After a summer’s worth of downtime, the University of Miami Intercollegiate Debate team is back and better than ever – ready to get their heads back in the game and take the college debate world by storm. Consisting of three teams, more than 60 students and two staff members, our debate team has plans to go not only around the country, but around the world to show their talents for persuasion, critical thinking, and making sure that The U is represented to the best of their ability.
Julia Lynch, the debate team’s president and resident senior on the policy team says the following about the upcoming year after getting back from the Georgia State University tournament: “This year, the Policy Debate team is excited to participate in a combination of national and regional tournaments at both the Varsity and Novice levels. Over the course of the next eight months, debaters will be evaluating whether or not the United States should cooperate with Russia and/or China over space policy. Our team is already off to an early start as they traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the Georgia State University National Opener. Looking ahead, the Miami Policy Debaters will be competing in tournaments hosted at the University of Mary Washington, George Mason University, and Wake Forest University. I can’t wait to see them succeed this semester and wish them luck as they continue to represent The U!”
Expanding their horizons, debaters of our British Parliamentary team will also be participating in a civic debate at Howard University, debating on reparations for African Americans at a historically black college. Not only that, debaters are even being sent to prison to participate in a tournament held in a maximum-security prison in Oregon where four of 16 teams are made up of inmates.
Even on campus, we see our debate team not only providing a platform for student discussion through their monthly UChats, but also collaborating and creating debate watch parties meant to create a space for students of any major, school, or college to become involved with the 2020 elections.
We see them on campus, across the country, and soon across the world spreading their knowledge, awareness, and skill in a variety of different ways. The debate team is open to all students of all skill levels, and actively encourage new membership year around – whether in Policy, British Parliamentary or Spanish debate. They are constant advocates for discussion, innovation and even having a little fun during tournaments, on-campus events, and even in the hallways of the School of Communication, all are welcome here.
