1981-1982
|
The
Faculty
Bob
Withycombe, Director of Forensics
|
Whitman News
1.
A two million dollar addition to the science building was completed.
2.
ASWC secretary Brady Jensen resigned in order to oust ASWC president David Nord
who was running for Walla Walla City council. A “Bullshoot Forum” was created
in which Jensen and Nord debated over whether or not Nord should remain in the
Presidency. The following day Nord was recalled by a 7 vote margin.
3.
The climbing wall opened at Sherwood.
4.
Phyllis Schafly and Katherine Brady participated in a public debate on
abortion.
5.
Prize winning drama, The Diviners, opened at Harper Joy Theater.
6.
KWCW transmission is increased to 100 watts.
World News
January 1 -
January 19 -
January 13 - Donna Griffiths, a
schoolgirl in Pershore,
January 25 - The Oakland Raiders win
Super Bowl XV, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 at the Louisiana
Superdome in
March 30 - U.S. President Ronald
Reagan is shot in the chest outside a
June 22 - Iranian president Abolhassan
Banisadr is deposed.
March 10 – Syzygy: all 9 planets align
on the same side of the Sun. See also Jupiter effect.
March 19 – The Falklands War
approaches: Argentines land on
June 14 – The Falklands War ends: A
formal surrender is agreed this day.
October 28 – The Socialist Party wins
the election in
Speech Courses
The articulation and diction course is
dropped in the catalogue and Bob replaces it with an Argumentation and
Persuasion course..
Speech Department Description: Courses
treat public speaking as a liberal art, proposing that such speaking is not a
skill learned by rule but an exercise of judgment that can be no better than
the speaker's understanding of the nature of the communicative acts.
SPEECH
11. Fundamentals of Speech, 3 hours.
SPEECH
36. Argumentation and Persuasion, 3
hours.
SPEECH
43, 44. Principles and
Practice of Forensics, 1 hours (individual events), 2 hours (debate).
Speech
Course Descriptions
Mr.
Withycombe
Courses
treat public speaking as a liberal art, proposing that such speaking is not a
skill learned by rule but an exercise of judgment that can be no better than
the speaker’s understanding of the nature of the communicative acts. (See Credit Restrictions.)
11, 11 Fundamentals of Speech 3,
3
Training
in the fundamentals of good speech, such as orderly thinking, emotional adjustment,
adequate voice, distinct articulation and effective oral use of language.
Speech as man’s primary means of communication, with emphasis on the
preparation and delivery of various types of speeches as well as on the more
informal uses of speech in daily use. Offered
both semesters. Fall: Mr. Withycombe, section A, 11 M T Th; Mr. Withycombe,
section B, 1-2:20 T Th. Spring: Mr. Withycombe; Ii M T Th.
36 Argumentation and Persuasion x,
3
Theory,
preparation and practice in the art of persuasion will be the central focus of
this course. Time will be devoted to the study of logic and reasoning, language
development and memory, psycholinguistics and paralinguistic codes, the
psychology of persuasion, the ethics of propaganda and advertising, and the structure
of arguments. Students will be expected to observe, evaluate and construct
logical persuasive arguments in both formal and informal settings. Spring: Mr. Withycombe; 1-2:20 T Th.
43.
46 Principles and Practice of Forensics 1-2,
1-2
Theory, preparation, and
practice of debate and/or individual speaking events. Intercollegiate
forensics. Students who are debating should register for two credits. Those who
are only in individual events will normally receive one credit. May be repeated
for a total of eight credits. Fall and
spring: Mr. Withycombe, section A (1 credit), 6:30 p.m. T, Mr. Withycombe,
section B (2 credits), 6:30 p.m.
Pioneer Newspaper Articles on the Team
Debate
team triumphs
Thursday,
October 22, 1981
The Whitman College Speech Team had
several members place in competition among 15 colleges and universities at the
Lewis and
Debate wins Another
by
Elaine Ianmee
Thursday,
November 5, 1981
In
a twenty-four school speech competition October 31 at the
First
place winners were: Jim Pogue, senior editorial commentary; Shawna Barnes,
novice oratory; John Morrison, value debate speaker; and Kevin Gunning, junior
extemporaneous and impromptu speaking.
Other
individual and team winners were: Elaine Laramee and Reb Moreo, second, novice
debate; Laramee, second, senior rhetorical criticism; Meg Kelly, second, junior
editorial commentary; Kevin Loomer, second, senior editorial commentary and
senior dramatic prose. Mike Bennett took second in Policy debate speaking; Dale
Weideman, second, senior impromptu; Brady Jensen, second value debate speaker.
Other
finalists were: Chris Johnson, senior impromptu; Dave Bansmer, junior
extemporaneous speaking; Andy Jensen and John Morrison, debate team; Dave
Bansmer and Mike Hines, third, junior Policy debate team; Bansmer, fourth,
overall junior speaker. Carolynn Snyder was fourth in senior oratory; Brady
Jensen, fourth, senior extemporaneous speaking; Meg Kelly, fifth, value debate
speaker; Brenda Cameron, fifth, policy debate speaker.
“This
clearly identifies Whitman as the preeminent team in the West," commented
Whitman speech coach Robert Withycombe. Withycombe's claim is corroborated by
Whitman's performance at the Gonzaga University Speech Tournament on the
previous Saturday, October 24. Whitman also captured sweepstakes (first place)
that weekend. Fifteen schools competed for this prestigious award, but Whitman
gave a "tongue-lashing to e fourteen other colleges,' said Withycombe. He
commented that Whitman had performed 'brilliantly.'
In
individual events, the results were as follows: John Bunnell received the
second place award in senior division persuasive, and Lisa Linday took third in
junior division in the same event; Mike Bennett placed second in senior
interpretation; Elaine Laramee won third place in senior rhetorical criticism;
in extemporaneous speaking, Phil Graves was finalist in senior division and
Dave Bansmer and Kevin Gunning made it into junior finals, with Gunning
receiving first place.
In
debate, two teams placed for Whitman. Mike Hines and Dave Bansmer were second
in junior NDT, and Jim Pogue and Phil Graves finished third in open CEDA.
Bansmer was third overall speaker in his division.
Withycombe
rates highly as Speech Coach
“Some
people, it seems, were born to teach. I came from a small farming and teaching
family" says Withycombe, a forensics professor and debate coach. 'My mother
is a teacher, my brother and sister are teachers, as are three aunts and a few
others. Some families just seem to develop things, ours was teaching and
education. So to end up at a small liberal arts college in
Though this is only his second year at Whitman, debaters
feel that his impact on the team has been significant.
“I think we're going to turn into a powerhouse, says Brenda Cameron, an all-
round forensics competitor with three years' experience on the Whitman team,
“and I think it's due to Bob." She cites the coach's interest in
competition, saying that “he wants commitment from people. So in the Iong run
we'll be a more consistent team with greater membership.” Mike Bennett, whose
career in competitive speech includes three years of student-coaching at the
high school level, appreciates Withycombe's approach. “He's laid-back but he
will do anything he can to improve your performance if you show interest,"
says Bennett.
Withycombe
says, "We have a strong team, with lots of depth. It's fun to work with
them, helping prepare speeches and debates. Our team is quite competitive, both
because of our team depth of about 22 potential winners and because of our
budget, which allows us to travel a lot. Whitman draws the students from the
tops of high school classes and debaters usually fall in that bracket. We've
developed enough of a reputation that high schools ask about our program,”
remarks Withycombe.
Debate,
however, is only one of Withycombe's concerns. “I feel strongly about education
in general and the direction it's going," he injects. At Whitman, he sees
the strong academic program as an important point. "It's important for
small colleges to develop a specific image, to set themselves apart from the
herd. We seem to be accomplishing this with our focus on academics. We're
special among Northwest schools and that is reflected by our student
body." He continues, "We attract kids who want to work hard and,
personally, that's the only kind I want to teach."
But
nationally, Withycome isn't quite so pleased. 'It
bothers me there's no emphasis in
For
now, he is happy with the private schools' situation, although there are a few
changes he'd like to see occur at Whitman. One matter is student-teacher
communication. “I'm a communications person, that's my specialty. Before
decisions are made here there should be much more discussion.” he says.
“Regarding recent faculty decisions, such as plus/minus grading and
Greek-related changes, he says 'If more discussion was held, there wouldn't be
the 'good guy versus bad guy' outlook because, ultimately, that's not how it should
be. The faculty will always make the final decisions, it's their position to do
so, but a deeper analysis of the problems will help both parties
involved," he believes.
Outside
of school Withycombe pursues an assortment of interests. He enjoys traveling
and, including traveling with the debate team, has visited 17 states in the
past year. He often travels with his family: his wife Nancy and two children,
ages five and three.
Other
interests include golfing and gambling. 'Each year I manage to get down to
His
evaluation of Whitman is quite good. 'Things are coming around nicely,' he
concludes with a grin.
Versatility
and Depth: Whitman Forensics Team 7th in the Nation
February 17, 1982
"We're the most
versatile team in the Northwest," contends Bob Withycombe, director of
Whitman College's successful forensics program. Whitman has been ranked seventh
in the nation in value (CEDA) debate in relation to other small liberal arts
colleges, and is in the top 20% even when the list is expanded to include
schools such as UCLA, the Air Force Academy, and Northwestern University.
Withycombe characterizes the
squad as having "incredible depth," noting that over twenty students
have received awards in competition this year. Collectively, Whitman placed
second overall in the recent Willamette University Tournament, in which ten
students were recognized for their efforts. He adds that Whitman's record is
especially impressive in that the team has attended only six tournaments thus
far this year, while some other schools maintain far heavier travel schedules.
The forensics director cites consistency as a target for improvement as the
team enters the final stages of its competitive season. Tournaments scheduled
in coming weeks include regional qualifiers for the National Individual Events
Tournament, the Pi Kappa Delta Regional Tournament in
The latter is considered the
national values debate tournament, while success at the NIET qualifiers
entitles winners to compete on the national level at a meet set for late April
in
Whitman
Speech
April 29, 1982
In other competition, Brenda
Cameron and Mike Bennett were quarter- finalists in a value debate tournament
held at Reno, Nevada.
Whitman ranks forty-first in
the nation among 239 colleges and universities competing in value debate this
year, according to Whitman speech coach Bob Withycombe.
Team Awards
Brady Jensen placed fifth in
extemporaneous speaking at the National Individual Events Tournament in Mankato,
Minnesota.
Megan Salzman
Medica qualified for the NIET in Rhetorical Criticism for her analysis of the
poem ready by Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy.