Amateur orators get a chance

Should the people of The Simpsons' town of Springfield suffer under the tyranny of the evil Mr. Burns? Or should they kill him? This was the question hotly debated in the opening exhibition round of Penn Debates, an intramural debate tournament sponsored by the Speaking Across the University program and the Debate Council. Saturday's competition was part of the SATU campaign to increase casual public speaking opportunities on campus. "In the United States, people are more scared of public speaking than of death," Debate Council President Jay Haverty said. "Penn also has a history of recruiting debaters. There are a ton of speakers on campus and a lot of them are kind of burned out. We're trying to target people who aren't public speakers." The tournament attracted students from diverse speaking backgrounds. The debates drew about 10 participants from outside of the school's various debate teams -- the 450 students on the teams were not allowed to participate. "We did this as a way to provide students with an opportunity to develop their oral skills outside the classroom," College senior and SATU Speaking Advisor Nadaa Taiyab said. "There are organizations out there that give students who are really serious about it chances to speak. This is a chance for students who aren't as serious about it." And the opening round, a parliamentary style debate by Debate Council members, began in exactly this spirit. "Not only should they kill Mr. Burns, they should lash him to the town square and flog him to death -- because he is one evil bastard," College sophomore Scott Sanford began. Arguments included a discussion of the creative validity of perpetuating the Burns character. "If you can't really say something logical or rational, you can instead elevate it to the level of satire," Haverty explained. In the following rounds, participants debated one-on-one before panels of three Debate Council judges. The questions ranged from a resolution on whether the Ku Klux Klan should be allowed to participate in "Adopt A Highway" to whether the United Kingdom should have returned Hong Kong to China. For some students who had debated in high school, the debates were a chance to brush up on old skills, without a demanding time commitment. College senior Seth Scanlon, who won the tournament, said he saw the program as a different way to spend a Saturday morning. "I did this sort of thing in high school, but since this was within the University it seemed like a casual event," said Scanlon, who had planned to reunite with his high school debate partner for the contest. The debates were designed to supplement the SATU program -- which provides advice to about 500 students each semester, SATU administrator Sara Coelho said. "The university is doing a lot to support public speaking skills," Coelho said. "[Debate] helps people analyze an idea and talk about it in a productive way -- and it develops confidence in doing this."