THE GREAT DEBATERS: The Harvard debate team recently squared off against an unexpected opponent: three inmates from Eastern New York Correctional Facility, a maximum-security facility in the Catskills. The three men, previously convicted of violent crimes, are currently enrolled in the Bard Prison Initiative, a degree-granting program that serves inmates.
Their topic for debate? Whether American K-12 schools should admit illegal immigrants. The inmates argued in the negative—and won, though they personally believe that schools should open their doors to immigrants. The prison team had its first debate back in March, beating the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY. Making their victory all the more impressive, the Bard team is not allowed to use the Internet while researching their arguments.
