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HOMETOWN RELEASE: Overton Resident to Participate in International Debate at UT Tyler

Sean Dodd of Overton will represent The University of Texas at Tyler in an international student debate on Tuesday, March 18.

The American Forensic Association’s Committee on International Discussion and Debate has selected The University of Texas at Tyler as one of the sites for a debate between visiting Japanese students and American student-debaters.

The debate, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in the UT Tyler Robert Muntz Library, room 401. The resolution for the debate is “Capital Punishment Should be Abolished.”

Dodd, a senior computer science major, has debated at UT Tyler for five years. He placed first in International Public Debate at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament in 2006. He plans to attend graduate school in the computer science field.

Darci Meadville of Big Sandy, a graduate English major, will serve as Dodd’s debate partner. Japanese students Akira Murakami and Tomonori Tasaki will represent Japan. A reception honoring Murakami and Tasaki will begin prior to the debate at 6:30 p.m.

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 70 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 6,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.