14 The Compass Wednesday, February 19, 1992
Honors debates hone students' verbal skills
ECSU’s Honors Program ojfers an accelerated
academic program which includes a colloquium, a senior
thesis and special honors classes which are rigorous and
demanding.
By Cindy Blount
"Only a mother can teach her daughter
to be a woman," declared Dorothy Hager
during the Honors Program debate
competition, held Jan. 21 in Johnson Hall,
"and only a father can teach his son to be
a man."
Hager's comments came in support of
her argument that sexual orientation
should be a factor in considering parents'
qualifications for adoption of children.
She was arguing against allowing homo
sexual couples to adopt a child. "A child
in a home with two homosexual women
or men would become a social misfit,"
argued Hager: A child raised in such an
environment, she continued, "would be
confused about their sex."
Despite Hager's arguments, the Fresh
men lost the debate to the sophomore
class. The judges were SGA President
Miguel Purvis, Sheldon Lynch, a senior
and Joe Porter, a junior.
Debate contestants were judged on
organization and delivery, analysis of
the resolution, argumentation and proof,
refutation and rebuttal and cross exami
nation skills.
Sophomore class team members were
Nikld Etheridge, Tysain Bryant, Wyvon-
dalynn Gilchrist and Karen Felton. Fresh
men were Wanda Parham, Carlton Eley,
Andrea Cox and Dorothy Hager.
Sophomore team member, Nikki Eth
eridge went into the debate with no
apprehensions at all, but "ready to re
deem herself from the loss of the debate
her freshman year."
Etheridge learned from her freshman
year to be aggressive but not rude, con
vincing the audience that she believed in
what she was debating regardless of her
personal beliefs.
The second honors debate will be held
February 18,1992 at 2:00 pm in Johnson
Hall. The topic for debate to be resolved
is "It is Unfair to Create Exclusive Schools
for Inner-City Afro-American Men."
Debate topics, coaching and presenta
tion are "All student directed and moti
vated," said Dr. Carol Jones, Director of
the Honors Program. "I'm pleased that
the students can use their own ideas and
discretion in carrying out the debate,"
she added. "It helps them to conduct
research, do some critical thinking and
adaptive reasoning; and certainly it taps
on to their communication skills, their
ability to write and read and to speak
well."
Designed to challenge students with
above average academic ability, ECSU's
Honors Program offers an accelerated
academic program which includes a col
loquium, a senior thesis and special
honors classes which are rigorous and
demanding, according to Jones.
"The Senior thesis is a representation
of graduate school research, therefore I
gained preparation for graduate school
from the Honors Program," explained
Rodney Moore, a Senior English News
Media major.
Senior Lisa Newell describes the Hon
ors Program as a positive experience,
"helping her to build character."
ECSU has 84 students in it's Honor's
Program.
To stay in the Honors Program, stu
dents must maintain a cumulative 3.0
grade point average. According to the
departmental brochure, the Honors pro
gram is specifically designed to ensure
that by graduation students will display
exceptional proficiency in the command
of both oral and written communication
skills, acquire a knowledge base which
exceeds that of the average student and
develop self-discipline and self-restraint
both in character and in academic en
deavors..."
Freshmen requirements for admission
include a "B" average for four years of
high school and a satisfactory SAT score
Additional criteria include: The success
ful completion of an interview with the
director, teachers' recommendationsand
departmental placement tests.
ECSU students who are not in the
Honors Program may be admitted to
honors sections if space is available, with
approval from the director of the Honon
Program and the Director of the Division
of General Studies.
ECSU graduates of the Honors Pro
gram have gone on to attend graduate
schools including UNC-Chapel Hill, Ohio
State and the University of Minnesota.
Past graduates of the honors program
currently hold jobs in the public school
system, atNASA, in Spellman College in
Atlanta, GA and in the United States
Army.
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