Fall 2009
Letter from Executive Director, Scott Deatherage
Dear friends of urban debate,
I am excited to announce to you that this year's NAUDL Annual Dinner has officially been set for the evening of Thursday, April 22nd, 2010. Please mark your calendar, because we would love to share the evening with you to celebrate yet another inspiring year of progress and growth in urban debate.
Speaking of growth, September is a great time to watch both new and established Urban Debate Leagues gear up for what is sure to be another intense year of competition, academic progress, and personal growth for the thousands of students that we serve. More importantly, it's a time to see our recent urban debate graduates head off to college, jobs, and life beyond their high school debate team. I see the same story in city after city, for student after student; debate prepares urban high school students for success in all aspects of their lives after high school. These urban debate alumni are meeting their futures prepared to persuade others with their views, think critically, digest information, and thrive in any environment. As always, thank you for making this possible across the country.
Scott Deatherage, Ph.D.
Executive Director
National Association for Urban Debate Leagues
In a year of tight budgets, growth in Urban Debate
Despite tightening school budgets and dwindling philanthropic dollars, Urban Debate Leagues are set for another year of expansion in the 2009 - 2010 academic year. This growth comes at a time when urban students need access to the life trajectory-changing benefits of debate more than ever before.
This year, new Urban Debate Leagues will launch in Nashville and San Francisco, adding 11 more schools to the Urban Debate Network. Furthermore, existing leagues in Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, Oakland, Rhode Island, and St. Louis together will add over 31 schools to their leagues, giving thousands of additional students the opportunity to join a debate team this year. The magnitude of this accomplishment in the face of the current economic climate is a testament to the dedication of supporters like you who understand the profound impact participation in debate can have on urban youth across the country.
Save the date for the Annual Dinner!
Please join us for the NAUDL's third Annual Dinner on the evening of Thursday, April 22, 2010, where we will honor supporters like you who have helped give thousands of urban youth new opportunities to succeed through debate.
The Annual Dinner will once again be an integral part of the NAUDL's Chase Urban Debate National Championship weekend. The Dinner will kick off the third annual Championship, which will take place Friday, April 23 through Sunday, April 25. The weekend will bring together UDL students and educators from around the country to compete and celebrate the accomplishments of urban debate.
Last year, over 400 business executives, lawyers, philanthropists, educators, policy-makers, and students had the chance to reconnect with old friends, recall their debate experiences, and renew their commitment to debate. The night saw poignant speeches by Keynote Speaker David Boies and Urban Debate Champion Gara LaMarche.
Look forward in the weeks to come about details regarding the venue for this year's NAUDL Annual Dinner and Chase Urban Debate National Championship, as well as an exciting slate of Keynote Speakers and Urban Debate Champion.
We very much hope you will be able to join us this year for what is sure to be another enjoyable evening. Please help us to spread the word, as you may know other former debaters or colleagues who would be interested in attending.
The NAUDL hosts the 2009 League Directors Conference
An important part of the NAUDL's mission is to share best practices and build a cohesive network of urban debate leaders around the country. To that end, directors of 16 Urban Debate Leagues across the country and over 15 NAUDL representatives gathered in Chicago from August 30 to September 2 for the 2009 NAUDL League Directors Conference. The Directors had a chance to network, share knowledge and resources, and develop strategies in consultation with one another, staff of the NAUDL, and guest experts.
The conference included sessions led by Leonard A. Gail, Founding Partner of Massey & Gail LLP; Mark Koulogeorge, Co-founder of MK Capital; Paul L. McDonald, Senior Counsel of Kraft Foods; Greg Simoncini of Simoncini Scofield & Co.; and Victor E. Chears of Chears & Associates. Sessions led by leaders within the Urban Debate Network and the NAUDL covered topics ranging from organizational and partnership development, programming and curriculum, private and public fundraising, financial management, and expansion plans for the national movement.
League Directors also found time to socialize and connect with their colleagues from across the country, creating a tighter nation-wide network of urban debate professionals. We look forward to having leaders from throughout the Urban Debate Network back together in conjunction with the Chase Urban Debate National Championship weekend at the end of April.
The 2009-10 debate season's poignant new topic
High school urban debaters will spend the year debating an issue that resonates strongly with much of the country - Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase social services for persons living in poverty in the United States. The current economic crisis has brought these issues to the forefront of discussion for policymakers and, of course, for the citizens most affected by rising rates of unemployment and homelessness. Throughout the country, urban debaters will debate the economic, political, social, and philosophical dimensions of public policy solutions for national priorities such as health care, education, employment, housing, and economic investment in competitiveness.
In order to help kick start the season in cities across the country, each year the NAUDL prepares an Argument & Research Kit, which provides a base of research. On this year's timely and relevant topic, debaters advocating the resolution may focus, for example, on potential federal government action to reduce homelessness rates for families, while their opponents offer solutions rooted in private sector action or individual state action. Other popular topics of discussion will center on the political system's response to sweeping changes in poverty policy, as debaters try to assess the impact on Congress' existing agenda, or the economic impact of federal spending to reduce poverty.
Alumni spotlight: Mariama Kurbally, Providence, RI
"Debate definitely opened up doors for me," recalls Rhode Island Urban Debate League alumna Mariama Kurbally. Once a shy sophomore and now a leader and innovator on her college campus, Ms. Kurbally credits the time spent with her high school's fledgling urban debate team for getting her to where she is today.
William M. Davies Career and Technical High School in Lincoln, Rhode Island didn't have a debate team when Ms. Kurbally arrived. In fact, it wasn't until new teacher John Marsula enlisted her help in launching a debate team that she even became aware of the activity. As she tells it, her shyness almost kept her from joining altogether, despite the insistence of Coach Marsula that she would be a natural. But when she heard the year's topic, Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its public health assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa, Ms. Kurbally's intellectual curiosity overcame her nervousness, and she signed on.
Her first year of debate was a tremendous learning experience. "He was the one who got me to start expressing my ideas," she said of Coach Marsula. No one on her high school team had ever debated before that first year, and they approached their first tournaments with trepidation. But she and her teammates soon found themselves doing increasingly well at competitions, and by the end of the year, Ms. Kurbally and her partner found themselves the runners up to attend the finals in 2007.
Now, a student at Rhode Island College, Ms. Kurbally finds that the lessons she learned as a high school debater continue to serve her well. After arriving on campus, she immediately noticed that there was no communal forum in which to discuss issues that were affecting her immediate community and the global community at large. While there were organizations which catered to specific geographical and ethnic groups, "there was no organization focused on bringing it all together, an organization that everyone and anyone could join." So Ms. Kurbally started one. Live, Inspire, Fight, Educate (L.I.F.E.) brings together students at her Rhode Island College campus to discuss and debate important global issues, with current topics focusing on global public health and diversity.
As a double major in nursing and political science, Ms. Kurbally already has her sights set on post-college goals. While some might find the combination of nursing and political science an unusual one, she would disagree. "I think I want to work in nursing for a few years after graduation," she says, "before I go to law school." In fact, Ms. Kurbally intends to work her way towards becoming a public health lawyer, having originally been turned on to this topic in her first year of high school policy debate. Specifically, she hopes to be a legal advocate for AIDS patients because she acknowledges that "there are so many cases that don't get heard."
When asked whether she thought debate had changed her, she was unequivocal in her answer. "Being silent is never going to get you anywhere," she replied. "Debate is not something to be forgotten. It needs to stay in the public schools here in Providence, because I know personally just how much of an impact it can have."
NAUDL welcomes new team of Advocacy Fellows
The NAUDL, in partnership with leading law firms around the country, has offered a number of deferred associates the opportunity to help advance the urban debate mission. These Urban Debate Advocacy Fellows will help the NAUDL design and build partnerships between Urban Debate Leagues and key institutions within the legal profession, including firms, in-house legal departments, law schools, and professional organizations. The Urban Debate Advocacy Fellows will also provide legal advice and assistance to local Urban Debate Leagues (UDLs), run legal education seminars with UDL students, and prepare submissions to federal and local governments on matters of public interest.
Some Advocacy Fellows are joining the NAUDL's team for the fall, whereas some are joining for a full year. We will introduce you to our 2009-2010 Advocacy Fellows later this year. For now, the NAUDL is thrilled to welcome publicly the Fall 2009 Advocacy Fellows to our team, and eagerly anticipates what their efforts will achieve for urban debate in the coming year.
Justin Lacour joins us as a deferred associate from Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in New York. Justin has previously taught English in Patterson, New Jersey and worked with the New York State Supreme Court and with Legal Services of New Jersey. He holds a BA in English from the University of Houston, an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and a JD from St. John's University School of Law.
Jason Lawrence joins us as a deferred associate from Faegre & Benson in Minneapolis. Jason debated at Muscatine High School in Muscatine, Iowa where he was an NFL Nationals Qualifier and a Tournament of Champions Qualifier in LD debate. He also debated at Dowling High School in West Des Moines, Iowa and University of Pittsburgh. He holds a BS in Politics and Philosophy from University of Pittsburgh Honors College and a JD from University of Chicago Law School.
LaRue Robinson joins us as a deferred associate from Mayer Brown in Chicago. He participated in Frederick Douglass Moot Court during law school, where he earned the Best Respondent Brief award at the Northeast Regional Competition. He also competed in speech competition in high school. He has a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a JD from Columbia Law School.
Contact Eric Tucker at EricTucker@urbandebate.org to learn more about Advocacy Fellowship opportunities for you or your firm.
President Obama points to activities like debate
In a back to school speech given Tuesday morning, September 8th, President Obama urged students to embrace activities such as debate in order to expand their potential.
The President remarked, "every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide. . . . Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team."
Urban Debate in the News
- Poker Professionals Ante up for Charity - Los Angeles Times
- Inside the Newsroom: Thriving Memphis Is In Our Hands - Commercial Appeal
- Observations from a Year in Memphis City Schools - Tri-State Defender
- MBA Seeks Applicants for Leadership Forum - Memphis Daily News
- Houston Urban Debate League Presents Opportunity to Help - Appellate Lawyer, Houston Bar Association
- Second Annual HUDL Summer Debate Institute Kicks off New Season - Houston Independent School District
- Winning Debate at St. Louis Public Schools - St. Louis Today
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