Author Archives: President

Alex Laifer Competes at JV Novice Nationals

In his final tournament at WCSU, Alex Laifer competed at JV Novice Nationals at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. He competed in the more competitive Junior Varsity Division with Daniel Gomez of the University of Rochester! They faced some of the most competitive teams in the country!

In less than a month, Alex competed in three tournaments on a shoestring budget. To make things more impressive, he did so without a director or coach from WCSU. On top of this, he had a swing partner from a different school at each tournament. This was a difficult way to compete, but it didn’t stop him from substantially improving his debate skills in a short period of time!

Alex delivering the first affirmative speech (1AC) during one of the rounds.

Alex Laifer Finds Success at Regionals

Alex Laifer has continued to do well at tournaments despite being the only competitor from WCSU! On February 24 and 25, he competed at Binghamton Northeast Regional Championship. He partnered with Sehej Johar of George Mason University. They won three rounds in the Novice Division. Congrats to Alex and Sehej for their wins!

Alex Laifer Breaks to Quarter Finals at The New School

Alex Laifer of WCSU competed in the Novice Division of the Gotham Debates at The New School on February 10 and 11, 2018. He was on a hybrid team with Jane Wu of Boston College. They had a strong showing; they won three rounds in prelims and broke to Quarter Finals! Congratulations to Alex and Jane for their results!

The Roger Sherman Debate Society Makes a Comeback at West Point

The Roger Sherman Debate Society went to the United States Military Academy (West Point) on October 28 and 29 to compete in their first policy debate tournament in a year and a half and first tournament since becoming a student organization this past January. Alex Laifer and Juan Leal were partners for six rounds; it was also their first time competing in a policy debate tournament.

They did especially well since they were on a shoestring budget. To save on costs, Alex and Juan took day trips to West Point both days instead of staying in a hotel. By doing so, they had to be on the road by 5 am both days.

Additionally, Alex and Juan did not travel with a coach to help them strategize in between rounds. This was a great learning experience for both Alex and Juan, who improved throughout the tournament. The Roger Sherman Debate Society plans on competing in more tournaments in the coming months.

On Saturday, October 29, Alex (left) and Juan (right) had to leave before 5 am for the West Point Debate Tournament. They were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise in the Hudson River Valley!

Juan reading a constructive speech in a round.

Alex (left) preparing his rebuttal speech while Juan (right) answers questions in a cross-examination.