Spring Break
The Daily OrangeNewly founded debate team finds success in fall competition
By Lauren Myers
Posted: 11/9/07, 12:44 AM EST Section: News
In its first semester of competition, the Syracuse University Debate Team is letting the opposition know of its arrival.
Despite the fact that it is a young team with little funding, the team met with much success at tournaments it has attended so far this year. At a championship tournament at Cornell University last weekend, the team had four of its speakers place in the top 10 out of 40 novice speakers.
Sophomore Caleb Sheldon, a mathematics and economics major, began the program last spring. Right now, the team has about 15 members who travel to different tournaments on the East Coast.
This semester, the team traveled to three different tournaments to kick off the start of its competition season. Because the team has little experience, it is considered a novice within the competition, and it doesn't qualify for the varsity round of tournaments.
Of the members who were at the tournament, four placed in the top 10. Freshman aeronautical engineering major Benjamin Strom-Weber was first, freshman music business major Matthew Gasda was fifth, freshman journalism major Caitlin Dewey was ninth and junior international relations major Ashley Morris was 10th.
The debate team also fared well in the teams competition. Two teams composed of Strom-Weber/Gasda and Sheldon/Dewey placed third and fourth, respectively, out of 20 novice teams.
The team is funded by the honors, Arts and Sciences and communications and rhetorical studies departments; however, its budget is smaller than most other schools, which hinders its ability to travel, compete and expand, Sheldon said.
Morris, the team's events coordinator, is working with other campus and student organizations to plan for the future, get the team's name out and to generate fundraising ideas.
Sheldon and Strom-Weber both would like to see funding for the team increase in the future.
"One of the ways to get better is to go to more tournaments, and right now, we only have enough funding to go to about five out of 25 tournaments," Sheldon said.
One of Sheldon's goals for the team is for it to qualify for nationals, which will be at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in April. He recognizes that this will be challenging, because in order to qualify, teams must accumulate points at tournaments, and the SU team does not have the funds to travel to very many tournaments.
Morris would like the team to have a stronger presence at competitions.
"We're competing against schools like Yale, Harvard and Brown who have traditionally dominated the competition, so we want to build a reputation as a team that can compete," she said.
Morris said she believes the team encourages its participants to be better, more educated citizens. Members are required to read newspapers and keep up with current events, and the debate experience allows them to be more involved in both the country and the world, while thinking on their feet.
For Strom-Weber, one of the most enjoyable parts of his experience on the debate team is the conversations he has with other teammates, as well as competitors.
"You can talk about almost anything, and you get the chance to discuss subjects you would normally never discuss," he said.
Sheldon also said he thinks the discussions are a highlight of the group's experience.
"We debate every topic under the sun, and many of our discussions have a lot of moral and philosophical undertones," he said.
He added that the team members learn a lot through these discussions and through researching and writing their own cases.
Despite the fact that it is a young team with little funding, the team met with much success at tournaments it has attended so far this year. At a championship tournament at Cornell University last weekend, the team had four of its speakers place in the top 10 out of 40 novice speakers.
Sophomore Caleb Sheldon, a mathematics and economics major, began the program last spring. Right now, the team has about 15 members who travel to different tournaments on the East Coast.
This semester, the team traveled to three different tournaments to kick off the start of its competition season. Because the team has little experience, it is considered a novice within the competition, and it doesn't qualify for the varsity round of tournaments.
Of the members who were at the tournament, four placed in the top 10. Freshman aeronautical engineering major Benjamin Strom-Weber was first, freshman music business major Matthew Gasda was fifth, freshman journalism major Caitlin Dewey was ninth and junior international relations major Ashley Morris was 10th.
The debate team also fared well in the teams competition. Two teams composed of Strom-Weber/Gasda and Sheldon/Dewey placed third and fourth, respectively, out of 20 novice teams.
The team is funded by the honors, Arts and Sciences and communications and rhetorical studies departments; however, its budget is smaller than most other schools, which hinders its ability to travel, compete and expand, Sheldon said.
Morris, the team's events coordinator, is working with other campus and student organizations to plan for the future, get the team's name out and to generate fundraising ideas.
Sheldon and Strom-Weber both would like to see funding for the team increase in the future.
"One of the ways to get better is to go to more tournaments, and right now, we only have enough funding to go to about five out of 25 tournaments," Sheldon said.
One of Sheldon's goals for the team is for it to qualify for nationals, which will be at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in April. He recognizes that this will be challenging, because in order to qualify, teams must accumulate points at tournaments, and the SU team does not have the funds to travel to very many tournaments.
Morris would like the team to have a stronger presence at competitions. "We're competing against schools like Yale, Harvard and Brown who have traditionally dominated the competition, so we want to build a reputation as a team that can compete," she said.
Morris said she believes the team encourages its participants to be better, more educated citizens. Members are required to read newspapers and keep up with current events, and the debate experience allows them to be more involved in both the country and the world, while thinking on their feet.
For Strom-Weber, one of the most enjoyable parts of his experience on the debate team is the conversations he has with other teammates, as well as competitors.
"You can talk about almost anything, and you get the chance to discuss subjects you would normally never discuss," he said.
Sheldon also said he thinks the discussions are a highlight of the group's experience.
"We debate every topic under the sun, and many of our discussions have a lot of moral and philosophical undertones," he said.
He added that the team members learn a lot through these discussions and through researching and writing their own cases.
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