CU Debating Society: Gear up for AGM, DDT; Prepare for Potluck; Wind down from Abortion

The 265 CUDS Members on this mailing list, In this email: a.. Waterloo DDT Teams Selected, Judge Sought b.. End-of-year Potluck c.. Listen to the Radio Show d.. Last meetings of the year e.. Annual General Meeting (provisions for both non- and directed and proxies) f.. Abortion Debate g.. Review Candidate Platforms for Next Years Executive Judge Sought for Waterloo Tournament; Teams Selected The following teams have been selected to attend the tournament: 1.. an Mike/Jeff 2.. Dan Moak/JP 3.. Piper/Brittany 4.. Josh/Jean Wayne Chu will be representing Carleton as a judge. If you have any issues with these teams, please indicate as much on CUSIDnet. This year's DDT will feature the same shortened CP that Waterloo used last year. The format is as follows: 5, 6, 6, 8, 3. The resolutions will be either straight, semi-directed or flat out squirrelable depending on what kind of mood you're in, all three are allowed for every resolution. Also, as Waterloo did last year there will be a Spec-Knowledge Round. On Saturday morning, debate rounds will start, and we won't stop until Sunday morning. Waterloo cannot guarantee how many rounds there will be, however, last year they had 14 rounds and they promise this year there will be more. There will be a break to hidden quarters. View the complete information on the tournament. End-of-year Potluck The annual end of the year CUSA C&S Potluck and Awards Ceremony will take place on March 30th, 2004 in B149 Loeb at 6:00pm. Feel free to bring an assortment of different types of prepared, cultural, or (as a last resort) Canadian food. An Awards Ceremony will be held at this which recognizes the clubs and societies which have gone the extra mile this year through putting on numerous events, interacting with other clubs/societies, and positively contributing to the Carleton University community. If you are interested in attending, express your interest on the CUDS forum. Radio Show Tuesday 8:00-9:00 am Every Tuesday Morning from 8:00-9:00 am, the official CUDS Radio Show, Four Idiots and a Mike, appears on the Tuesday Special Blend on the Carleton University station CKCU 93.1FM Ottawa. Focusing on the current issues of the day, the show is an unscripted, candid, and thought-provoking forum where members of the Carleton University Debating Society flesh out the ideas from the far right, the far left, and all political stripes in between. Mike Powell, our illustrious host, is a Political Science student at Carleton University. In addition to hosting Four Idiots and a Mike, he also currently serves as the President of the Carleton University Debating Society. Last Weekly Meetings of the Winter Term CUDS has two weekly regular meetings in 411 Southam Hall at 5:30pm Wednesday & 2:30pm Friday. Everyone is welcome to come out; no experience is required. Feel free to come late or leave early if necessary. These meetings are in addition to CUDS President Mike Powell's case-building session in the Mike's Place grad bar every Wednesday between 1:00 and 2:30 pm. The best way to find out who is coming to a particular meeting is to network via the CUDS forum. With the school year winding down, now is your last best chance to get out to relax from studying and enjoy some rounds of debate. Annual General Meeting The CUDS Annual General Meeting is set for Wednesday, April 7th at 5:30 in the usual Wednesday room, 411 Southam Hall. More information on what promises to be an interminable session of ribald debauchery awaits on the forum. If you need to vote by proxy (either non- or directed), please contact CUDS President Mike Powell. At this AGM, CUDS will elect our executive for the 2004-05 school year. These are the positions for which nobody has yet expressed an interest in running, and their attendant responsibilities, straight from the CUDS constitution: a.. Vice-President Communications - Responsible for recruitment and promotions. Also responsible for maintenance of web site. Responsible for keeping membership informed of all upcoming events. Will also liaison with external groups (other debating societies, media, etc.) with regards to CUDS events. b.. Vice-President Debate - Responsible for organizing CUDS participation in external debating events and organizing internal CUDS events. If you are interested in running for a position, let the CUDS community know by posting to the relevant thread on the CUDS forum. To run for an executive position, you must be a full member of the club-this includes paying your $5 membership fee. Abortion Debate Distinguished CUDS member Ike Awgu moderated an abortion debate held last week between Jose Ruba and the Carleton University Womyn's Centre. It included passionate dialogue, impassioned speeches, and a video that made The Passion look tame. CUDS salutes Ike for his excellent work! Review Candidate Platforms for Next Years Executive Candidates have expressed interest in the Executive Positions of President, Vice President with special responsibility for Finance, and Secretary/Treasurer. Additionally, an Mike Powell has decreed himself CUDS dictator-for-life. Here are excerpts from each of the platforms: I, Joshua Prowse, have cast my hat into the ring for the position of Secretary/Treasurer. Next year, as Secretary/Treasurer, I will build on Mike Fleming's record; I will: a.. Make it easier for everyone to know what's in the bank account. I will scan the monthly statements of the bank account and post them on the forum so that CUDS accounts are more transparent. b.. Improve record-keeping. Keeping track of things like who has paid their membership fee. Such records will be centralized and kept up to date. c.. Explore the possibility of opening a higher-interest savings account for the club with an institution such as ING Direct or Presidents Choice Financial. d.. Place Business Meeting Minutes online to build to CUDS' institutional memory and make the machinations of the executive more transparent. Padraic Ryan is running for the position of VP Finance to build on Andrew Christie's record. He writes: 1. Heavily involved with the club this year. 2. Have both the skills and the time required for this position. 3. Using the best new and old ideas for fundraising. Clearly my first priority would be spending a lot of time with Andrew Christie, and hearing of where he had successes in fundraising, and generally soaking up all the information I can from him. So essentially it's the usual "build on those who have come before me" student politics pitch. I do however have some other plans. We couldn't send a team to the Concordia Women's tournament this year due to a lack of funding. I think that if the interest reoccurs next year, it would be a good idea to seek out any women's organizations off campus or on, who would be interested in contributing. I think that we could make a good sell for this - promoting females in our club, in the field of debating and in academia in general. Also, the idea of a CUSA ballot question for a student body levy has been proposed. I think that given the easy success of this year's groups, this is a great plan. Again, I think that my organization and communication skills (think press releases and interviews with my J-school friends published in the Charlatan) would be very beneficial in leading a campaign on this ballot question, and I would co-ordinate this effort, with the club's backing. Wayne Chu has declared that he wishes to stand for the position of CUDS President I believe that I am the best person for the job. I have the knowledge, the experience, and the vision to lead the Society and ensure that it remains vibrant for years to come. I am entering my fifth year of school (due to co-op) which also is my fifth year in the Society. During that time I was the first VP Communications of the Society, Tabs Director of the First Annual CUDS High School Tournament, Tournament Director of the 2003 Léger Cup, Tournament Director of the 2004 Lord Dorchester Cup, and the CUSID Executive Director. These positions, coupled with my active involvement in Society business matters, means that I have intimate knowledge of the issues facing the Society, as well as having a proven track record of getting things done. Getting Things Done If elected, I will ensure that rather than just talking about potential plans, I will ensure that these plans get carried out. This is a key part of the presidency, I believe, especially in the areas of recruitment and fundraising. In particular, I will ensure that we finally do class talks in the beginning of the year, and will ensure that faculty funding is in place early in the year. Competitiveness The Society has seen some success within the Novice ranks recently and I will strive to ensure that this success is carried on through future years. If elected, I will work towards the establishment of formally scheduled Novice Training sessions, possibly with EDS. I will also work with the VP Debate to put on case building sessions and advanced strategy sessions. I believe that we have a lot of untapped potential and I am confident that Carleton will continue to make waves on the circuit. Working with the Executive As President, I will make certain that all Executives are involved and will ensure that Executives are given the utmost opportunity to attend Business Meetings. CUSID I think it is safe to say that I am the most well known member of CUDS with the rest of the CUSID community. I have been debating on the circuit for four years and have served a term as the CUSID Executive Director. I believe I am respected and well liked, and because of this, I believe that I will be able to represent the Society's views on the circuit effectively. As CUDS' voice, I will ensure the maintenance of CP debating, fight excessive interference from CUSID, and ensure that CUDS is not overlooked. Please consider these platforms when you make your choice at this year's Annual General Meeting. Joshua Prowse Vice President (Communications) - VPCom(a)CarletonDebate.org Carleton University Debating Society (CUDS) - www.CarletonDebate.org