado State, University of Colorado and Colorado College, as well as prominent schools such as University of California at Berkley and Loyola University.

Former debate coach and current CMU professor Dr. Tim Casey explained how the format of debate at the collegiate level differs from athletic competition, which opens up opportunities to challenge many different schools around the country.

“There are no divisions when it comes to debate,” Dr. Casey said, “so it allows a school like CMU to compete on an academic level with other schools that we normally wouldn’t have the chance to go up against. If a school wins the national championship, it really means that they are the best team in the country.”

Now as an accredited university, Dunham and Downing are working to build a team of six to 12 members to take the next step in continuing the tradition of success the debate team has created. The two have begun spreading awareness about the team and are looking to build a base of members from all different fields of study that will carry on the program for years to come.

“Most people think you need to be a political science student or a philosophy student to join the debate team, but really anyone is welcome,” Dunham said. “It’s eye-opening to see how people approach theories in different ways, and it makes for great discussions.”

Anyone interested in joining the team can contact Dunham and Downing at cmuforensicsteam@gmail.com or go to the preliminary meetings Fridays from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. at The Point.

mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu