Women’s Debate Institute
Issue II Vol. 3
Fall 2013
Our Community
Quarterly
Collegiate Debate Scholars Program is a Great Success !!
Inside this issue:
Donor Update
2
Student Board Members
2
Debate Success
2
Staff Reflection
3
College Representation
Apply Now for 2014
3
4
During the summer of 2013,
the Women's Debate Institute
hosted its inaugural session of
the Collegiate Scholars program. The ladies represented eight different universities and debate programs from
all over the country. Aniela
Butler (Michigan State University), Miranda Ehrlich
(University of Minnesota), Paula Cheng (Emory University),
Alexis Kostun (Gonzaga University), Mary Grace Darmondy
(Harvard University), Melanie
Campbell (University of Kan-
sas), Margaret
Strong (Michigan
State University),
Meredith Anguiera (Brown University) and Maddie Langr (Wake
Forest University) joined us
this summer to kick off the
program. The women spent
their time at the WDI discussing issues facing women in
debate and acting as instructors
for the high school tracks at the
camp. Having such a talented
group of women attend allowed us to start a program researching female
participation in debate
and produce a “best practices manual” with strategies to retain women in
debate. As the program
continues to grow, the
Collegiate Scholars will be instrumental in building a community of women in debate,
encouraging WDI students to
go to college, and increasing
academic scholarship about
women in the debate community. The 2013 Collegiate Scholars were a fantastic
asset to the WDI and we’re
excited to expand and continue
the program in future summers.
If you are interested in this
program, please contact Cat
Duffy or Carly Watson.
catduffy@gmail.com or carlyjanewatson@gmail.com
The WDI finds a new home at the Audubon Center of the North Woods
In the summer of 2013, the Women’s Debate Institute moved to the Audubon Center of the North Woods in Sandstone,
Minnesota. Located between Minneapolis
and Duluth, the Audubon Center borders
Grindstone Lake and is committed to environmental education. In addition to the
WDI debate lectures and activities, campers participated in low ropes courses,
toured the wildlife barn, and enjoyed the
lake. The 2013 WDI “adopted” Woody, a
bald eagle that fell out of its nest and was
rehabilitated at the center.
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
In addition to rehabilitating wildlife and
hosting educational camps, the Center
focuses on promoting renewable energy.
The Center has implemented a geothermal
heat pump system, solar PV arrays, solar
hot water heating, and a wind generator.
The Audubon Center has a long history of
promoting “a connection and commitment
to the environment in people of all communities through experiential learning.”
The WDI is excited to partner with the
Center and plans to return in 2014.
Page 2
Our Community Quarterly
A BIG Thank You to Our 2013 Donors !
Once again, our amazing donors helped us create an incredible
experience for our debaters. In
2013, the total operating expenses of the WDI were approximately $30,000. With the
help of universities, law firms,
and individual supporters, we
met our fundraising goals.
54% of our revenue comes
from new and long-term donors, including debate coaches,
former debaters, friends, relatives, and co-workers. Thank
you for all you do for the debate community! This year,
nine universities sponsored
Fellowships that provide travel
support and link students to
college debate teams. We
would like to thank the University of Iowa, Wake Forest University, University of Missouri
Kansas City, Cal-Berkeley,
SUNY-Binghamton, James
Madison University, Kansas
State University, College of St.
Benedict, and Gonzaga University. At the WDI, each and
every donation is important
our camp. Only 2% goes to
administration and fundraising
costs! Your donations are used
to pay for the summer camp
venue, 20 travel stipends for
high school students, travel
stipends for our Collegiate
Scholars, the travel expenses of
some of our faculty, and basic
supplies for camp. Without
donations, the WDI would not
exist. So from all of us at the
WDI - thank you for your
support!
We are an all-volunteer staff,
and that allows us to use 98%
of our revenue to directly fund
For more information or to
donate contact Sarah Glaser at
sarahmglaser@gmail.com
2013 Students Join the WDI Board of Directors
Our Role model
campaign
continues See
footage at :
http://
www.indiegogo.com
/projects/who-isyour-debate-rolemodel
The voices of our students have
always been integral to the goals
and mission of the WDI. Accordingly we elect a student
representative to be a voting
member in our highest governing body—The Board of Directors. Given the growth of both
our Policy and Lincoln Douglas
programs this year, the board
opted to include two students—one from each track.
After reviewing several strong
applications this year’s board
elected policy debater Lillie
Ouellette-Howitz (top right)
from Minneapolis, Minnesota,
and LD debater Alina Crouch
(left side second from the bot-
tom) from Kansas City, Missouri. These two women represent some of the finest students we have the privilege
of working with. Lillie has
attended the WDI twice and
will work to build up the
debate mentoring program.
This upcoming summer she
aims to connect older and
younger high school debaters in efforts to increase
community and support within
the high school debate circuit.
Alina’s motivation was influenced by the self-assurance she
gained at the WDI. She writes
“After WDI, my confidence in
myself as a female, as an indi-
vidual, has grown. I am now
more active in advocating for
equality. . .subordinate groups
should not be treated differently
or with disrespect. . . we are all
human beings.” We are thrilled
to be working with such inspiring women.
Collegiate Debate Scholars Having Great Success
Our inaugural class of Collegiate Scholars had a stellar debut at University of Missouri, Kansas
City, the first college tournament of the year. Collegiate Scholars Maddie Langr and Melanie
Campbell were amongst the 120 teams that competed at the tournament. Maddie, a junior at
Wake Forest University, was a semifinalist with her partner, Erica Duff, and Melanie, a senior
at the University Kansas , was a finalist. Congratulations ladies on a great showing and good
luck!
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
Our Community Quarterly
Page 3
Inside our Faculty: Beth Mendenhall
Volunteering at the Women’s Debate Institute is a way for me
to stay connected with the community of women debaters. I
debated for four years in high school then
four years at Kansas State (graduating summa cum laude with a double major in political science and philosophy). During that
“role models
time I created some of my best memories
come from
and made some of my best friends. As an
every
international relations PhD student (at John
generation Hopkins), I try to stay connected to debate
we learn as
in different ways. Coaching and judging are
much from the
great (I am an assistant coach for James
high school
Madison University), but I rarely get the
students as
chance to have informal conversations
they learn
about the activity as a whole and the everyfrom us”
day experiences of women making the transition to college. The WDI is great because
it brings together multiple generations of
current and former debaters. I have been
very impressed by how role models come
from every generation - we learn as much from the high
school students as they learn from us, because we all have
different experiences and perspectives, but we also all face
some of the same challenges as women. Feminism is always
changing, and WDI helps us see where it has been AND
where it is going. The all-women educational environment is
unique within debate, and the conversations and interactions it
generates seem to have a lasting impact on participants. If one
girl feels more
empowered,
more ready
for college,
more excited
about debate,
or leaves with
more role
models and
friends, then
WDI has been
worth all the
time, money,
and effort. I
cannot wait
If you have any WDI news please contact Rae
to be a part of
Lynn Schwartz-DuPre raelynn.schwartzthis organizadupre@wwu.edu
tion for years.
Kaavya Ramesh is invited to the prestigious Kentucky Round Robin
In the world of collegiate policy debate, an invitation to the University of Kentucky Round Robin is the
pinnacle of competitive success at the start of the season. They only invite the nine most elite teams in
the country- eighteen competitors. This year, Kaavya Ramesh, a senior at Michigan State University, will
be participating in her third Kentucky Round Robin but this year will be different- she’s the only female
invited.
Despite claims that policy debate has improved its sex imbalance, there are still staggeringly few female
participants at the highest levels of college debate. Kaavya says she feels “honored and exited to be invited but hopefully, over the years, our community will be better able to retain women.” We couldn’t agree more.
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
Women’s Debate Institute
Women’s Debate Institute
3379 22nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
E-mail: womensdebateinstitute@gmail.com
http://womensdebateinstitute.org/
The Women’s Debate Institute is a non-profit organization that
unites a robust community dedicated to the education of young women. Each summer we host a free debate institute for high school girls
from around the country. Our four day camp increases the number
of girls involved in debate, creates an environment that fosters community, and encourages young women to attend college.
Sisterhood is Vocal—Speak Out !
Join Us Next Summer —August 9-13, 2014