Gallaudet debate team reaches semifinals at University of Vermont tournament

The Gallaudet debate team — represented by senior Lorelei Becktel and junior Trent Mora — made it to the semifinals of the University of Vermont’s annual Huber British Parliamentary debate tournament, held Nov. 9 and 10. There were a total of 58 teams and 120 participants in the event, which required students to argue for or against a series of controversial motions, such as a proposal requiring gender quotas for university-level STEM programs.

In addition to collegiate debaters from schools across the country, including Cornell, Middlebury, Clemson, Rochester, Vanderbilt, and Claremont, there were several teams representing the University of Dar es Salaam, who traveled to the tournament from Tanzania.

Bottles of maple syrup served as trophies for the tournament. Becktel and Mora received one for advancing, and Becktel was awarded a second syrup for being 3rd best ESL speaker (an individual who has learned English as a second language and debates in English).

“We were so close to making finals, but I am very proud of the growth Lorelei and Trent demonstrated this weekend and how they represented Gallaudet in front of an international audience,” says debate team coach Dr. Brendan Stern, ’06.

In the quarterfinal, Becktel and Mora wrestled with the idea that the repatriation of art is more important than the existence of museums. The semifinal then asked them to consider if they would sell years of their life if the technology existed.

Next semester, the debate program will participate in several more intercollegiate tournaments, and will be organizing campus events, including the 3rd annual Gallaudet Distinguished Debate.