The Bard policy debate team called the 2012-2013 season to a close at CEDA Nationals 2013 (“the people’s tournament,” as many call it) at Idaho State University this past weekend. The team sent four debaters–Michael Luxemburg, Sam Jaffe Goldstein, Max Taylor-Milner, and Anna Daniszewski–along with coaches, Ruth and David, to the tournament. And while we did not win as many debates as we may have liked, we were able to witness an historic moment in debate history in which non-whites and women won the top 12 speaker awards at the tournament and the final round consisted of all non-white men. Not only does this show us that debate is capable of change (many of you know that for many years debate has received an onslaught of criticism for its exclusionary practices and ‘white boys club’ feel) but that debate is quite actively changing. So we were able to watch some incredibly inspiring speeches and start to brainstorm some great ideas for next year. Congratulations to all four debaters but especially to our two seniors, Lux and Sam, for their dedication and commitment during the past two years. We wouldn’t have a policy debate team if it weren’t for you. Go Bard Debate!
