Join Our Team
Our Program
Whitman Debate and Forensics relies heavily on the mentorship model. First, coaches teach students how to debate, be competitively successful, and make connections between debate and the classroom. Second, students mentor each other so new debaters don't feel intimidated.
Interested in getting to know our team? Get to know them!
How to Join
Practice is held from August to about the middle of April. You can contact Director of Debate and Forensics, Baker Weilert-Pekar at any time, 509-527-5742. If you wish to participate in the upcoming season, contact him early in the fall semester.
Scholarship Opportunities
The scholarship application consists of four parts:
- A letter describing your experience in speech and debate
- A letter of recommendation from a debate coach
- An example of your work in debate (part of a file)
- A brief statement on why you wish to participate in debate and forensics at Whitman
To maintain this scholarship, recipients are required to participate in Whitman's debate and forensics team for the duration of their time as a student.
If you are applying Early Decision, your scholarship application is due five days after the application deadline. If you are applying for regular decision, you have until January 23, 2024, to get your scholarship application in!
- Early Decision I Talent Scholarship Application Deadline: November 20, 2023
- Early Decision II Talent Scholarship Application Deadline: January 15, 2024
- Regular Decision Talent Scholarship Application Deadline: January 23, 2024
Please refer to the Merit and Talent Awards webpage for the link to apply. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Talent Scholarship Coordinator, at talent@whitman.edu