St Francis College - Franciscan Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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Visiting Oxford team members on a tour of Borough Hall with St. Francis debaters.

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DEBATE TEAM Why don’t we have a debate club?” This question was asked of Brother Blaise, O.S.F., Dean of Students, in November of 1965 by a collegian deeply interested in debating as an activity here at St. Francis. Spurred on by this question and the subsequent answer, interest in debate was sought out on a person-to-person basis. After a group of ten students expressed an interest in debating, a Constitution was proposed and approved, application to S.A.C. for recognition was submitted and approved, and a part-time coach and small budget were procured. The activities of the debating club consisted of participation in three collegiate debating tournaments in the Spring of 1966 at C.C.N.Y.. C.W. Post College and American University. Washington. D.C. Early in August of 1966, an invitation to appear on C.B.S. television's College Counterpoint” was relayed to the school. Though the season had not started and the team was without a coach, they committed themselves nevertheless in the name of the college. As if this wasn’t enough of a challenge. the loquacious sophomores took a chance to debate a visiting team from Oxford University of England. In the T.V. debates, our men defeated Rutgers University but lost in a subsequent match with Pace College. Oxford University’s debating team was defeated at the college on October 14. 1966. The topic of debate was Resolved: That this house deplores America’s unilateral Declaration of Independence.” Our collegians argued the negative and did so exceedingly well. Our debating team has thus far participated in tournaments at Waqner College. Queens College. Princeton University. Iona College, Temple University. Kings College and Harvard University. A series of student-faculty meetings to stimulate an interest in debating here at the college have also been held. Debating in many more intercollegiate tournaments and perhaps the holding of a collegiate debating tournament are also in the planninq stage. Members of the club are Pete Feeney. Pat O’Mara. Louis Martinenko. Tom Quinn. William Hughes. Bill Leininger. Pat Reavey and Robert Mishko. Most of all. our collegians have demonstrated the viable and dynamic Franciscan spirit, through which they hope to make their small contribution to St. Francis’ Design for Greatness. Pat O'Mara and Pete Feeney make last minute notes before TV debate.

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Governor Rockefeller is escorted into the lounge by Brother Urban where he addressed an enthusiastic student body. Congressman Carey makes a point. 14