The 2022 academic year has been a tumultuous one at Emporia State, especially for its long-respected debate team that is no longer receiving “institutional support” as part of ongoing reinvestments seen in other parts of the university.
The team of Niko Sims and Savana Reed-Valizan, however, gave the program a rousing finish at its last tournament, finishing in the top four at the Cross Examination Debate Association’s national tourney. Initially, Reed-Valizan had some doubts about how the team might fare, especially after the first round.
Sims says the team built confidence as the tournament continued. He says his time in debate has offered him several life lessons, including “it’s better to be a good person than a good debater.”
Coach Chris Loghry, an ESU debate team member while in college and an assistant coach when the team won two national tournaments a decade ago, says he’s proud of his debaters — and impressed, given the circumstances.
Emporia State debaters hadn’t been to the CEDA final four since winning both CEDA and NDT tournaments in the 2012-2013 academic year. ESU won the CEDA event in 1993.
Developed in 1874, the program is being cut while the reinvestment process leads to new programs or facilities in areas like nursing, business, education, information management and library sciences. Reed-Valizan and Sims say they were proud to represent the debate program through the year — not the university, especially after word of the program’s demise back in September. However, Loghry says he’s proud of the individual and team accomplishments he saw the past nine months.
Reed-Valizan says “several generations” of past ESU debaters offered their support in various ways during the national tournament. They say it was important to finish the season strong.
Sims agrees.
Sims is joining the coaching staff at the University of Wyoming’s debate program as a graduate assistant, while Reed-Valizan is transferring to Wichita State with plans to continue debating. Loghry will stay in debate as well, taking a professor position at Johnson County Community College.
