PennForum: A foray into lively debates

They often meet in a lounge in one of the high rises, perhaps contending with the boisterous rehearsal of an improvisational group in the next room. They have a schedule, but have to be ready to change direction at any time. They work long hours when planning an event without earning a penny. But what they bring to campus has the ability to shape thoughts and ideas at Penn, not only among students, but throughout the faculty and staff. And, above all else, they have a really good time doing it. They're the members of PennForum, an on-campus debate and discussion organization. Since its inception two years ago, the group has sponsored events on everything from euthanasia to gun control. PennForum has drawn some very influential speakers to campus in an effort to educate its audience and to allow students and faculty the opportunity to discuss controversial issues in a passionate -- but not unreasonable -- environment. "Our major goal is to revive discussion and debate at Penn so that it is considered entertaining again," said Ethan Laub, a Wharton junior and PennForum's chairman. Laub's ultimate vision for the group is modeled after the famous discussion societies of Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford universities. While they haven't yet received any international acclaim, around campus PennForum has been successful in creating an aura of debate among a student body that has often been labeled as apathetic outside the classroom. "We quickly expanded from having 12 interested members to over 350 by last year's end," one of the group's founders, Guy Margalith, said over e-mail from Argentina. Those 350 are on PennForum's listserv, which encourages members to attend upcoming events. Not that they need much encouragement. PennForum's discussions often draw filled-to-capacity crowds because what transpires is as entertaining as it is educational. Indeed, everyone who comes to an event -- whether for the first time or as a regular member -- has the chance to participate in what is said. "It is in many ways superior to a lot of other forms of entertainment because you're active in it," Laub said. The group has achieved a balance, though, of the frequently distinct parts of the college experience. That is to say, their entertainment is in sync with their education. Each event begins with a panel of guest lecturers, who represent one side or the other of the subject to be discussed. The members of the panel, which are generally people both from within and without the University, present a prepared argument. The floor is then opened to questions from the audience, which can often lead to some fairly heated discussions. "When you don't see the passions involved, you missed out on a lot of the point," Laub explained. "People aren't convinced by an argument if it's just a theoretical point." PennForum has brought an interesting assortment of events to the University. In addition to the debates on gun control and the moral issues surrounding euthanasia, PennForum hosted an event debating the existence of God, and co-sponsored discussions of the sweatshop issue and the death penalty. Recently, the group sponsored a discussion on the current Arab-Israeli conflict, a timely event that drew over 100 people. It's not difficult for the group to assemble an event on short notice as PennForum has a committee dedicated solely to "rapid response" issues. In September, for example, the committee organized an event about the Napster controversy almost immediately after University President Judith Rodin received the now famous letter from the attorney for Dr. Dre and Metallica. As much as PennForum does on its own, part of the group's mission is to help other organizations structure similar kinds of events. Groups often come to PennForum for assistance in holding debates of their own. "I think, increasingly, we've come to recognize our role as a planning resource available to other student organizations that want to hold events consistent with our mission," said College junior Jed Gross, a member of PennForum's planning board as well as the Rapid Response Taskforce coordinator. Laub added, "The nature of our events is that we want them to be well attended by people who are supportive of both sides of the issue." As such, PennForum is very careful about contacting groups that represent both sides of an issue. For the recent debate on the crisis in the Middle East, a point was made to contact groups such as Hillel and the Penn Arab Student Society, so that they could alert their membership. While everyone in PennForum works hard to make events run smoothly, members give credit for the group's overall success first and foremost to Laub. "He kept us all together and motivated," said Wharton junior Kartik Patel, the treasurer of PennForum. "If it wasn't for his passion, PennForum would not have existed." But, as Laub would be quick to point out, if it weren't for the passions of the members who come to each event to debate, PennForum would be just another lecture series.