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28 March 2006

NATIONAL DEBATE TOURNAMENT UPS AND DOWNS

| NICK AND JASON POSE AFTER WINNING BINGHAMTON TOURNAMENT |

It took three things to get to the National Debate Tournament held last weekend in Evanston, Illinois at Northwestern University. First, it took a lot of hard work on the part of Jason Hitchcock and Nick Landsman-Roos, work they have been doing all year but which accelerated during their spring break -- which took place mostly in the Lawrence Seminar Room at Huber Hall, not on some beach. Second, it took a lot of talent and skill. Talents and skills in debate are not really something you are "born with" at this level but are things that need to be developed. The two juniors came by different paths. Nick debated in high school and had some success but it still left him hungry for more. He has honed his skills and changed himself from a "policy" debater to more of a "critical" debater. From a quiet and mild person he has become a squad leader. Jason did not debate in high school at all, and started debating in his first year at UVM. He did not have an extremely successful novice year but kept at it as his knowledge, abilities and commitment grew. In his sophomore year we qualified for the NDT but he and Nick had a disappointing 1-7 record. The third thing that was necessary to get to the NDT was the support of alumni, donors and friends of UVM debate. The trip is a very expensive one, but a coalition of donors came through with contributions small and large. The result was that they took the trip without the LDU having to sacrifice taking four teams to CEDA Nationals in Dallas and the ability to stage a year-end banquet. Those three things worked together to make it happen.
Helen and Justin Morgan Parmett (with youngest coach Nakobe) led the group to Chicago. They were very lucky to be joined by Jen Knops who went along as the additional judge, taking time off from her job and donating her services.
While hopes were high and the tournament had some high point victories (over the Rochester team Nick and Jason had been struggling against all year long, and against Catholic University and Trinity University) the overall result was a 3-5 record. Most disturbing were losses to Richmond and Michigan State where the performance was good but the results were losses. Still, it was a long way from the 1-7 record of a year ago. "We improved by two wins from last year to this year," said Jason, "and if we do that again we will be 5-3 and debating in elimination rounds next year." With the three keys still in place -- hard work, developing talents and skills, and the support of the Vermont debate community -- everyone hopes that it will be true. Sarah Snider, now at Kansas State, was following them by phone all weekend, and said that they should be proud of their accomplishments, and added, "Nick and Jason may very well end up being the first Vermont team to qualify for the NDT three years in a row." Sitting in La Guardia airport on the way home, Nick called in this statement, "Dreams really can come true." Michigan State defeated Wake Forest in the final round 6-1.
All eyes are now on the future. And that future starts next weekend at CEDA Nationals in Dallas, where 222 teams are registered for the final debate tournament of the year. Nick and Jason watched every elimination round at the NDT, gathering arguments, citations to research and pointers for success. Stay tuned for the results.

FUNDRAISING APPEAL SHIFTS FROM SHORT TO LONG TERM

With this year's needs met, the LDU fundraising focus now turns to enhancing the long-term financial viability of the program. The goal is to enhance the endowment so that the program will be financially secure through the 21st century. Many alumni received a mailing in the last two weeks outlining the beginning of our campaign and the reasons for giving. If you did not, please email your mailing address to Tuna at alfred.snider@uvm.edu. Look for a follow-up mailing, personal contacts, an alumni directory, events in some major cities and plans for creating additional endowments -- all coming in the next six months. Also coming are special offers for alumni donors, including hooded sweatshirts and copies of Flashpoint episodes -- maybe even an episode with YOU in it! Help us with ideas and moral support as well as with donations.
"We need to score some big donations to raise another million dollars," said Snider, "and that includes working on planned giving, bequests and more, especially from the debaters of Doc Huber's era, who are now really making their debate experience pay off. They have the ability to give and the Development office at UVM is solidly behind us with all of their expertise. If Liberty University can spend $500,000 a year on debate, we can achieve a goal of $130,000 for UVM."
Special thanks go to some people who have helped in extraordinary ways that were inadvertently left out of the newsletter. Emily Sanders' parents in Pennsylvania opened their home to us after the West Virginia tournament so we could avoid a dangerous drive home while tired. Thank you so much for your hospitality, and for raising an awesome daughter. Thanks also go to Houston-based space businessman Charles Chafer for his sponsorship of the team on the upcoming trip to Dallas.
BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT, GIVE NOW IF YOU CAN! Please make checks payable to "UVM Debate." You can mail them to Lawrence Debate Union, 475 Main Street, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405. Gifts are tax deductible.
Gifts can now be made online at https://alumni.uvm.edu/giving/support.asp , but please make sure to designate your gift for "Debate." Email your pdf receipt to alfred.snider@uvm.edu.
If you would like to talk about a major gift or a bequest you should contact Randy Wilson who is our contact in Development, and you can contact him by phone - Desk: 802/656-4253, Cell: 802/598-3961, Toll Free: 888/458-8691, Fax: 802/656-8678, or by e-mail: randy.wilson@uvm.edu.
We will have a complete list of donors available soon on a new and expanded LDU alumni website.

LDU ANNOUNCES PUBLIC DEBATE DURING EARTH WEEK

The LDU will hold a major public debate on campus on April 18, 2006. The event will be co-sponsored by the SPEAKS residential group in the Living and Learning Center, and more sponsors will probably be added. Now the task is to find students and professors to debate about a hot topic concerning the ecology. Suggestions currently include: Wind power, global warming, environmentalism vs. deep ecology, and more are being sought.

Taylor Lalemand is leading the effort but seeks help and advice.

VERMONT DEBATE IN NATIONAL TOP 20

Last week we looked at the CEDA sweepstakes where Vermont was #18. Here are the current standings for the American Forensic Association/National Debate Tournament 2005-06 National Debate Sweepstakes top fifty.

For more information about how these rankings are calculated, go to the listings at http://commweb.fullerton.edu/jbruschke/web/ as well as the CEDA home page at http://cedadebate.org/

The showing is quite excellent when you consider that most Vermont teams debate in a higher division than they are eligible for, thus damaging the ability to get points. Also, most of these teams have twice the budget as UVM, a reason why the endowment must be built up.

**A story in Newsweek 6 February 2006 notes that Liberty University has a $500,000 annual commitment to debate.

FLASHPOINT TELEVISION

Watch Flashpoint from your computer screen whenever you want! You will need RealPlayer installed on your computer to become a part of our growing audience. Here are some recent programs now available at http://debate.uvm.edu/flashpoint.html. Watch on Burlington Channel 15 Tuesday 12:30 PM, Thursday 10 PM, Saturday 1 PM.
Next taping: April 8, Saturday. We need topics and panelists.
Zoe Anderson is the topic and program coordinator.

SQUAD MEETS AT 6 PM EACH MONDAY NIGHT, 475 MAIN STREET, ALL WELCOME!

BUT NO SQUAD MEETING NEXT WEEK BECAUSE OF CEDA NATIONALS!

ALWAYS CALL IT HUBER HOUSE!