Vassar Debate society to host national championship tournament

Amanda Melillo Co-Editor in Chief

This weekend, the Vassar Debate Society will have the chance to prove how far they have come since Vassar students participated in their first intercollegiate debate at Wellesley College in 1902. Over 100 years ago, debate was considered “unsuitable” for the female constitution, which the Vassar women disproved when they defeated the Wellesley girls on the topic of “Resolved: that the United States could subsidize a merchant marine.”

Fast forward to 2007. The Vassar College Frances D. Fergusson Debate Society will host the National Debate Championship of the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA) from April 20-22. The APDA is one of two parliamentary debating societies in the United States, as well as the oldest American intercollegiate debate society. It was formed in 1981 after the growing popularity of parliamentary-style debates favored at the University of Oxford, and now includes approximately 40 public and private colleges that are mainly clustered in the Northeast.

The APDA elected Vassar the host of the 2007 nationals by popular vote last year, and the Debate Society has been planning for the event the entire year. “It puts us on the map for the league,” Debate Society President Jake Lieberman ’09 noted, then added, “It’s a great experience for the team.”

To cover most of the cost of hosting the tournament, which will total just under $30,000, the Vassar team will charge admission to participating teams from other schools. The Vassar Student Association’s Hosting Fund, the Dean of Faculty Office, the Office of the President, and the Classics Department, among others, provided additional funding. The team also conducted many point drives to pay for meals served to debaters during the tournament.

Vice President Josh Bleiberg ’09 said that not every team is able to host tournaments, which take place at various colleges and universities on weekends throughout the school year. The Debate Society is excited that they were chosen for nationals. “We’re an up and coming team, hoping this will serve as a way to forge the team together and attract debate [at Vassar],” said Bleiberg.

At this national tournament, nine rounds of debate will take place over a three-day period. Each round consists of two teams of two debaters, and a judge called the speaker. The first team represents the Government, with a Prime Minister who speaks twice and a Member of Government who speaks once. The other team, named the Opposition, follows the same format with the Leader of Opposition speaking twice and the Member of Opposition speaking once. The Government proposes a case statement on topics ranging from political affairs to philosophical arguments, and the Opposition must argue against the case statement.

Bleiberg reflected on the nature of debates held, “We have serious debate along lines of ‘We believe there should be meaningful educational reform in the area,’ but there is also some sillier stuff like, ‘You’re the chef for the President of United States, you make him some bacon but it falls on the floor, do you tell him about it or serve it to him and maybe make him sick?’”

Lieberman recalled a debate where the two teams had to consider the situation of a character on the popular TV show Lost named Mr. Eko, who pretended to be a priest so that he could smuggle drugs out of his home country of Nigeria and give the profits to his brother’s parish church. Lieberman explained how this topic raised questions of what it meant to be a priest, and whether committing an unethical act is acceptable if it’s for a good end. “The case statement may seem frivolous, but it’s designed to be a vehicle for deeper philosophical debates,” said Lieberman.

The final rounds to determine the National Champions will take place in Sanders Classroom Auditorium on April 22. Bleiberg looks forward to the final rounds, noting, “When good teams are debating each other, it can be extremely entertaining.”

Lieberman said of the nature of the Debate Society at Vassar, “It’s important to realize that debate at Vassar is as much of a commitment as you want it to be—there are perceptions that this is an intense sport for nerds…but in the end, everybody has a good time.”

—Additional reporting by Shirley Shangguan