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The ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Debate Team had a strong start to its spring season, securing key victories and preparing for national championship events.

The team began the month with a tournament at the University of Texas at Austin, the last major national competition before the National Tournament. ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ recorded significant wins against Northwestern University and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Following this, ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ participated in a match debate against a top-five team from Dartmouth College, further honing their skills against elite competition.

¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ then competed in the Mid-American Challenge, hosted virtually by Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma. The team secured key victories over the University of Oklahoma and the University of Iowa, finishing in the top half of the competition.

Adding to their success, the ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ duo of Aaron Gill and Laurel Pack were selected as representatives for the Southeast Region (Region VI). Their ranking placed them just behind last year’s top team and ahead of the second team from last year, which received a second-round at-large bid.

¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ also hosted the March Birmingham Area Debate League (BADL) event and closed out the semester with a novice match debate against a highly regarded team from Liberty University.

March will be a pivotal month for the team, with several major competitions and events on the schedule:

• Match Debates with the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Georgia.
• ADA National Tournament at the University of Houston, where two ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ teams will compete.
• National Junior Division Championships at Johnson County College in Overland Park, Kansas, featuring one ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ novice team.
• National Debate Tournament in Spokane, Washington, at the end of March and early April, where ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ will be represented by one team.
• Public Debate at Miles College on the Miles College campus. The debate will focus on the resolution: “DEI programs have done more harm than good,” though the topic may change.

With a strong track record of success this semester, the ¼«ÀÖ½ûµØ Debate Team is poised for competitive performances in the upcoming national tournaments.