_(14598023988).jpg) A convening of the 1921 Council with Brooks Quimby left of the foreground | |
| Named after | Brooks Quimby |
|---|---|
| Formation | March 20, 1854 |
| Founded at | Lewiston, Maine, U.S. |
| Affiliations | American Parliamentary Debate World Universities Debating Oxford Union |
The Brooks Quimby Debate Council (BQDC) is a debate society in Lewiston, Maine, primarily comprising students from Bates College. The society, known for participating in British and American Parliamentary debate styles, competes in the American Parliamentary Debate Association and the World Universities Debating Championship. Notably, it engaged in a debate with Oxford University in 1923, marking Oxford's first debate in the United States.[1]
The BQDC has achieved recognition in various debate championships. In 2017, the team reached the final round of the World Universities Debating Championships in The Hague, and in 2024 it reached the final round of the Oxford Inter-varsity Competition.[2] Nationally, it ranked 5th in 2013 and 9th globally in 2012.[3] The New York Times once described Bates College as a central hub for college debating in America in 1922.[4]
- ^ "Oxford and Bates to Meet in Debate". Google News Archives. Lewiston Daily Sun. 29 August 1923. p. 14. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Bates debate ranks fifth in nation, including key win at Yale Inter-Varsity Tournament | News | Bates College". www.bates.edu. 31 October 2013. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
- ^ "Bates debate hits No. 9 in global ranking". www.bates.edu. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
- ^ "Bates debates Harvard at City Hall | 150 Years | Bates College". www.bates.edu. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-24.