College of the Mainland Debate Club makes tournament debut

The College of the Mainland's newly formed Debate Club is going to compete in its first tournament, the 2012 Mardi Gras Alumni Classic, at Louisiana State University, located at 3960 W. Lakeshore Drive, in Baton Rouge, on Saturday, Feb. 25, and Sunday, Feb. 26.

According to a press release, most tournaments have eight to 12 schools competing, with each school bringing two to five teams apiece.

The club, which now has 12 students, was started by Dr. Nakia Welch, an assistant professor of speech and humanities and former debater during his undergraduate years at Louisiana College.

The club has been practicing since September, and Welch said in a press release that he hopes to make debate an integral part of COM. His request for a debate class was recently approved for the fall semester, and he'd like to see the club host a tournament in 2013-14, according to a press release.