You may have noticed that MacEwan Hall has been pleasantly quiet on Thursdays this semester.
Speaker’s Corner, the series of weekly noon-hour debates that graced centre court in old Mac Hall for decades, has been conspicuously absent this year. Don’t worry, though. The University of Calgary hasn’t outlawed public demonstrations: our politicians-in-training are scheming to make a comeback.
"It’s due to a variety of reasons," explains Devon Singhal, the Speech and Debate Society’s director of internal debate. "The first is that we lost the sign. There have been some [Speaker’s Corners] on campus, but they’ve been smaller, there hasn’t been the same kerfuffle."
Missing signs aside, the Speech and Debate Society is attempting to bring Speaker’s Corner back to its old level. One of the society’s problems is reassembling a roster to rival the familiar orators that spouted off from the podium for many years. Unfortunately, they all left the U of C at the same time.
"We’re trying to get people together," says Singhal. "The same groups of people who did it for years have moved on. We’re looking for a time that’s good for everybody."
Don’t worry about reserving your front-row heckling seats yet–but expect lineups in January.
"We’re thinking of reassessing in November, and hopefully we’ll be up and running next semester," said Singhal.
Any opinionated students with healthy lungs interested in reviving Speaker’s Corner can contact the Speech and Debate Society at [email protected].