Debate Tournament to Focus on Employment Discrimination

One of the largest and oldest intercollegiate debate tournaments in the nation will be held Jan. 23-25 on the Baylor University campus. The Glenn R. Capp Debate Tournament, which has been held at Baylor for more than 50 years, will draw 85 to 100 debate teams from universities such as Dartmouth, Emory and the University of Southern California. Participants in the Capp tournament will argue on the topic of employment discrimination.
According to Dr. Karla Leeper, assistant professor of communication studies and the Glenn R. Capp Professor of Forensics, the tournament gives the Waco community, particularly area high school debate teams, the opportunity to see top-notch college debaters in action.
"This year's tournament will be especially meaningful given the recent death of Professor Capp," said Leeper. "I'm personally proud to be associated with a program that is named for Glenn Capp. We try to represent his legacy very well here."
Capp headed the debate program at Baylor for several decades beginning in the 1950s. He died December 14, 1998.
In addition to the Capp Debate Tournament, the Glenn R. Capp Forum also will host the Sam and Helen Pessara Tournament of the Golden Bear, now in its 10th year, for high school debate teams. This by-invitation-only tournament brings eight of the best national high school debate teams to campus to compete.
Debates for both tournaments will take place in various rooms in the Hankamer School of Business, Castellaw Communications Building, Old Main and the Draper Academic Building.