On Creighton’s most recent forensics event, the team traveled to Manhattan, Kan. for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Kansas State University forensics tournament.
The team of eight students proudly came home with seven first place titles in addition to Arts & Sciences senior Katie Porter and junior Annelise Ewing qualifying for the American
Forensics Association.
The forensics team is the oldest student organization on Creighton’s campus and it is also one of the most successful. The forensics team is still the only student organization to win a national tournament and continue to take the top three spots in almost every tournament
they attend.
“The team’s mission is to be the best that they can be,” Dr. Laura Gill, forensics team coach, said. “Creighton is a much smaller school and we have a much smaller squad so we like to think of ourselves as mice sneaking in and doing really well.”The forensics team has been a comprehensive program with debate until this academic year. However, through the program prioritization process, the forensics and debate program’s budget has decreased significantly, eliminating the debate program. The team went from 20 students to eight.Dr. Marty Birkholt, Creighton’s debate coach for the past 13 years, is disappointed with the decision to eliminate the
debate team.“If you look at the core values of a Jesuit education, debate is really at the heart. Debate is students critically and intelligently discussing issues of the day and integrating various disciplines,” Birkholt said. “They challenge and test those ideas in a
public forum.”
In order for the forensics and debate teams to be successful and gain recognition they must often travel to out-of-state tournaments.
“The price per student in the forensics and debate program looks much steeper compared to other programs on this campus,”
Birkholt said.
“It’s easier to look at this program as an expense with the traveling, but it’s important to look at the revenue it generates.”
Birkholt did not step down because he was tired of coaching debate; he had to step down because there is no budget.
“[Debate’s] most important thing is to give students the ability to learn to be an effective public advocate,” Birkholt said. “[It gives them] the ability to voice their ideas and beliefs in social settings.”
Gill, who has been at Creighton for four years, came because of the comprehensive program with the debate team.
“We’ve had a slower year than years past, but that has to do with the transition. I hope we can get back to the success we’ve had in the past,” Gill said.
The forensics team has already been to five tournaments and has seven more remaining to finish out the year.