E-Board
The 2012 Executive Board of the Rutgers University Debate Union
Chris Bergman is the President of the Debate Union. A rising senior majoring in Economics, Bergman joined RUDU in 2009. He finished 2011-2012 as the 23rd ranked speaker on APDA and part of the 22nd ranked team with regular partner Ashley Novak. He broke nine times last year, qualifying for Nationals, and earned Rutgers’ second-ever top speaker award, at West Point. Chris also holds the all-time RUDU record for possession of dinosaur T-shirts. He is planning on working in ratings agencies after Rutgers.
Bhargavi Sriram is the Vice President of the Debate Union. A rising senior majoring in Finance, Sriram joined the Union in 2009. She made the elimination rounds at UMBC last year, finishing the year ranked on APDA with regular partner Arbi Llaveshi. She also represented Rutgers at the National Championships in 2011. After graduating, she plans to pursue a career in business, though her loyalty is shifting from Taco Bell to Chipotle.
Ashley Novak is the Treasurer of the Debate Union. A rising junior in the School of Arts and Sciences, Novak started debating for Rutgers in 2010. The highest-ranking first-year woman on APDA in five years, she finished second in the prestigious 2010-2011 Novice of the Year (NOTY) rankings, the highest finish in any annual APDA ranking for a Rutgers debater in history. She finished 2011-2012 ranked 22nd team on APDA with regular partner Chris Bergman, breaking eleven times with four different partners. Known for frantically studying several languages with different alphabets at once in the Debate House, Ashley is looking at a career in linguistics after Rutgers.
Henry Phipps is the Public Relations Chair of the Debate Union. A rising senior studying Urban Planning, Phipps joined RUDU in 2011. He finished last year ranked 42nd Novice of the Year, winning two novice final rounds with regular partner Alex Jubb while breaking six times to novice outrounds. While new to the team, Phipps has established himself as one of the most enthusiastic members of the club, or indeed people to ever to set foot in the state of New Jersey. He hopes to eliminate suburban sprawl after graduating from Rutgers.
Kurt Falk is the Novice Mentor of the Debate Union. A rising sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences, Falk joined the team in 2011. He won 10th Novice of the Year last season and won two novice divisions with regular partner Quinn Maingi, finishing third Novice Team of the Year and earning nine trips to novice outrounds. You might think Falk is moderate and even-keel, but he’d need more time to carefully consider that proposition… and then rant about it! He is currently undecided on career plans post-Rutgers.
Alex Jubb is the Alumni Coordinator of the Debate Union. A rising junior in the School of Arts and Sciences, Jubb started debating for RUDU in 2011. She finished 2011-2012 as the 29th ranked Novice of the Year and broke eight times to novice elimination rounds with three different partners, winning two novice finals with regular partner Henry Phipps. She may be the shortest E-Board member in RUDU history, narrowly swiping the previous record set by Ashley Novak and Nisha Kumar. She is still deciding her path after graduation.
The 2013 Event Director of the Rutgers University Debate Union
Deepta Janardhan is the Tournament Director of the Debate Union’s annual tournament, to be held this year on March 8-9, 2013. A rising junior majoring in Economics and Political Science, Janardhan joined RUDU in 2011. Debating mostly with regular partners Thomas O’Rourke and Nisha Kumar, she won 23 rounds last year. She also took a novice speaker award at Fordham, a tournament that also featured her ironwomaning a round. Much debate is ongoing within the club about whether or not she is lanky. Deepta is undecided on her career plans after Rutgers.
The 2012 Coaching Staff of the Rutgers University Debate Union
Storey Clayton is the Coach of the Debate Union. A graduate of Brandeis University in 2002, Clayton began coaching at Rutgers in 2009. During his APDA career, he won the North American Championship (2001), was the 2nd ranked speaker (2002), part of the 3rd Team at the National Championships (2001), 3rd ranked novice (1999), and part of the 5th ranked team (2000). Prior to coaching debate, he worked in non-profits in the Bay Area, including the Seneca Center for Children and Families and the Glide Foundation. Since his arrival at Rutgers, the team as a whole has gone from unranked in the prior eight years to 24th in 2010, 5th in 2011, and 9th in 2012. Storey is currently coaching full-time and writing novels on the side, one of which was published in 2003 and two more of which have been completed in the last two years. He gets a haircut at least once every half-decade.
An official Assistant Coach is being hired for the 2012-2013 season. You may apply here: Rutgers University Human Resources Job Posting.
If you would like to hold the E-Board accountable to their campaign promises, you can compare them here.
To see information on the Fall 2011 E-Board, click here.
To see information on the 2010-2011 E-Board, click here.
Past Officers of the Rutgers University Debate Union
Fall 2011
President: Chris Bergman ’13
Vice President: Nisha Kumar ’13
Treasurer: Ashley Novak ’14
Public Relations Chair: Stephen Yellin ’13
Tournament Directors: Adam Bomeisl ’14 & Bhargavi Sriram ’13
Coach: Storey Clayton, Brandeis ’02
2010-2011
President: David Reiss ’11
Vice President: Farhan Ali ’11
Treasurer: Kyle Bomeisl ’11
Public Relations: Krishna Kavi ’12
Tournament Director: Christopher Bergman ’13
Webmaster: Gordon Morrisette ’13
Coach: Storey Clayton, Brandeis ’02
2009-2010
President: Eric Knecht ’10
Vice President of Operations: Barbara Silber ’10
Treasurer: Brian Canares ’11
Novice Coach: Eisha Chopra ’10
Secretary: Lorraine Belostock ’10
Public Relations: Kyle Bomeisl ’11
Tournament Director: David Reiss ’11
Webmaster: Roy Antoun ’10
Coach: Storey Clayton, Brandeis ’02
2008-2009
President: Eric Knecht ’10
Vice President – Executive: Barbara Silber ’10
Vice President – Finance: Lorenzo Calinawan ’10
Novice Coach: Eisha Chopra ’10
Tournament Director: Akbar Ahsan ’10
Chief Technology Officer: Kyle Bomeisl ’11
2007-2008
President: Sam Zeidman ’08
Executive Vice President: Eisha Chopra ’10
Vice President of Finance: Lorenzo Calinawan ’10
Novice Coach: Simon Burger ’08
Tournament Director: Ed Fu ’08
Chief Technology Officer: Ed Fu ’08
2006-2007
President: Sam Zeidman ’08
VP: Rebekah Lee ’07
VP Finance: Dan Ahn ’07
Varsity Coach: Prashant Iyer ’07
Novice Coach: Carl Kunda ’07
Tournament Director: Ed Fu ’08
PR Officer: Cindy Huang ’08
Chief Technology Officer: Ed Fu ’08
2005-2006
President: Carl Kunda ’07
Executive VP: Dan Ahn ’07
VP Finance: Prashant Iyer ’07
Novice Coach: Ross Mazer ’06
VP Operations: Ryan Gogol ’06
Tournament Director: Rebekah Lee ’07
Community Debate Director: Meredithe McNamara ’07
Chief Technology Officer: William Mon ’06
2004-2005
President: Ross Mazer ’06
Executive VP: Carl Kunda ’07
VP Finance: Dan Ahn ’07
VP External Relations: Zack Matusheski ’06
VP Operations: Rebekah Lee ’07
Chief Technical Officer: William Mon ’06
2003-2004
President: Ross Mazer ’06
Vice President: Dan Ahn ’07
Treasurer: Zack Matusheski ’06
PR Officer: Joy Kwon ’04
Secretary: Ryan Gogol ’06
IT Officer: William Mon ’06
2002-2003
President: Ross Mazer ’06
Vice President: Danielle Cirelli ’06
Treasurer: Carl Kunda ’07
Secretary: Joy Kwon ’04
PR Officer: Zack Matusheski ’06
IT Officer: Marat Denenberg ’03
2001-2002
President: Samuel Kim ’03
Vice President: Peter Choi ’03
Treasurer/PR Officer: Evan Luce ’03
IT Officer: Marat Denenberg ’03
Member at Large: Ross Mazer ’06
