Spring Break
Debaters succeed in Thailand
Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society competed in World Championships over break.
by Lydia Flier
News | 1/15/08
Posted online at 5:09 AM EST on 1/15/08
Over winter break, Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society competed in the 28th World University Debating Championship at Assumption University of Thailand in Bangkok, with one two-person team advancing as far as the semifinal round, a first in Brandeis history.
The Brandeis team consisted of Evan Green-Lowe '10 and Joel Todoroff '09, who made it to the semifinals, as well as Alex Levine '08, Jackie Saffir '10, Mariel Gruszko '10 and Jason Gray '10. Jack Bouchard '10 participated as a judge.
"We did the best Brandeis has ever done in this particular championship in its history," said BADASS president Levine, who went with varsity teammates to the 10-day, student-run event, which ran from Dec. 26th to Jan. 5th.
According to Levine, the team was selected "by a highly selective process done by the BADASS executive board based on ability and commitment to the team." He says preparation involved everything from newspapers to Wikipedia to learning about different international organizations and conflicts. Similarily, Saffir explained, "Some teams read months of the Economist magazine, others kept up on newspapers, others bought fact books that had sections on the history and political background of all the countries of the world. We also practiced a lot with teams from MIT and Harvard."
It seems that the effort paid off. Semifinalists Todoroff and Green-Lowe ranked in the top eight teams at the competition, which is attended by debaters from some of the highest-ranking colleges and universities around the world, including Israel, India, Spain, China, England and Australia, among others.
To get as far as the semifinals, teams must last through both "in-rounds" and "out-rounds." The in-rounds are the rounds that occur at the beginning of the tournament.
The topics included, "'This house would assassinate Vladimir Putin,' to 'Taiwan should declare independence' to 'This house would deny scarce medical resources to the terminally ill,'" Saffir explained.
The Brandeis team consisted of Evan Green-Lowe '10 and Joel Todoroff '09, who made it to the semifinals, as well as Alex Levine '08, Jackie Saffir '10, Mariel Gruszko '10 and Jason Gray '10. Jack Bouchard '10 participated as a judge.
"We did the best Brandeis has ever done in this particular championship in its history," said BADASS president Levine, who went with varsity teammates to the 10-day, student-run event, which ran from Dec. 26th to Jan. 5th.
According to Levine, the team was selected "by a highly selective process done by the BADASS executive board based on ability and commitment to the team." He says preparation involved everything from newspapers to Wikipedia to learning about different international organizations and conflicts. Similarily, Saffir explained, "Some teams read months of the Economist magazine, others kept up on newspapers, others bought fact books that had sections on the history and political background of all the countries of the world. We also practiced a lot with teams from MIT and Harvard."
It seems that the effort paid off. Semifinalists Todoroff and Green-Lowe ranked in the top eight teams at the competition, which is attended by debaters from some of the highest-ranking colleges and universities around the world, including Israel, India, Spain, China, England and Australia, among others.
To get as far as the semifinals, teams must last through both "in-rounds" and "out-rounds." The in-rounds are the rounds that occur at the beginning of the tournament.
The topics included, "'This house would assassinate Vladimir Putin,' to 'Taiwan should declare independence' to 'This house would deny scarce medical resources to the terminally ill,'" Saffir explained.
Be the first to comment on this story