Over winter vacation, members of the Woodrow Wilson Debate Society competed in the World Universities Debating Championship, the largest debate tournament in the world. Held at Assumption University in Bangkok, Thailand, the student-run competition included almost 400 teams from around the world. Abigail Hinchcliff ’08, Laura Silver ’08, Mark Sun ’09, Chris Sarma ’09 and Jeff Stein ’10 were chosen as delegates from Wesleyan, based on their seniority and experience in the Debate Society.
“We knew the World Championships were going to happen in Thailand about two years ago,” said Abigail Hinchcliff ’08, the team’s senior advisor. “So we saved up and spent conservatively, hoping that we would be able to send members of our team.”
The funds were obtained with help from the Dean’s Office, alumni contributions, and revenue from the team’s annual Debate Tournament that takes place at the University each October.
The World Competitions four teams simultaneously debate on a single issue. This format is rarely used in the United States, and the unfamiliarity made debating more difficult. In addition to practicing in this format, the team also prepared by participating in national and local debate competitions.
During the competition, debaters had 10 minutes to prepare talking points, without any prior research. The team debated issues such as whether or not torture is ever acceptable, and regulations on foreign contributions to political campaigns. The group performed particularly well on the issue of Taiwan’s independence from China, thanks to Silver’s thesis experience with Taiwan, and other members’ knowledge of the subject.
While some people think of debates as having an intensely charged and highly aggressive atmosphere, the pressure becameprogressively easier to deal with.
“At first I had no idea what I was doing, but once I got more experience I felt comfortable,” Hinchcliff said.
Students had a relief from the pressure at the many social and cultural functions held between debate competitions. Various teams threw parties, and the competition organizers sponsored tours.
“The atmosphere is fun and everyone is generally nice,” said Team President Sarma.
The team ranked fairly well compared to other American universities participating in the tournament. Split into two separate teams, Wesleyan ranked 115th and 214th out of 396 teams and, after nine rounds, came up just a few points short of entering the top tier.
However, Hinchcliff stressed that the importance of international debate is not in the ranking, but in the exposure to new viewpoints.
“It’s difficult to debate in the classroom at Wesleyan because there isn’t really a diversity of opinion,” she said. “At these competitions, you get a chance to debate with people from many backgrounds with diverse ideas, and often you have to take sides that you don’t agree with. It helps you become a better debater, but it also changes your viewpoints on things.”
Members of the debate team look forward to more success in the debate circuit. With little experience in the British Parliamentary style before the World Competitions, the group feels that more practice will significantly improve its ranking in future competitions.
“Meeting students from around the world and debating with them lets you see diverse styles of debate, and how aware people are coming from other countries,” Sarma said.
The Debate Society hopes to go to the 2010 World Competition in Turkey.
Leave a Reply