Symposiarch - The Debating Society, BITS Pilani

Topic 2 : Principle vs. Nationalism

2009-04-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

Are Gandhian principles eternal or do they need to evolve in the light of never ending terrorist attacks on our motherland?

*Note : You need not have participated in the discussion on topic 1, to be able to compete for this topic. All topics are independent as far as evaluation is concerned.

*Note : For registration and details on how to post, please refer to the posts below.

Topic 1 : Brand BITS Pilani

2009-04-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Is BITS Pilani’s quest for brand expansion by opening up new campuses across India, actually leading to brand dilution in terms of academics, administration and infrastructure?

*Note : You will need to register yourself before you can participate and post on the topic. Follow the links & instructions given in the post below.

CrossFire - Registrations Open

2009-04-18T00:03:00.001-07:00

Persuade; Persevere; A Convincing battle

Instructions:

Open http://yourstory.in/micro/ideaexchange/people.php
Click on “Apply for Membership”
In the email id entry, enter your BITS email id. (As this event is exclusively for BITSians, entries without a BITS email id won’t be accepted)
Login to the site with your username and password.
Go to “Crossfire” in Categories and start debating by posting your Arguments for the topics mentioned there. Rebuttals/Comments also have prizes.
While posting an Argument, mention your name “For” or “Against” and the topic in the “Topic” section of the post. For example if your name is Rahul Kothari enter “Rahul_For_Topic1”
You can also Vote for the Arguments you like.

Rules:

There is no entry fee of any sort for the event.
Only students/faculty from BITS-Pilani (Pilani and Goa campuses both) are allowed to participate.
Three topics will be released one after another with a gap of 2 days.
Each topic will have Arguments (for & against, to be mentioned in the “Topic” section of the post).
Each argument will be open to rebuttals/comments and Votes.

Arguments:

Once the topic is released, Arguments for the same will be invited for a time limit of 36 hours.
While posting an Argument, mention “Your name”_ “For” or “Against”_ and the topic in the “Topic” section of the post. For example if your name is Rahul Kothari enter “Rahul_For_Topic1”
For this period, every participant can post their Arguments in the prescribed format, but it won’t be visible on the site for a period of 36 hours.
After 36 hours of the release of the topic, the posting of “Arguments” for the same will not be allowed, and all the Arguments posted till then will be displayed on the site.

Comments/Rebuttals:

Comments/Rebuttals for the Arguments for all the topics will be open till the end of the event.
One can comment or rebut by clicking on the “Comment” button at the end of the page.

Vote:

Anyone can Vote for any argument by giving a rating of 1-2-3-4-5 to the argument (option available at the end of the argument page), AFTER LOGGING into the site

No abusive entry or foul language would be entertained.
Prizes will be given for best Arguments and best Comments/Rebuttals.
Winners for best Arguments will be decided on the basis of the Votes, views and comments on the argument.
Winners for best Comments/Rebuttals will be decided by Editors at yourstory.in depending upon the originality and uniqueness of the comment/rebuttal and how the contestant manages to pull it of.
The decision of the Editorial panel will be final and binding.
Prizes will be in form of Cash, gift vouchers, and a fixed term paid assignment with yourstory.in

Convincing is an art.

Mahatma Gandhi, Hitler, Bin-Laden, Steve Jobs and many others had mastered at it with their own flavor & style.

We want to see yours. Maintain the decor, and show how persuasive & how manipulative you can get.

Show the world (literally through Internet),

How You can Convince and control !!

*Note : Event Begins on Sunday (19/04/09)

Crossfire - The Online Forum Debate

2009-04-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

Symposiarch in association with yourstory.in presents 'Crossfire - An Online Forum Debate', the first of its kind to be conducted across any campus in India. Registerations Open only for BITSians, both from the Pilani and Goa Campuses. Look out for notices!

Contacts

Anish Sinha - 09928169213

Ishan Agnihotri - 09772974357

National Orataory And Debating Competition

2009-02-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

Invitation for G.D Birla Memorial National Oratory Championship.

Symposiarch, the debating society of BITS Pilani, is pleased to present the 2nd G.D. Birla Memorial National Oratory Championship 2009.
G.D Birla M.N.O.C will be held from the 23rd to the 25th of March during APOGEE(23rd to 27th March), the technical festival of B.I.T.S Pilani.

There will be 2 main events:
1. Chaos Theory - A 3 on 3 Parliamentary Debate
2. Face Off - A Fibonacci Turncoat
Each college is allowed to send 2 teams per event.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE:
Everyone who wants to participate in any event(s) during Apogee '09 must fill up and submit the online registration form available on the website www.bits-apogee.org, thereafter, go to the event page http://online.bits-apogee.org/signup.php?event=oratorychamp and register for the event.

This should be done latest by 28th February, 2009.

for further details and any queries contact :

Anish Sinha
09928169213 / 09460985969

We look forward to participation from your institution and on our part promise a memorable learning experience.
Warm Regards,
Symposiarch

Fibonacci Turncoat

2009-02-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

Fibonacci Turncoat Debate

Turncoat is a form of debate where the speaker literally debates against himself. The speaker starts by taking a stance on the topic and switches sides after a specific duration of time.

The Rules and Regulations of the Turncoat Debate are as follows:

Topics: The topics will be given on the spot.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes after topic is given.

Speaking Time: Each speaker will have to speak for 8 minutes on the given topic. The initial will be given to the speaker along with the topic. The order of changing sides is as follows

(In case of ‘For’):

A. 1 minute - For
B. 1 minute - Against

C. 2 minutes - For

D. 3 minutes - Against

E. 1 minute - Summary

Rules Of Parliamentary Debate

2009-02-26T07:34:00.000-08:00

Parliamentary Debate Rules

A. Teams:

1. Proposition side- proposes and defends the motion;

2. Opposition side- refutes and negates the motion.

Each side is composed of three members.

The Members of the Proposition side are the following:

1. Prime Minister (PM) - opens the debate, defines the motion and advances arguments;

2. Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) - refute at first instance the case of the opposition, re-establish the government's claim, and advances arguments;

3. Government Whip (GW) - makes an issue-based rebuttal of the opposition's case and summarizes the case of the government.

The Members of the Opposition side are the following:

1. Leader of the Opposition (LO) - responds directly to the case of the government by giving a direct clash, and advances arguments. May challenge the motion if the definition is challengeable;

2. Deputy Leader of the Opposition (DPL) - refutes the case of the DPM, reestablishes the case of the opposition, and advances an argument;

3. Opposition Whip (OW) - makes an issues-based rebuttal of the government's and summarizes the case of the opposition.

B. Time of Speeches:

Each speaker is allocated seven minutes (6 + 1) to deliver their constructive speeches. One speaker from each side (For the Proposition: PM/DPM, for Opposition: LO/DLO) is given five minutes (4+1) to deliver a reply speech. The speakers will be speaking in the following order:

1. Prime Minister

2. Leader of the opposition

3. Deputy Prime Minister

4. Deputy Leader of the Opposition

5. Proposition Whip

6. Opposition whip

7. Opposition Reply

8. Proposition Reply

During the constructive speeches, Point of Information (POI) may be raised by the opposing side after the first minute up to the sixth minute. POI may be refused or accepted by the speaker. During reply speeches, no POI may be raised.

C. Reply Speech:

Reply speech is a comparative analysis of the strength and weaknesses of the case of both sides. The aim of the speech is to give a bias judgment as to why should the people support the team's claim. The speech is first delivered by the opposition side and followed by the government side that will close the debate.

D. Adjudication:

The Parliamentary Debate will be assessed by an Adjudicator Panel composed of an odd number according to the following criteria:

1. Matter (40) - substance of the debate, the arguments and evidence presented, and the logical reasoning and presentation of said arguments.

2. Manner (40) - the style of delivery, the persuasion skills, and the conduct of the debaters.

3. Method (20) - the response to the dynamics of the debate, and the observance of the rules of debate.