Focus on the Future is currently holding an essay competition to find the best students to compete in a debate the group will hold next semester.

The debate will end with one student getting a $300 scholarship, though the group is still seeking donors to increase the amount, said Brittinie Jermon, Focus on the Future academic chair.

Black United Students and Advocates of Culture and Knowledge co-sponsored the debate to help facilitate the event and prize.

The prompt asks, “Are suburban schools better prepared for higher education than urban city schools?” Jermon said students should argue a point on this issue.

The essays need to be turned in electronically to Jermon at [email protected] by 5 p.m. Dec. 2.

Jermon recommends debate hopefuls research to get strong facts to back up their arguments and to get help from campus resources while editing their pieces.

Jermon said the English Department will assist in the grading process. The top two writers will be chosen, and they will be able to choose their teams for the debate on 6 p.m. at Feb. 2 in the Kiva.

The teams will receive the final debate topic two weeks before the debate, Jermon said.

Jermon said the group was inspired to plan a debate after hosting a screening of “The Great Debaters” and seeing how a debate could help bring public awareness to important issues. Jermon said she is also welcoming students’ suggestions for debate topics.

“Kent State students can come together,” Jermon said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of GPA you have, where you’re from, what your ideals are; just a common ground for us all to come together to talk about hot topic issues that we might not be able to talk about in class or might not have time to talk about in class.”

You can contact Ellen Kirtner at [email protected].