Jan. 22 event to feature approximately 150 students from various local high schools

Local debate teams will have the chance to demonstrate their argumentative flair Saturday, Jan. 22 at Indiana University Northwest. Students from several area high schools will visit campus to participate in a series of competitive debate events. Participating schools from previous years include, Chesterton, Gary, Hammond, Highland, LaPorte, Penn, Munster and Valparaiso High Schools.

The day-long event will consist of four separate debate categories. These include Policy Debate, Lincoln-Douglas, Congress, and Public Forum. The Policy Debate and Public Forum contests feature two-person debate teams who argue different sides of an issue. The Lincoln-Douglas event seeks to emulate the historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, taking as their focus various national questions of current interest. The Congress event simulates a Congressional debate, with students arguing over four different bills and trying to persuade fellow participants to vote their way.

The RedHawk Debate Tournament at IU Northwest will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Savannah Center. The debate events are expected to conclude at approximately 3:30 p.m., with an awards ceremony to follow.

IU Northwest is pleased to host this significant academic event. We welcome all participating high schools to campus and wish the competitors the best of luck as they debate the most crucial issues of the day.

The Savannah Center is located at 33rd Ave. and Broadway in Gary, Ind.

To learn more about the event sponsors, the IU Northwest Department of Communication and the College of Arts and Sciences, go to http://www.iun.edu/~comm/ and http://www.iun.edu/~artsci/.