By Eugene Vilensky
Debate Society awarded in TN competition
The University of Louisville Debate Society took home a second-place award at a national competition on September 27-29 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. Loran Bernert placed second in the Junior Varsity division out of 18 competing students. The Junior Varsity division included competitors from schools including Georgia State University, Capital, Clemson University, Miami, Tennessee Tech and Vanderbilt.
Also winning awards were first-time competitors Lilybelle Flint and Orion Bazzell. Flint placed ninth and Bazzell placed tenth in the novice division. The division included 30 competing students from schools such as Appalachia State, Capital, Miami and Vanderbilt.
“This was my first competition at the college level. I am pleased with my results and am looking forward to future competitions,” Bernert said.
Bernert, a freshman, participated in the Jefferson County Debate League while attending Central High School. She won the Wilson Wyatt Scholarship to attend debate camp in summer 2001, and more recently, she received a fellowship from ULDS to attend the Arizona Debate Institute in summer of 2002.
September 20-23, Louisville placed ninth overall at the third annual Georgia State University National Debate Tournament. Louisville competed against 30 institutions including Boston College, Baylor, Emory University, Gonzaga, University of Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.
The Debate Society’s next competitions are scheduled for October 4-7 at the University of Kentucky and at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, on October 18-21.
The University of Louisville Debate Society is under the leadership of Dr. Ede Warner, Jr. Warner has focused the ULDS on fostering participation of minorities typically excluded from debate, mainly African Americans. Warner is one of few African American intercollegiate directors of debate and has made it the mission of the Debate Society to break through the racial exclusivity “challenging current stylistic conventions, traditions, and norms.”
The competitions allow students to “improve critical thinking, master public speaking skills and increase self-esteem.”
On Tuesday, October 8, the Debate Society will present the latest installment of the Public Debate Series on the topic of “Louisville Urban Renewal.” The event will take place at 1:00 PM at Ekstrom Auditorium and is open to the public.
