The Binghamton University debate team, which has defeated top schools like Harvard University and Cornell University in past years, finished off the 2007 academic year with high ratings from the Cross Examination Debate Association.
Joe Leeson-Schatz, the director of the team, said that the team was so successful because “they [team members] were a really dedicated group of debaters” who had been active for most of their college years and put a lot of work into it.
Each year, a topic is picked to be debated at every tournament. According to Lauren Cameron, a member of the team, the resolution for this year is agricultural subsidies.
Members of the debate team have weekly requirements; each individual must practice six hours, meet with their assigned partner, collaborate with their partner and the coach together and then meet alone with the coach.
Freshman team member Christine Timmons said she dedicates anywhere from six to 12 hours to the team every week. This includes meetings, practices and debates with other team members.
Timmons said that she also practices talking fast, a technique called “speed reading” that debate teams are known for.
“It is beneficial to put in as much information as you can into one small speech,” she said.
A novice to the debate team, Timmons said her favorite part of the experience is convincing judges of her point in “really, really crazy and bizarre arguments.”
Though six members have graduated since last year and been replaced by new members, and the team’s ranking by the Cross Examination Debate Association has fallen from first to second, Leeson-Schatz said that “this year [the team] maintains the same performance … the incoming novices are just as dedicated.”
The lower ranking can be attributed to financial restraints, not performance, he said.
With the current economic crisis, less money has been given to the debate team to fund tournaments. According to Leeson-Schatz, fewer competitions makes it difficult to attain a high ranking.
Since the team can no longer compete in as many tournaments as they did in the past, “each tournament matters that much more,” he said.
According to Cameron, the debate team has already won four tournaments this year.
BU’s major competitor is Liberty University. Currently ranked No. 1 by the Cross Examination Debate Association, the school was No. 2 last year, right below BU.
Last weekend the BU team competed in a tournament hosted by Liberty.
Since the host team can’t get points in their own tournament and only debates for practice, Leeson-Schatz stated that it would be “easier for [our team] to win” and reclaim top ranking.
Though it’s unlikely that the results of this tournament will bring BU back to first place, Leeson-Schatz sad the team wasn’t “really focused on improving [their] ranking.” Instead, members competed in higher divisions than usual and focused on gaining experience.