byWei Xutao & Li Junan fromSchool of Foreign Languages

Translated by Wei Xutao edited by Zhen Yanhua

Time:2014-4-29 9:34:56 Click:1127

At8:30 a.m.,April26, witnessed by more than 300 attendants, including ProfessorRobert Trapp, former chairman ofIDEA,as well as dean of School of Literature & LanguagefromWillamette University, Oregon, USA, Meng Dawei, HUST’s vice president, Ge Baojun, HUST’s dean of studies, and Jiang Yufeng, HUST’s dean of School of Foreign Languages, etc., the opening ceremony of 2014HUST-CDENNortheast China Debate Tournament was held in the lecture hall on the fifth floor of HUST’s New Main Building, West Campus.

It is the first time for HUST to hostCDENdebate tournament, one of the top-level intercollegiate debate competitions in PRC, which was jointly sponsored byCDEN andWillamette University, Oregon, USA as early as 2012. The tournament will use theBP(British parliamentary) system, one of the most extensively used rules in the world for debate competitions, which is molded on British parliamentary procedure and long distinguished for its challenging characteristics, although English is not the only language for debaters to use in the competition.

The opening ceremony washeld completely in English. In it, Vice president Meng Dawei delivered a speech to extending his appreciation to the significance for HUST to hostCDENdebate tournament and his warm welcome to the arrival of ProfessorRobert Trapp andhis jury teams, as well as all debaters and their tutors from other universities and colleges. Vice president Meng also spoke highly of the preparatory work done by HUST’s School of Foreign Languages, the tournament’s organization party, esp. Dean Jiang Yufeng, its leader, and wished it succeed.

ProfessorRobert Trappalso spoke highly of the work done byall HUST’s organizers and student volunteers for this debate tournament. In addition,he illustrated his witty understanding on debate, i.e.debate aims to speak well and be a good person so that everyone can behave themselves and create a more harmonious world. Then he introduced the jury staff he led to the audience, and wished all debaters enjoy themselves.