Communication & Journalism Department
MISSION STATEMENT
It is the mission of the Wyoming Speech and Debate Union:
- To provide participating students a valuable educational activity with a primary emphasis
on intercollegiate debate competition;
- To present public debates, host debate competitions and instructional institutes,
and to expose the University and the surrounding community to the democratizing and
dialectical educational benefits of debate;
- To offer debate activities which improve critical thinking, research skills, ethical
argumentation, advocacy, analysis, persuasion, oral presentation, listening, organization,
teamwork, group problem solving, citizenship, and leadership.
Debate is a valuable alternate to the violence of physical conflict and the silencing
effects of totalitarianism. To that end, UW debaters are instructed to demonstrate
self-discipline, maturity, responsibility, solidarity and respect for all participants
at all times.