The Penn State Speech & Debate Society traveled to Clarion University on Wednesday, September 24, for a friendly exchange between Pennsylvania schools. The debate centered on whether Division I football and basketball athletes should be paid. Clarion, which competes in NCAA Division II, defended paying the student-athletes. Penn State, a NCAA Division I school, countered these claims and emphasized the need to ensure that student-athletes are in fact students first. The crowd appeared evenly split between the arguments on both sides, but audience members were pleased with the speeches of every competitor.

For the event, the Penn State team was made up of Jordan Todd,  the society’s president, and David Zeng, who made his debating debut. Jordan found the topic refreshing and “a nice departure from the normal political discussions” usually accompanied in debates. He also welcomed building connections to other schools through debate. Jordan said, “This was a great opportunity to build relationships with other universities across the state, so we can continue to have these events in the future.” The Penn State Speech & Debate Society plans to continue this trend of promoting debate across Pennsylvania. Clarion visited Happy Valley last spring, and the University of Pittsburgh is scheduled to come in April 2015.