LAWRENCE DEBATE UNION

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT

 

105 YEARS OF SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER


2003-2004 BANQUET PROGRAM:

Reception

Dinner

Welcome

Special Awards

Annual Prizes

Senior Speeches

Farewell

 

            Edwin Lawrence wanted a banquet to be held at the end of each debate season to celebrate the forensic experience. Every spring we invite a few honored guests and all LDU parents to join us for a good time. A booklet about the year is prepared, seniors say good-bye, there is a minimum of oratory, and the various prizes for debate achievement may be distributed. Substantial cash awards accompany many of these prizes. These awards are distributed based on service to the LDU and others on the team, and achievement in representing the LDU and UVM in analysis and performance. A committee appointed by the coaches gives out these awards.

 

 

BRIEF HISTORY OF DEBATE AT UVM:

NOW 105 YEARS OLD

 

            Intercollegiate debate at the University of Vermont began in 1899 when Edwin W. Lawrence '01 started the University of Vermont debate team. Throughout the early part of this century debate was a constant part of life at UVM. After the Second World War, a cohesive national level of debate competition began to take shape, and Vermont was an important force. Dr. Robert Huber came to UVM in the late 1940's, and throughout the 1950's and 1960's he led the Vermont debate team to national dominance, including national titles at all levels. During this time, Edwin W. Lawrence gave generously to the University to establish an endowment for the debate team and a professorial chair to teach forensics and work with the team ÑÑ which became the Lawrence Debate Union. The 1980's replaced the doldrums of the 1970's with a revitalized and successful debate team stressing education, competition, and service. Throughout the 1980Õs and 1990Õs UVM has been a consistent top national competitor. Since the award was created five out of the six East Region Debater of the Year awards have gone to UVM students. During this period UVM has national championships in Novice Debate. Junior varsity Debate, and Public Debate, and has placed as high as Third in Varsity Debate and as high as Fifth in the National Sweepstakes race. This is doubly impressive because the vast majority of our opponent schools have extensive scholarship programs for talented high school debaters and a substantially larger budget, while UVM has students with little or no high school experience and very high travel costs. Success is possible through a community of students, staff, faculty, alumni volunteers, and friends.

 

ORGANIZATION OF THE LDU:

 

The LDU is an endowed, co-curricular program at the University of Vermont located within the Speech and Debate program of the Department of Theatre. It is directed by the Lawrence Professor of Forensics and coaches hired by the University.

            Members of the LDU are UVM students enrolled in at least six hours of undergraduate study per semester and who are working toward a Bachelor's degree. Members are expected to attend meetings, participate meaningfully in one of the three LDU areas of emphasis, provide information to the coaching staff about academic schedules and standing, and follow through on voluntary verbal commitments.

            The LDU has active partnerships with the Community College of Vermont, St. MichaelÕs College, Middlebury College, and Burlington High School.

            The coaching staff is composed of debate experts who teach debate, explore issues, and coach students to win in competition and in life. They are overworked and underpaid.

            The primary budget for the LDU is the income generated each year by the Lawrence Fund to Encourage and Develop Debating. It is our generous bequest from Mr. Lawrence, and as such, the LDU is responsible for the highest standards of good stewardship. It may or may not be completely spent in any given year, and unspent funds are rolled forward to the next year.

            The Student Government Association also sponsors the LDU. A small sum of money each year is used to travel and to promote community debates. For these purposes, the LDU elects a student as S.G.A. Coordinator each year, and these funds are spent as directed by the S.G.A.

 


2003-2004

DEBATERS

 


Zoe Anderson

Andrea Aeschlimann

Haroula Argiros

Dean Blumberg

Bent Cardan

Karen Fortin

Brady Fletcher

Susan Greenbaum

Teresa Hill

Michael Harrington

Jason Hitchcock

Ashley Hogan

Colin Kern

Sheila Limprevil

Carly Lehrer

Eric Mates

Jillian Marty

Kayce Massey

Lindsey Melander

Nikki Muradian

Amy Myers

Patrick Mayer

Mike McMahan

Edwin Owusu

Timm Reimer

Mimi Supernaw

Emily Sanders

Carlos Varela

Leo Velez

Jason Williams

Eric Wright

Tarik Yeasir

Paula Zampieri


 

 

COACHES

 

Aaron Fishbone, alum

Charles Hoag, alum

Jen Knops, alum

Greta Lockwood, alum

Gordie Miller, alum

Helen Morgan Parmett, faculty

Justin Morgan Parmett, faculty

Alfred Snider, faculty

Abigail Trebilcock, alum

Éand others!

L. J. Palardy, Office Manager

 


2003-2004 TRAVEL

 

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Atlanta, GA

Rochester, NY

Cambridge, MA

West Point, NY

Oklahoma City, OK

New York City, NY

Miami, FL

Winston Salem, NC

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Denton, TX

Dallas, TX

Ithaca, NY

Chicago, IL

Binghamton, NY

Poughkeepsie, NY

Montreal, QC

Towson, MD

Louisville, KY

Beijing, China

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia


MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS

 

#18 debate program in America, 2003-2004 season, Cross Examination Debate Association national sweepstakes.

 

#3 debate program in the Eastern USA, 2003-2004 season, Cross Examination Debate Association sweepstakes.

 

#1 Junior Varsity debate team in America, 2004, winners of JV Nationals, Baltimore, MD, Colin Kern & Nick Landsman-Roos.

 

Three students named to the Cross Examination Debate Association All American Debate Team, 2003-2004 Ð Jillian Marty, Kayce Massey, and Teresa Hill.

 

Recipient of the Melissa Wade/Edward Lee scholarship, Jillian Marty.

 

Many other awards too numerous to mention.

 

VERMONT DEBATE BY THE NUMBERS

 

689 2 1/2 hour competitive debates on USA-EU relations means:

1722 hours of debating, 71.7 days of debating, and 2.47 MONTHS OF DEBATING!

 

PUBLIC DEBATES AND EVENTS

Preventive use of military force, Economic, Poetry Slams, Speak Out. Hosted Logic & Love debate tournament in the fall.


OTHER ACTIVITIES

 

FLASHPOINT

Weekly television show on Burlington Channel 15, Wed. 12:30 PM, Thur. 10:30 PM, Sat. 1 PM. 285 different shows so far. Now also available on the Internet.

 

INTERNATIONAL DEBATE TRAINING

Slovenia, Croatia, China.

 

WORLD DEBATE INSTITUTE

Four week intensive summer debate program held for over 20 summers. In 2003 had over 300 students from 15 nations.

 

DEBATE CENTRAL debate.uvm.edu

The Internet's largest and most complete resource for debate related instructional, theoretical, organizational, and reference material. 24,000 hits a day, used by 72 countries, at http://debate.uvm.edu/

 

THE VOICE OF EDWIN

Our weekly newsletter available to any and all. Let us know if you would like a mail or email subscription.

 

URBAN DEBATE LEAGUES

Working with 15 cities bringing debate teams to inner city high schools.

 

PARTNERSHIPS

Asian Studies Outreach Program, UVM

Burlington High School

Corporacion Cultural de lo Barnechea, Chile

Cross Examination Debate Association

English Speaking Union, UK

Free Debate Club of Belgrade, Serbia

Inner Mongolia Normal University, China

International Debate Education Association

Kyung Hee University, Republic of Korea

National Association of Urban Debate Leagues

National Forensic League

Sino-American Seminar on Educational Leadership, China

Universidad Diego Portales, Chile

Vermont Debate and Forensic League

Vermont Principals Association

World Debate Organization

Za in Proti, National Debate Program of Slovenia


FRIENDS OF THE LDU

 

Ken Barton, Thrifty Car Rental

Andrea Comtois, Theatre Dept.

Sanh Son, Housekeeping

Andrew Hendrickson, A&S Computing

Karen McGregor, Vermont Community Access Media

Barbara Mercure, Facilities Scheduling

Sam Miller, Support

Joan Smith, A&S Dean

Jeff Modereger, Theatre Dept.

Wes Wright, CIT

 

PATRONS OF THE CAUSE

 


Matthew Byrne, Attorney, IL

Sallie Chafer, Ziggurat Consulting, WV

Nicholas Danigelis, UVM

Glenn Ellingson, Verizon, CA

Laura LaPierre Ellingson, Santa Clara Univ., CA

Justin Green, Dallas, TX

Jethro Hayman & Cleopatra Jones

Sandy Lehrer, Washington

John Meany, Claremont Colleges

Chuck Morton, Attorney, MD

Jan Murray, Attorney, OH

Col. Eric Nelson, US Air Force

Sam Press, Attorney, VT

Erynne Ross, Attorney, IL

Maxwell Schnurer, Marist

Raelynn Schwartz, Univ. of Iowa

Noel Selegzi, International Debate Education Association

Paula Skowron, RI

Bojana Skrt, Z.I.P., Slovenia

Mila Turajlic, Belgrade Open

Greg Turner, Lone Star Mortgage, MO

Lord Watson of Richmond, OBE, UK

Marc Whitmore, English-Speaking Union, London, UK

Cheryl Wilson, Attorney, VT

Steve Woods, Western Washington Univ.

 

DONATIONS TO THE LDU ARE WELCOME AND TAX DEDUCTIBLE