Student organizations help shape the student experience at Southern University. With over 70 currently registered organizations and many more to come, there is a variety of interests for all to enhance their collegiate experience. While some have been around for decades, there have been a couple new organizations that are setting their own standard.
Established in 2022, the Lacumba Debaters is now the official debate team of Southern University. With 12 students joining the first ever roster, the organization’s mission is to help students build and exercise their intellectual and analytical skills through the power of speech.
Speech and debate has always been very popular and historic in the HBCU world. Take Wiley College for instance; this small HBCU located in Marshall, Texas, took the world by storm when their debate team won against the nationally ranked University of Southern California. From this win, the Wiley’s debate team went to compete in 75 debate tournaments only losing one during their entire season. This historic feat garnered the adaptation of the critically acclaimed movie, The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington. From this Wiley’s enrollment increased by over 2,000 students with the influx of money used to help rebuild the school.
Wiley isn’t the only school with strong debate ties. Howard University is a keen frontrunner in the debate world as well. Therefore, the adaptation of Southern’s very own team was simply a question of when not why. “I started the Lacumba Debaters because I saw the need for students to be able to vocalize their thoughts and opinions in a way that could benefit them in the long run. Here at Southern, there are so many powerful and articulate voice. It was quite surprising to find out that out of the schools one hundred and forty two year tenure, there was no current debate team… And there the Lacumba Debaters was born,” said Iyanna Hanchett, a junior criminal justice major from Eunice, Louisiana.
Another compelling draw about the Lacumba Debaters is anyone can join. There is no specific background or major you need to try out for the team. Just about all walks of life require you to be able to publicly speak and articulate fluently enough to get your message across. Debate is also a stepping stone for some to further their careers. Many of the worlds best attorneys, judges, even politicians got their start in the debate world.
Normally categorized into 4 parts: an opening, cross examination, rebuttal, and closing. A debate tournament is where teams argue over whatever topic they have studied and researched prior to the commencement of the tournament. The opening is where you present your stance on the topic. Cross examination is where your opponents question you on your opening and stance on the topic you and your team is debating. Rebuttal, the most important part of the tournament, is where you deconstruct your opponent’s argument and defense while also cleaning up any mistake you and your team has made. Finally, closing is where you further solidify your argument while also coming to a summation. While some may leave the specifics up to the professionals, the Lacumba Debaters are here to stay and pave the way!
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DIGEST Feature: The Lacumba Debaters
September 27, 2022
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