Alex Amemone traveled thousands of miles from her Tucson, Ariz., home to MSU's campus just to win an argument.
The 16-year-old is one of about 300 high schoolers who had to adjust to life in the dorms during the 13th annual Spartan Debate Institute.
"I finally learned how to do my own laundry," Amemone said. "I'm so proud of myself."
The debate camp allows students to get instructions from staff and team members of MSU's debate team as well as some coaches from other well- respected college debate teams, such as Harvard University, Emory University and the University of Minnesota.
Alicia Hunt, assistant director of the camp, said the training campers receive will help them in the future.
"The programs are really good college preparation courses," Hunt said. "It teaches them a lot of really good business skills and their communication skills are usually way above average after the camp."
Hunt said the camp began on July 18 and continues until Friday. The high school students attend the camp for two, three or four weeks at a time and are housed in Yakeley and Gilchrist halls.
The different policy proposals on how to protect the earth's oceans is the topic debated at camp. Hunt said there are 32 teams composed of two people, designated by skill and age. Teams have several debates in the preliminary rounds, and the teams with the best records go on to the elimination rounds, in which one loss can oust a team from the debate.
"It's a little bit of work, but it's a lot of fun," said David Meyers, a 17-year-old from Brookfield, Wis. "The dorms have been OK. The cafeteria food sucks, but that's not unexpected."
Meyers said he usually works five to six hours a day, doing research at the library, attending instructional group meetings or just practicing debating.
But it's not all business at the camp. Instructors allocate time for the campers to do different activities such as soccer, basketball, ultimate Frisbee and movie nights.
Aaron Hardy, film studies junior and member of MSU's debate team, said the camp leaves students with an impressionable image of MSU.
"There have been a lot of people who came to this camp and then end up going to college and debating at MSU," Hardy said. "It's a great recruiting tool."
Amemone said her training at the camp gives her an advantage over other debate teams when she returns home to Arizona.
"We're going to kick some butt when we get home," Amemone said. "It's so much more advanced here. We're just going to blow the competition out."
