UM takes on Worlds Debate at Yale

The University of Miami debate team broke new ground last weekend by competing at the fifth annual Yale Inter-Varsity Debate Tournament. It was the University of Miami’s first appearance on the competitive british parliamentary debate circuit, competing against 152 squads from all over the United States, and Canada. The team sent two squads to debate side by side with the likes of Harvard, MIT, Duke, McGill University, and the University of Toronto in a two day event spanning the New Haven campus. Representing the University of Miami the sophomore team of Ali Jessani and Ryden Butler were joined by debate veterans Jeremy Tan and graduate student Randall Martinez.


The team had big wins over squads from Rochester, West Point, Florida International University, Patrick Henry, Louisiana Tech, Fordham, the University of Toronto, Yale, Middlebury, and Bard College. Over the course of the weekend the students debated various topics including college scholarship standards, doping in sports, the housing crisis, the power of nongovernmental organizations, and the government’s role in preservation of indigenous cultures. Overall, the Canes had an impressive outing for their british parliamentary debut and were only a couple of points away from advancing to the elimination rounds. The team competes again at the University of Vermont followed by Appalachian State University in the next upcoming weeks.

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