Brooks Quimby Debate Council
Named afterBrooks Quimby
FormationMarch 20, 1854
Founded atLewiston, Maine, U.S.
AffiliationsAmerican Parliamentary Debate
World Universities Debating
Oxford Union

The Brooks Quimby Debate Council (BQDC) is a debating society in the city of Lewiston, Maine, whose membership is drawn primarily from Bates College. Oxford University's first debate in the United States was against Bates in Lewiston, Maine, in September 1923.[1] The debate society competes in the British and American Parliamentary Styles. It competes domestically in the American Parliamentary Debate Association and internationally at the World Universities Debating Championship.

At the 2017 World Universities Debating Championships in Hague, Netherlands, the council advanced to the final round, becoming one of the top four teams in the world. In 2013, the debate council was ranked 5th nationally.[2] In 2012, the debate team was ranked 9th in the world.[3] In 1922, The New York Times called Bates "the power center of college debating in America."[4] Founded near the start of the college's founding, the debate society is the oldest coeducational collegiate debating society in the United States.

In 2023, Oyuka Lyndon and Manuel Machorro Gómez Pezuela became the first pair of Bates sophomores to break Open at the World Universities Debating Championship.

History

The third trophy wall of the debate society in Pettigrew Hall.

The formation of the team predates the establishment of the college itself, as the debate society was founded within the Maine State Seminary. Professor Jonathan Stanton, who taught at Bates from 1863 to 1918, was instrumental in encouraging the early debate societies at Bates in the 1860s and the sophomore debate prize. In 1869, the State of Maine officially recognized two of Bates College's initial debating and literary groups, the Polymnian Society and the Eurosophian Society, by granting them distinct charters.

As early as the 1870s, women were participating in the debate contests at Bates.[5] From 1901 to 1903 William Trufant Foster led the Bates debate program. The debate society at Bates College, under the leadership of Bates alumnus and faculty member Brooks Quimby, achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first intercollegiate international debate team in the United States.

In the 1930s, the society underwent a transformative phase known as 'The Quimby Institute.' This phase was characterized by a rigorous training method where each debate student was individually challenged by Brooks Quimby. The approach focused on cultivating "flawless assertions" in students, and any mistakes they made were meticulously analyzed and critiqued. This method of debate training was notable for its intensity and the high level of scrutiny applied to the students' performances. During the Chase presidency, the college's debate team, became intercollegiate and associated with the college's academic reputation.[6][7] The debate society became the first college debate team in the United States to compete internationally.[8]

In February 1920, the debate team defeated Harvard College during the national debate tournament held at Lewiston City Hall, establishing Bates as a dominant force in collegiate debate. In 1921, the college's debate team participated in the first intercontinental collegiate debate in history against the Oxford Union's debate team at the University of Oxford.

In 1922, The New York Times called Bates "the power centre of college debating in America."[4] Oxford's first debate in the United States was against Bates in Lewiston, Maine, in September 1923.[1][8]

Academic scarf of the Brooks Quimby Council

Membership and status

The society competes domestically in the American Parliamentary Debate Association and internationally at the World Universities Debating Championship. In 2014, the council won US Nationals at the US Universities Debating Championship. As of 2013, the debate council was ranked 5th, nationally.[2] In 2012, the debate team was ranked 9th in the world.[3]

Notable alumni

United States Secretary of State, Edmund Muskie

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Oxford and Bates to Meet in Debate". Google News Archives. Lewiston Daily Sun. 29 August 1923. p. 14. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Bates debate ranks fifth in nation, including key win at Yale Inter-Varsity Tournament | News | Bates College". www.bates.edu. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  3. 1 2 "Bates debate hits No. 9 in global ranking". www.bates.edu. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
  4. 1 2 "Bates debates Harvard at City Hall | 150 Years | Bates College". www.bates.edu. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  5. ↑ "Collection: Brooks Quimby Debate Council | Welcome to Bates College Archives".
  6. ↑ "George C. Chase | 150 Years | Bates College". www.bates.edu. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  7. ↑ "Student Clubs and Organizations | Campus Life | Bates College". www.bates.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  8. 1 2 Clark, Charles E. (2005). Bates Through the Years: an Illustrated History. Edmund Muskie Archives: Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. p. 37.
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