13 April 2004

LAST PROMOTION UNTIL HEAVEN:
LDU Director makes Full Professor

| Snider lecturing in Santiago, Chile |

Almost 23 years after arriving in Burlington, LDU Director Alfred C. Snider has reached the end of the promotion line at UVM, being named as full professor by UVM Provost John Bramley. Now he can really refer to himself as the Edwin W. Lawrence Professor of Forensics. Usually a faculty member would face promotion earlier, but Snider delayed filing for a promotion, which is not mandatory. "I was simply too busy doing my job to spend a lot of time on the paperwork that is required for a promotion." Last Fall Arts & Sciences Dean Joan Smith told Snider in no uncertain terms that he needed to go up for promotion this academic year. The process involved building a comprehensive file on over 20 years of activity, arranging for outside evaluators, seeking input from colleagues and former students, and packaging it in a way that communicated to others the nature of the job, which is quite different from what all other faculty members at UVM do. While Snider has a half-time teaching load, he also directs the Lawrence Debate Union and the World Debate Institute, while at the same time publishing and doing academic, university and community service. Most faculty members just teach, publish, and do service.

"It was a very time consuming and difficult process," shared Snider, "but I learned two very important things during the process. First, I had no idea that I have been averaging 110 days a year on the road for debate. I thought it would be about 50 or 60, and I never imagined it would go above 100. Second, I learned, reading through my file after it had been assembled, how much I apparently mean to my former students and to my colleagues around the world. I was surprised and deeply moved by some of the things they said, especially my former students. My colleagues were also very kind to me. I guess I deserve them all a big thank you."

While there is continual review at UVM, this is the last major evaluation Snider will face. At the squad meeting Monday night he announced that, "This will be my last promotion until heaven." The review of that promotion is still on-going.

LDU INVITED TO SIT ON BOARD OF NEW COMMUNITY RADIO STATION

The LDU has been active in a Burlington community group, Radio-Active Burlington, that is seeking an FCC license for a new low-power FM radio station. After several years of bureaucracy, the application will soon be approved and the wheels will begin to turn to make this possibility into a reality. The group has asked the LDU to hold one of the seats on its board of directors along with other involved community groups. This ideas was approved unanimously at the Monday squad meeting.

The LDU plans to provide a broad range of programming and individual talent to the group when broadcasting starts. Colin, Zoe and Bent will represent the LDU at a meeting next week.

NEXT STOP CHINA
SNIDER VISITS CHINA TO PREPARE FOR SUMMER DEBATE PROGRAM

| With friends at the Great Wall in 2002 | With translator Xu Qingli at SASEL 2002 |

LDU Director Snider departs this coming Sunday for a thirteen-day trip top China. Snider will attend the Sino-American Seminar on Educational Leadership (SASEL) in China, and will present a paper entitled "Debate as a curricular option: many paths." The goal of the trip is to build on his visit two years ago to the same conference and efforts to create interest in debate instruction and competition in China both at the high school and college levels. The previous trip resulted in four Chinese students attending the World Debate Institute. When Snider suggested that more students attend WDI, Chinese officials said they had a better idea, bring the World Debate Institute to China for a session, held at the end of the summer. Last year the program had to be cancelled because of the SARS outbreak, but this year it looks to be clear sailing on the health front. This trip will involve the SASEL conference as well as time to visit Inner Mongolia Teachers University, the host for the ten-day debate workshop for 80-100 Chinese debaters to be held in August, in order to plan for the program.

"It is very exciting," said Snider. "The Chinese government has been extremely supportive, and will be investing a lot of time and money into this ten-day program. I feel a great responsibility to make sure it goes well." The program will be all in English and will prepare students for international competition. There will also be some sightseeing and a number of school visits as well as lectures and presentations. Expect a comprehensive photo journal upon return.

LDU SPONSORS SPEAK OUT, APRIL 20 2 PM, TYLER THEATRE STEPS

LDU MAJOR PUBLIC DEBATE, APRIL 29 7 PM, CAMPUS CENTER THEATER
TOPIC: THE BUSH DOCTRINE OF PREVENTIVE MILITARY ACTION IS JUSTIFIED

LDU BANQUET - Dinner, Saturday, May 1, 2004. Lindsey will coordinate.
DINNER/BABY SHOWER - Thursday, April 15, 5 PM. Contact Lindsey for info.

SARAH SNIDER IN WASHINGTON -- WHERE DEBATE HAS NEVER GONE BEFORE

| Helen Morgan, Sarah Snider, rae Schwartz at CEDA Nationals |

It has been a good few weeks for Sarah Snider and the DC Urban Debate League. Sarah is the Director of the program, designed to bring debate to inner city high schools in Washington that have been given up on by many. The result has been a thriving and active debate program involving hundreds of student debaters. Several events make recent days memorable.

Sarah is very proud of the new DCUDL website, located at http://dc.hsdebate.com

The Washington Times ran an excellent story on the program. Alumni Jerome Spencer, now a prosecutor in Baltimore, first called the story to the attention of the LDU. Later, Sarah was seen walking around a debate tournament showing it to anyone who might be interested. The story can be found at http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20040404-114146-2255r.htm

Next came a major public debate in reparations for slavery, a hot issue in DC.

Finally, Sarah and the DCUDL will be hosting the East Region UDL Championship April 23-25 at the University of the District of Columbia. Over 100 teams are expected to be in attendance with representatives from all up and down the east coast. They need judges (and can pay $15 per round), so email Sarah if you are interested. A Group of LDU debaters is trying to organize a trip down to the tournament. Sarah can be reached at her old UVM address, oddly enough, which is ssnider@uvm.edu.

LDU hopes to announce 2004-05 tentative travel schedule soon.

Off season research assignments will be made for the summer.

NOW WITH 284 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS!
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 Wednesday 12:30 PM, Thursday 10 PM, Saturday 1 PM.
Next taping after the school year.
LAST TAPING: #285 Burlington Restaurant Review
Panelists: Knops, Hoag, Snider

NEW FLASHPOINT NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE:
#281: Censored Genocides
#283: Diet Daze
See them at http://debate.uvm.edu/flashpoint.html

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

ALWAYS CALL IT HUBER HOUSE!