Last week, the Debate Society hosted their annual tournament, drawing 176 debaters and 21 alumni judges from across the country, making it the largest tournament in team history. Teams from 17 schools, including those as far away as the University of Chicago and Yale, competed in the tournament over two days. The teams, all composed of one varsity and one novice member, competed for qualifications to the National Championship tournament and 20 “Speaker of the Year” points.
Eventually, of the 8 teams that advanced to outrounds, two were from Yale, two from Columbia, and one each was from Rutgers, William and Mary, Swarthmore, and the University of Virginia. In finals, the team from Columbia defeated the team from Rutgers on a 3-2 decision, choosing the topic “The US government should only subsidize college degrees in fields that have a high chance of employment or that pertain to national security issues.”
The tournament’s unique format meant that the Debate Society provided the topics (or “links”) for each round, covering a wide array of topics. Examples included:
- This house would occupy the White House instead of Wall Street.
- This house would dissolve NATO.
- You are a high school chemistry teacher who has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Break bad and sell crystal meth.
- It would be preferable if the Bible did not include the story of Job.
- This house believes that the President should not have the power to assassinate US citizens, even in a time of war.
The tournament was a huge success for the Debate Society, and the team raised more funding this semester than it was allocated by the American University Club Council. Much of this was thanks to the help of the University Honors Program and the Provost’s Office, both of which purchased food for the competitors to assist the Debate Society’s fundraising efforts.
It was also assisted by alumni from AU and other close friends; Leah Storer, a former Debate Society President and class of 2011 alumna helped in tab, as did Sam Hynes, a 2010 graduate of William and Mary, Sean Robinson, a 2010 graduate of George Washington University, Ali Bolye, a 2011 graduate of Johns Hopkins, and Alex Taubes, Debate Society coach and 2011 graduate of Boston University all helped the team run the tournament.
Overall, the tournament was the largest of the weekend, one of the largest in ProAm history, and the largest in American University’s history. As such, it will help the Debate Society continue to compete for the rest of the year, as it tries to defend its national ranking of seventh.