Chapter XXII INTRAMURAL LEAGUES A. -- ADVANTAGES OF INTRAMURAL Debating Within Bounds Integrates And Socializes. Participation in debates within the college is excellent experience for all college students, no matter whether they have had occasion to debate or whether they have had the idea that debating is not their forte. When the opportunity is thrown wide open several times during the year for every college student to take part in an intramural debating contest, it presents a challenge for him to speak out and speak up. These contests foster sociability; they help to promote cordial relations between the different departments, organizations, and societies represented on the campus. If they awaken public interest, they provide audiences for students who might not otherwise be able to attract attention. Best of all, they require a type of mental discipline which should be experienced by every student before he graduates. During the winter weeks of the college year, some organizations find themselves at a loss for social activities to engage the attentions of their members. Intramural debate series provide these opportunities and tend to integrate the various societies through cooperative endeavor on a single project. Intramural contests also promote interest in debating in general and bring to light many competent speakers who thus have an opportunity to show that they are material for the varsity debate teams. Project. For presentation to a social club or fraternity, prepare a talk on the benefits of debating and the advantages which would be gained by the club if it would take the initiative in organizing an intramural debating league. It would be desirable to show why debating is good for all college undergraduates, why it is good as a club function, and why the efforts of this club would be appreciated by similar associations which could join it in a series of debates. The nature of this talk will be rather unusually informal, as you may assume that you are speaking to your own clubmates; therefore, a conversational manner and delivery will be especially desirable. B. THE ORGANIZER'S FIELD AND HARVEST "He Who Striveth In The Games Is Moderate In All Things." Some of the associations whose cooperation can be enlisted in the furtherance of intramural debating are: social clubs, fraternities, sororities, the inhabitants of Freshman dormitories, the several colleges in the university, and the faculty groups of the departments. Debates can be arranged between representatives of in-state students and out-of-state students, between representative athletes and representative Phi Beta Kappa men or women, between representatives of any associations of students. The organizer will be gratified to discover that he is able to enlist the public speaking propensities of important men and women students who have already become distinguished for leadership in other fields of endeavor. He becomes acquainted with possible candidates for Freshman and varsity teams. He initiates wholesome discussion of subjects about which the wrangling has formerly been loose and undirected or misdirected. He must take care or he will begin more than any human be ing can possibly complete. If debating becomes popular in the institution, discussions arise in classes; rules of procedure are called for, and student coaches are in demand. Arguments begin in fraternity groups upon subjects which only experienced debaters are qualified to discuss. Debates are requested for the college assemblies; these often require the full energies of qualified student debate managers. Project. Assume that you have convinced the members of your own social club that it is a good idea to organize a debating league of which the members will be kindred clubs, and that your club will be a member if enough other clubs agree to join. You are now to speak at a meeting of the Interfraternity Council, or some such representative body of students, to urge the formation of a debating league. Your points of view now embrace: the interests of debating in general, the particular interests of your club, the interests of the several clubs represented, and the interests of all students in the college; yet you make a speech which coordinates your several interests so that they will function through the operation of a single plan of procedure. Your speech will be characterized by unity out of diversity. The Successful Debater Is Worthy Of His Trophy. Let us assume on the basis of the experience of other institutions that we are about to conduct an inter-fraternity debating league series. Preliminary debates are the first in order. Representatives of the fraternities involved should meet in conference to decide upon an appropriate proposition, preferably a subject of campus interest. Here are the main points of a scheme which has proved to be successful both in the interests of de bating and in the interests of fraternity co-operation. Each fraternity puts into the field a team of two men. One of them is to speak on the Affirmative side of the case; the other is to speak on the Negative side of the case. After a period of research, and one or two days before each contest is to take place, the two teams interchange speakers. Let us say that the "home team" supports the Affirmative side of the case. The "home team" will now include the Affirmative debater representing that chapter house and the Affirmative debater representing another chapter house. The "visiting team" will be made up of two Negative debaters, one from each house. Usually, debates can be held most conveniently on Monday evenings directly after supper. The fraternity which is host on the occasion may find it convenient and desirable to invite to supper the members of the other fraternity. Judges, chosen from the institution's faculty, can be invited by mutual consent of both fraternity chapters. The board of Judges will assign a total of twentyfive points to each contest. Five points will go to the best speaker, four to the next best speaker, three to the third best speaker, and one to the fourth best. Twelve points will be awarded for the decision; six of which, of course, will be earned by each fraternity. According to this system, out of every contest each chapter earns either twenty-one or twenty or nineteen or eighteen or seventeen or sixteen points. Thus, out of each contest each speaker is credited with either eleven or ten or nine or seven points. The fraternities whose debaters go into the final debate are the fraternities which have the two largest totals of points earned by the speakers representing those fraternities. Since the twelve points awarded for each decision are always divided equally between the houses, they will not affect the position of the fraternities as the schedule progresses. It is interesting, probably desirable, to keep a record of the total number of points earned by each debater, so that after the final debate a suitable award can be granted to him, whether or not his own fraternity's success has given him a position as a final debate speaker. It is desirable that the final debate should be held in the assembly hall at a regular meeting of the entire student body of the institution. Suitable trophies might be: a wall shield for the winning fraternity, a cup for the second place fraternity, a silver medal for each finalist winner, a bronze medal for each finalist loser, a goldfilled medal for the debater (representing any fraternity) who won the largest number of points during the entire schedule, and a small cup for the finalist debater who receives the audience vote as best speaker in the final debate. Project. Write to the silversmith and trophy companies in a nearby city near you for prices of suitable awards for the winners of an intramural debating league series. Devise a plan for financing the cost of the trophies which you consider necessary, and have your plan ready in the form of a speech to present to the committee in charge of arrangements for such a series. D. — A HALF HOUR DEBATE IN ASSEMBLY "Fellow Students! We Offer You This Morning A Final Debate." The final debate of the inter-fraternity debating league series should be the first number on the program at a regular meeting of the assembly for the entire student body. The student manager representing the inter-fraternity league should first gain permission from the proper authorities to hold the debate, and he should guarantee that |