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Wiley College students participate in prison exhibition debate

Longview News-Journal - 10/7/2017

MARSHALL - Two Wiley College Great Debaters left Friday for Huntsville to participate in an exhibition debate against two inmates of the Texas State Penitentiary.

Wiley students taking part in the debate were senior Andre Earls and freshman Rahmane Dixon.

Earls, a native of Norwalk, Connecticut, is a four-year member of the Great Debaters whose accomplishments include qualifying for the 2017 National Forensics Association national championship tournament.

Dixon originally is from Huntsville, but her family later moved to Richardson. Dixon was a member of the speech and debate squads at her high school. She was an active competitor for four years and served as debate captain for two years. She participated in Lincoln-Douglas debate, public forum debate, extemporaneous speaking and original oratory.

The opposition will be debated by two members of the college program within the prison through Lee College of Baytown; both are business majors earning degrees to bolster their marketable skills to transition from prison, re-enter society and enter the workforce. The college program's debate team is an effort to build critical thinking and public speaking skills.

Wiley College soon will launch its own postsecondary degree program in three correctional facilities in Louisiana as part of the Second Chance Pell Grant Pilot Program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Wiley is one of 67 colleges and universities that will provide postsecondary education to nearly 12,000 students in more than 100 state and federal prisons nationwide.

"Both of our schools are focused on preparing prisoners for re-entry into society and building critical thinking and communication skills," said Lee College debate coach Adam Key. "This debate seemed like a natural matchup, and we are excited for the event.

"I started the debate team in fall 2015 with a handful of students; in spring 2016, we expanded the team."

Key said his debate team and the Lee College program have seen great successes, reducing recidivism rates to between 5 and 10 percent.

The two teams faced off in an International Public Debate Association-style debate. In this form of debate, the topic is chosen 30 minutes before the debate.

Because the debate was at the Huntsville unit, the public was allowed to attend; however, the debate will be recorded and posted on YouTube.

Wiley College was to post a link to the recorded debate on its Facebook and Twitter pages after the Friday night event.

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