The Suny New Paltz School of Business has unveiled a new this semester debate format to better serve nearly 100 students who participate in this annual event.
The new structure is that of a parliamentary style debate, which takes place in a single day and obliges students to react quickly, emphasizing the argument and rhetoric rather than research. In previous years, the debaters received a week or more to prepare for each turn, but in the new format, they had no more than 15 minutes after learning the subject to organize their thoughts.
The speaker Christina Bark, a business faculty and former member of the Business Advisory Council with more than 20 years of business experience as a lawyer and executive, supervised the transition to the new format as an instructor of the legal environment of the commercial course.
“The new format obliges students to draw from everything they have learned to date to form their argument, without the advantage of looking for the ideas of others,” said Bark. “He focuses on a quick brainstorming together in a team and working under pressure.
According to Bark, the time taking to prepare students offers them better simulation of real professional dialogues and decision -making.
“I saw a lot of people who had excellent ideas, but who did not have the ability to present them in a persuasive and coherent way, so their idea does not happen,” she said. “Someone who can organize her thoughts at the time will be better able to have an impact.”
Thirty-two teams of students discussed for three laps each on Saturday November 4, with four who advance at a semi-final. The subject of each debate cycle focused on a commercial issue with ethical and lower implications.
The debaters were evaluated by a collective of judges made up of members of the commercial advisory council, students and teachers evaluated, who decided the winning team for each round. The judges also awarded individual speakers points in the fields of speech skills, body language, organization, efficiency of time, professionalism and global persuasion.
During the final, the last two teams on the point have debated the resolution, “companies should be required to restore”. Alexandra MALGIERI '20 (pre-accountability), SASHA Stratton '20 (pre-commercialization) and Joseph Ruggiero '19 (psychology) ended up with a close victory over opposition.
“This debate was a really great experience,” said Stratton. “I was extremely impressed and inspired by all my classmates when I heard them speak, and by the way they were educated and insightful in a situation where they had not prepared anything.
The best price for a full speaker went to Michael Walsh '18 (accounting), who participated in the second place team.
More information on the business school and its programs is available online.
At Learnopoly, Finn has championed a mission to deliver unbiased, in-depth reviews of online courses that empower learners to make well-informed decisions. With over a decade of experience in financial services, he has honed his expertise in strategic partnerships and business development, cultivating both a sharp analytical perspective and a collaborative spirit. A lifelong learner, Finn’s commitment to creating a trusted guide for online education was ignited by a frustrating encounter with biased course reviews.