Rupp Debate Society at Idaho State University: October 2016

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Rwandan Debate Team Visit Will Include a Debate, a Documentary Film, and a Photo Presentation

Debate Event - Rwandan and ISU Debaters: Forgiveness vs. Justice

WHEN: Monday, October 24, 2016, 6 – 8pm

WHERE: Rendezvous Suites ABC

COST: Free

DETAILS:

In 1994, over 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed by their neighbors. In 2003, over 80% of the perpetrators were released back into communities they once sought to destroy. In 2016, over 61% of the population is under the age of 24.

Come see ISU and Rwandan Debaters pair off in blended teams to debate the topic:

This House believes that in the aftermath of Genocide, forgiveness is more important than justice.

This event is free and open to the public.

Refreshments provided.

Documentary Film - Rwandan Debaters: Stories from a Post-Genocide Generation

WHEN: Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 6 – 8pm

WHERE: BA 104

COST: Free

DETAILS:

Rwanda is a post-genocidal society. More than 61% of the population is under the age of 24.

Join us as we view a 15 minute documentary and hear about the lives and culture of these

young students who will share stories from ordinary people who are living inspiring and impactful lives. The program is sponsored by the Rupp Debate Society.

Our guest, Professor, Raphael Chijioke Njoku, Chair of Global Studies at ISU will introduce the program and discuss the impact of the Rwandan genocide.

Reception to follow.

Photo Exhibition

WHEN: Monday, October 24, 8am – Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 5pm

WHERE: Frazier Hall - Second Floor

COST: Free

DETAILS:

Powerful photographs will be on display exploring the theme of the post-genocide generation.

Rwandan Debate Team Biographies

Bruce Intwali Murangira, 21, is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Law at the University of Lay Adventists of Kigali (UNILAK). He is a passionate debater and poet who believes in the power of the word, whether spoken or written, to impact meaningful change in society. Murangira is currently Head of Student Training at iDebate Rwanda.

Harmonie Isabane Muhumuliza, 19, is a recent graduate from Glory Secondary School in Kigali and is currently interested in pursuing her undergraduate degree in communications and international relations with the aim of becoming a journalist.

Angela Kagabo, 17, is currently a sophomore at Kigali International Community School and a member of the school debate team. Angela is interested in pursuing a career in law. She believes as a lawyer she will have the chance to be an agent of change and address many of the critical issues facing our world today.

Sharon Kirezi Bayingana, 17, recently graduated from Wellspring Academy in Kigali. Sharon is a writer, blogger, and spoken word artist & performer. She is interested in pursuing her undergraduate degree in communications and public relations.

Bahizi Eric Habineza, 25, is a recent graduate from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Finance. He works and lives in Dallas, TX but is in the process of moving back home to Kigali. He aspires to be a Management Consultant in the near future and to pursue a master’s degree in Business Analytics.

Full House at Electoral College Public Debate & Upcoming Events

Sean Illing, Nate Mortimer, Nate Graves, Erik Ekstrom, Mike Chen (Left to Right)

On the eve of the last presidential debate for the 2016 election, the Rupp Debate Society, Idaho State University, hosted a public debate discussing the best way to elect future presidents. Sean Illing, Ph.D. and a journalist from Vox.com served as guest moderator for the debate which lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. An audience of one hundred watched the debate, posed questions during the audience participation portion of the debate, and voted to determine the winning team.

Dr. Zac Gershberg introduces Dr. Illing

Sean Illing moderates the debate.

The topic was: This house would eliminate the Electoral College and replace it with a popular vote for the President of the United States." Supporting the topic Nate Graves and Nate Mortimer argued that a direct popular vote was the best way to represent the will of the people and to make every vote count. They also said that only 20% of votes count now due to presidential candidates' tendency to focus campaigning on swing states. Graves and Mortimer indicted the electoral college by suggesting that is has two levels of tyranny, the tyranny of the majority within states and the tyranny on the minority in national elections.

Nate Mortimer and Nate Graves

Erik Ekstrom and Mike Chen rejected the topic arguing that we should repair the Electoral College through a proportional representation plan that would link electoral votes to Congressional districts. They argued that a direct popular vote would allow candidates to ignore large swaths of the United States and focus only on highly populated areas. Additionally, they argued that their plan would best ensure protection against the tyranny of the majority and demagogues by preserving the electoral college while increasing representation.

Erik Ekstrom and Mike Chen

Each speaker gave one five minute speech and one three minute rebuttal. There was a 15 minute question and answer period in the middle of the debate where speakers answered questions posed by the audience and the moderators.

The debate was decided by an audience vote. The audience was polled both before and after the debate. The team who changed the most opinions was declared the winner. Before the debate, 48% of the audience supported replacing the Electoral College with a popular vote while only 21% did not. 31% of the audience was undecided.

Audience Poll Results Prior to the Debate

After the debate, 68% of the audience supported the motion to eliminate the Electoral COllege while 25% rejected the motion and 7% remained undecided.

Audience Poll Results After the Debate

Notably, both teams increased support for their positions. However, the team in support of the motion increased their level of support by 20% compared to 4% on the opposition side. Therefore, Mortimer and Graves were declared the winners. However, Moderator Sean Illing explained that he was more persuaded by the team arguing against the motion and that the team defending the electoral college had a more difficult job in the debate. Consequently, both teams have something to celebrate and we are very proud of their performance last night.

Opinion Shift Before and After the Debate

Next week, the Rupp Debate Society will be hosting the Rwandan debate team for three events. All events are free and open to the public.

A photo exhibit in Fazier Hall (2nd Floor) Monday and Tuesday.
A blended ISU/Rwandan Debate on Monday, October 24, at 6:00 pm in Rendezvous ABC on the question of forgiveness vs. justice in the wake of genocide.
A 15 minute documentary film and Rwandan student presentations Stories from a Post-Genocidal Generation in Business 104 on Tuesday, October 25, at 6 pm.

In 1994, over one million Rwandans were killed in a conflict between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes, leaving behind young people that now make up the majority of the population in the country. In 2003, over 80 percent of the killers were released back into the communities they once sought to destroy. The iDebate team from Rwanda will share their own stories and experiences of what its like to live in a post-genocide generation, and how they strive to live inspiring and impactful lives.

The first event will feature the ISU debate team and Rwandans debating in conjunction on the topic, “This house believes that in the aftermath of genocide, forgiveness is more important than justice.” The debate will take place on Oct. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Rendezvous Suites ABC.

“I think this event will be the first spark for people to start working together,” said ISU debater Cora Bidete. “It will allow us to see that there are cultural differences between us but regardless of that, there is a need for us to interact in a way that is positive and doesn’t insight an us versus them mentality.”

The next event titled, “Stories From a Post-Genocidal Generation,” will take place on Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Business Administration building room 104. Raphael Njoku, Chair and professor in the Department of Global Studies and Languages, will introduce the topic and give a brief presentation, followed by a documentary about the Rwandan students’ lives and a question and answer session.

“This will be such a humbling experience to debate with these students,” said ISU debater Cameo Curnutt. “The more that we immerse ourselves in these different cultures the more that we can get rid of the ignorance and intolerance that we have seen here.

The photo exhibit will portray the genocide of 1994 and will be on display on the second floor of Frazier Hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Oct. 24 and 25.

Please join us for these events or contact partsara@isu.edu with questions.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Rwandan & ISU Debaters Tackle Forgiveness vs. Justice

Rwandan and ISU Debaters: Forgiveness vs. Justice

WHEN	Monday, October 24, 2016, 6 – 8pm
WHERE	Rendezvous Suites ABC
EVENT TYPE	Academics, Campus Events, Diversity & Culture, Student Activities, Student Union
AUDIENCE	Alumni, Current Students, Faculty, Future Students, Staff
COST	Free

DETAILS	In 1994, over 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed by their neighbors. In 2003, over 80% of the perpetrators were released back into communities they once sought to destroy. In 2016, over 61% of the population is under the age of 24. Come see ISU and Rwandan Debaters pair off in blended teams to debate the topic: This House believes that in the aftermath of Genocide, forgiveness is more important than justice. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments provided.

Rwandan Debaters Tell Stories From A Post-Genocidal Generation at Idaho State University

WHEN	Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 6 – 8pm
WHERE	BA 104
EVENT TYPE	Academics, Art, Campus Events, Diversity & Culture, Student Activities
AUDIENCE	Alumni, Current Students, Faculty, Future Students, Staff, Other
COST	Free

DETAILS	Rwanda is a post-genocidal society. More than 61% of the population is under the age of 24. Join us as we view a 15 minute documentary and hear about the lives and culture of these young students who will share stories from ordinary people who are living inspiring and impactful lives. The program is sponsored by the Rupp Debate Society. Our guest, Professor, Raphael Chijioke Njoku, Chair of Global Studies at ISU will introduce the program and discuss the impact of the Rwandan genocide. Reception to follow.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Debate Team Finishes in Semi Finals at Lewis and Clark Debate Tournament

Idaho State Debaters on the Lewis and Clark Trip, 2016

On the weekend of October 8, 2016, Idaho State University debaters ended up as semi-finalists in a competition at Lewis and Clark College in British Parliamentary debate. Competing against schools such as Gonzaga and Seattle University, Bengal freshmen Nick Grunig and Nate Mortimer established their place at the podium with some of the best teams in the country.

Nick Grunig and Nate Mortimer

Their second time competing in the parliamentary format, Grunig and Mortimer broke into the semi-finals as the no. 6 seed after scoring an impressive 924 speaker points over the course of 6 preliminary rounds. The duo finished with a solid top 5 showing.

Nick Grunig

“I had no idea we were going to do as well as we did,” said Mortimer. “I knew Nick and I were going to do the best we could, but I had no idea. Especially against the competition, the competition was amazing.”

Mortimer led the ISU squad in the individual rankings with a 464 point performance that earned him the honor of being named as the 6^th best speaker overall. Grunig’s performance backed up his teammate with an individual score of 460 points. A performance that placed him 16^thout of 56 total competitors from the 28 teams in competition.

Nate Mortimer

While the former Highland debaters were excelling in the open division, ISU’s Jonah Ruhter and Tristin Herrup-Wheeler accumulated a combined score of 879 points in the novice division, which resulted in a tie for the 8^th spot. Although Ruhter and Herrup-Wheeler crafted a strong and consistent performance, they unfortunately missed the cut by just one spot. On the individual level, Herrup Wheeler placed 10^th overall in speaker points by scoring 440 points, while Ruhter finished 2 spots behind his teammate with a score of 439. Cora Bidet and Mike Chen also represented ISU in the Senior Division.

Coming up next for the Bengals will be an exhibition style public debate which will debate whether or not we should continue to use the Electoral College to elect the President of the United States. The debate will be moderated by Sean Illing of vox.com. It will be held in the middle fork of the Salmon River Suites in the SUB on October 18^th at 5:30 pm. If you have any questions, please contact partsara@isu.edu.

Topics Debated at Lewis and Clark

THBT citizen-initiated referendum are harmful to the democratic process
THBT US should abolish mandatory minimum sentencing.
THBT the United States should make continued aid to Israel dependent upon a 2-state solution including a shared capital in Jerusalem.
Resolved, The United States should abolish the electoral college.
The international criminal court should indict Bashir al-Assad for war crimes
TH should repeal the 2nd Amendment.

Open Division-28 Teams

Nick and Nate: Total Speaker Points-924, finished tied for 6^th overall out of the 28 teams present.

1. Round 1: 151 points, P2

2. Round 2: 154 points, P2

3. Round 3: 155 points, P3

4. Round 4: 147 points, P4

5. Round 5: 162 points, P1

6. Round 6: 155 points, P3

Cora and Mike: Total Speaker Points-886, finished 24^th overall out of the 28 teams present.

1. Round 1: 143 points, p4

2. Round 2: 151 points, P2

3. Round 3: 146 points, P4

4. Round 4: 155 points, P2

5. Round 5: 147 points, P4

6. Round 6: 144 points, P4

Novice Division- 16 Teams

Jonah and Tristan: Total Speaker Points-879, finished 9^th overall out of 16 teams present.

1. Round 1: 144 points, P2

2. Round 2: 143 points, P4

3. Round 3: 144 points, P4

4. Round 4: 150 points, P2

5. Round 5: 149 points, P3

6. Round 6: 149 points, P2

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Sean Illing to Moderate Public Debate at Idaho State University

Join us on the 17th and 18th of October. On the 17th, Sean Illing of vox.com presents "Is Too Much Democracy a Bad Thing?" On the 18th, Illing will moderate a public debate hosted by the Idaho State Debate team.