» Contact Information

» Executive

» Results

» Constitution

» Business Meeting Minutes

» By-Laws

» WUDC 2008 Selection Policy

» Equity Policy

» Equity Comitee Report

» History

» Sponsors

CUDS is currently led by our president, Andrew Christie. He follows the distinguished presidencies of Parul Shah, who went on to do graduate work at the London School of Economics, Ryan Androsoff, one of the first graduates of the Arthur Kroeger School of Public Affairs and Policy Management, and Michael Powell, now a graduate student in the History department at Carleton University. All four presidencies have overseen periods of growth, both in members, and in skill.

The Year That Was: 1999/2000

The 1999/2000 school year was the first year that the Carleton University Debating Society actively attended debating tournaments. Fresh faced, and new on the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate (CUSID) scene, this year was an exploratory year in which the club got its feet wet, made contacts with other clubs, and let it be known Carleton University was back in debate.

CUDS attended four tournaments that year. The tournaments included the World Preparatory Tournament at the University of Ottawa, the Winter Carnival Invitational at McGill University, the North American Championships at Queen’s University, and the North American Novice Open at the University of Guelph.

The Year That Was: 2000/2001

After the inaugural year of tournaments for CUDS, the following year was characterized by a large growth in membership. Growing to twenty-six members, from nine, the new members represented the future core of CUDS as many of the new members were first year students, and would later go on to become leaders in the club.

That year was also the year in which CUDS initiated their friendly partnership with the University of Ottawa’s English Debating Society. This partnership entailed giving aid to the society when they needed it, guidance, attending each other’s meetings. This relationship continues to this day, with the Carleton University/University of Ottawa Panda Debate to be held later in 2003.

Again, CUDS attended four tournaments that year. Mostly self-funded, the teams were sent to tournaments including the Chancellor’s Cup at Queen’s University, the Central Canadian Championships at Concordia, the North American Novice Open at Guelph, and the National Championships at York University. Highlights included the Carleton team of Public Affairs student Liam Lynch and Computer Science student Wayne Chu qualifying for the quarter-finals at the North American Novice Open, at that point the best result CUDS had to date.

Outside the club, CUDS moderated the Carleton Abortion Debate, put on jointly by the Carleton Womyn’s Centre, and Carleton Students for Life.

The Year That Was: 2001/2002

The third year of CUDS’ existence was really a watershed moment in the club’s history. Expanding the executive membership from two positions to the current five positions (consisting of President, Vice President-Debate, Vice President-Communications, Vice President-Fundraising, and the Secretary-Treasurer), the club also grew to fifty-two members. The year was also characterized by the growth of the club’s activities beyond just simply attending tournaments.

Tournaments

CUDS attended seven tournaments in the 2001/2002 school year. One of the highlights of that year was Parul Shah, in her graduating year, winning second place in public speaking at the North American Championships at McGill, beating out dozens of other competitors from schools such as the University of Toronto, Harvard, and Yale.

Other Activities

The 2001/2002 academic year was also the year that CUDS expanded into other activities for our members. These activities include moderating on-campus debates, attending the McGill Model United Nations Conference, the first annual CUDS high school tournament, and the founding of our official CKCU radio show.

The year saw several large scale public debates on the campus of Carleton, and CUDS was pressed into service to moderate one of them. The “Is There A God?” debate, held jointly with the Humanist Society of Canada and Campus Crusade for Christ, was a highly successful debate that raised many thought provoking questions. CUDS president, Ryan Androsoff, served as a neutral party to moderate the debate.

The McGill Model United Nations Conference was provided as an alternative activity for our members. Representing the delegation from Panama, CUDS sent six members, joining two people from outside the club, to Montreal. Everyone has a great time, learning, meeting new people, and representing Carleton. So successful was the trip, later in the academic year, the Model United Nations Club was formed as a new CUSA certified club.

The first ever CUDS high school debating tournament was held that year as well. The first annual Carleton University Debating Society/United Nations Society of Canada High School Debating Tournament drew twenty-five teams from Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton to Carleton University to debate topics regarding sustainable development. Lisgar Collegiate ultimately won the tournament, but all teams expressed their thanks for holding a great tournament, and it was a learning experience for both teams, and tournament organizers.

Finally, 2001/2002 was also the year that the CUDS started “Four Idiots and a Mike,” a weekly segment on CKCU-FM, hosted by Mike Powell. The show featured guests from both inside and outside the club, discussing the key issues of the day. Following a format much like Crossfire on CNN, the show debated issues from all over the political spectrum.

The Year That Was: 2002/2003

Tournaments

CUDS attended six tournaments this year. Success came early in the year with the team of Mike Fleming and Greta Hall placing seventh and qualifying for the quarter-finals in the Central Canadian Novice Championships. At the Winter Carnival Invitational at McGill University, Carleton defeated two of the best teams in Canada, only to fall to the eventual finalists from Yale/University of Toronto. CUDS also fielded a strong team at the CUSID National Championships in March, placing sixth overall in Canada.

Tournaments attended include:

CUSID Central Canadian Championships

On November 15, 2002, Carleton played host to the CUSID Central Canadian Championships, the 2002 Léger Cup. The tournament, which drew the best debaters from across Ontario, and Quebec, was a huge success. Over forty teams participated in the tournament, in addition to judges, and volunteers. All told, over 120 people participated in the three day event. The tournament was won by Rory McKeown and Brian Radnoff of the University of Toronto in a close split decision final round. With the win, Rory McKeown achieved the triple crown of debating (Regional Champion, National Champion, and North American Champion), a feat few have accomplished (notables include CBC personality Ian Hanomansing). CUDS is pleased to play this small role in Canadian university debating history.

The tournament was a learning experience for CUDS, as it was our first ever university-level debating tournament. The tournament ran efficiently, and smoothly, and many people stopped to compliment us on our skill and hospitality. This bodes well for the future, as CUDS is again planning to bid to host the 2003 Central Canadian Championships.

The 2003 Xerxes Cup

Named after our mascot, CUDS hosted the 2003 Xerxes Cup, our second annual high school debating tournament. The tournament, held March 7 – 8, 2003, invited high school debaters from across Ontario to the campus of Carleton University. Featuring five rounds of Canadian Parliamentary style debate, the tournament showcased not only the Carleton University Debating Society, but Carleton University itself.

The tournament also acted as a training tournament; we used the Xerxes Cup to help train future tournament organizers.