Senior Lauren Hauck is a History and Art History double major. She’s been involved with debate at Whitman since her first year when she learned parliamentary debate, and she became a policy debater her second year.

This was all new to Hauck- she hadn’t debated before college like many debaters on campus, but dived right in. She’s also the Education Chair of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and works at the Bookstore and Physical Plant.

Hauck says her favorite part of debate is exploring the structure of ideas.

“I’m more of a critical debater and I focus on the philosophy or theory of an idea,” Hauck said in an email, “so I really like learning about new arguments and authors that I haven’t run before. This year, my partner Emma Newmark and I are running an argument largely based upon the work of Helene Cixous, which is incredibly interesting.”

Though Hauck isn’t one of the debaters participating in the debate at the Penitentiary this year, she sees it as an important part of Whitman’s debate program.

“I think the Penitentiary project is a really great way for debate to expand outside of college academia,” she said. She emphasized that the event is valuable to all parties involved.

“I feel like it’s important to recognize that the project isn’t a form of charity, but a mutually beneficial learning experience that offers both sides a great deal. It is a very different way of engaging with ideas that is more like a collaboration rather than a competitive activity.”

How does Hauck tackle all of this? Her favorite smell: “Coffee coffee coffee.”