NYUAD Team Wins NYU Global Debate Tournament
Culminating after months of preparation, two teams composed of four NYU debaters hashed it out this past weekend over the motion, "Our world is safer ...
May 9, 2015
Culminating after months of preparation, two teams composed of four NYU debaters hashed it out this past weekend over the motion, "Our world is safer than it was a decade ago," for the NYU global title. For the first time in history, an NYU Abu Dhabi team proceded undefeated through three knock-out rounds to make it to the finals.
Seniors Alex Nyikos and Corey Meyer, defended the proposition and came out on a 3-2 split to be crowned champions of the 2015 NYU Global Debate tournament of 2015, marking the first time any team not based at NYUNY has won.
Beginning in 2012, the NYU Global Debate Program tournament competition is an annual tournament that pits undergraduate students from the entire global network in contest for the title. Although NYUAD has both a debate team and the Student Interest Group Debate Society, the tournament invited any NYU student to participate.
Teams are flown to New York for the weekend to enter three subsequent knock-out rounds against other global entrants.
Motions are set months before the tournament as competitors submit a four-minute long video arguing for or against the proposition in order to secure a spot in the Sweet 16.
“Before the tournament, there was a fair amount of research, reading news articles and digging academic papers, whereas during the tournament, we would [have to] think about what the other side would say and thus broaden our arguments alongside the assistance of our coach and other teammates,” said Nyikos.
In light of media sensationalism portraying the insecurity of today’s world, some adjudicators admitted that the odds might have been stacked against the affirmative.
“There’s a perception problem in the media, especially about the Middle East and our safety. Because we live and study here, we don’t just generalize on such issues, and in fact, through our experiences, clearly see that the world is safer than it was ten years ago,” said Meyer.
Even in a debate on the topic of world safety, misconceptions can be defrayed.
“It was important to interact with the judges and address misconceptions of both NYUAD as a university and the region at large,” added Meyer.
As such, debate coach and Professor of Religious Studies and Law John Coughlin added that such a win by these two seniors represents the excellent education afforded by NYUAD.
“Corey and Alex proved themselves intelligent, knowledgeable, respectful, calm and persuasive,” said Coughlin.
Having entered the tournament three years in a row, Nyikos recalled seeing only students from Abu Dhabi and New York participating, whereas now, the tournament was represented by teams spanning all global sites, with students coming from multiple campus sites.
The debate program at NYUAD, established in 2011, helps students prepare for regional tournaments through weekly debates on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Many who join believe in the thrill of public speaking and the depth of intellectual discourse behind it.
“Debate emphasises the power to convince others, even in face of hostile questions that criticises your being instead of the idea, so you learn how to quickly defend and evaluate such ideas,” said Meyer.
Beyond participating in regional tournaments, the Debate Society at NYUAD also hosts an annual regional tournament for universities in the UAE, totaling over 50 debaters from five different universities.
With many hopes for the coming year, the Debate Society aims to continue its competitive edge as it works to build a strong reputation in the international university debate circuit.
“I think that it's fair to say that on account of the hard work of our Debate Society members, our regional tournament [this year] was a huge success,” reflected Coughlin.
Justin Lee is a contributing writer. Email him at feedback@gzl.me.
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