Photo by William Jewell College via LinkedIn.

Over the weekend of March 14, the William Jewell Speech and Debate team competed at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence  (NPTE)and became the new national champions. Third years, Patrick Terry and Trent Dixon, spent the academic year competing against some of the most renowned debate teams in the country. For Terry and Dixon, their previous summer was filled with preparing to compete against the country’s best and they walked away as the first William Jewell National Champions since 2007. Both will be returning to the team next year as seniors and are hoping to look at an undefeated season. 

“We are hoping to maintain our NPTE championship,” Terry said.

They are wanting to make the community of debate more welcoming . Parliamentary is an impromptu style of debate that gives the competitor 30 minutes to prepare for the entire round. Once the round begins, the teams aren’t allowed to engage in research or search through their files. Therefore, the competitors have to be prepared for any possible outcome. This skill set can take months to years to master, and many debaters can still struggle with this version of the event. As stressful as this may seem for those just starting, Terry explained that the upperclassmen are always ready to help. 

“We love coaching just as much as competing,” Terry said. “It helps build a spirit of success.” 

With the season now at a close, the duo is now looking forward and focusing on what is to come. They have already started to concentrate more effort into the team building and structuring it for next year. William Jewell is continuing to find ways to support its students with the resources they need but the team’s passion has never stemmed from obtaining money. Terry described their feelings for debate as a “love for the game” and something that he wants to grow more in the upcoming months. 

“We have a dedicated team and a great staff,” Terry said.“It’s a great way to build a community.” 

As the team known as Jewell DT, or team Dixon and Terry, goes into its last year at the college, debate teams all across the country are ready to see what they accomplish next. With a winning streak hot on their heels, Terry and Dixon are excited to see what comes next for their debate careers. 

“We are hoping for an undefeated season next year,” Terry reiterated “That would be the dream.” 
The team plans to hold on to their coveted title earned with unwavering dedication in the year to come. With this spotlight being shone on the William Jewell Debate Team, the hope is that they can continue to grow and high school students will continue to come after hearing about the program. Head coach, Mason Remaley, will continue to lead the team next year and, through the dedication of Terry and Dixon, the college is able to add another national championship under its belt and expand its horizons once again.

Photo by Markus Spiske via Uplash.

It’s been almost two months since President Donald Trump was inaugurated, and the United States has already experienced drastic changes. From pulling out of the World Health Organization to changing the Gulf of Mexico’s name, America’s new president has made interesting modifications to the country as a whole. However, one of the most notable of these orders is the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. 

The European Bank defines the Paris Climate Agreement as an international treaty that aims to “hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” Trump’s abandonment of this agreement was predicted during his first presidency in 2017 when he stated that the U.S. would eventually leave the treaty. However, even though this decision was viewed as a foreseen circumstance, there are still concerns about what this means for Americans battling climate change. 

An article published by The New York Times, “Yes, There Has Been Progress on Climate. No, It’s Not Nearly Enough,” says that scientists believe that more drastic action is needed to keep global temperature at a safer increased limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius. In the same article, Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency, stated “we really don’t have much time left to shift course.” By most scientific accounts, the world is reaching the  point of no return regarding the global climate, but is it an active emergency? Many climate activists and scientific experts say yes. 

CEO of the European Climate Foundation, Laurence Tubiana, says, “The impacts of the climate crisis are also worsening.” He follows this by discussing the wildfires sweeping across Los Angeles and how America withdrawing from the exchange was unfortunate. However, he also says not to worry because the effort to slow climate change “is stronger than any country’s politics and policies.” 

While this might sound scary to Americans, solutions are still being explored to help the country slow climate change. In his new book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, former CEO and chairman of Microsoft Bill Gates writes that the best way forward is to lower the Green Premiums. Green Premiums refer to the difference in cost between carbon-emitting products and non-carbon-emitting products. Therefore, if America wants to see a difference in its carbon emissions, it must focus on lowering prices and adopting healthier, greener technology. 

Pulling out of the Paris Climate Exchange has been criticized by both sides of the political spectrum. However, President Trump stands behind his actions as he did back in 2017 when he stated, “The Paris Climate Accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries…” With this statement and the country’s leadership, it’s up to the American people to decide if they are up against a climate challenge or a crisis. 

The Hilltop Monitor thanks Dr. Gary Armstrong for providing insight and sources to help further the exploration of the topic at hand.

Photo by Solen Feyissa via Uplash.

The influence of social media is nothing new. Many children have access to or  use social media platforms daily, but all this is possibly about to change. Australia is on track to pass a social media ban for children who are under the age of 16 to avoid trafficking and protect juveniles online. The plan behind this ban is to issue up to a $33 million fine for social media platforms if underage users are found on their sites. 

While many parents are protective over their kids’ safety, according to an article published by The Washington Post called “Can you stop a teen from using TikTok? Australia finds out,” experts and the owners of the sites aren’t as enthusiastic. Elon Musk, the owner of X, has reportedly called this law, “A backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians.” Other companies have expressed their concerns by calling this law “rushed” and saying there will be “unintended consequences.” Despite these protests, this ban idea is becoming more appealing to other countries and their leaders. Foreign countries are following suit, with Paris recently passing a bill that banned social media for teens under the age of 15. Trump’s top pick for U.S. Surgeon General, Janette Nesheiwat, has been claiming to want a social media ban for children since July of this year.

 During an interview with the Washington Post’s Tech Brief, Nesheiwat stated, “In my opinion, I think social media should be banned for all teenagers, to all young children, because it’s done nothing but harm.” This is a much different approach from what the current U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek H. Murthy, has taken in the past. Murthy has talked about parents working together to protect their children online, yet cabinet members have never called for a total social media ban. Nevertheless, Nesheiwat has come to the same conclusion that the legislative body in Australia has reached: there should be a ban on social media for teenagers under 16. 

Many have wondered if Nesheiwat can impose a ban, and it seems unlikely. A Washington Post article titled “Trump’s surgeon general pick called for banning social media for teens” has stated that a ban to this degree would anger groups that are a part of the tech trade, such as Amazon, Meta, and Google. The president-elect has yet to express his views on the topic. For now, America is at a standstill regarding social media and whether a ban is ethical. Meanwhile, Australia is heading towards the future with a ban attempting to keep teens off social media for as long as possible. As this trial run occurs across the ocean, other countries will be watching to see what happens and if parents can truly protect their children from the potential terrors of technology.