Forensics team may be headed back to DSC
Kate Semmens
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: DSC News
The dissolved forensics program of Dixie State College has recently started the potential resurrection process with administrators who are cinsudering its come back.
Forensics is more commonly known as speech and debate. The program spans the area of public speaking, which involves competitive sectors such as parliamentary debate, dramatic interpretation, original speech, reader's theater and many others.
Prior to 2003, DSC had a long-standing, highly competitive and nationally ranked forensics team. There have been no rumblings of bringing the program back, until now.
Eric Young, assistant professor of communication, said, "There were a number of reasons the forensics program was dissolved--one was budgetary."
In fact, according to the Spring 2007 issue of Dixie State Magazine in 2003 the administration discontinued forensics calling it an "economic necessity."
Don Hinton, dean of arts and letters, said, "It's very expensive to run a forensics program if you do it right, and there isn't money on campus for that to begin."
However, Hinton also said there is a DSC alumnus who loves forensics and is able to generate a donation to re-start the program.
"The donor has [told] the president if [he] would allow it (the forensics program) to start, that he would raise the money for the program for a couple of years," Hinton said.
With the forensics program being such an investment, would a couple of years be enough for it to thrive?
"I understand there is some community interest, which I think is money best spent," Young said. "But the thing is, it needs to be perpetual; it can't be a one-time deal."
There were several other factors that played a role in the dissolving of the forensic program.
"The collegiate tournaments were becoming very esoteric," Young said. "Policy debate had morphed into something that was no longer communicative, it was just spewing."
Spewing happens when a person is trying to say as much information in as short amount of time as possible.
Forensics is more commonly known as speech and debate. The program spans the area of public speaking, which involves competitive sectors such as parliamentary debate, dramatic interpretation, original speech, reader's theater and many others.
Prior to 2003, DSC had a long-standing, highly competitive and nationally ranked forensics team. There have been no rumblings of bringing the program back, until now.
Eric Young, assistant professor of communication, said, "There were a number of reasons the forensics program was dissolved--one was budgetary."
In fact, according to the Spring 2007 issue of Dixie State Magazine in 2003 the administration discontinued forensics calling it an "economic necessity."
Don Hinton, dean of arts and letters, said, "It's very expensive to run a forensics program if you do it right, and there isn't money on campus for that to begin."
However, Hinton also said there is a DSC alumnus who loves forensics and is able to generate a donation to re-start the program.
"The donor has [told] the president if [he] would allow it (the forensics program) to start, that he would raise the money for the program for a couple of years," Hinton said.
With the forensics program being such an investment, would a couple of years be enough for it to thrive?
"I understand there is some community interest, which I think is money best spent," Young said. "But the thing is, it needs to be perpetual; it can't be a one-time deal."
There were several other factors that played a role in the dissolving of the forensic program.
"The collegiate tournaments were becoming very esoteric," Young said. "Policy debate had morphed into something that was no longer communicative, it was just spewing."
Spewing happens when a person is trying to say as much information in as short amount of time as possible.
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