1932-1933 Whitman Speech and Debate Team

Faculty

No picture available at this time.

Roy McCall

With W.R. Davis as DSR advisor.

Edith Davis also taught in the English department, mainly drama/theater.

Prof. Lapham taught in the English department as well.

Whitman News

I. Whitman College in 1932-1933

A. There were no new professors added to the faculty.

B. Stephen Beasely Linnard Penrose was President of Whitman College.

C. Talcott Ostrander was President of the Associated Students of Whitman

D. Dorothy Robinson was Vice-President

E. George MacClain was Secretary-Treasurer

F. Roy MacCall was the Debate coach.

G. Robert Brome was the Manager of the men’s debate team

H. Marjorie Douglass was the Manager of the women’s debate team

II. At Whitman College

A. The Pioneer ran many ads for cigarettes, sports equipment, and new styles of clothing like Campus chords corduroy pants.

B. Fashion styles included a new wave of corduroy for men and hosiery, skirts, and blouses for women.

C. A huge dispute ran over whether freshmen should be allowed to pledge in Delta Gamma

D. Grades were changed from a number-scale to the current scale of letter grades to fall in line with changing times and in an attempt to lessen emphasis on grades and thus lower cheating.

Men's Debate

Whitman wranglers this year participated in one of the most comprehensive schedules ever arranged here. Manager Robert Brome scheduled a total of thirty-four debates, local teams winning sixteen, losing thirteen, and tying one. Four were non-decision affairs.

Probably the outstanding contest of tile year occurred on November 17, when Harold Garretson and Clark Emery defeated a team from Robert College, Istanbul, Turkey. Taking the negative of the national unemployment insurance question the Whitman men did some of the best work of the season in earning a 2 to 1 decision. This debate, the first international meeting in several years, was held at the Capitol Theater. The foreign pair, Rifat and Ziki, had behind them a pretentious record of wins on their American tour.

Home-and-home series with Washington State College and the University of Idaho gave Whitman a clean sweep of four victories. Robert Brome and Walter Ball defeated the Pullmanites twice and Idaho once, while Bail and Harry Leilrer took the other win. The question used was that of wage-cutting and the depression. The second semester opened with a non-decision debate here against Northwest Nazarene College. Wilson Wallis and Clint Corliss represented Whitman. Waiter Ball and Harry Lehrer were selected to take part in a debate tournament at McMinnville under Linfield College auspices; there they won six, including a defeat of Willamette, and lost four. They also met the University of Oregon in a non-decision encounter, considering the centralized control of industry.

Another seasonal highlight came with the arrival of Kelleher and Alexander, the University of Montana pair whose wit pleased audiences here a year ago. In an exceptionally close meeting they repeated their former success by taking a decision from Brome and Ball. The popular cross-question method was used, the wage-cutting question being debated. Two nights later they won again from Brome and Garretson in the same style of wrangle. Whitmanites have yet to secure a decision in this cross-question system, though it has definitely proved a drawing-card here. Climaxing the year was the California trip, the most pretentious undertaken for some time. Walter Ball and Harry Lehrer were named as the traveling squad. Debates en route included a non-decision affair with the University of Oregon, and losses to U. C. L. A., Southern California, Oregon State, and Southwestern Law school. The last two named were close 2-1 decisions, the California schools winning by vote of a critic judge. Centralized control was argued in each case.

At Redlands another debate tournament was entered, results showing three victories and two defeats. Wins were taken from San Bernardino State, Los Angeles State, and College of the Pacific, while Linfield and Woodbury proved too strong.

Critic judges were used in all debates. Both at Redlands and at Pomona, Ball and Lehrer entered Pacific Coast speaking contests. Ball reaching semi-final eliminations in both cases. Whittier furnished the last competition of the trip in a non-decision contest. To close the season traveling teams from Brigham Young University, Oregon State College and Pacific University competed in Walla Walla. Ball and Lehrer lost to Pacific, won from the Utahans, and tied with the Corvallis men when the judges were unable to pick a winner. In spite of such an impasse to end the year, debate really had an exceptional degree of success, due especially to the efforts of Coach Roy McCall and manager Brome.

Women’s Debate

Varsity debate for women tins year took on the aspect of a women's rights campaign, the official questions being: Resolved; "That college disciplinary regulations should be the same for both men and women," and, "That the Nevada divorce laws should be condemned." Whitman representatives proved themselves especially cap- able in arguing along these lines, winning a very fair majority of the encounters during a well-filled season. Marjorie Douglas, as manager, was in charge, of the schedule.

Tile fall season included home and abroad contests with the University of Idaho and Washington State College, honors being even in both cases. Ruth Blaine and Mary Reed won over both those teams in Walla Walla on December 8th and 10th respectively, upholding the affirmative of the single standard in collegiate regulations. Mary Bower and Marjorie Douglas were less fortunate on their road trip, dropping encounters in Moscow and Pullman on December 11th. Affirmative teams were victorious in every debate of this series.

The spring schedule used the Nevada divorce statutes as its field for wrangling. Mary Bower and Ruth Blaine met the University of Oregon in Walla Walla on February 14th in the season's opener, a non-decision affair. Victories over Willamette and Pacific Universities followed on February 26th and March 14th here, Whitman's representatives being Marjorie Douglas and Mary Reed, and Ruth Blaine and Isa- belle Welty.

The women's spring debate tour covering over one thousand miles through Western Oregon and Washington was scheduled April 17 to April 24. Mary Bower and Mary Reed represented Whitman throughout the trip on the affirmative side of the Nevada question while Ruth Blaine and Marjorie Douglas upheld the negative. Nine debates were participated in by the travelers. At Pacific University in Forest Grove the negative carried away the decision while the affirmative took part in a non-decision fray. For the first time in several years Whitman met Linfield College at McMinnville in two non-decision talk-fests. University of Oregon offered another debate for Whitman's negative team without decision. The following day both teams were bowed before the onslaught of Oregon State College's debaters, but rallied to split the decisions in the two debates with Oregon Normal School at Monmouth. These last two constituted the first ever to be scheduled with this school.

With the return of the debaters the season was declared officially closed. To summarize the season we find the women have engaged in a total of sixteen debates of which five were no decision, five were lost and six were won.

Speech in the English Department News

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Professor DAVIS, Professor BLANKENSHIP, Assistant Professor DAVIS, Assistant Professor LAPHAM, Mr. CHAOUN, Mr. MCCALL,

Students who select English as their major study are advised to have by the end of the Sophomore year (1) at least nine hours elected from Courses 21, 23-24, 25, 31, 40, and 58; (2) ten hour of beginning Greek or Latin, or high school equivalent; (3) a reading knowledge of French, Spanish or German. In the Junior and Senior years a major in English should include (1) a general knowledge of the social aspects of English and American history; (2) at least five hours elected from Courses 51, 52, 54, 56, 57-68, and 81-82; (3) at least seventeen hours elected from upper class courses in Literature, Greek 51 or 52, Latin 52, and Philology 81-82.

Courses 1 or 2, and 15-16, are required in the Freshman year. Two additional hours elected from Courses 31, 51, 52, 54, 81-82, to be completed during the Sophomore, Junior or Senior year are required of all candidates for graduation.

Courses of Instruction

COURSES IN WRITING

1 or 2. Composition

Two hours, first or second semester

51. Journalism

Two hours, first semester

161. Narrative Writing

Two hours, first semester

163. Magazine Writing

Two hours, second semester

166· Business Writing

Two hours, second semester

81-82- Advanced Composition

One or two hours, first and second semesters

COURSES IN SPEAKING

15-16. Public Speaking

One hour, first and second semesters

55. Argumentation and Debate

Two hours, first semester

56. Advanced Public Speaking

Two hours, second semester

51-58. Dramatic interpretation and Play Production

Three hours, first and second semesters

COURSES IN LITERATURE—Given every year

SS-24. Types of Prose. Fiction

Two hours, first and second semesters

67-68. American Literature

Three hours, first and second semesters

85-86. Honors Course

One or two hours, first and second semesters

87-88. Senior Reading Course

Two or three hours, first and second semesters

97-98. The Teaching of English in the High School

One hour, first and second semesters

1933

HONOR SOCIETIES

Delta Sigma Rho, national honorary forensic fraternity, has established a chapter at the College. Membership is earned part by participation in at least two intercollegiate contests.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

The Associated Students of Whitman College, an organization of which every student is a member, has control of student activities in athletics, journalism, debate, oratory and music. The President, Vice-President and Secretary are elected by the student ha and constitute, with the Graduate Manager and Faculty Adviser the Executive Committee. Meetings are held on Thursdays at 11 AM. during the college year.

National social fraternities for men and women and local. Organizations for men and women have been established with the approval of the faculty and under its supervision. Members of the organizations are expected to maintain superior standards of scholarship and conduct.

COURSES IN SPEAKING AND DRAMATIC ART

15 or 16. Public Speaking

Instruction and training in oral communication; correction of voice ~eets; training in right vocal habits. Sections limited to sixteen.

Two hours, one semester.

47. Argumentation and Debate

Principles of argumentation and practice in convincing discussion of ~puted questions.

Two hours, first semester.

55 or 56. Public Speaking, Advanced Course

Preparation and delivery of the informal and the formal public speech; vocal training; extemporaneous discussion. Limited to twenty students.

Two hours, one semester.

57-58. (Unit) Dramatic Interpretation and Play Production

Instruction in dramatic interpretation and experience in dramatic pro duction through the public presentation of several plays. Prerequisite Course 59.

Two hours, first semester; three hours second semester.

59. Oral Interpretation

Practice in reading and interpreting the printed page. Limited ft twenty students.

Two hours, first semester.

75-76. Advanced Debate

Credit for work done, first and second semesters.

World News

II. In the World

· President Hoover sets up the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Its purpose is to provide emergency financing for US financial institutions and to help agriculture, commerce and industry.

· Adolf Hitler becomes German Chancellor. Germany's financial system and the economy in general are geared to rearmament.

· Roosevelt becomes US President

· The New Deal is launched. Restoration of confidence in the financial system is a necessary preliminary to the New Deal involving aid to industry and agriculture.

· “Representatives of Germany, Great Britain, France, and Japan met to decide the issue of German reparation debt payment. An agreement was reached whereby the debt would be deferred. The agreement was contingent upon the US agreeing to also defer the debt payment of the Western European governments. When the US Congress forbade any cancellation or reduction in debt repayment, the agreement disintegrated.”

· “The British government declared the Congress Party illegal and again arrested Gandhi. The government took extraordinarily repressive measures to crush the demonstrations that followed.”

· “The Japanese continued their assault on China by attacking Shanghai. The Western powers protested vigorously and sent reinforcements to defend their interests. Heavy Western pressure forced the Japanese to withdraw.”

· “To fight the Depression, President Hoover supported the creation of the R.F.C. This entity was developed to lend money to corporations. The "Hoover approach" stated that if the companies got support, they would eventually support individuals.”

· “A full-fledged war broke out between Paraguay and Bolivia over an area known as the ‘Gran Chaco.’”

· “Major James Doolittle seized a new speed record at the Thomas Trophy Speed Race. Doolittle, flying a Granville Gee-Bee, averaged 294 mph during the race.”

· “Charles A. Lindbergh's baby son kidnapped and killed.”

· “Nazis lead in German elections with 230 Reichstag seats.”

Dovell Contest

The Dovell contest, annual oratorical competition, which always sees the best speaking talent of the college in action, was as usual held in connection with the 1931 graduation ceremonies. Kenneth Davis '32, for the second consecutive year, rated above his debating colleague, Albert Garretson, also a senior. Davis used the oration that had earlier won him second place in the Pacific Coast competition at Seattle. Entitled "The Shadow," it dealt with the menace of gangster rule. Garretson, in placing second, used an aspect of the peace problem for his subject. Third honors went to Katherine Keisling, thus giving every prize to graduating students. Several other orators competed in the preliminaries and finals.

John Brining Contest

The John Brining extemporaneous speaking contest for members of the freshman class also saw its finals run off during commencement week-end. Harry Lehrer, prominent '34 debater, took the honors here, with Rachel Kester placing second. Several eliminations were necessary, since all members of public speaking classes had opportunity to enter. Both contests were endowed some years ago by friends of the college, the Dovell competition being named for one of its early graduates. Cash prizes as well as the distinction connected with placing in these annual affairs have served to draw increasing numbers of entrants during recent years.

Wrangler's Club

Frosh debaters at Whitman continued an old custom by initiating the year with great plans and propositions, and completing it in comparatively dusty oblivion. Arrangements were made early for debates with certain nearby high schools, and also reciprocal trips to colleges of the region to meet freshman teams. Officialdom frowned upon these negotiations, however, on the assumption that first-year men ought not represent the college abroad. As a consequence the club was left to internal debates, meetings opposing Ye Talke Shoppe, and a sole contest against a Walla Walla High School team on the chain store question.

Lincoln Ries, president, led the group in an exceptionally competent manner when one considers various factors, not the least of which was members' lack of interest, Other officers were DeLos Ransom, vice-president, and Guido Pelligrini, secretary. Marvin Cragun acted as faculty adviser.

Ye Talke Shoppe

Ye Talke Shoppe, formerly an extemporaneous speaking group, was this year reorganized into a freshman women's debating society. Much enthusiasm has been displayed by the budding orators, and several interesting debates have been held with the Wrangler's Club and the Wa-Hi debate team. The purpose of the club is to develop debating among the freshmen women and to keep interest in debate alive until tile members are eligible for the varsity squad in their sophomore year. Much credit for the success of the group is due the officers: Virginia Gore, president; Dorothy Cruden, vice-president; Mary Elizabeth Ennis, secretary-treasurer.

Team Results

IV. Debate at Whitman College

A. Men’s Debate

1. The resolution was national unemployment insurance

2. The team competed in a total of 34 debates. They won 16, lost 13, tied 1, and received 4 no-decisions.

3. Walter Bull and Harry Lehrer were chosen to travel to California to debate. Over the course of the trip, they debated 5 teams, lost 4 rounds, and received 1 no-decision. Their topic was centralized control.

4. Whitman College competed in the first international debate in years. Harold Garretson and Clark Emery debated against Robert College from Istanbul, Turkey. They won on a 2-1 decision.

B. Women’s Debate

1. Women had two topics. The first was “college disciplinary regulations should be the same for both men and women.” The second was that “Nevada divorce laws should be condemned.”

2. Combined, the team won 5 rounds, lost 6, and received 5 no-decisions.