LUC The Hague wins InterUC Debating Competition
Menno Schellekens and Daan Welling, students at Leiden University College The Hague, have won the annual interUC debating competition, and can call themselves the best University College debaters for a year.
After squaring off against the other University Colleges of the Netherlands in four preliminary rounds, they won the final against teams from Amsterdam University College, Utrecht University College and Roosevelt Academy on the motion “This House Believes that the scientists conducting experiments on H5N1 (bird flu) strains should be allowed to continue their research and publish their results”.
Menno and Daan succesfully argued that the challenges of this globalized world means that diseases can quickly develop in all kinds of places, and research should therefore be conducted freely. This victory marks the first time in the history of the tournament that the title does not go to University College Utrecht. The tournament was held at Amsterdam University College on Saturday the 18th of February. LUC’s second team, consisting of second-year Phyleen Mattaar and first-year Anne Raaijman, narrowly missed the final on one teampoint. UCU’s Joris Vincent got the prize for best speaker of the competition.
At a parliamentary debating competition, every round two teams argue in favour and two teams argue against a motion. Speakers hear a motion only 15 minutes beforehand and have to prepare speeches of 5 minutes, which makes preparing a debate an exhiliriating event. Debates are judged by a panel of experienced debaters, which guarantees a fair outcome based on the logic of arguments brought by the speakers. Debaters at the interUC debating competition speak for four rounds, after which the teams that gather the most points advance to the final.
LUC The Hague would like to congratulate all the participating LUC The Hague students with their achievements!