Forensics and Debate Team Has More than 30 Years of Proven Success

The Webster Forensics and Debate Team shows off awards from the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament and Convention in Phoenix, Arizona in March (13 awards in total!). The Forensics Team has over 30 national championships and 10 All Americans. 

By Hannah McFarland and Maribeth Wagganer

The Webster Forensics and Debate Team was established in 1993 in the former College of Arts and Sciences (now the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.) 

In 1999, the team moved to the School of Communications. This year, the team was welcomed back home by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The team competes in 15 different speech events and seven different debate events, and can be seen in the Priest House practicing for the upcoming tournaments. 

The team is led by the Director of Forensics Gina Jensen, a past President and Hall of Fame member of Pi Kappa Delta. Jensen sits on the National Council of Pi Kappa Delta as the Historian and Convention Coordinator, and is assisted by the Assistant Director of Forensics, Tom Serfass, a former member of the Pi Kappa Delta National Council. We caught up with Jensen to discuss The Forensics and Debate Team.

Team members are comprised of students from across the campus with varying majors. Jensen has an open-door policy and welcomes any interested undergraduate students at any point during the year to join. A Forensics and Debate Club is also available for students who cannot travel but still want to be a part of on-campus events. The club plans to participate in mock debates, a speaker series and multiple on-campus performances this year. “We love finding people as freshmen because we get to know them for four years. And that means if you stay on a forensics team for four years, when you graduate, it's like graduating with two degrees. The team welcomes all experience levels, and any motivation is welcome on the team,” Jensen said.

The team travels around the country to compete from Orlando, Florida to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Athens, Ohio, and Springfield, Missouri. They rack up the miles across the country from year to year depending on where the Nationals Tournament is held.

“I think there are so many beautiful people out there that we compete against. But I would say that our team very much is like a family, and for us, that is not just a throwaway phrase. We mean it. And we live by the family metaphor. And I think that's the reason that we have so many alumni that come back to everything we do every year that stay connected,” Jensen said.

"The team’s alumni network is strong and will often come back to help with tournaments and help with new student mentoring. The Forensics and Debate Team has a family attitude that expands beyond the University and into the forensics and debate community,” Jensen added.

The Forensics and Debate Team is so happy to be in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences as it aligns with its mission and how the team tries to “prepare students to cooperate and flourish in a more just and globally interconnected world.” The team makes a point of staying in contact with global communities and cultures because the topics they investigate, prepare presentations on, and engage in debates on can transcend national boundaries and involve perspectives from around the world.

One event that the team participates in is called Extemporaneous Speaking. “In that event, you have three rounds,” Jensen said. “One round is international, one round is domestic and one round is economic. And in the international round, you get questions from all over the globe. And it's not just things that are front and center in the news, but still important. We just do a lot of this research once again, using sources of media from their countries, as well as other surrounding countries, just to make ourselves informed. I think that's a big part of what helps to make us global. But also, I think we just have a strong appreciation for the importance of being a global community.”