King’s Debate Society Competes in Malaysia

The King’s Debate Society sent one team to compete in the World University Debate Championships, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from December 27, 2014 to January 3, 2015.

Comprised of John Sailer ’15 and Tim Perdew ’15, the team was one of 370 from 217 schools around the world competing in the tournament. Josiah Peterson ’12, the Society’s debate coach, who was part of King’s first delegation to the World Championship in Manila, 2012, also participated as a judge throughout the preliminary rounds of the tournament. The debate topics covered issues regarding climate engineering, the media’s coverage of mental illness, the medical ethics of enhanced interrogation, economic development and education in developing countries, and foreign policy issues regarding Syria, Israel and Palestine.

The team led the tournament during the first seven of nine preliminary rounds, beating teams from Harvard, Stanford, De La Salle, Pretoria, Tufts, Bates, and more. Because of their high score during the preliminary rounds, the King’s team also faced the team from BPP University A, which later made it to the final round. King’s also faced off against schools that previously had teams in the final rounds—Cambridge, Otago, Melbourne, and Australia National University (ANU)—and although they sometimes lost to these schools, they rarely took last, staying live in the running to break (qualify for out-rounds) until the final preliminary round in which they were knocked out. The team’s final score for the tournament was 161st out of 370.

During the tournament, the team had a day off, during which they explored Kuala Lumpur, visiting the Patroness Towers, the Central Market, and the Batu Caves. They also spent time during the tournament getting to know other debaters and judges from around the world, tightening bonds with friends on teams from Cornell and New Jersey, and getting to know teams from British Columbia, Swarthmore, Paris, and Bangladesh.

“King’s presence at the World Championships is important to the mission of the King’s Debate Society, as we exist to train students to advocate truth in the marketplace of ideas, and the marketplace is truly global,” said coach Josiah Peterson. “I’m proud to say that debate is one venue where King’s can compete on a truly international level, and face off against schools like Cambridge, LSE, and Harvard. Debate is one of the reasons some of the other institutions know we exist, and I’m proud of the message we’re sending.”

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The King’s Debate Society exists to train students to effectively advocate truth in the marketplace of ideas. KDS hosts intercollegiate debate competitions at The King’s College and competes in national and international tournaments.