7 September 2004

OUTREACH EFFORTS GET UNDERWAY

The LDU ramped up its outreach efforts for Fall, 2004 with an emphasis on the local and the global. The LDU is committed to bringing debate and open discourse to broader audiences in the hope that communication is a necessary first step in addressing common problems and avoiding future difficulties.

On the local level, the LDU has a variety of activities underway.

The LDU has been helping Burlington High School for some time, and this year will be cooperating to run the BHS tournament in December. LDU members will tabulate and pair the tournament as well as serve as judges for what has become a fairly large New England tournament. The tournament will take place at BHS on December 3 & 4, 2004.

The LDU has been asked to put on a workshop at this year's NEA convention in Vermont. The Vermont Debate and Forensic League is adding a new event this year, Public Forum Debate, sponsored by the National Forensic League. The NEA has asked the LDU to provide a workshop for teachers on this new event and LDU director Snider will be presenting it on October 21, 2004 at 12:30 PM in the Bisonette Room at the Champlain Valley Exposition as part of the NEA convention.

Following last Spring's successful Speak Out on the UVM campus, the LDU plans another event. Tentatively scheduled for around noontime on the steps of Royall Tyler Theatre on Thursday September 23, 2004, the event will feature an open microphone as well as music and entertainment provided by DJ BLT, our selecter for the last event. Debaters will, no doubt, kick off the event with a few choice remarks of their own and anyone who is willing to speak from the crowd will be invited to do so. The event will be taped for airing on the LDU's television program, Flashpoint. Zoe Anderson is coordinating this event.

The LDU will once again sponsor the Vermont State Debate Championships on the UVM campus next March.

On the global level the LDU is also extremely active.

The International Debate Education Association will be hosting its annual global conference on November 5-7, 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey. The event will feature a gathering of debate teachers and supporters from over 35 nations to discuss how to promote and teach debating more effectively. LDU Director Snider has been asked to coordinate the program for the event, and he and others have managed to put together a vast program of panels and discussions. For more information about the event go to http://idebate.org/events/conference04/index.asp . Snider will be presenting a paper on the Flashpoint program as well as moderating several panel discussions.

The Slovenian non-profit Za in Proti that administered the national debate program has received a grant from the USA Embassy to hold its second annual International Debate Academy over the Thanksgiving holiday. The event will take place in Ptuj, Slovenia. An international faculty has been assembled and already students from all over the world are applying. The UVM World Debate Institute has been invited to be a co-sponsor and LDU Director Snider will be supervising the program as well as serving as an instructor. More information can be found at http://debate.uvm.edu/wdieurope.html .

Through its contact with Maja Malovrh who attended WDI this last summer the LDU is working to cooperate with two debate clubs she is organizing in Sweden. Stay tuned for more information.

LDU Director Snider has been contacted about providing debate training in Afghanistan, probably after the elections in October. A program has been developed to train debaters and then stage a series of radio debates. Radio is a unique element in the Afghan communication system because it is the only way of reaching most of the population, with 90% having regular access to radio while television, newspapers and magazines, and roads remain underdeveloped parts of the national infrastructure. Snider has just finished a manual he was asked to write for the project, entitled Voices in the Sky: Radio Debates. Stay tuned for further information. Asked about the dangers of traveling to Afghanistan, Snider commented that, "There are many dangerous parts of the world I will not go to, but while Kabul is not as safe as I would like, the risk seems worth taking." He promised he would be cautious.

NEWS AND NOTES OF THE LDU FAMILY

ALFRED SNIDER: Seven Days, the popular Burlington weekly, featured a story about Alfred Snider in its August 28, 2004 issue. The story highlighted debate activities and his busy schedule promoting debate. Cathy Resmer, who has written previous stories about debating, penned this one. You can access the story by going to http://debate.uvm.edu/dcpdf/tuna7days.pdf .

GOIRDIE MILLER has taken up his position as debate coach at the University of Rochester.

JILLIAN MARTY has taken up her position at the University of Alabama as a doctoral fellow and a debate coach.

LISA HELLER has taken up her position as a faculty member at Cape Code Community College.

JEROME SPENCER writes from Baltimore: "I have been promoted to Deputy State's Attorney. Not bad for only six
years as a prosecutor, eh? Edwin continues to watch out for me . . . "

LAURA ELLINGSON reports that she is happy as a faculty member at Santa Clara University but that the professor thing did turn out to be a lot of work.

AARON FISHBONE has been active lately on the international debate training scene, teaching in Estonia and China during the summer.

This is the tentative travel schedule.

FLASHPOINT TELEVISION -- NOW WITH 290 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 tapings: 9/18 1o AM, 9/25 2 PM, 10/19 2 PM, 10/23 2 PM.
Suggested Topics: Free speech and protesting, Cars and the Environment, Fogel's Vision for UVM.
COUNTDOWN TO PROGRAM #300 BEGINS
Now in the 290s it is only a matter of time (and not a very long time) until Flashpoint reaches its 300th show. Ideas are being sought for how this show should be done. Let us know of any ideas.

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

ALWAYS CALL IT HUBER HOUSE!