Students debate new casino ban for class
Four student debaters gambled against audience opinion in a public debate showcase Tuesday night.
Becky Vander Sluis, Lindsey Dymond, Kelcey Sherd and Courtney Overbey debated about whether or not Michigan should forbid the construction of new casinos to an audience of 27 in Moore 112.
The debate was the capstone project in COM 267L: Introduction to Debate, and the four chose to debate publicly for extra credit.
Holland freshman Vander Sluis and Livonia freshman Dymond were on the affirmative side arguing for a ban. She opened the debate by advocating a policy change which would ban construction of new casinos in Michigan and keep the existing ones running.
On the negative side were Sherd, a Grand Ledge freshman, and Overbey, an Onsted freshman. They argued against the affirmative’s point that new casinos would increase accessibility to gambling addicts.
“We wanted to pick a topic that was relevant to the audience,” Vander Sluis said. “With a lot of students being 18 or older, I think it went well. We created a good clash.”
Assistant Professor of Communication and Dramatic Arts Jeff Drury is the course instructor and said the debate was one of 10 being presented throughout three weeks.
“These students are now experts on the topics they are debating,” Drury said. “The goal is to share information and engage people and students from the community on issues facing society.”
The debate was the second in a triple-header Tuesday night. The other two debates dealt with providing birth control to students and the elimination process for tenured teachers.
Drury said he likes giving students the freedom to pick their own topics, especially when the students’ topics are ones he would not have suggested.
Steve Couture, an English language institute instructor, required his students to come to the debate as an example for their persuasive speech assignment.
“I thought it was a good, informative debate,” Couture said. “The (students) did a good job at looking and understanding both sides of the issue.”
Thursday night will feature another triple header starting at 6 p.m in Moore 112. The topics will include providing money to public elementary schools for healthier lunches, implementing the death penalty and eliminating standardized testing in higher education.
There will also be a debate on legalizing euthanasia at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 and one dealing with banning homeschooling at 6 p.m. on Dec. 8.
