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Music Lover
May 1, 2002, 9:25PM
TSU forensics team takes world honors
17-member squad continues school's winning tradition at Rome tourney
By BRIDGETTE MARYLAND
Copyright 2002 Chronicle correspondent
The Texas Southern University Debate Team has taken top honors at the International Forensics Association's 12th Annual Championship Tournament held in March in Rome, Italy.
The 17-member team placed first and earned the International Champion of Forensics 2002 title after competing against 24 groups in 10 events and winning 20 awards -- including four first-place trophies.
Forensic teams travelled from across the nation for a shot at the title, but TSU prevailed. TSU previously earned the title in London in 1992 and Munich, Germany, in 1994.
"Most of the participating colleges were from the U.S.," said coach and philosophy professor Thomas F. Freeman.
This year's TSU forensic champions placed first in Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Dramatic Interpretation, Parliamentary Debate and Top Novice Duo. They also competed in Lincoln Douglass Debate, After Dinner Speaking, Prose, Poetry, Informative Speaking and Roman Oratory with the individual competitions lasting up to 10 minutes and the debates lasting up to one hour.
Mayor Lee Brown presented team members and staff supporters with a proclamation at City Hall on April 23. Councilman Carroll Robinson said the championship is a reminder of what individuals are able to achieve with support.
"We work hard every day striving for excellence in achievement. It is not often that we get recognized by leadership in the city," said TSU President Priscilla Slade. "This is a great honor for our students to know that they are appreciated by the city of Houston, because they represented Houston and Texas," she said.
Slade's support was not only significant for the team, but for the first time in the International Association's history a university president attended and served as judge.
This year, the debate team has already competed and won top honors in seven tournaments. Freeman and the champions shared a command performance at the White House on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, bringing President George W. Bush and Coretta Scott King to a stand.
"This has been a spectacular year for the team," Freeman said. "We have performed before the president of the United States and now competed and bested our peers in the international competition."
The team will head to South Africa in July to perform at high schools, colleges and churches in Cape Town, Derbeny and then to East London and Johannesburg.
Freeman, who has been a minister for 51 years at Mt. Horem, taught Religious Studies at Rice University for 27 years and speech at Houston Community College for 20 years. He organized the debate team in 1949 at the request of determined students, believing the opportunity would expand their growth and development in speech effectiveness and oral communications.
The team has won 42 trophies in single events and 150 trophies in national and international forensic competitions and has never ranked less than fourth place in most tournaments since its inception.
"We are blessed as TSU students to be a part of this debate team and have the opportunity to have access to Dr. Freeman. His open-door policy has molded all of us for success and being future leaders," said team member Gregory Taylor Jr.
Other team members include Trendy Adams, Julia Baldwin, Terrick Brown, Constance Colbert, Eric Hodges, William Hudson, Montre' Johnson, Salone Joseph, Windell King, Zakiya Larry, Randy Modiste, Joie Raspberry, Charles Shaw, Tashiana Smith, Maria Starling and Kaneisha Terrell.
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TSU forensics team takes world honors
17-member squad continues school's winning tradition at Rome tourney
By BRIDGETTE MARYLAND
Copyright 2002 Chronicle correspondent
The Texas Southern University Debate Team has taken top honors at the International Forensics Association's 12th Annual Championship Tournament held in March in Rome, Italy.
The 17-member team placed first and earned the International Champion of Forensics 2002 title after competing against 24 groups in 10 events and winning 20 awards -- including four first-place trophies.
Forensic teams travelled from across the nation for a shot at the title, but TSU prevailed. TSU previously earned the title in London in 1992 and Munich, Germany, in 1994.
"Most of the participating colleges were from the U.S.," said coach and philosophy professor Thomas F. Freeman.
This year's TSU forensic champions placed first in Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Dramatic Interpretation, Parliamentary Debate and Top Novice Duo. They also competed in Lincoln Douglass Debate, After Dinner Speaking, Prose, Poetry, Informative Speaking and Roman Oratory with the individual competitions lasting up to 10 minutes and the debates lasting up to one hour.
Mayor Lee Brown presented team members and staff supporters with a proclamation at City Hall on April 23. Councilman Carroll Robinson said the championship is a reminder of what individuals are able to achieve with support.
"We work hard every day striving for excellence in achievement. It is not often that we get recognized by leadership in the city," said TSU President Priscilla Slade. "This is a great honor for our students to know that they are appreciated by the city of Houston, because they represented Houston and Texas," she said.
Slade's support was not only significant for the team, but for the first time in the International Association's history a university president attended and served as judge.
This year, the debate team has already competed and won top honors in seven tournaments. Freeman and the champions shared a command performance at the White House on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, bringing President George W. Bush and Coretta Scott King to a stand.
"This has been a spectacular year for the team," Freeman said. "We have performed before the president of the United States and now competed and bested our peers in the international competition."
The team will head to South Africa in July to perform at high schools, colleges and churches in Cape Town, Derbeny and then to East London and Johannesburg.
Freeman, who has been a minister for 51 years at Mt. Horem, taught Religious Studies at Rice University for 27 years and speech at Houston Community College for 20 years. He organized the debate team in 1949 at the request of determined students, believing the opportunity would expand their growth and development in speech effectiveness and oral communications.
The team has won 42 trophies in single events and 150 trophies in national and international forensic competitions and has never ranked less than fourth place in most tournaments since its inception.
"We are blessed as TSU students to be a part of this debate team and have the opportunity to have access to Dr. Freeman. His open-door policy has molded all of us for success and being future leaders," said team member Gregory Taylor Jr.
Other team members include Trendy Adams, Julia Baldwin, Terrick Brown, Constance Colbert, Eric Hodges, William Hudson, Montre' Johnson, Salone Joseph, Windell King, Zakiya Larry, Randy Modiste, Joie Raspberry, Charles Shaw, Tashiana Smith, Maria Starling and Kaneisha Terrell.
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