Maerowitz Earns Debate Honors

The Fulton Debating Society held its 119th annual Fulton Prize Debate in a packed Higgins Hall Tuesday night, deliberating the issue of whether "The United States should abandon the use of military force to support humanitarian intervention in the Middle East." While the Society's marquee event may have been forced out of its traditional Gasson 305, otherwise known as the Fulton Debate Room, venue for a year due to construction, it was clear that none of the intellect, humor, and rhetoric of the competition was lost in the transition.

Four debaters from the Society centered their arguments on the merits and drawbacks of U.S. intervention in Libya, with each engaging in a series of seven-minute constructive arguments, three-minute cross-examinations, and four-minute rebuttals. Grant Gendron and Daniel Berkowitz, both A&S '11, argued in favor of abandoning military force to support humanitarian intervention, while Michael Maerowitz, A&S '14, and Brendan Benedict, A&S '12, argued the opposite.

The debate featured an entertaining blend of investigation, conversation, and wit meant to persuade the judging panel, composed of Stefan Bauschard, a former debate coach at Boston College, Dr. Charles E. Morris, BC '91 and a professor in the communication department, and Kevin Walton, BC '10, a former member of the Fulton Debating Society. Memorable moments amid the detailed analysis of both positions included a construct on the price of burritos to explain how cheap the military operation in Libya would be relative to the U.S. defense budget, accusations of the affirmative side being "heartless," and comments on the idiosyncrasies of infamous Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

At the conclusion of an audience question-and-answer session, the debaters arguing for the negative were announced as the winners of the Fulton Prize Debate, with Maerowitz being named the top debater and winner of the prestigious Fulton Prize Medal. Maerowitz's name will be inscribed on the wall of the Fulton Debate Room, joining a lengthy list of top debaters that dates back to the 1890s.

"It was an honor to even be selected to participate in the Fulton Prize Debate," Maerowitz said in the wake of his victory. "The longstanding history behind this event makes it an extremely prestigious event in the BC debate community and I could not be more thrilled by the outcome."

Maerowitz is just the latest member of an impressive debating pedigree to succeed at BC, with his brother Matthew, BC '10, winning the Fulton Prize Medal in 2008. According to John Katsulas, Director of the Fulton Debating Society, Tuesday evening's award ensured that the Maerowitz brothers would be the first siblings to ever win the award.

"One of my goals when I came here was to have my name written on the wall a few spots below my brother and accomplishing that goal my freshman year is certainly a big surprise," Maerowitz said. "It will be exciting knowing that there will be something tangible I can look at when I visit BC years from now that lets me know I was able to leave my mark on this campus," he said.

The Fulton Prize Debate is the capstone on the busy schedule of the members of the Fulton Debate Society, who participated in competitions at numerous colleges and universities throughout the year and offered public debates at BC on issues ranging from the value of Wikileaks and the state of the Bowl Championship Series. Katsulas cited these public offerings, as well as the education of the broader BC community, as ways the Society can touch the lives of all BC students.

"Debate training has always been highly valued by Jesuits for its unique ability to teach the importance of diversity of thought and critical thinking skills," Katsulas said.