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Arguing their way to the top

By Mara Kumagai Fink '11
March 18, 2011
Christophe Porot '13 (left) and Akshar Rambachan '12 helped lead the St. Olaf Debate Team — recently revived after a 12-year absence on campus — to a state championship.

When Christophe Porot '13 arrived on the Hill as a first-year student and realized that St. Olaf did not have a debate team, he joked with friends that "a school can only go so long without a debate team before a few debaters argue for one." Then he started arguing.

The 12-15 member St. Olaf Debate Team may have started its inaugural season this fall short on college-debate experience, but it has proven to be long on talent. Competing with 12 other Minnesota colleges and universities in February, two St. Olaf teams declared a co-championship for the state title.

The three co-captains, Porot, Akshar Rambachan '12, and Jon Riley '12, have a combined 13 years of debate experience and are in charge of leading practices. While there has been a debate team in the past at St. Olaf, this is the school's first team in 12 years. The last team was eliminated due to budget cuts. During their practices, which are held twice a week for two hours each, members of the team focus on current events, debate technicalities and structure, philosophical reasoning, and a few practice debates.

This is all in preparation for the parliamentary-style debate in which they compete. Grouped into teams of two, they get their topic 15 minutes before they start a 45-minute debate. With no additional resources, they need to come up with arguments for whatever side they are assigned.

Akshar Rambachan '12 (left) and Christophe Porot '13 outline their arguments during a recent debate competition.

Rambachan said it was important to him to start a debate team on campus because it provides a different challenge than what students get in any other activity. "I really don’t think that there is any other activity that is as enriching intellectually and competitively as debate is. I think anyone who does it and commits to it can see that," he says.

But the team isn't just reaching out to those who are interested in debate. They have made an effort to take part in other events on campus, like the Political Action Committee debates, and public debates with Carleton College. "Our goal is to educate those who don't want to join the team, and for those who join the team, we want to help them become better debaters," Rambachan says.

The St. Olaf Debate Team hopes to make a positive impact on campus and gain traction in the coming years. "Hopefully we will grow to be a team that the school is proud of and an activity that those who are shy try out," Porot says. "In debate, you learn how to be more confident with yourself, and this lesson is invaluable for many college students."

While their major tournament is over for this season, they are still continuing to meet for practices and smaller local tournaments this spring. They hope to raise enough money to attend the national competition next year.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.