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10-23-08

Media Release

OSU Forensics Team, British Team to Debate on Possibility of New Cold War

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State University Forensics Team and the British National Debate Team will host a public debate from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at OSU.

The topic for the debate is whether there is a new Cold War against Russia. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Withycombe Hall’s Laboratory Theatre on the OSU campus, 2901 S.W. Campus Way, Corvallis.

“This event helps to increase our visibility on campus,” said Mark Porrovecchio, director of the OSU Forensics Team. “We hope that it will attract more students to speech and debate. It is an honor to host an internationally recognized debate team.”

Founded in 1868, OSU Forensics Team is a speech and debate team that competes regionally, nationally and internationally in individual events and parliamentary debate. In 2006, the team hosted the National Parliamentary Debate Association’s National Tournament. The OSU Forensics Team has finished as high as 16th in the nation and 33rd in the world in parliamentary debate.

The debate is co-sponsored by the Department of Speech Communication. For more information, contact Porrovecchio at (541) 737-8230.

About the OSU Representatives:
Daniel Torres is a resident of Reno, Nev. Torres is a graduate teaching and coaching assistant in the Department of Speech Communication. As a competitor for the OSU Forensics Team, he was a runner-up for the Northwest Forensic Conference Novice of the Year award and represented OSU at the National Parliamentary Debate Tournament in 2007 and 2008.

David Kubota is a resident of Forest Grove, who recently returned from a year studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo. A talented speaker, Kubota specializes in interpretative and platform events such as after-dinner speaking and poetry. He has represented the team at the American Forensics Association’s annual National Individual Events Tournament, a tournament where only qualified competitors are allowed to attend.

About the British National Debaters:
Ed James studies history at Edinburgh University. He has served for three years on the debate team, eventually becoming president.

Derek Doyle is a native of Kerry, Ireland, who recently graduated from University College Cork with a degree in sociology and philosophy. His competitive debating has taken him around the world.

About the OSU College of Liberal Arts: The College of Liberal Arts includes the fine and performing arts, humanities and social sciences, making it one of the largest and most diverse colleges at OSU. The college's research and instructional faculty members contribute to the education of all university students and provide national and international leadership, creativity and scholarship in their academic disciplines.