1983-1984

The Faculty

Bob Withycombe, Director of Forensics

Team Picture

Front row, from the left, Keith Wells, Paul Saxegoord, Elaine Laromee, Mike Bennett (in front), Hoku Fagerroos, Kevin Loomer

Second row, from the left, Glenn Simshaw, Aaron Forsberg, Paul Lucas, Leola Weimer, Pat Page, Dave Bansmer

Third row, from the left, Lisa Olivarez, Cecily McCowen, Carla Widell, Rich Bollin, Kern Maresso, Tim Sekerak, Jan Berman, further to the right, Coach Bob Withycombe

The 1983-84 Forensic Team had a most successful season! About 30 students traveled to 14 tournaments in 5 states during the season, In October the team won our own Invitational Tournament and the University of Oregon's tournament and in November we won the Lewis and Clark tournament. In January we won both tournaments at Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Puget Sound in addition to hosting a highly successful high school tournament. In February we placed first at Western Washington University, Western States, and Willamette University, In March, we won the outstanding team award at the National Individual Events qualifying tournament at Oregon State and earned the right to take students to the National Tournament in Manhattan, Kansas. In April, the team placed second at Reno.

For the season, Whitman won every Northwest tournament we attended; won, for the second year in a row, the Northwest Forensic Conference Division I sweepstakes award; placed fifth in the nation in value debate; second in the nation in individual events; and had the outstanding speaker in the nation, Pat Page, for the second consecutive year. Individuals won over 100 awards for speech and debate this year.

No other college or university in the country that placed in the top ten teams at the National Individual Events Tournament also placed in the top ten in value debate. This indicated both the depth and the diversity of the speech team at Whitman College.

Whitman News

A. The college added seven faculty to permanent positions.

1. The politics department hired Dr. Gregory J. Kasza from Yale University.

2. Drs. Lynn Dumenil and Clarke A. Colahan, as well as Akeri Takemoto joined the literature department.

3. Dr. R. Pete Parcells, a visiting professor the previous year, was appointed to a permanent position as an assistant professor of economics.

4. Carol R. Gabriel became an instructor in the philosophy department.

B. Receiving temporary jobs at the college were Michael Baim, chemistry; Caroline Weiler and Steven Wolfe, biology; Richard A. Burke, dramatic art; Miranda Warburton, anthropology; Robin Peterson, French; Charles Cleveland, sociology; and Charles Kincaid, a visiting lecturer in geology.

C. Kevin Koertje was the ASWC president.

D. Robert A. Skotheim was the college president.

E. Russell J. Deremer was the dean of students.

F. Topics discussed by the students on campus included the draft and the quality of Barry Manilow’s “music.”

G. North Hall was turned into student housing.

H. The Fine Arts Interest House was founded.

I. Work began on the New Hall of Music.

J. The Alpha Chi sorority surrendered its charter after failing to rush enough members.

K. The college had 1,230 students enrolled, the most in the school’s history.

L. Jim Hanson competed at his first college debate tournament in October at Whitman College. Jim competed for Western Washington University.

Speech Courses

Courses remain the same but the numbers change.

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 110. Fundamentals of Speech, 3 hours.

SPEECH 221, 222. Principles and Practice of Forensics, 1 hours (individual events), 2 hours (debate).

SPEECH 270. Argumentation and Persuasion, 3 hours.

SPEECH 370. Seminar: Western Rhetorical Thinking, 3 hours.

World News

A. On September 1, two Russian fighter jets shot down a Korean passenger plane which had strayed into Russian airspace.

B. President Reagan made the decision to pull U. S. troops out of Beirut and authorized two aircraft carriers to stand guard.

C. In El Salvador, the U. S. continued to back a violently repressive junta.

D. In the U.S., the big controversy was over whether or not Gary Hart would run for president.

E. The U.S. invaded Grenada.

F. Sally Ride becomes the first U.S. woman in space.

G. Toxic leak at Bhopal in India killing and sickening many people.

Team Awards

A. During the year, 30 students competed.

B. Whitman attended 14 tournaments in five states.

C. In October, the team won the Whitman tournament with 154 points.

1. In junior CEDA debate, Lyanda Haupt and Carla Widell placed first with an 8-0 record, Brian Webb and Leola Weimer placed second with a 6-2 record, and Tim Sekarak and Kristin Lamp took third with a 5-2 record.

2. In open CEDA debate, David Bansmer and Jan Berman placed second while Todd Brown and John Watrons won third.

D. Whitman also won the University of Oregon Tournament.

E. In January, the team won the Pacific Lutheran University and University of Puget Sound Tournaments.

F. In February, the team won the Western Washington, Western States, and Willamette University tournaments.

G. In March the team won the outstanding team award at the NIET qualifying tournament at Oregon State University.

H. Whitman placed fifth in the nation in CEDA debate and second in the nation in individual events.