Program helps students debate

By Kristina Brezden, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, November 25, 1998

While Dr. Rob Tucker was teaching at Cal State Fullerton, he used his release time to reach out to inner-city youth. In September 1996, with the help of one of his students, The Daniel Webster Project - which focuses on intensive mentoring and the acquisition of debate skills - was created.

From more than two hundred applications,10 Webster scholars were selected from Santa Ana High School. Each week the students were brought to the CSUF campus to learn debate skills. All required materials were provided, as well as a hot meal, Tucker said.

In 1997, Tucker - with the help of Cal State Long Beach's communication studies department - expanded the project to CSULB.

The CSULB project is currently working with 12 students from Cabrillo High School in Long Beach.

The mission of the project is to encourage young students to pursue a college education. Webster scholars meet once a week to work on debate skills and prepare for upcoming competitions. At these competitions the students debate against other high schools, Tucker said.

The name of the organization goes back to the 1800s. Daniel Webster was a famous public speaker during his life. It is said that the devil wanted Webster's soul, so the two had a debate.

Webster won and was able to keep his soul. One can say he argued his way out of hell. In a sense this is what Tucker and the organization tries to get inner-city youth to do.

Debate skills are not the only area the project focuses on. Students are paired with mentors, who are also CSULB students.

The project approaches mentoring with a theme, which focuses on debate. This gives mentors a starting off point and something to focus on. In time, the goal is to stretch the relationship past the boundaries of debate, Tucker said.

On the flip side, the organization's mission is to offer CSULB students a chance to run an organization. The project is entirely a student-run organization. Students coordinate and run day-to-day operations. In addition, they make decisions regarding projects and special events. A team of students run the organization.

After strengthening the program at CSULB, Tucker said he hopes to expand to other schools in the California State University System.