Guanajuato, Gto., February 15, 2018.- Students of the University of Guanajuato (UG) obtained the first places in the First State Championship of Parliamentary British Debate and Oratory in Guanajuato, which was organized by the Institute of Political Formation and Transformation.

In an interview, members of the debate team of the University of Guanajuato (EDUG) revealed the three teams of this university who participated and went through semifinals; in the final they obtained the first and second place in the debate; and in oratory, they obtained the second place.

The competition lasted for two days, and in it participated students from the Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus León, the Universidad Iberoamericana Campus León and the Universidad La Salle, besides the University of Guanajuato.

The topics were diverse, --basically general culture—you get the motion and you have 15 minutes to prepare. In that time, you must prepare your arguments and the scenario, explained Laura Elizabeth Vázquez Villanueva, a student of the sixth semester of the degree in Political Science.

In these contests, you debate from political topics –such as the political representation of minorities in México—, if we are in favor of people treating dogs like children, or if the fans must be the owners of the professional sport teams, detailed Luis Roberto González Santos, who is studying in the fourth semester of the degree in Law.

He added that to win, it is fundamental to use logic, "they grade the logical nexus you make, not only the information, but for the argument to make sense". Besides, the participants have to play different roles, so they must be prepared to defend different postures in favor and against the proposed thesis, as well as improvising, because they must be ready for the different scenarios proposed by their counterparts.

The debate team prepare from Monday to Friday, from two to four hours a day, starting at 20:00. "Depending on the contest we rehearse for, we see the theory and practice", mentioned Laura Elizabeth Vázquez.

Formally, there is no advisor, so feedback is between the own team members, although they invite external observers to get an objective opinion of their strengths and weaknesses.

José Cruces Hernández remarked that this team is a completely student's initiative, "it is gratifying to see the results of our effort as students" because we have positioned as a representative team of the University of Guanajuato, he sustained.

The student of the second semester of the degree in Political Science, who obtained the second place in oratory, revealed that this was his first experience in this type of competitions. "I haven't been long with the debate team; however, I've learned so much and I think this experience will help me learn even more."

Laura Elizabeth Vázquez explained that this debate team was formed at the end of the last semester, so they only had three weeks of rehearsal for this competition, which makes it more gratifying to obtain those results.

An opportunity to grow

About becoming a member of the team, they revealed that there is a summon and whomever is interested participates in a competition, hence the selection. Now, there are around 15 members from different educational programs, such as Law, Industrial Relationships, Political Science, Public Administration and Economy.

"The team seeks to add students from different programs, besides, each time we participate in the contests we find a great diversity of topics, and it is very enriching to have people from different degrees, because everyone contributes knowledge and it helps when debating", mentioned the student.

Being part of the debate team counts as social service, although it is more learning than a service, because you develop skills to speak in public, defend your ideas, communicate with others, and that is really important in any degree."

"If you are interested in being part of the debate team, you need commitment, but a commitment that will achieve big things, you'll note great changes in you, and it will open many doors", finalized Laura Vázquez.

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