Parliamentary Union successfully opened 2008 by claiming several awards at the “Bulldog Battle,” a Speech and Debate competition held at Butler University on January 19.

In an academic replication of the battle for the Monon Bell, Wabash and DePauw faced off in the final round of parliamentary debate to determine the tournament champion.  The spirited debate over whether the federal government should respond to the home mortgage crisis concluded with a DePauw victory. Thus, Robert Bloss ’09 and Jonathan James Torrez ’10 took home the second place trophy (or, in this case, large stuffed bulldogs that were given out as awards).  Bloss and Torrez’s performance also earned Wabash a second place finish (and a trophy this time) in the team competition.

In individual events, Wabash finished with three award winning performances.  Victor Nava '10 finished fifth place in Poetry.  Two Wabash competitors also participated in an experimental event held at the tournament. The event, entitled No Little Black Book, challenged performance conventions for oral interpretation.  Steve Ellis ’09 took second place in the event while Nava finished third (each also earning a large stuffed bulldog).

The Parliamentary Union looks to build upon its early year success with upcoming competitions at the Indiana State Individual Events Tournament (at the University of Indianapolis on February 23) and the DSR-TKA national tournament (at the University of Florida, March 7-9).