News
Monday 14 May, 2012
Update: Week Eleven
Thanks for the strong showing at the Special General Meeting, so a big thank you to all who attended. We are in our second last week of semester and there's still many things to go:
- An early topic release for Round 5 and semi-finals being held this week in the Freehills Cup.
- Our fancy Freehills Cup Grand Final next week.
- ADAM Org Comm applications final submission reminder.
- Notice of the President's Cup tournament.
This week's meeting
Again, the meeting will begin at 5:30pm this Tuesday. Room details ahead:
Lecture Theatre 102, Law Building
Topic release will be at 5:45pm this week as we are holding two rounds of debate, so we don't want to run too late. The first round will be round 5 of the Freehills Cup and this will be immediately followed by the announcement of the top four teams which will proceed to the semi-finals. We encourage members to stay around to watch these debates.
Hopefully we don't have any last-minute room changes like last week but if you want to make sure you get informed of any last minute information we encourage you to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get all the latest info.
Grand Final at Freehills Offices
Freehills, being our generous sponsors for our main internals competitions, will be hosting the grand final next week at their offices in the city. This will be an event not to be missed, especially if you are interested with talking with members from Freehills themselves as this is a perfect networking opportunity. More details will be provided in the next update.
Applications for Organising Committee for ADAM
We're just a little bit short on members for a full organising committee so if you were thinking of applying previous, please consider doing it as soon as possible. In particular, logistics and socials officers are needed.
A recap below:
Each year after semester one exams, this year from 29 June to 1 July, MUDS hosts the largest pre-Australs tournament in the world called ADAM (Another Day at Melbourne)—truefacts. It's usually a tournament of over 130 people, with teams from all over Australia competing to practice before Australs the following week. Additionally many other teams come over for what is a great tournament where all you need is a want to debate, where anyone can debate, with anyone, from any institution, or no institution at all.
However, what we need each year is an organising committee to run the tournament itself. Being part of on an organising committee is right of passage almost all MUDSians will encounter at some point and with a wide range of portfolios, you're sure to find one to your strengths. It's a great way to boost your CV, give you experience in organising events in the future, and just brownie points for being in MUDS overall. Here are a list of positions that we need filled:
- 2 x Conveners (one convener being a part-treasurer role)
- 2 x Logistics (food) officers
- 2 x Socials officers
- 1 x Sponsorship officer
- 1 x Registrations officer
- 1 x Tab director (organises debates draw)
What we need from you is a short resume, any positions in particular you would want to do, and any reasons why you'd like to be involved. You can simply reply to this email to send in your expression of interest or if you have any questions about the positions.
Join the President's Cup
Each year the Debaters Association of Victoria (the DAV), masters of the schools competition which many of you would have come across in high school, run the President's Cup. It's a great tournament with separate final breaks for experienced and novice teams, so it's fun for all. It'll be held from the 27–28th of May, over the weekend just before SWOTVac. Note that you must be a DAV member to participate, i.e. if you adjudicate with the DAV, then you are a member. You can join the event on Facebook but here's their blurb for your perusing convenience:
The premiere tournament for DAV members is on again!
The event runs across one weekend and its format is three-on-three. Lunch and other food is provided each day, and there will be a Championship Dinner on the Saturday evening. [There are both Novice and Open divisions.] The Chief Adjudicator is yet to be announced.
Members' registration is $44 for Debaters and $25 for Adjudicators. We will send bank details for pre-payment when you register. If you pay on the day, there will be an additional $5 fee. Please let us know of any dietary requirements.
Please visit the link below to register:
www.dav.com.au/adults/pres_cup.php
If you have any question about this tournament or membership, please direct them to debater@dav.com.au.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Sunday 6 May, 2012
Lots of things happening in the next few weeks:
- Round four of the Freehills Cup and the Special General Meeting this week.
- Sponsorship amounts decided for this year's Australs.
- Applications are still open for ADAM Organising Committee.
This week's meeting
An extra special meeting this and we've booked back to our 'normal' lecture theatre. Details again for our meeting, regular time Tuesday at 5:30pm:
Lecture Theatre G08, Law Building
Why's this meeting extra special? Because not only are we holding round four of our Freehills Cup (of which you can still register online to be a part of) we will also be holding a Special General Meeting to pass a constitutional amendment which is relevant to all members, of which I have already sent details which will be repeated below. The meeting will only take about 30 to 45 minutes, but of most importance is that we meet quorum, so we need to have at least 20 non-committee members present for any results to be binding. I implore all members, even if you are busy this night, to attend for the first hour even if you are not available for debates afterwards. Full details below.
Special General Meeting Details
Attached is the constitutional amendment being proposed along with the agenda of the meeting. The sole purpose of this meeting will be to attempt to pass the constitutional amendment which relates to the selection of debaters or adjudicators in the case where there are no remaining triallers before an intervarsity debating tournament. The full reasoning is as attached.
I note that the you may give proxy votes to another attending member so long as I am emailed from both parties to confirm the transfer of votes before the commencement of the meeting.
Assorted Australs information: trials and training day
TRIALS & TRAINING DAY
Trials for the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships will be held on Sunday 13 May, from 10am.
You can attend our event on Facebook if you prefer to be reminded that way, but note that clicking 'attending' does not count as a registration of interest. All expressions of interest, along with a debating/adjudicating CV if you are interested in attending as an adjudicator, should be sent to Daniel Tram our nominated Trials Officer to treasurer@mudsonline.net. If you are trialling as an adjudicator, you must submit a CV using the template as attached. Please do not put your name in the document itself.
Debaters will be placed onto a running sheet where they will speak in two debates to a randomised draw, and will be ranked according on their performance by two independent selectors. Adjudicators will be ranked by their debating CV which encompasses their past tournament and overall debating and adjudicating experience. More details will be given out closer to the date from Daniel and if you have any further questions, feel free to reply.
A note that if you are subsequently part of the contingent, you will be required to attend the training day the following Sunday 20 May. We strongly encourage members to trial, even if you do not currently think you want to attend the tournament as circumstances may change, trialling will give you experience for future tournaments, and there is no obligation to attend the tournament if you've trialled.
Organising Committee needed for ADAM
Each year after semester one exams, this year from 29 June to 1 July, MUDS hosts the largest pre-Australs tournament in the world called ADAM (Another Day at Melbourne)—truefacts. It's usually a tournament of over 130 people, with teams from all over Australia competing to practice before Australs the following week. Additionally many other teams come over for what is a great tournament where all you need is a want to debate, where anyone can debate, with anyone, from any institution, or no institution at all.
However, what we need each year is an organising committee to run the tournament itself. Being part of on an organising committee is right of passage almost all MUDSians will encounter at some point and with a wide range of portfolios, you're sure to find one to your strengths. It's a great way to boost your CV, give you experience in organising events in the future, and just brownie points for being in MUDS overall. Here are a list of positions that we need filled:
- 2 x Conveners (one convener being a part-treasurer role)
- 2 x Logistics (food) officers
- 2 x Socials officers
- 1 x Sponsorship officer
- 1 x Registrations officer
- 1 x Tab director (organises debates draw)
What we need from you is a short resume, any positions in particular you would want to do, and any reasons why you'd like to be involved. You can simply reply to this email to send in your expression of interest or if you have any questions about the positions. Please send in all applications by the 13th of May.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Sunday 29 April, 2012
Exciting times ahead with:
- Round 3 of the Freehills Cup!
- Australs Trials and Training Day in weeks 10 and 11.
- Applicants wanted for organising MUDS' own tournament: ADAM.
This week's meeting
Another week and another room change for our Tuesday meeting at 5:30pm. Details:
Lecture Theatre 102, Law Building
Round 3 of our Freehills Cup will be running, and again, registrations are still open if you want to participate. It's available on our internal competitions page. If you have any questions feel free to ask our internal competitions officers.
Australs Trials and Training Day
As has been mentioned trials for the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships will be held on Sunday 13 May, from 10am. A note that if you are subsequently part of the contingent, you will be required to attend the training day the following Sunday 20 May. We strongly encourage members to trial, even if you do not currently think you want to attend the tournament as circumstances may change, trialling will give you experience for future tournaments, and there is no obligation to attend the tournament if you've trialled. Australs registration itself will be approximately NZ$750 and there is a to be advised amount of sponsorship for the top ranking speakers and adjudicators of the contingent which will be confirmed by committee by the next update.
You can attend our event on Facebook if you prefer to be reminded that way, but note that clicking 'attending' does not count as a registration of interest. All expressions of interest, along with a debating/adjudicating CV if you are interested in attending as an adjudicator, should be sent to Daniel Tram our nominated Trials Officer to treasurer@mudsonline.net.
Debaters will be placed onto a running sheet where they will speak in two debates to a randomised draw, and will be ranked according on their performance by two independent selectors. Adjudicators will be ranked by their debating CV which encompasses their past tournament and overall debating and adjudicating experience. More details will be given out closer to the date from Daniel and if you have any further questions, feel free to reply.
Organising Committee Needed for ADAM
Each year after semester one exams, this year from 29 June to 1 July, MUDS hosts the largest pre-Australs tournament in the world called ADAM (Another Day at Melbourne)—truefacts. It's usually a tournament of over 130 people, with teams from all over Australia competing to practice before Australs the following week. Additionally many other teams come over for what is a great tournament where all you need is a want to debate, where anyone can debate, with anyone, from any institution, or no institution at all.
However, what we need each year is an organising committee to run the tournament itself. Being part of on an organising committee is right of passage almost all MUDSians will encounter at some point and with a wide range of portfolios, you're sure to find one to your strengths. It's a great way to boost your CV, give you experience in organising events in the future, and just brownie points for being in MUDS overall. Here are a list of positions that we need filled:
- 2 x Conveners
- 2 x Logistics (food) officers
- 2 x Socials officers
- 1 x Sponsorship officer
- 1 x Registrations officer
- 1 x Tab director (organises debates draw)
What we need from you is a short resume, any positions in particular you would want to do, and any reasons why you'd like to be involved. You can simply reply to email us to send in your expression of interest or if you have any questions about the positions. Please send in all applications by the 10th of May.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Sunday 22 April, 2012
A summary of this week's update:
- Round 2 of our Freehills tournament.
- Training videos are up on Youtube.
- Making money through MUDS Schools Training.
- Australs Trials and Training Day dates set.
This week's meeting
We're moving again for this week's Tuesday meeting at 5:30pm. Details on our new location:
Lecture Theatre G08, Law Building »
We'll be continuing our Freehills Cup this week along with training beforehand for the first hour. The signup form is still available at: http://www.mudsonline.net/internalcompetitions
Feel free to register as an individual and you will be slotted into a team, or else form a team with a few friends. Detailed rules are available on the signup page.
Religion in debates training session video
Last week's training session is now available for viewing up on Youtube. On the topic of 'Religion' presented by Steph D'Souza, keep an eye on our website to download the accompanying slides.
Many more of our training sessions and other videos are also available up on our Youtube Channel.
Join our MUDS Schools Training program
A lot of the money that MUDS makes to assist with funding events, sponsorship, and helping out with general costs of running the club is through our schools training program. In addition to helping us, it helps you make some extra money as well, with generous hourly rates and an easygoing working atmosphere. We coach, adjudicate, and run clinics for schools from all over Melbourne, mainly for the DAV competition, and with a little bit of training, becoming a coach for MUDS is attainable for almost all university debaters. If you'd be interested in taking part, send Henry an email to schools.training@mudsonline.net with:
- Your mobile number.
- Where you live (suburb).
- If you have a car.
- A brief (dot points is fine) history of your debating/coaching experience.
Australs Trials Day and Training Dates
Some more key dates as mentioned last week. Australs trials will be held on Sunday 13 May and training day which will be mandatory for all members who do make the contingent will be held on Sunday 20 May.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Monday 16 April, 2012
Hope you've had a good break! Some things for this week:
- Get ready for the start of our main internals competition: Freehills Cup!
- Results from ANU Easters.
- Notice of Australs trials.
- Submissions for constitutional amendment at upcoming SGM.
This week's meeting: Sign up for Freehills Cup
So we're beginning the semester with another room change. Details for our meeting this Tuesday, 5:30pm:
Law Building Lecture Theatre 102 »
With that out of the way, this week marks the beginning of our main 3-on-3 internals competition, the Freehills Cup. It promises to be a fantastic and competitive internals competition, with five rounds, semi-finals, and a grand final being held on location at Freehills in the city. We'll be having training beforehand, with topic release at about 6:30pm.
Sign up online before the meeting on Tuesday to secure your spot for round one.
Notes:
- If you haven't got a team, we can allocate one for you without any issues.
- If you do have a team in mind, note that there is a novice requirement where at least one team member must be a novice debater.
- There is an adjudication requirement in this competition, where each member must adjudicate at least one round of debates (even as a trainee adjudicator if necessary), for a team to be eligible for finals. Thus there needs to be at least four members per team.
Results from ANU Easters
This year's Easters contingent saw nine teams and fifteen adjudicator battle it out at the Australian National University in Canberra against universities from all across Australia, at the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships, known as 'Easters'. The competition ran from the 10–14th of April and notwithstanding what was indeed a enjoyable and well run tournament, MUDS also had success on both the debating and adjudication front.
On the debating side, Melbourne 3, comprising Rebecca Hibbard, Ruby Pryor, and Lisa Panigrahi, broke to the octo-finals where they were beaten by the eventual runner-ups, the University of Queensland 1. Our adjudicators Henry Guo and James Hutaruk both broke as adjudicators and adjudicated to the quarter finals. Tim Blair, Steph D'Souza, and ex-president Daniel McNamara (now attending ANU) made it all the way to adjudicate the grand final of the tournament, where the panel of nine awarded the debate 7–2 to award the debate to the University of Sydney Union 3, negative on the topic: That vigilantism should be a defence to criminal charges in jurisdictions with extremely high crime rates.
Overall, the contingent did very well, with four additional teams on four wins, all within eight points of breaking to the finals, and seven teams overall in the top fifty. Congratulations to all involved, and a particular thanks to Rebecca Hibbard and Rishada Cassim for planning and organising the contingent, our team selection panel, and all others involved with co-ordinating such a successful tournament for MUDS!
Australs Trials Date
Australs is the short name for the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships to be held from the 8–15 July in Wellington, New Zealand by Victoria University. It's a highly competitive tournament featuring teams from all across Asia and Oceania. More details will be released soon about the tournament and you can visit the official website, Facebook page, and Twitter if you want information directly from the organising committee.
Team and adjudicator selection is based on a competitive trials system, and will be held for a full day on Sunday 13 May which will be at the end of Week 10. If you're even a little bit interested in attending, keep this date free on your calendar.
Submissions for SGM Constitution Amendment
In Week 10, we will be holding a Special General Meeting to amend the constitution in regards to our trials process for Australs and Worlds. Further details about the SGM will be given at a later date but all MUDS members will be able to vote on the changes.
We are attempting to pass an amendment to cover the situation where a contingent member withdraws from a tournament and there are no remaining traillers willing to accept the place from the rankings from the original trials. A more detailed explanation is attached alongside the amendment, but we would appreciate all MUDS members read over and submit feedback before we submit the proposed amendment to the Student Union on Thursday.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Sunday 1 April, 2012
Another week before the Easter break. Coming up:
- The last of our Open Rounds for the semester.
- Notice of our Freehills Cup after the break.
This week's meeting
This Tuesday at 5:30pm, we're again in a different theatre. Details below:
Lecture Theatre GM16
We'll be having training before our second Open Round. Open means that teams can comprise of whoever you want, but remember to sign up beforehand to secure your spot on our Internal Competitions sign up form.
Freehils Cup after the Easter break
Our main internal 3-on-3 competition will be held after the break and has been generously sponsored by Freehills. It will have five rounds, plus a semi final and a grand final, all to be started and finished in weeks 7 to 12. Sign up and details will be given closer to the date but keep an eye on updates and get ready for what promises to be a successful competition.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Sunday 25 March, 2012
This week as we commence one of our two open rounds before the mid-semester break. Included in this week's update:
- This week's open round "Teach for Australia" Night.
- Our first Debate Training Day of the year.
- Finally some confirmed details on the Novice Social.
- Volunteers for the Australasian Women's Debating Tournament.
- A notice for contribution to our Easters edition of MUDSlinger.
This week's meeting: "Teach for Australia" Night/Open Rounds
For our weekly meeting this Tuesday we're moving back to our original theatre. Details once again:
Lecture Theatre G08, Law Building » grid ref. R15 (see attached map)
This will be our "Teach for Australia" Night, which also marks a fresh start and the beginning of our two Open Rounds.
As part of our training and debates, we''ll have a guest speaker come in from Teach For Australia to talk about their program and afterwards we will be having a teaching themed round of debates. If you're interested in finding out more, there is some information provided below by Teach For Australia about their program and details about some information sessions being held on campus in the next two weeks.
Our Open Rounds mean that you can debate with anybody you'd like, with no restrictions on team formation. It is imperative that you sign up online before the night to ensure that you are put into a team to debate.
Debate Training Day
Our annual 3-on-3 training day is coming up. Details:
When: Sunday 1 April, from 10am to 4pm
Where: Law Building (rooms to be confirmed)
Come along for some great training from esteemed past members of our society on all things debating and adjudicating. Being punctual is vital as it'll be a jam packed schedule with training sandwiched between practice debates.
As places are limited as we have a limited amount of rooms available, email Steph at member.training@mudsonline.net if you're interested in attending.
Novice Social
Details for our Novice Social have finally been confirmed. It's going to be immediately after our training day:
When: Sunday 1 April, 4:30pm onwards
Where: The Workshop Bar, 413 Elizabeth St
Come for an some casual drinks with drinks provided by MUDS via some money set aside for members. There's an event on Facebook for you to join if that's how you keep yourself social life scheduled. Hope to see you there!
Women's would like volunteers
As you're probably aware the Australasian Women's Debating Championships, a.k.a. Women's, will be hosted by MUDS this year. In brief it's a prestigious tournament aimed at promoting the involvement of women in debating and invites debaters from across Australia and Asia for four days of high quality debating.
Our convenors this year are Monique Hardinge and Steph Sandford, and they're looking for assistance from all members of MUDS (male and female) to help out before and during the tournament. There's a variety of roles for people that they're looking for people to fill, so send in an expression of interest to them at convenors@awdc2012.com letting them know if you're interested.
You can find out more information on the official website at awdc2012.com or joining the event on Facebook.
Contributions for The MUDSlinger
Yes it's time! We're publishing a new edition of our society's newsletter The MUDSlinger for Easters and we're looking for contributions. Articles can range from the crass, to the technical, and everything in between. If you've got something you'd like to contribute, send Ruby our Publications Officer an email at publications@mudsonline.net expressing your interest.
Some previous year's editions can be found on our website.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Tuesday 20 March, 2012
Another week, another MUDS update. In store for this issue:
- A room change for our weekly meeting.
- Our upcoming Teach for Australia night.
- A Debate Training Day next Sunday for all members.
- Some altered plans for the Novice Social.
This week's meeting
First thing's first, another room change for our weekly meeting at 5:30pm on Tuesday:
Lecture Theatre 102, Law Building » grid ref. R15 (see attached map)
We're moving back to normal this week and continuing and completing our Novice Competition with round 2 and the round 3 playoffs happening tomorrow night. People who have yet to sign up are again advised to register on our online form.
The following two weeks until the mid-semester break will comprise of two open rounds in which you will be able to debate in open teams. This will also give our teams for Easters an opportunity to debate together before the tournament is held during the holidays. After the break, for the remaining six weeks of semester, we'll be holding our main internals competition the Freehills Cup. This competition will be five rounds long, with semi finals and a grand final. Details on how to register for both of these will be made available by email in the following weeks.
Next week's meeting: "Teach for Australia" Night
For our weekly meeting next week on 27 March, we'll be holding a "Teach for Australia" night as part of our training and debates. We'll have a guest speaker come in to talk about their program and afterwards we will be having a teaching themed round of debates. More specifics will be provide in next week's update, but if you're interested in finding out more, here is some information provided by Teach For Australia about their program and details about some information sessions being held on campus in the next two weeks.
Also, you can show your interest by attending our "Teach for Australia" Night on Facebook.
Teach For Australia - Be part of a unique graduate program
Teach For Australia is an innovative organisation which engages our nation's best graduates in addressing one of Australia's most pressing social issues - educational disadvantage. We aim to achieve educational equity in Australia by recruiting and training outstanding graduates from all degree disciplines who have the academic performance, energy and passion to succeed in teaching in disadvantaged schools for two years.
- Selective two year program
- No education degree or experience required – earn a postgraduate diploma in teaching
- Full salary and benefits
- Teach in a disadvantaged school - positively impact the lives of your students and their communities
- Top teaching and leadership training
Leading from the front of your classroom, you will inspire your students to succeed while enhancing your future possibilities by developing skills that are directly transferable to careers in all sectors. Through mentorship, training and ongoing support from our leading university, corporate and public-sector partners you will be strongly equipped for success and making an impact.
Teach For Australia are currently seeking passionate and enthusiastic graduates to be a part of our 2013 program.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?
Have an on-campus chat with Belinda Crowe - Talent and Attraction Manager and Teach For Australia alumnus.
Drop in Date
Venue
Click here to save a time:
3pm – 5pm Tuesday 20th March
‘Lab 39’ cafe – adjacent to North Court
11am – 1pm Thursday 22ndMarch
Giblin Eunson Library – Project Room 2
10am-12pm Thursday 29thMarch
‘Lot 6’ cafe – opposite Frank Tate building
INFORMATION SESSION AT UMELB
Register through Facebook: http://on.fb.me/xqyzF8
Date: Monday March 26th
Time: 1pm-2pm
Venue: Old Arts Theatre D
Debate Training Day next Sunday
Each semester MUDS runs one or two training sessions held on a weekend. Our upcoming training day, as mentioned in last week's update, will be held on Sunday 1 April—no joke. This will be a great opportunity for all members to learn new skills via training from veterans of the debating circuit and applying those skills with a number of practice debates which will be held during the day.
Keep the date free and we'll get back to you with more details!
Novice Social still being planned
Last week's mentioned Novice Social is still going ahead, just not on the rumoured 22 March as alluded to in last week's update. Still-mysterious, details will be sent out as soon as it is confirmed, but latest news is that it will be a casual affair closer to uni. Sit tight and again if you're wanting quicker updates, check us out on Facebook for updates more frequent than weekly.
And that's it—we'll see you Tuesday.
Ming Kang
Monday 12 March, 2012
The past few weeks have been pretty exciting for MUDS so we hope you've been enjoying it! There's still a lot happening in the coming weeks with more rounds of the Novice Competition, our inaugural Novice Social (read: an excuse to throw a party), and after the break our main internal competition: the Freehills Cup.
Ahead in this update:
- Details on ANU Easters trials.
- Sign up for the Novice Competition.
- Preliminary details for our upcoming Novice Social.
- A look ahead into semester one's events.
This week's meeting
First thing's first, our meeting location for this Tuesday's meeting at 5:30pm:
Lecture Theatre G08, Law Building » grid ref. R15 (see attached map)
Our novice competition last week went off to a strong start and it looks to be a good year with a lot of promising new debaters. The next round has been pushed forward to next week's meeting due to the unprecedented size of the competition and the limited number of older members to help lead each team. A large number of these older members will be needed to adjudicate for Easters trials which will be held this week, and because we want the Novice Competition to be a learning experience, we've decided to ensure we have the best quality of debate to delay the next round. If you're not trialing for Easters don't worry, as we'll still be holding debates, but they just won't be part of the official Novice Competition. For those who have yet to sign up for the Novice Competition, registration is still open and we'll slot you into a team for the next round.
Easters trials information is directly below. Additional information about the tournament itself is also included further down.
Easters trials
The most important thing is attend on Tuesday if you interested in debating at Easters. Due to the high level of interest for a limited number of positions within the teams, if you do not attend the meeting on Tuesday for any reason, you will not be preferenced into a team.
A reminder that for all members interested in attending Easters (experienced and novice) please ensure you have emailed Kelly at sponsorship@mudsonline.net with your expression of interest. This is not a commitment to come to Easters but helps us gauge interest and to assist with the organisation of trials on Tuesday.
As mentioned at last week's meeting, the trials process is not about selecting the top speakers and putting them all into teams, but is about ensuring that debaters are placed into teams which will work well together by balancing debaters' abilities, personalities, and development. Essentially we're saying that you shouldn't be nervous about not being good enough for trials and there is no reason why any particular person would not be able to make a spot in the contingent.
ANU Easters Information
Easters is officially known as the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships and is the official national championship in Australia. It is held in the familiar 3-on-3 style of debating and attracts over 400 debaters from all over Australia, from Sydney to Brisbane to Perth. This year it will be held by ANU in Canberra from the 10th to the 14th of April, during the mid-semester break.
The focus of Easters is to develop novice debaters for university debating and as a result the teams that are able to be sent can comprise of a maximum of one experienced debater. This makes the tournament an accessible and friendly competition for all debaters and an ideal learning experience for all who attend. Not only is it an intense few days of debating, it's also packed with social events every night. This includes parties at the local bars and clubs, plus a Championship Dinner, all of which you'll be getting to know your fellow contingent and other debaters from around Australia.
This year, we'll be taking a bus up to Canberra as a contingent, and if it is anything like our trip to Adelaide last year, it should be great fun in and of itself. The total cost is to be confirmed, but should be less than $500; this includes your accommodation for five nights, food, drink, social events, and the bus trip back and forth. First year members are eligible for sponsorship of approximately $130 and this will be awarded based on those who make it into the original contingent (9 teams and 8 adjudicators) with a cap of 15, allocated in the order at which their expression of interest was submitted.
And to reiterate from earlier, all members (novice and experienced) interested in attending Easters in any form should send Kelly an expression of interest to sponsorship@mudsonline.net
Demo Debate
For those of you who missed the excellent demo debate which was held in week one, or for those who enjoyed it so much they want to relive the memories and see it again the demo debate is now on youtube. All videos and slides from our member training sessions can be accessed via the member training
tab on our website.
Upcoming Novice Social
Details are scant on this one as it's still being organised but there will be a house party for all members to be held on an upcoming Thursday (most likely 22 March, so save the date). It's all very mysterious but if you want to be among the first to know, like us on Facebook to get a first look at the event as details are confirmed throughout the week.
Things to look forward to in semester one
Many of these things will be on our calendar but since you've probably not checked that out, a quick rundown to what you have to look forward to.
- At the end of week 5 on Sunday 1 April, we'll be hosting a debating training day for all members. Attendance will be mandatory for Easters teams but it should be an open training for all MUDS members so that those who can't make it to Easters are still able to benefit from the training.
- Our weekly meeting in week 7 should mark the start of the Freehills Cup, our primary internal competition in semester one. It's held in 3-on-3 style and will allow for teams to be composed of any combination of members, with a novice requirement.
- Australs trials will be held at the end week 10 on Sunday 13 May. More information will be given out closer to this date but Australs is short is the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships which will be held this year in Wellington, New Zealand from Sunday 8 July to Sunday 15 July.
- Finally an event older members will know well is ADAM (Another Day at Melbourne). This is a debating tournament hosted by MUDS each year which is the premier pre-Australs tournament in Australia. Teams come from all over Australia to compete at this mini-tournament held over a Friday to Sunday, after the exam period at the end of June. Plus because it's held in Melbourne, it's also very cheap to attend! Again, more information will be given in later weeks about this.
See you on Tuesday!
Ming Kang
Wednesday 29 February, 2012
Thanks to everyone who came to enjoy the Demo debate and barbeque on Tuesday evening. We hope you had a great time and are looking forward as much as we are to the year ahead of debating.
To those who couldn't make it, don't worry, we have all the information that you need for next week and look forward to meeting you then. The slides from our first meeting containing all the important information that you need to know are now online and can be accessed here.
Next week we will be kicking off our novice competition, if you didn't attend on Tuesday night, or if you didn't fill out the hard copy sign-up forms which were handed out at the meeting then feel free to sign up online here.
Equally important is to remember to RSVP by this Sunday for the Commencement Dinner which will take place right after the first round of Novice Competition next Tuesday the 6th of March. This can be done via the facebook event page. If you have any other queries about the event then feel free to contact our Socials Officer, James.
For information on our coaching and training packages - please see School Services.
Contact the Society:
muds@mudsonline.net
PO Box 4125
University of Melbourne
Parkville, VIC 3052
Melbourne University Debating Society
ABN: 92 474 435 997
