Jersey City – On Wednesday, April 2, 2008, the Gannon Debating Society of St. Peter’s College will hold the first of a series of debates focusing on political issues. Hosted by the President of Saint Peter’s College, Dr. Eugene Cornacchia, the Presidential Gannon Debates will be held in the McIntyre Lounge in Dinneen Hall, beginning at noon and lasting one hour. This event is free and open to the public.
This year, the on-campus, three-part series is entitled 2008 Election Debates. All of the debates will focus on the issues relevant in the current election campaign for President of the United States. The topic for the first debate is The Healthcare Crisis: Who Has the Answer — The Democrats or The Republicans? The remaining topics, scheduled to be argued in the spring and in the fall, are Immigration and The Economy.
The Gannon Debating Society was founded in 1938 to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the art of speech, develop oratorical skills, engage in intra-collegiate and inter-collegiate debate competitions and tournaments, and meet with professionals who rely on speech and debate in their work. accomplished at Saint Peter’s an opportunity to present opposing opinions about issues that are being discussed by the presidential candidates of the country’s two major political parties. The Gannon Debating Society is a member of the National Educational Debate Association, a 30-member league that promotes classical debating skills. Today, the Society functions under the guidance of Professor Alain Sanders, of the Political Science Department. Saint Peter’s College alumna Kathleen Tyrrell ’73 is the coach.