Women’s Debate Institute
Issue II Vol. 2
Spring 2013
Our Community
Quarterly
WDI expands to include Collegiate Debate Scholars
Inside this issue:
Donor Update
2
Alumni News
2
A Student Perspective
2
Collegiate Debate Scholars
2
Staff Reflection
3
College Preparation con’t
3
Apply Now for 2013
4
We are very excited to announce that the WDI is expanding its outreach activities
to include women in the college
debate community. We have
always had staff who were college debaters but this year we
are expanding that involvement
in the camp.
As part of our goal to increase
women involved in debate at all
levels, we are inviting Collegiate
Scholars to the 2013 WDI.
Daily activities for the Collegiate Scholars will include:
Independent instruction of
seminars for high school students; Co-teaching opportunities with senior staff at the
camp; and Community-building
activities facilitation and
mentoring. College debate is intensely competitive and primarily
male dominated. We are
thrilled to offer women
the opportunity to build
a community outside of
the sometimes aggressive environment. These women will make a great addition to
our teaching staff!! Stay tuned
for more information about the
program and the women that
will be a part of it. For more
information about our Colle-
giate Scholar Program contact
Carly Wundelich @
carly.wunderlich@gmail.com
WDI students are College Bound
As a high school student I (Rae Lynn) was
raised to believe I was smart enough and
that my family would find the financial
resources to make college a reality. Yet for
many young debaters going to college is all
too often something they believe they may
not be capable of doing.
ized test dates and explain how to get financial application wavers. Our faculty,
many of whom are university Professors,
teach the girls how to acquire quality letters of recommendation, prepare resumes,
and compose standout personal
The mission of the WDI is made up of
essays. Colthree reinforcing, yet distinct goals: inlege debaters
creasing the number of girls involved in
talk about
debate, creating an environment that fosthe how to
ters community, and encouraging young
use debate
women to attend college. While many deto get into
bate camps promote debate and create
college:
how
to
contact
coaches,
apply for
community, our college preparation curricscholarships,
and
maintain
a
healthy
schoulum sets us apart. It is not enough to enlastic/debate
balance.
We
also
spend
of
courage young women to attend college;
great
deal
of
time
talking
about
the
biggest
we recognize that we have to address the
obstacle our debaters face, financial supobstacles our students face.
port. Staff members who have been
Our college planning program ranges from through the often bureaucratic finical aid
formal to informal. It begins with the basystem break it down into manageable
sics: were to go, planning your senior year, tasks students can use to fill out FAFSAs
and how to apply. We move slowly and
and apply for loans and scholarships. We
intentionally through each component of
provide students with a lengthy scholarship
the application process. We post standard- guide detailing opportunities for students
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
to get support from a wide range of organizations, donors, colleges, and universities.
We want students to leave the session feeling motivated to apply.
Informally, we reach out to juniors and
seniors in an effort to target their specific
interests or institutions. All of the WDI is
either in or has graduated from college and
many have advanced degrees. We use our
networks to help students make connections on campuses nation wide. Many of
our students would be first generation
college attenders and all it takes is gentle
guidance to aid them through the application process. When camp is over it is not
uncommon for faculty and staff to mentor
students through the college application
process. This year I read and edited personal essays, answered questions about
loan requirements, and contacted debate
coach colleges with excitement. After helping a rising senior this past Fall, I was
thrilled to read she was having a hard time
deciding which school to attend.
Continued on page 3
Page 2
Our Community Quarterly
Donor News: Role Model Campaign is a huge success !
This year, the Women's Debate
Institute held the "Who's Your
Debate Role Model" Campaign
on indiegogo, an online fundraising platform. The campaign
included video footage of the
2012 WDI participants talking
about their debate role models.
http://www.indiegogo.com/proj
ects/who-is-your-debate-rolemodel
We invited supporters from
around the country to donate to
the WDI in honor of their debate role models. The campaign
was a huge success. Forty-one
donors took advantage of the
opportunity to give a shout out
to a women who inspired them.
Through the generosity of the
WDI community, we raised
$2582.00—over $500 more than
our goal of $2000. Thank you
to all who participated by either
getting the word out or donating.
The campaign enabled us to
honor the women who were
role models in our past while
adding current debaters. Some
donors gave fellowships in the
name of their role models. Our
websites highlights these role
models. Thank you to Becky
Galentine , Susan Dun, Kate
Shuster, Leah Castella, Claire
Mckinney , Gloria CabadaLeman, Sandra Shuster, Gini
Shaw, Gail McDougle, Kyla
Sommers, and the fifty-six
other female role models honored for setting high standards
and paving the way. See our
web site for a current roll call
of WDI role models.
For more information or to
donate contact Sarah Glaser at
sarahmglaser@gmail.com
A Student’s Perspective—Morgan Gstalter
Video footage of the
2012 WDI
participants talking
about their debate
role models:
http://
www.indiegogo.com
/projects/who-isyour-debate-rolemodel
Since WDI, I have a new appreciation for debate. As a senior
in high school, I work two jobs
to try and help myself in the
future go through college. I
work most weekends and I
have not been able to travel
with my team as much as I
would like to. However, every
time I do get to go to a tournament, it makes me love and
appreciate the sport all over
again.
This season I've debated locally
and at a few tournaments in
Iowa. Although I have not been
as~immersed
Morgan 2012
in this
WDI
years
debater
topic
as I would like to be, it makes
me grateful for the little debate
time I do have left. I'm trying to
cherish it!
This fall I will attend Drake
University (Des Moines, Iowa)
as a journalism major. They do
not have a policy debate team (I
know, terribly upsetting) but I
have to make the most of it
now. I have been blessed with
an outstanding debate team at
my school. At the WDI, I met
so many incredible female debaters and heard their stories, it
makes me realize how lucky I
have been.
Amiela Butler Joins the Collegiate Debate Scholars Program
My name is Aniela Butler (left) and I am a sophomore at Michigan State University where I major in International Relations. I am originally from Draper, Utah where I debated for two years
at Juan Diego Catholic High School. After spending four years in debate, I am excited to share
all of my experiences with other women at the WDI this summer in the Collegiate Scholars Program. I will have an opportunity to give lectures, and inspire a new generation of female debaters. Sometimes there aren't many girls on a debate team so I am excited to meet new women
from different schools and build a community of women in college debate! .
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
Our Community Quarterly
Page 3
Inside our Staff: Sarah Glaser
Sarah Glaser joined the Women’s Debate Institute in 2005 and PhD in Oceanography, Sarah decided she wanted to reconnect
today acts as Director of Finances. Sarah was a policy debater with debate. Enter the WDI.
for four years at Emporia High School in Kansas. It was
Now in her ninth year as a WDI
there, coached by a fantastic mentor Carol Strickland, that she
staff member, Sarah is committed
fell in love with the activity her father forced her to try. She
to raising enough funds from
received coaching from college debaters at the local Universidonations to ensure the WDI is
ty, and this encouraged her to join the Kansas State University
free to all debaters and that studebate team. Debating in college was a wonderful chaldents receive financial assistance
lenge. ―I loved traveling, meeting debaters from all over the
with travel. ―Every summer, my
country, and learning new arguments,‖ Sarah recalls. ―I spent
time at the WDI is incredibly
every free moment for four years working
energizing. I love meeting our
on debate – and it was the best thing I
students every year, and seeing
ever did.‖
them learn debate skills and talk
“I spent every
free moment
for four years
working on
debate – and it
was the best
thing I ever
did.”
about debate tournaments. The
WDI brings with it a flood of
One major challenge was balancing debate
memories from when I was a
and college – she was a double major in
debater.
I’m
so
thankful
I
can
stay connected to the debate
Biology and Environmental Science, and
community
through
the
WDI.‖
she earned a minor in Women’s Studies. While majoring in sciences is not
Today, Sarah is an assistant professor of marine science at the
common for debaters, Sarah proved it can College of William & Mary in Virginia. She studies fisheries
be done. After college, she lived in Aus- conservation with an emphasis on fisheries in Uganda, Kenya
tralia for a year, and enjoyed the break
and Tanzania.
from debate. But upon returning to the
U.S. and moving to San Diego to earn a
If you have any WDI news please contact Rae
Lynn Schwartz-DuPre@raelynn.schwartzdupre@wwu.edu
College Bound
Continued from page 1 It is true that college attendance may be harder for some students then other, but the WDI
faculty are committed to making higher education a reality for every girl. We are proud that most WDI students have gone to college,
many have debated with great success, a few have become officers in the service, and others have continued on to get Masters, Doctoral degrees and J.D’s. Below is a list of some of the many colleges our graduates have attended: Agnes Scott College-Boise State
University-Clark Atlanta University-Colorado State University-Emory University-George Mason University-Gonzaga UniversityHarvard University-Macalester College-Linfield College-Minnesota State-Mississippi State-Seattle University-Stanford-UC BerkeleyUniversity of Cape Town-University of Chicago-University of Idaho-University of Iowa-University of Missouri at Kansas CityUniversity of Oregon-University of Pennsylvania-University of Southern California-University of Texas at Austin-University of
Washington-University of Wyoming-US Naval Academy-Washington State University-Western Washington University-Yale
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
Women’s Debate Institute
Women’s Debate Institute
3379 22nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
E-mail: womensdebateinstitute@gmail.com
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
The Women’s Debate Institute is a non-profit organization that
unites a robust community dedicated to the education of young women. Each summer we host a free debate institute for high school girls
from around the country. Our four day camp increases the number
of girls involved in debate, creates an environment that fosters community, and encourages young women to attend college.
Sisterhood is Vocal—Speak Out !
Join us this Summer —August 10-14, 2013