People: Elizabeth Repko
MSU's Debate team has recently emerged as national force. At the National JV Tournament in Maryland last year, two MSU squads reached the finals for a Spartan 'win win.' Last fall in Tennessee, MSU beat a national powerhouse that had won 20 straight competitions.
One reason for MSU's showing has been the team of Pete Camps and Elizabeth 'Biza' Repko, two James Madison sophomores who, in October, won a 36-team debate tournament at Emporia State by beating defending national champion Kansas State. MSU debate coach James Roper calls Repko 'the best young woman debater in the country.' That's quite an accolade, but Elizabeth won't rest on that laurel yet. 'We still have to work really hard, we still have to prepare,' she says.
The daughter of physics professor Wayne at MSU, Elizabeth got into debate as a high school freshman in East Lansing, along with two siblings. 'You learn more (from debating) because you're inspired to learn everything about a subject,' she explains. 'The competitive aspect of debating forces you to learn more.'
Throughout her career, she has debated everything from prison reform to space exploration. In her latest competition, she debated the issue of human rights in China. The MSU team is part of the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), one of three national debate societies. 'What CEDA focuses on is a value debate, rather than proposing a course of action,' she notes.
Is substance more important than style in winning debates? 'That depends on the judges,' she says. A year ago, Elizabeth had an opportunity to see at close hand the three presidential candidates debate in MSU's Wharton Center. Who did she think won? 'You have to remember, their goal was to influence people,' she says. 'In that respect, Perot probably did the best. He's very good at putting problems in a language people can understand.'
