Communication Studies

The UM Debate team hosted and moderated a UChat event in Spanish on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 on a topic that is close to the members of the team and many students on campus. The Uchat titled “Practicas Ilegales de Gobiernos Latinoamericanos” which translates to “Illegal Practices of Latin American governments” initiated a discourse on the corruption of Latin America and the source of why so many people flee these countries.   This chat provided a safe space for students to discuss the exploitation they have witnessed firsthand in their [...]

Julia Lynch and Zachary Homeijer from the UM Debate Team achieved a milestone by advancing into the elimination rounds in a national level varsity policy debate tournament at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia on Oct. 12-14.  “Advancing into the elimination rounds was extremely exciting for our team. We have spent the past year working to improve our skills so that we can be competitive at the highest level and we are so happy to finally reach this milestone,” said Lynch. For Lynch and Homeijer, who began their [...]

Of the many qualities that make a person a leader, Dewayne (DJ) Washington, a senior at the University of Miami, possesses all of them. Washington comes from Raleigh, NC, with a passion for football and numbers. While in high school, he wanted to combine his two loves to grow into someone worth noticing. One night while watching ESPN, he came across UM on ESPN’s 30 for 30. One campus tour later, Washington made the decision to attend The U.  Washington came in as business and finance law major, noting "I always [...]

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 16,000 chapters of Toastmasters worldwide. One of the most unique chapters is in the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Oregon. Since 2004, inmates in this maximum-security prison have developed speaking and critical thinking skills through their participation in the organization. Their activities include debate training from the debate coach at Lewis & Clark College and participation in competitive debate. The penitentiary also hosts the only intercollegiate/institutional [...]

A language barrier can prevent someone from understanding you in the simplest of situations leaving you frustrated, anxious, and sometimes even ready to give up. For Melody Li, a sophomore who moved to the U.S. from China to pursue a bachelor’s in Marine Science and Biology at the University of Miami, learning English as a second language gave her the opportunity to attend a college outside of her country, but left her feeling nervous conversing with peers.  "It was an easy choice,” Li said of selecting to attend UM. “It's [...]