UNIVERSITY DEBATE MEMBERS FINISH FIFTH IN TOURNAMENT

Two members of the Southeast Missouri State University debate squad combined to finish fifth in the junior division of the Gateway Invitational Debate Tournament.

The tournament was held at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Nov. 5-7.

The fifth place winners for Southeast were Lesli Pace, a junior from Arnold, and Kim Sides, a junior from Jackson.

Terry West, debate director at Southeast, said the junior division is open to students in their first two complete years of intercollegiate competition.

Thirty-nine teams from 24 colleges and universities, representing 12 states, competed in the division. Pace and Sides defeated teams from McNeese State University, Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh before losing to Southwestern College of Winfield, Kan.

Individual speaker awards were presented to the top 10 speakers in the division based upon quality ratings cited by the judges in the preliminary rounds. Pace ranked sixth among the 78 debaters in the division, West said.

The tournament concluded the university's fall semester competition. The squad plans to return to the debate circuit in January, with a tournament at William Jewell College in Liberty.