I have been part of BP Debate Union for two years: one as a debater, one as president.
As I step down from the presidency, there are things I would like to say.

This blog is chronological — four semesters, in order.

First Semester

I joined the club as a freshman, seeking the challenge of BP debate and a way to improve my English.

My first event was quite something. I did not know the rules, so I leaned heavily on AI for argument generation and tried to construct and debate on top of what it gave me. Looking back, I was not really debating — I was operating an argument machine with my voice. But somewhere inside that clumsy first round, I felt it: the pull of the format, the pleasure of a well-landed point, the strange thrill of defending a position under pressure. That was the moment I understood what this club actually was.

The past presidents were less impressed. They said the way I debated was insidious. I was not familiar with the rules — that was a risk they chose to take as presidents. But that event was also when they noticed me. “We just thought you would stay. We did not know why, but we had the feeling,” one of them told me later.

I did stay. There were two club events a week and I looked forward to both of them.

Second Semester

As the past presidents got busier with academic pressure, events became less inspiring and less challenging. I stayed — just with more complaints.

They started giving me the chance to host sessions. I was a little scared, honestly, even though I considered myself one of the stronger members in both debate and language. Gradually I hosted more and more events.

Then came the election. I came into position.

Third Semester

I was glad to become president, but I was not prepared for how much administrative work the role carried. My debate workload tripled.

I tried to keep the club running: recruiting new members, introducing the format properly, attempting things the past presidents had not managed to do. The first few events went well. Then I tried to get everyone debating. I also extended event durations — and these two decisions together drove away nearly half our members.

The atmosphere that once made people want to gather, stay, and explore ideas together was gone. People no longer accepted challenges the way they used to. I saw more and more fear.

BP debate puts two of the things people fear most in the same room: public speaking, in a second language, and public debate. In an environment where people avoid challenges and dread losing, running this club is genuinely hard.

No one debates → less atmosphere → no one debates → no improvement.

Someone has to break the loop, or at least hold it open long enough for someone else to break it later.

I also came to understand something harder during this time. Everyone around seems to be busy, always running — but running toward what, I am not sure. A lot of it looks like internal exhaustion dressed up as effort. I stopped trying to encourage people. If someone cannot build the basic mental foundation to face a challenge, this is probably not the place for them. Real improvement belongs to the right people. I would rather say that plainly than keep lowering the bar.

I chose quality over quantity. The past presidents chose the other way, and I disagreed with them. But the path I chose is painful too.

“How many seconds in eternity? When the entire mountain has been chiseled away, the first second of eternity will have passed. You may think that is a very long time. Personally, I think that is a very short time.”

It was also during this semester that I spoke more with the past president, learning the club’s history — its people, its events, its story. One of the things I learned was that there had once been a tournament called Bowen Cup. I decided to bring it back.

Fourth Semester

Most events this semester have been hosted by our team members. I am glad to see that I have cultivated people who can keep the club going. There may not be a “me,” but there will always be an “us.”

As I write this, Bowen Cup is still in its advertising period. I planned for 16 debaters and 4 volunteers. Our advertisements reached a large number of people across campus — and about 12 of them joined the tournament group chat. Four actually decided to debate.

It is frustrating. But it is also clarifying. Fewer and fewer people are willing to pursue challenge or excellence, at least not here, at least not in BP debate. The tournament still has its meaning though. At the very least, it proves that we were once here, and that we tried.

Wishes

To whoever inherits this union or carries forward what we built here:

The union has a certain magical quality that reveals itself only to those who stay. Every president has been excellent in their own way, but every president has also been caught in their own loops and limitations — sometimes breakable, sometimes not.

I hope you get a great deal from this union. I hope you make it more united, and that you cultivate a generation of people who are genuinely ambitious and excellent.

Best wishes,

Antony
One of the Presidents
BP Debate Union
May 15, 2026