Winning the Third Place in Regional Level, IPB Debate Team goes to the National Level of NUDC 2018
Three Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) students, namely M. Fadhil Reza (Department of Food Science and Technology), Arya Dwi Putra (Department of Fisheries Resource Utilization) and Ihza Rizkia Fitri (Mathematics Department), won the third place while participating in Jabodebek and Banten Regional Level of National Universities Debating Championship (NUDC) at the beginning of last month at Mercu Buana University. In addition to qualifying for the national level of NUDC, Arya Dwi Putra became one of the eight best speakers in this debate competition.
There were 67 teams from 36 universities, 6 institutes, 13 colleges, 1 polytechnic and 11 academies participating in the NUDC selection. Based on the juries' decision, only eleven teams were set to join the national level which will be held starting on 15 August 2018 in Malang, East Java. Eleven NUDC teams came from IPB, University of Indonesia (UI), Pelita Harapan University, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Jakarta State University, Bina Nusantara University, President University, Bakrie University, Agung Podomoro University and Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University.
"Preparations have been made since two to three months ago after internal selection at the university level and more intensive preparation was carried out for two to three days before the competition. This is because we are busy with our own activities and are currently undergoing Field Work (PL) and Real Work Lectures (KKN) activities," said Fadhil, one of the Representatives of the IPB Debate Team.
These three students are graduates of a Student Activity Unit (UKM) called IPB Debating Club (IDC). The strategy carried out by this IPB debating team was to practice with discipline and orderly during joining IDC. "So, at IDC, there are regular exercises three times a week, called weekly training," said Fadhil. Another strategy was to read material/news/articles and to look for hot issues.
While participating in the regional level of the NUDC competition, Fadhil and two other debaters claimed to experience problems, especially when competing with the most difficult regional opponents such as Pelita Harapan University, University of Indonesia and Binus Nusantara University. Fadhil said that the journey of this debate selection starting from the university level to the regional level went smoothly. "We are grateful for the moral and financial support from the IPB community and the Directorate of Student Affairs. We also thank to our friends in IDC and its alumni who have trained us patiently, particularly to Bu Alfa Chasanah (Head of the IPB Language Unit) who always assists us," said Fadhil during the interview.
According to Fadhil, arguing is a hobby for him. Since the first grade of senior high school, Fadhil has entered the world of debate. "In the past, I competed as a high school debater. Now in the university level, I join the IDC unit, thus, I continue to debate with university's communities," he said.
Fadhil gave his tips for debating. He suggested to implement a good debate with a professional motion in which the motions are up-to-date with current issues, can be debated (have the pros and cons), and are not biased.
Accredited (credible and experienced) judges and a good system are also needed to create a high quality of debate competition. Besides that, debate is not just public speaking, but it must be argumentative, persuasive and substantial. (DFS/ZSP/Zul)
