WPI takes on England in debate

A group of motley rebels in America, led by revolutionaries in Massachusetts, broke away from England to form a new country 225 years ago. Since then, the two countries have been like drinking buddies-they're loud and obnoxious, they brawl together, and they're unwilling to admit the undercurrent of tension between them. But now, perhaps, in the rare moments of sobriety between St. Patricks Day and Easter, it's time to consider the future of those two nations. Are they truly destined to remain apart, separated by the Atlantic Ocean? Or, perhaps, should the two join once again? That's the question posed by WPI's Legal and Social Issues Group and the Cambridge Union Society as they debate the proposition, "This house believes that Britain should be the 51st State." This debate is part of the Campus Center Opening Ceremonies, and will take place on Wednesday, March 28, at 8 p.m. in the Campus Center Odeum.

The Cambridge Union Society is a college debating society in England that was founded in 1815 by an amalgamation of three college debating societies after, in the words of the Society, "a drunken brawl involving the three club's members." The Society has grown in influence ever since. Such luminaries as Ronald Reagan, the Dalai Lama, Lech Walsea, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many others have addressed it. The Society boasts of over 4,500 current undergraduates and over 60,000 graduates worldwide.

Four members of the Cambridge Society will join four WPI students from the Legal and Social Issues Group in debating this proposition. The WPI students are Alex Knapp, a senior and vice-president of the Group, and freshmen Kathleen Fertig, Winfield Peterson, and Chelsea Shepherd. Two students from the Cambridge Union Society and two WPI students will form one team that debates the proposition in the affirmative, and the other four will debate the negative. The debate should prove to be quite raucous, as the British style of debate rewards not only soundness of argument, but also soundness of wit. Debates in the past have always been lively, humorous, and energetic. The style and format of the debate will also allow for a "floor debate." Mid-way in the debate, members of the audience will be allowed to make their own arguments for or against the proposition, adding to the general anarchy of the event.

In the end, there can be only one-winner. The audience itself will vote on the winning team, based on strategy, content, and style. So at the end of this debate mania, will any minds be changed? Will there be a sudden public cry to invite the Mother Country into the welcoming arms of America? Only you can decide that, after going to the debate, participating, and resisting the overwhelming urge to drink once the proceedings have started.