University of La Verne Debaters Defeat UCLA at Politicon

University of La Verne debaters argued that a worldwide supranational government – one similar to the European Union – would leave little support for small and developing nations. Their University of California Los Angeles rivals countered, saying that such power would unite the world, eliminating borders and walls.

In the end, judges and hundreds of audience members sided with the University of La Verne at the third annual Politicon in Pasadena on July 30.

“Joanna (Mrsich) and Scott (Dutra) won over the audience,” said Rob Ruiz, debate team adviser. “They were very persuasive.”

Politicon, a two-day political convention that took place July 29-30, drew about 10,000 people, including pundits, celebrities, and legislators to the Pasadena Convention Center. The line-up included Chelsea Handler, Ann Coulter, Rob Reiner, James Carville, and America Ferrera. And, the University of La Verne.

Members of the University of La Verne debate team – past and present – turned out to support of Mrsich, a political science and speech communication major, and Dutra, a political science major, who went up against two UCLA students on the topic of supranational government.

Debating in front of an audience with passionate political views is a daunting task.

Part of the challenge for the debaters is that they are assigned a stance on a topic and that does not necessarily reflect their personal opinions, said Mrsich.

“It was a little nerve wracking because you don’t want to offend anyone, but you also want to convince them,” she said.

UCLA debaters argued that a supranational government would eliminate problems such as war, economic crises, and more. But Mrsich and Dutra said that kind of power would not help all nations.

Mrsich said she initially considered it a challenging topic because such a government would have the power to override nations that commit human rights violations, something that would benefit a large amount of people.

“In principal, (the topic is) a really good discussion to have because it’s something that is becoming more relevant on the world stage,” she said.

Ruiz said about 300 people at the convention watched the debate.