In our triumphant return to podcasting, Critical Issues in Debate welcomes back a long time contributor, Dr. Michael Hester. Dr Hester is the Director of West Georgia Debate and also a dean in the Honors College at West Georgia. Dr Hester is also a member of the Edebate Allstars. This conversation covers the 2012 NDT, the DSRB interview, the Loyolla v Georgetown semifinal round, preparing during the off-season, and more. Thanks Dr Hester for giving the website more great insights!
In this podcast Dr. Michael Hester, and friend and frequent contributor to the podcast series talk about various aspects of the upcoming Democracy Assistance Topic.
Dr. Michael Hester is the Associate Dean of the Honors College at the University of West Georgia and has been the director of UWG Debate for 16 years. During his tenure, UWG Debate has won CEDA National championships twice (as well as reaching the finals and semifinals in other years), reached the semifinals, quarterfinals (3 times), and octafinals (4 times) of the NDT, and received 1st Round At-Large Bids to the NDT nine times. He coached the first African-American male to win a national championship, the first all-female team to win a national championship, the first team to win a national championship running a K, as well as the first teams to introduce arguments about gendered language into debate. He has worked at more than two dozen summer debate camps since 1989, including serving on the faculty of debate institutes at Arizona State, Bates, Berkeley, Emory, Gonzaga, and Michigan, as well as lecturing to the University of Kentucky Fellows.
Mike Hester is the director of the University of West Georgia debate team and is one of the most successful coaches in the country. Our conversation covers the 2011-2012 High School Policy Debate Topic, our upcoming lab we will be leading this summer at the GDI, the outrounds at the 2011 NDT, Hester’s pro debate rounds as a member of the Edebate AllStars, and the beauty of the activity.
Here is a fantastic round between “Debate Realness with a Twist” (Rashad Evans and Deven Cooper) on the aff and the Edebate Allstars (Mike Hester and Jsharp) on the neg. This round is probably the closest that the Allstars had but they still won the debate on a 2-0. This is definitely a must-see round. Thanks to all the participants and the Bay Area UDL for putting on the tournament.
Here the Allstars go neg against a Sam Iola and Jake Zehring (aka JZ according to Jim Schultz), seen here as “don’tthinkwecare,” on the nuclear weapons topic. Here is a great example of how to beat “out-there” K affs without evidence. If that idea is blowing you mind, you definitely have to watch this! The Allstars also won this debate on a 2-0.
This comes from the professional debate tournament put on by the Bay Area Urban Debate League last year between CEDA and the NDT. Special thanks go to BAUDL and all the participants (Conor Cleary, Blake Johnson, Mike Hester, and JSharp). This was a great event and the rounds of the “Edebate Allstars” are some of the most watchable debates I have ever caught on film. The Edebate Allstars would win this debate on a 2-0. Love this conspiracy aff!
1. Resolved: the United States Federal Government should substantially increase the number of and/or substantially expand beneficiary eligibility for its visas for one or more of the following: employment-based immigrant visas, nonimmigrant temporary worker visas, family-based visas, human trafficking-based visas.
2. Resolved: the United States Federal Government should substantially increase the number of and/or substantially expand beneficiary eligibility for its visas in one or more of the following classes: H-1, H-2, employment-based immigrant E.
3. Resolved: the United States Federal Government should substantially increase its legal protection of unauthorized migrants in the United States in one or more of the following areas: immigration detention, removal, non-asylum legal status, eligibility for federal public benefits.
4. Resolved: the United States Federal Government should substantially reduce its statutory restrictions on asylum claims in the United States.
5. Resolved: the United States Federal Government should substantially reduce its restrictions in one or more of the following areas: non-asylum lawful permanent resident status or Medicaid for unauthorized migrants in the United States, statutory eligibility for gender-based asylum claims, the number of and/or beneficiary eligibility for H-1 or H-2 visas.
Scott Odekirk
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kevin kuswa
stevepointer
Toni N.
