- Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate
-
Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate 
Formation 1978 Type Student debating organization Location 
CanadaPresident Ashvin Singh
University of TorontoAffiliations World Universities Debating Council Website http://www.cusid.ca University Debating Competitions Asian Championship · Australasian Championship · Canadian Championship · European Championship · Irish Times Debate · North American Championship · U.K. Mace Championship · World Championship · World Championship in Spanish Styles American Parliamentary · Australasian · British Parliamentary · Canadian Parliamentary Organizations APDA · CEDA · CUSID · ESU · NDT · NPDA University Societies Ateneo · Brown · Cambridge · UCC Law · UCC Philosoph · Durham · DCU D&L · Glasgow · Harvard · Otago · Ottawa · Oxford · Pitt · Princeton · UQDS · Rutgers · St Andrews · Stuttgart · TCD-Hist · TCD-Phil · UCD-L&H · UCD-LawSoc · Virginia-Jeff · Virginia-Wash · Yale The Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate (CUSID generally, and SUCDI in French) is the national organization which governs all competitive university debating and public speaking in Canada.[1][2][3][4] It sanctions several official annual tournaments and represents Canadian debating domestically and abroad. Its membership consists of student debating unions, sanctioned by their respective universities, from across Canada.[5] CUSID has been described as "a student-run, parliamentary debate league with close ties to the American Parliamentary Debating Association (APDA)".[6]
Many prominent Canadians were university debaters, including former Canadian Prime Ministers Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney, songwriter Leonard Cohen, entrepreneur Moses Znaimer, environmentalist David Suzuki, and journalist Ian Hanomansing. CUSID debaters have gone on to notable careers in business, government and academia.
Contents
History
CUSID was officially founded in 1978, although it held its first annual tournament in 1977.[7] The regular tournaments held under its auspices, such as those at the University of Toronto, McGill University, the University of Western Ontario, and Queen's University predate CUSID's formation by many decades.
Founded as a national organization with strong central Canadian region roots, over the years, individual regional differences—particularly the separate identities of "CUSID East" and "CUSID West"—have become more pronounced. One of its primary functions is facilitating communications between its members institutions. In recent years, those communications have been primarily through their online forum, CUSIDnet, first set up in 1994, as the first online student debating forum in the world.
Annual invitational tournaments held in Canada include the McGill University Winter Carnival, the Queen’s University Chancellor’s Cup, the Carleton University Lord Dorchester Cup, the University of Toronto Hart House IV,[8] the University of Ottawa Father Guindon Cup, and the Wilfrid Laurier University/University of Waterloo Seagram Cup.
Organization
CUSID is subdivided into three regional bodies, representing each region of Canada:
- CUSID Central, for Ontario and Quebec, which sponsors the Central Canadian Debating Championship (Léger Cup)
- CUSID East, for the Atlantic Provinces, which sponsors the Atlantic Canadian Debating Championship
- CUSID West, for the Western Provinces, Territories, and the U.S. state of Alaska, which sponsors the Western Canadian Debating Championship (McGoun Cup)
CUSID nationally and internationally sanctions several official championship tournaments, including:
- Canadian National Debating Championship[9]
- Canadian National French Debating Championship (Compétitions Nationales Françaises SUCDI)
- North American Debating Championship (with the American Parliamentary Debate Association)[10][11]
- World Universities Debating Championship (or WUDC, with many other national debating organizations)[12]
Presidents
The President of CUSID is the head of the organization and leads an elected executive team of six national and regional officers.[13] He or she also represents CUSID and Canadian debating interests inside and outside of Canada, and is the Canadian representative on the World Universities Debating Council. He or she is elected annually by the member institutions at the National Championships.
Office Term President University 2011–2012 Ashvin Singh University of Toronto 2010–2011 Auyon Siddiq Dalhousie University 2009–2010 Vinay Kumar Mysore[14] McGill University 2008–2009 Adam Coombs Carleton University 2007–2008 Nick Shkordoff[15] University of Toronto 2006–2007 Padraic Ryan Carleton University 2005–2006 Jessica Prince[16] McGill University 2004–2005 Erik Eastaugh[17] University of Ottawa 2003–2004 Konrad Koncewicz[18] McGill University 2002–2003 T.J. (Tajesh) Adhihetty[19] Queen's University 2001–2002 Kevin Massie Trent University 2000–2001 Ranjan K. Agarwal[20] University of Ottawa 1999–2000 Robert Silver[21] University of Western Ontario 1998–1999 Michael Shore University of Toronto 1997–1998 Brent Patterson University of Western Ontario 1996–1997 Casey Halladay[22] University of Western Ontario 1995–1996 Mitch Wexler York University 1994–1995 Shuman Ghosemajumder University of Western Ontario 1993–1994 Kathy Sturgis University of Guelph 1992–1993 Gerald Butts McGill University 1992-1992 Sarah Dover University of Ottawa 1991–1992 Jason Brent University of Toronto 1990–1991 Stephen Pitel[23] Dalhousie University 1989–1990 E. Stephen Johnson University of Toronto 1988–1989 Todd Swift Concordia University 1986–1988 Matthew Mendelsohn McGill University 1984–1986 Paul A. Canniff Carleton University 1983–1984 Bob Lawson Royal Military College of Canada 1980–1983 John Robinson Dalhousie University 1979–1980 Sandy Beeman University of Ottawa 1978–1979 Steve Coughlan[24][25] University of Ottawa Member societies
CUSID comprises over forty member societies:[26]
Format
CUSID tournaments are held in the Canadian Parliamentary Style of debate. This style emphasizes argumentation and rhetoric, rather than research and detailed factual knowledge. Each round consists of two teams – the government team and the opposition team – each of which consists of two debaters. Teams alternate between government and opposition at tournaments. The speaking times in CUSID Central and East are:
- Prime Minister (Constructive): 7 minutes
- Member of Opposition: 7 minutes
- Minister of the Crown: 7 minutes
- Leader of Opposition: 10 minutes
- Prime Minister (Rebuttal): 3 minutes
A new modification to the above times was introduced at the 2003 McGill University Winter Carnival Invitational called the Prime Minister's Rebuttal Extension (PMRE). The PMRE allows the government team the option to take a 6 minute PMC and 4 minute PMR and was designed to help compensate for the alleged inherent advantage to the opposition side. In most rounds, the resolution is “squirrelable”, meaning that the government team can propose any topic it wants for debate. The Prime Minister Constructive (PMC) lays out the topic for debate and presents arguments in favor of its position. The opposition team must then immediately present opposing arguments. New arguments can be presented in the first four speeches; they are prohibited in the rebuttal speeches.
"Points of Information" are generally permitted and expected in the standard Canadian Parliamentary style. With POIs, debaters may rise and attempt to ask a question of an opposing debater, who can choose whether to accept or refuse the question. It is generally considered good form to accept at least a few questions during a speech.
References
- ^ Meany, John and Shuster, Kate. On That Point!: An Introduction to Parliamentary Debate. International Debate Education Association, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9720541-1-9. Page 318.
- ^ Howe, Brendan. An Introduction to English Language Debate in Asia. Ewha Womans University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-89-7300-631-1. Page 86.
- ^ Shuster, Kate. Art, Argument, and Advocacy: Mastering Parliamentary Debate. International Debate Education Association, 2002. ISBN 978-0-9702130-7-5. Page 334.
- ^ Bartsch, Tim-Christian; Hoppmann, Michael; Rex, Bernd. Was ist Debatte?: ein internationaler Überblick. Göttingen Cuvillier, 2005. ISBN 978-3-86537-477-6. Page 132.
- ^ Freely, Austin and Steinberg, David. Argumentation and Debate. Wadsworth Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-0-495-09590-3. Page 475.
- ^ Rogers, Jack. Transforming debate: the best of the international journal of forensics. International Debate Education Association, 2002. ISBN 978-0-9702130-1-3. Page 141.
- ^ Debaters find bit of arrogance can be benefit http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19771121&id=2dYyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Bu4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2515,86433
- ^ World Debating Website: Hart House BP Invitational
- ^ Dalhouse hosts national debating championships http://dalnews.dal.ca/2008/03/19/debate.html
- ^ APDA Web - Home of the American Parliamentary Debate Association | American College Debate Association - About
- ^ North American Debating Championship Memorandum of Understanding
- ^ http://flynn.debating.net/CountRep.doc
- ^ Past Executive | CUSID
- ^ http://media.healthinnovationforum.org/pdf/2009/09/02/MUHC-ISAI_2009_Programme.pdf
- ^ http://www.fasken.com/nick-shkordoff/
- ^ The Debaters' Council: Jessica Prince and Alex Campbell to visit Sri Lanka
- ^ Tabaret: The magazine of the University of Ottawa
- ^ CUSID Fall 2003 General Meeting Agenda
- ^ 2002-2003 President’s Final Report: TJ (Tajesh) Adhihetty | CUSID
- ^ http://www.bennettjones.com/people_item.aspx?person=624[dead link]
- ^ Silver-Powers - The Globe and Mail
- ^ Casey W. Halladay | McMillan
- ^ The University of Western Ontario - Western Law
- ^ Golden Key: Dalhousie University
- ^ http://law.dal.ca/Faculty/Full_Time_Faculty/Bios/Steve_Coughlan/index.php Archived September 19, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Directory | CUSID
External links
Categories:- Student debating societies
- Universities and colleges in Canada
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