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November 5

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Debating Society Ready for Cham pionship

By Emilie Adams

and Cindy Venema

What team on campus allows team players to argue with each other, doesn't force you to go to the gym to work out and encourages massive egos? The UPEI Debating Society.

Although the group is relatively small with only nine members, they are dedicated and enthusiastic. They meet every Monday at 6:00 and Friday at 1:00 in the Alumni Basement where they host in- house debates.

The Debating Society is a member of CUSID (Canadian University Society of Intercollegiate Debating). This is a national organization which UPEI has been a member of since 1985. The team participates in debates against various universities across Canada including the University of Western Ontario and the University of Ottawa.

The UPEI Debating team is very courageous as some of their competition have considerably larger teams. For example, this year the University of Western Ontario recruited 300 to 400 new members. They are also

equipped with coaches, personal trainers, and considerable amounts of funding. Despite these odds, the UPEI Debating team has been successful.

Every year UPEI has a debate against Holland College and for the past five years UPEI has prevailed. At the moment, members of the debating team rank themselves third in Atlantic Canada, with Dalhousie and Mount Allison at the top. Next week is the Atlantic Regional Championship, where the UPEI debating team will have the opportunity to prove their abilities.

The format used by the debating team is a standard

format that is used by most CUSID members. This format is called the Canadian Parliamentary Style, which is composed of two teams: one is two members of government (the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Crown), and the other is two members of Opposition (Member of Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition).

The debate opens with the Prime Minister's proposal and his arguments for his proposal. The Member of the opposition then has the opportunity to refute the

arguments of the Prime Minister. The Minister of the Crown speaks next, backing up his team's argument and refuting the Opposition's position. These members all have seven minutes each to speak, which is closely monitored by the Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition then gets ten minutes to speak, re- state and defend her team's argument. The debate is Judged by an odd number of judges who follow a formal guideline for judging.

The teams do not prepare their debates in

advance and the topic for debate must somehow tie in the Resolution, which is a philosophical statement or idea. The case to be debated must reflect a change in society, otherwise, it cannot be debated. The UPEI debating team debates everything, ranging from serious topics such as taxes, to comical debates on cartoon cereal characters. The members of the

Debating Society believe that |

debating is an excellent way to hone one's communication skills and boost one's confidence level. Another

bonus is that employers are impressed by the skills acquired from debating. -

They describe debating as a sport that can be both a team or individual effort. According to Dave Saunders, President of the Debating Society, “Everyone sucks their first time debating". However, he also says that the more you debate, the better you become and that "it's not something that takes a long time to learn".

The UPEI Debating society is looking for new members and everyone is welcome to attend any of their meetings.

Youth Vote Plays Big Role In US Election

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Enticed by a young saxophone- playing governor and a tell-it- like-it-is billionaire, more young people went to the polls in the 1992 presidential campaign than any other time since 18- year-olds first got the right to vote in 1971. -

But this presidential campaign marks a new era of youth voting.

The availability of voter registration and Internet access has made life a little easier for grassroots organizations that are devoted to educating and mobilizing younger voters.

Youth Vote '96, a national non-partisan coalition of 27 grassroots groups, has set a goal to get 12 million young adults -- about 50 per cent of the total youth population -- to the polls on Nov. 5.

"Student power is around numbers," said Star Wilbarham, executive director of the United States Student Association. "Voting is where we can shine."

This goal represents 2 million more youth voters than turned out in 1992, and over 11 per

cent of the total voter population projected for this election year.

In the previous election, Youth Vote '92 registered 250,000 young voters who played a_ pivotal role in the election process. The youth vote -- 18 per cent of the electoral vote -- was clearly a factor in Clinton's 1992 victory: 43 per cent of 18- to 24-year- olds voted for the Arkansas governor while 34 per cent voted for President Bush, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Youth Vote '96 coalition members say they have already registered more than a half-million new young voters since February.

In addition, new state motor- voter laws have allowed nine million citizens to register to vote when they got their drivers licenses, at public assistance and disability agencies, and by mail. For these reasons, many campaign workers are predicting 1996 as a banner year for youth voting,

Even Republican contender Bob Dole has gotten into the

act, taking a ride on the wild

side during a travelling interview with MTV's Tabitha

Soren in a 45-foot bus decorated with faux leopard skin carpets, shattered-tile mosaic tables and velvet wall paper.

The bus is part of MTV's "Choose or Loose" national tour that travels the country registering young adults to vote.

In addition to voter

registration, Youth Vote '96 also holds forums and rallies to educate young voters about the issues effecting them such as the economy, education and the environment.

"Students have to connect with what's happening in their lives," said Wibarham. "They're not party-oriented, they're issue-oriented.”