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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University's Forensics Team will compete against the nation's top collegiate debate teams in a two-day tournament at OSU's Shepard Hall this weekend (Oct. 3-4).

"This should be very active and entertaining, with the top teams participating," said Trischa Knapp, OSU director of forensics and assistant professor of speech communication. "This is a parliamentary debate with audience participation and it will be very interesting."

Tournament action is free and open to the public. Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, in OSU's Shepard Hall, Knapp said. Saturday's sessions end about 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, debates are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Complete schedules will be available in Shepard Hall.

Students from the OSU team are ranked among the top in the nation and placed at the International Forensics Association Championships, held in Lisbon, Portugal, last spring.

Continuing a 60-year tradition at OSU, the team involves members from all majors and schools on campus. Each year, students compete in state, regional and national intercollegiate tournaments. Events include parliamentary debate, individual public speaking formats such as informative, persuasive, and after-dinner, as well as a range of oral interpretation categories involving prose, poetry, and drama.