The use of binding referenda for all acts of major political reform will be the topic as the Calliduz Debate Team of Davis & Elkins College hosts the British National Debate Team at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, November 6 in Halliehurst. The forum is free and open to the public.
Topic sides will be decided on the day of the debate. Dr. Brent Saindon, assistant professor of communication at Davis & Elkins College and faculty adviser to the Calliduz Debate Team, will serve as moderator.
“Here in the United States, it is customary to have the legislatures of state and national governments implement political reform through constitutional amendment. In this debate, we are asking whether this power ought to be more appropriately exercised directly by the people,” Saindon said.
Selected to represent the Davis & Elkins team are Sierra Carney, Emily Coffman and Mark Cordle.
Carney, a senior with a double major in political science and English, was selected last spring to join the first group of residents in the new Morrison-Novakovic Center for Faith and Public Policy on the D&E campus. A resident of Charleston, W.Va., she is a member of the political science club Polis and secretary of the Calliduz Debate Team.
A resident of Elkins, Coffman is a senior with a double major in political science, and religion and philosophy. Earlier this month, she placed first in Lincoln-Douglas debate, second in Impromptu Speaking and fifth in the Pentathlon at the Collegiate Forensic Association Fall Tournament. She also was selected as a member of the first group of residents in the new Morrison-Novakovic Center for Faith and Public Policy. She serves as president of Polis and secretary of Student Assembly.
Cordle is a senior from Oak Hill, W.Va., with a double major in biology and chemistry. Last spring, he placed second out of six teams in the inaugural Duquesne Public Debate Forum. He is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Saindon earned a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015, a Master of Science degree in communication from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Fort Hays State University (Kansas). As a student, Saindon was an active intercollegiate debater – a quarterfinalist at the National Debate Tournament (NDT) and an octofinalist at the Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) national tournament in 2003, the two major sponsoring organizations for policy debate in the United States. He also served as a graduate student coach at both the University of North Texas and the University of Pittsburgh.
This is the third time Saindon has arranged for the British National Debate Team to visit Davis & Elkins College.
“We are one of the most unique stops on the tour in terms of college size and location,” Saindon said. “The British National Debate tour was founded on the principle of cultural exchange and mutual respect through academic competition, and we are happy to do our part in demonstrating the strength and diversity of our higher education system in the United States. We also love the fresh perspectives that the British team members provide our students. Past tours have helped to spark lifelong friendships between our students and others across the globe, and we hope that this visit will have a similar effect.”
British Debate Team members participating are James Baross and David Jones.
Baross earned a master’s degree in physics from the University of Warwick where he was an active member of the debate society all four years. He has spoken and judged at numerous competitions and is a breaking speaker at the York IV, Sheffield IV KCL IV and SciFi Open, and Winner of the Warwick Ironman Internal.
Jones is a management consultant who has recently made televised appearances on the BT speaks debate show and in front of the House of Commons select committee hearings. His interest in debate started while studying at the University of Wales, where he won seven competitions including the John Smith Memorial Mace. He also has provided debate coaching and public speaking training for executives and inner city school children.
Originating in 1922, and currently overseen in the U.S. by the Committee on International Discussion and Debate, the British National Debate Team tour is one of the oldest continuously running cultural exchanges in the United States. Each fall, two students from the U.S. are selected to go on a debate tour in Great Britain, while two students from the United Kingdom come to the U.S. on a debate tour.
Related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Davis & Elkins College is located in Elkins, 2 hours east of Charleston, 3 hours south of Pittsburgh and 4 hours west of Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit the College website at www.dewv.edu or call 304-637-1243.
