College News
Debate Society Breaks All Attendance Records
20th November 2007
A debate early in the College term on the motion “Abortion should be made illegal” generated a large increase in student attendance, with a grand total of 227 students in the audience, our largest turnout yet. The PAC was full to the rafters!
The panel of speakers, Lauren Price, James Langford (for the motion) and George Carter and Michael Wheeler (against), gave an excellent account of themselves. The audience, too, participated enthusiastically with a forest of hands eager to question the validity of arguments on either side - so many in fact that it was impossible to provide a chance for everyone to comment or ask a question. When it came to the time to take a poll, the motion was lost 5 – 1.
This was the third event in the Debates calendar - following an earlier debate on the legalisation of prostitution and on the subject of human rights in Nigeria with Dr Mfon Akpaso, a speaker from Concern International.
The response of this year's new students has been overwhelming - even the first debate resulted in 156 students attending; and so the rest of the year looks highly promising.
The debates programme, and the galaxy of potential speakers, is constantly developing, with decisions resting largely with the student members of the Debates Society Committee run by secretary Katie Hames.
If you have not yet attended a debate, do come along to the PAC on Thursday lunch-times every fortnight, whether you wish to become a speaker, or simply to sit and listen and enjoy. It is likely that you will come again!