“#MyCSDSummer Update”

#MyCSDSummer Update: Notre Dame Summer Scholar Speech & Debate

By Luke Blazek, 2020 senior class

7/29/19

I attended the University of Notre Dame Pre-College Summer Scholars Debate and Public Speaking program for a couple weeks with students from a number of different states and countries.

We were taught by the Head of the Rhetoric and Writing Program at the university, Patrick Clauss, about the fundamental components of sound arguments, the effective use of rhetoric, and useful speaking tactics. We had to stand up and give speeches in front of the class everyday about topics we were assigned to.

Our program concluded with a policy debate about free speech rights and regulations within private sector corporations such as the NFL. My team was the affirmative and we had to argue how NFL players have the right to protest peacefully within the workplace environment as protected by labor laws and contracts with the league. We ended up winning first place, selected by the judges who were also Notre Dame faculty.

I was selected along with one other student as the best male public speaker in the program as well as the distinction of top student overall by my professor. Notre Dame has a beautiful campus and great professors, and I look forward to applying in the fall!