There is no debate: A Cornell Debate Association team took top honors at the region's first parliamentary debate tournament of the season, Sept. 19 and 20, at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.
More than 130 debaters from over 15 colleges and universities competed in the tournament, and Cornell debaters Justin Berkowitz '05 and Brad Grossman '04 were the first place team, beating out top teams from universities such as Harvard, Brown, MIT, Amherst and Chicago.
In addition to team honors, debaters also are ranked individually on their performances in the first five rounds of the tournament, and two of the top 10 individually ranked debaters also were from Cornell -- with Berkowitz coming in 5th and Robert Glunt '05 coming in 7th.
Cornell's novice debaters also topped their division, with Jackson Taylor '07 and Luis Bacalao '07 winning both the top individual and team honors.
The team of Berkowitz, the Cornell team's former president, and Grossman, the current president, compiled a 4-1 record through the first five debates, enough to qualify for quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, they picked up a unanimous 3-0 judges' decision against the Harvard debaters and then went on to defeat Brandeis' top team by a 4-1 decision in the semifinals.
By making it to finals, Berkowitz and Grossman qualified to compete at the American Parliamentary Debate Association national championships, to be held April 10-11, 2004, at Swarthmore College.
In the finals at Williams, the Cornell pair faced off against a previously undefeated team from Amherst College. Berkowitz and Grossman were asked to defend the role of labor unions in the United States, and they defeated the team from Amherst on a 4-1 judges' decision.
It is only the second time in Cornell's history, team members believe, that Cornell debaters have won such a tournament. Said Berkowitz: "This is an extremely exciting time for the Cornell Debate Association. While we have always been a powerful and dynamic team, we believe this tournament is just the beginning of a phenomenal season."
The Cornell Debate Association is a Student Assembly Finance Commission-funded independent student organization, made up primarily of undergraduate students. Its faculty adviser is Christopher Way, associate professor of government. Parliamentary debate pits teams of two against one another in a structured format that resembles the debates in a house of parliament. Debate topics can cover such areas as current events, public affairs, ethical and philosophical questions and legal issues.
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |