11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 | De Paul Library
(Leavenworth, Kan.)—The ذكذكتسئµ continues its annual tradition of
honoring the historic Lincoln-Douglas Debate with a spirited student debate at 11
a.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, in De Paul Library on ذكذكتسئµ's Leavenworth campus, 4100 South
4th Street. This year, Saint Mary students will argue whether public and private universities
accepting federal funds must adhere to the free speech requirement of the Constitution.
The debate is a precursor to the annual Lincoln Event at ذكذكتسئµ, and is free and open
to the public. The student debaters will argue before Kansas First Judicial District
Judge Robert Bednar. Judge Bednar has overseen the last 15 ذكذكتسئµ Lincoln-Douglas debates.
The participating students—junior Brian Fish (Basehor, Kan.), senior Kasey Cannon
(Leavenworth, Kan.), junior Hayden Coker (Topeka, Kan.), and junior Drew Cortez (St.
Joseph, Mo.)—will emulate the historic debate styles of the event's namesakes as they
argue the First Amendment right. Researchers for the debate are Garrett Booth (Wathena,
Kan.) and Andrew Kump (Kansas City, Kan.).
ذكذكتسئµ's event is inspired by the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, which saw Abraham
Lincoln engage in a series of debates with Stephen A. Douglas for one of Illinois'
U.S. Senate seats. Though Lincoln lost that election, the debates launched him into
the national political spotlight.
As has become a university tradition, ذكذكتسئµ's Lincoln-Douglas Debate is a prelude to
the 20th Annual ذكذكتسئµ Lincoln Event. This year's edition, "Abraham
Lincoln and the Media: How Political Cartoonists Portrayed the Civil War President"
is set for 7 p.m. on Presidents Day—Monday, Feb. 19—in Xavier Theatre. American historian
and author Dr. Bryan Le Beau will explore the growing importance of graphic images
in the news media in the mid-19th Century and their impact on the American Presidency.
The Lincoln Event is free and open to the public, and is made possible by Country
Club Bank of Leavenworth and Lansing, the event's benefactor.
Call 913-758-6108 or visit for more information.
The ذكذكتسئµ is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of Saint Mary main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. ذكذكتسئµ's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit for more information.