Australs Update

Hi all,

Quick update from Melbourne:

Auckland 1 and Auckland 2 have broken to the octo-finals (in 9th and 12th place respectively).The debates start in about an hour; exciting times!

Brad Ward and Louis Chambers also broke as judges in the octo-finals debates!

Lastly, Auckland has officially won hosting rights to Australs in 2010!

That means that this time next year our own campus will be home to the largest and most prestigious tournament in Australasia.

Melbourne is going off, results later.

Brad

Debsoc May 28 and Thropy Recap

SGM and Debsoc this Thursday:

This week we'll be meeting in Stone lecture theatre (at the Law School) at 6pm. We'll start with the SGM, which will finish shortly before 7pm. We'll have general debates from 7pm as usual, so anyone wishing to participate should arrive and sign up before 6:40pm.

Thropy Recap:

This weekend our largest ever contingent of debaters headed down to Palmerston North to compete in Thropy - the North Island Amateur Debating Tournament. That's 51 people - or 13 teams and 12 judges! The weekend was a good one, filled with quality debates, good social events and two very long drives.

Highlights include Jeremy's car breaking down barely an hour from Auckland, a speeding ticket, a birthday, a trip to the hospital, Maori wardens, romances, getting stuck in a ditch and a debate about having sex with disabled people.

On the debating front, Auckland had a fairly solid tournament. Two of our teams broke to the semi-final, so congratulations go to Team Hawera (Nupur Upadhyay, Sam Bookman and Emily Adlam) and to Team Tautoko (Rupert Nelson, Mark Zhu and Tim Conder). Both teams performed strongly through the preliminary series and debated well in their respective semi-final debates.

Unfortunately both teams were ultimately defeated and we were faced with a Victoria v Victoria final as with last year, however the Auckland team also did well when it came to individual speaker awards. Sam Bookman was named first reserve for the North Island team, while Gretta Schumacher and Emily Adlam both received Promising Speaker awards.

A subject that also always excites me is adjudicator accreditation. I'm pleased to also announce thatStephanie Thompson accredited at Thropy as an NZUDC accredited national adjudicator.

Finally I want to thank everyone who came with us as part of the squad. Thropy was, as always, an outstanding weekend. It was great seeing so many of you getting amongst it both during and after debates, I hope everyone had a great time.

Reminder of SGM:

Instead of a Pro Debate this week we'll be having a Special General Meeting in order to tidy up our Constitution. For full details on what will be discussed, see our earlier mail-out here.

Reminder of 'Worlds' entry deadline:

Although Worlds isn't until the end of the year, because we need to register teams and pay in the next few months we're asking everyone who is interested in attending Worlds to let us know by the end of the month. Even if you aren't sure, please email in so that we know rough numbers and can narrow down the people we approach in the coming weeks and months. More details on Worlds can be found here.

Debsoc gets better:

For those with an interest in the structure behind the Society, we're pleased to announce that we have today been granted 'charitable status' by the Charities Commission. This should be another step along the round to bring you increased funding for Australs in 2010 and for our events generally.

See you later this week,

Debsoc

Meet at Law School Tonight!

Hi all,

Tonight's debates will be in the law school. Our meeting room is still tentative, so we will post signs outside the Law Library (and have someone stationed) to say which room we will be in.

Reminder that the Eco-themed debate will start earlier than planned, so arrive at 5:30pm if you wish to see it!

Brad

SGM Agenda for 28 May 2009

Reminder there will be a Special General Meeting at 6pm on Thursday 28 May 2009. The location will be the same room used for general debates that week.

Agenda for the SGM:

The meeting will be asked to vote on the following four motions.

1. The members affirm the constitutional changes made at the SGM held 12 February 2009.

2. That clause 8.5 of the Constitution be replaced to read:

"8.5 The quorum for a General Meeting shall be fifteen paid up members of the Society and any business transacted while the meeting is inquorate shall be null and void."

3. That a new clause 8.6 be added that reads:

"8.6 Where a General Meeting is held in the first three months of the calendar year, the Executive must make reasonable efforts to give all paid up members of the previous calendar year at least 14 days notice of the meeting. They must also provide those past members with an opportunity to renew their membership. This clause is in addition to the notice requirements for current paid up members."

4. The members support the Executive's plans for the Society in semester two of 2009.

.

Who can attend and vote at the SGM?

Any paid up member can speak, vote and propose motions at the SGM.

What do the changes mean (in more depth)?

Earlier this year the Society made a number of small additions to our Constitution regarding how we spend money (and what we can spend it on). These changes were at the request of the IRD and they aided with our transition to becoming a legally incorporated society (with charitable status). Attached is a summary of those changes.

In order to progress those applications the Society passed the amendments at an SGM during the summer break. Although that SGM was constitutionally valid, the process alerted the Executive to some ambiguity in the current wording of our quorum clauses. In particular, quorum is presently 25 paid up members, or one third of paid up members (whichever is lower). During semester this does not raise a problem (as quorum will invariably be 25 members) but during the first few months of the year it is possible that the number of paid up members is very small (say, 10) leaving it open for changes to be made with a very small mandate - one third of this number.

This year, the Society called the earlier SGM under this system but resolved to only pass the changes if we received at least 15 'yes' votes (enough to have a majority in a 25 member meeting) and further resolved to have an SGM this semester to affirm those changes. This is that SGM and explains the first motion. We also wish to clarify the quorum requirements going forward, covered by motions two and three.

Finally, the Executive is presently considering a few changes to our announced calendar and plans in semester two. Although these changes are all within the powers granted to the Executive under the Constitution (and do not need the mandate of a General Meeting) the Executive would like to take this opportunity to signal these to the wider membership.

A summary of changes made at the previous SGM can be downloaded here:www.debating.co.nz/Changes.pdf

and the current Constitution can be downloaded here:

www.debating.co.nz/CurrentConstitution.pdf

Any questions let us know,

Brad

Turkey Worlds 2010: Deadline 31 May 2009

Anyone interested in attending Worlds this year in Turkey should RSVP to this email by the end of this month (31 May 2009).

What is Worlds?

Worlds is the largest and most prestigious university debating competition in the world, attended by over 300 teams.

What's the style of debating?

Worlds is undertaken in the British Parliamentary style of debating; so each debate has four teams of two speakers each. The Opening Government, Opening Opposition, Closing Government and Closing Opposition. Speeches are 7 minutes in length and the preparation time is fifteen minutes.

Who can attend?

The Society can send a maximum of three teams (six debaters), although that number has a small possibility of expansion later in the registration process. We can also send two adjudicators, who do not need to be formally accredited first (that is, anyone can adjudicate). Importantly because of the greater cost involved in Worlds, we are not always inundated with entries; meaning it's possible that some younger debaters will have a chance to attend.

That means, if you are interested, regardless of your age or experience, you should get in touch with us. It does not matter if you haven't had experience at BP debating yet - that will happen next semester.

Are there trials? If so, how do I get put in a team?

Debaters select their own partner/team. If the number of teams interested exceeds three we will hold trials between those teams.

When and where is Worlds?

Worlds 2010 will be held in Koc, Turkey; hosted by The University of Koc. Debaters must arrive December 27 2009 (their time) and depart on January 04 2010.

What does it cost?

A debater in a twin-share or triple-share room will be 390 Euros (or at present between $800 and $900). This includes entry to the tournament, social events and accommodation. On top of this will be the cost of your flight and any extra food or leisure expenses.

Why should I go?

As the most prestigious tournament in the world, attending World's is an excellent addition to both your debating and regular CV. Worlds is also incredibly good debating experience and will make a strong impact on your skill level. Finally it's a great chance to head overseas too.

Where can I find out more?

Here: http://www.kocworlds2010.com/index.php

What next?

Because we need to leave time for trials, collecting payments and registering teams we need your expressions of interest this month! From there, those interested will receive further correspondence and information.

Any other questions, please let us know!

Debsoc

18 May

Weekend Tournament Final / Eco-Week Debate:

This week our usual "Pro Debate" will be replaced with something a little more unique. Our two finalist teams from last weekends' 'Weekend Tournament' will be debating it out for the prize of being the 2009 winners. Those teams are of Sam Bookman, Emily Adlam and Nupur Upadhyay (Team One) versus Ralph Hall, Jeremy Minton and John Shen (Team Two).

The debate will also serve as a show debate for this weeks 'Eco-Week' on campus. Although the final moot will be announced to the teams on the night, you can be assured it will be a high quality debate on a salient and controversial topic.

That debate will take place at the Law School and will start shortly after 5:30pm. Anyone wishing to attend should aim to arrive by 5:30pm. The final lecture theatre will be advised on our website (www.debating.co.nz) from late Tuesday evening.

General Debates:

General debates will take place as normal this week and will be a good final chance for Thropy teams to get in some practice. The draw will be announced at 7pm as usual, so please arrive and sign up by 6:40pm if you wish to participate.

Thropy:

By now all Thropy team members should have paid for their accommodation and transport (where applicable). Those team members will personally receive final details from us in the next few days but can expect to leave for Palmerston North from outside the Law School at 1pm on Friday.

Debsoc

Notice of SGM (29 May 2009)

NOTICE OF SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

The University of Auckland Debating Society Incorporated will be holding a Special General Meeting at 6pm on 28 May 2009.

The venue for the meeting will be our meeting room for general debates that night. The precise room will be advised closer to the date via email and on our website. The SGM will likely be brief and general debates will continue as normal that night.

The agenda for the meeting, as well as more details on who is eligible to vote and how will be available early next week.

Hopefully we will see some of you at debating tonight,

Brad Ward
President