King’s Debate Sends First Team to Tournament at Oxford

The morning after the historic 2016 presidential election, King’s debaters Audrey Cooper (‘18) and Grayson Logue (‘18) and coach Josiah Peterson found themselves learning the news from fellow passengers debarking the plane at London’s Gatwick Airport. The surprised and concerned commentary from British newscasters as well as London locals demonstrated how much the rest of the world looks to the United States for leadership, economically, militarily, and politically. This was the first year that King’s debate was attending the storied Oxford I.V. debate tournament, hosted by the historic Oxford Union debating society founded in 1823, and it could not have come at a more interesting time.

“The King’s Debate Society exists to train students to advocate truth in the marketplace of ideas, and these days, that marketplace is increasingly global,” said Coach Peterson.  “While there are international competitors at the Yale and the University of Toronto tournaments, the Oxford I.V. might be the competition which brings together competitors from the greatest number of countries, apart from the World Championship. If you commit to training with The King’s Debate Society for a couple of years, you have a really good chance of traveling abroad to compete.”

Cooper and Logue competed in five rounds throughout the tournament, placing in the top half in three of the five, beating teams from Finland, Malaysia, and Sweden, among others. They argued about topics including the social norm of the “single life,” whether NATO should expel member countries who don’t meet defense spending requirements, and “negative voting” systems.

Coach Peterson had the opportunity to observe a public debate in the historic Oxford Union debating chambers before the tournament rounds began. Two teams of museum directors and excavations experts debated the motion “This house would repatriate artifacts obtained under colonial rule.”

After the tournament, Cooper and Logue also attended the weekly “Port and Policy” debates at the Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA), one of the largest student political societies in Western Europe. At this event in the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election, the Oxford conservatives argued about Britain’s role as a global superpower and potential restrictions on American immigration. Logue jumped into the discussion with a speech against the motion, “This house would ban Americans from entering the country until we figure out what the hell is going on,” and side opposition eventually won the debate.

Cooper’s House namesake Margaret Thatcher was president of the OUCA during her time at Oxford, and remained patron of the Association until her death in 2013. Cooper said, “Lady Thatcher was a thinker and communicator who used her platform to advocate for truth and influence strategic institutions. Her leadership, especially at the OUCA, inspires me, both as a debater and a student of King’s. I’m grateful that we come from a college where we can experience the connections between our interdisciplinary curriculum, extracurricular activities like debate, and the namesakes and leaders whom we strive to emulate.”

The team also had a chance to visit other historic sites near Oxford with connections to their King’s House namesakes, including The Eagle and Child, where C.S. Lewis used to meet with the other Inklings that transformed modern English literature, and Blenheim Palace, the estate of Sir Winston Churchill’s family.

“It was a privilege to be the first debaters to represent King’s at the Oxford tournament, as well as to be able to tour these historic sites,” said Logue. “We’ve debated internationally before, but this tournament was especially unique because of the historical tradition of Oxford. Getting the chance to engage with the marketplace of ideas in a city with such a rich intellectual history was a humbling and exciting experience, to say the least.”

For the final tournament of the year, KDS will be attending another international competition, the Worlds Universities Debating Championship at The Hague in The Netherlands (December 27–January 4).

For more than 75 years, The King’s College has educated young leaders to integrate their faith, ethics, and morality seamlessly into their lives and careers. The only traditional Christian liberal arts college or university located in the heart of New York City, King’s prepares students for principled leadership around the world. Visit tkc.edu for more information or request a personalized visit by calling 888-969-7200