Update on Towson Situation - University Relents on Harvard Ban

Towson debate team becomes center of debate

Members want to go to Harvard tournament but university says it isn't on the schedule

October 24, 2013| By Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun

There is a debate raging on the campus of Towson University over a nationally ranked team.

Members of the debate team say they have been blocked from participating in an important Harvard Universitytournament this weekend because of conflicts with their former coach.



Ameena Ruffin, 21, a City College graduate and debate team member, said she does not understand the university's decision. Teams that do well at the Harvard competition, she said, have a better chance of garnering an invitation to the national championships.

"We have worked hard. We have been successful at it," said Ruffin.

But Towson officials say the Harvard tournament was never on the team's schedule. The officials also said the debate team members had agreed to this year's schedule, which was determined with their input.

"In consultation with their coach, the current debate team members have had full participation in their competitive schedule," university officials said in a statement.

The students said that, like college athletes, many of them were recruited by the university because of their debating skills. Towson's debate club won a national championship in 2008. Team members said they have raised money on their own to cover the costs of attending the event.

The students said in an interview that they had difficulty getting along with their former coach, Steven Davis. Attempts to reach the coach were unsuccessful.

According to the university's statement, Davis "was reassigned to make the students and Mr. Davis more comfortable."

"Earlier this semester, Towson swiftly investigated and addressed all concerns brought to our attention from members of the debate team. There were no findings that warranted further investigation or sanctions," university officials said in a statement.

Kevin Whitley, a debate team member, said the schedule was determined by a large class taking debate. But few of them take part in the off-campus schedule, he said.

"Our argument from the beginning is that this is a forced and false choice and does not take into account the importance of this tournament to our competitive success," said Whitley, a junior and graduate of Talent DevelopmentHigh School in Baltimore.

"The university has done a great job of repeating its general stance in regards to the original decision to exclude Harvard from our schedule, but has done a very poor job of responding to our concerns, which have been outlined clearly and repeatedly," he added.

"We are ranked in the top 20 teams in the country," said Whitley, who is hoping that the team may yet find a way to compete in Boston this weekend.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-24/news/bs-md-debate-towson-20131024_1_debate-team-towson-university-schedule


Towson debate team wins its case
University relents and sends debate team to Harvard for tournament

By Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun

5:14 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2013

Towson University's debate team won its argument with school officials and will be going to a Harvard University competition this weekend.

The nationally ranked four-member team and its coach had prepared their speeches and packed their bags so that if a call came from a university official giving them permission to compete, they would be ready to go. Just 10 minutes after the call did come Friday afternoon, they said, they were driving north on Charles Street toward Interstate 695.

"We were going on a blind faith and a hope that they would respond in the way they did," said debate team member Kevin Whitley. The team's first debate starts at 7:30 a.m. or 8 a.m. today.

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Towson debate team becomes center of debate

The team has had disputes with the university over a former coach, who has been reassigned, and over the tournament schedule.

The university said Thursday afternoon that the team would not be permitted to go to Harvard, contending that the team had already agreed to a schedule that didn't include the competition. Members of the team had attended that competition last year and said they had always wanted to go. If they do well, they said, they will be more likely to qualify for the national championships.

"Based on recently raised concerns regarding the Towson University forensics program, we have determined that more time is necessary to gain clarity on these complex matters. In the interim in an effort to ensure that we have not disadvantaged either the program or the students, we are allowing the Towson University Speech and Debate team to participate in the Harvard tournament. We wish them well," Provost Timothy Chandler said in a statement.

Whitley said he is pleased. "We all feel pretty good with the outcome. We are glad the university can support us in what we came here to do and what we love to do, which is to debate," he said.

He said the team believes it will be able to work through the problems it has had in the past year. "We feel this is a sign the university is willing to work with us on the issue. We feel we can move forward," he said.

liz.bowie@baltsun.com

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/blog/bs-md-towson-goes-to-harvard-20131025,0,1458838.story#ixzz2ip0vB1vw