Welcome to Texas Debate
VISIT THE UT NATIONAL INSTITUTE IN FORENSICS AT http://www.utdebatecamp.com !
The University of Texas debate program is a highly competitive program geared towards competing at the National Debate Tournament (NDT) and Cross-Examination Debate Association (CEDA) national tournaments.
It is open to any undergraduate enrolled at the University.
We compete at both regional and national debate tournaments, allowing students from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels to compete.
Our program has advanced teams to the elimination rounds of the NDT every single year since 1990, a claim which no other program can make. The debate team alone has been ranked in the top 10 since 1990, and together with the Individual Events team, we have won 13 consecutive AFA NDT/NIET Joint Awards.
We offer scholarships and out-of-state tuition waivers to our most qualified and nationally-competitive debaters, as well as graduate student stipends for assistant coaches through the Department of Communication Studies. The program is funded through several sources, including the College of Communication, Student Service Fees, endowments, and self-funding through the UT National Institute in Forensics and the Longhorn Classic high school tournament.
Every UT team entered at the 2005 national tournaments advanced to elimination rounds! Alex More and Sara Apel reached the semifinal round at the NDT, with Brian Peterson and Sarah Heaton and Spencer Johnson and Mariesa Herrmann both reaching the double-octafinals. At CEDA Nationals, Claire McKinney and Varant Yegparian reached double-octafinals, and Jenny Davis and Chris Thiele reached triple-octafinals.
Join the Team!
If you are interested in joining the UT debate team, please contact Joel Rollins at jd.rollins@mail.utexas.edu.
Support Texas Debate
If you have benefited from the program or support our activities, our students can use your help.
• Rousse Miller Debate Endowment
• George and Virginia Nokes Debate Excellence Fund and George Ann and Amon Carter, Jr. Fund
Team News
• Congratulations to the freshman team of Nick Whitaker and Yao Yao Chen, who advanced to the semifinal round at the Wichita State tournament on Sept. 25.
• The UTNIF is in the news! KXAN News 36 aired a news piece about the campers, the Austin-American Statesman wrote an article about UTNIF's urban debate outreach efforts, and the College of Communication wrote a newsletter story about the UTNIF.
• UT qualifies three teams to the 2005 National Debate Tournament! UT is one of only six schools to qualify three teams to the 2005 NDT, joining the ranks with Harvard, Dartmouth, Cal-Berkeley, Emory, and Northwestern.
• Congrats to Sara Apel and Alex More for being named a first round at large bid team to the National Debate Tournament!
• Congrats to Spencer Johnson and Mariesa Herrmann for placing First at the District III NDT qualifier. Spencer was also named top speaker and won the large chocolate bunny.
• Congrats to Sarah Heaton and Brian Peterson for earning a second round bid to the National Debate Tournament!
• Congrats to Eric Emerson, NDT semifinalist for UT in 1995, for attaining his NFL diamond.
• We welcome Jonah Feldman as an assistant coach next year. Jonah will be coaching debate and studying in the Department of Communication Studies.
• Congrats to Brian Peterson for being named a George and Virginia Nokes scholarship recipient for 2004-2005
• Congrats to Sara Apel and Alex More on reaching the quarters at Northwestern. Alex was 8th and Sara was 5th speaker. Congrats to Mariesa Herrmann and Spencer Johnson for reaching the Octofinals, defeating Berkeley inn the Doubles!
• Congrats to Sarah Heaton and Brian Peterson for winning the UT-D tournament!
• Congrats to Claire McKinney and Alex More and Brian Peterson and Sarah Heaton for reaching the Quarters at Baylor. Alex was 1st speaker and Brian was second speaker.
• Congrats to former debater Lloyd Doggett for winning a US House of Representatives seat in the new District 25.
