The FIU Debate team recently competed in the national NDPA competition, and two debaters reached major milestones. Debate team, Roman Viveros and Juan Salamanca, performed well throughout the entire competition receiving 5 ballots allowing them to advance in the competition. With the 5 ballots, the team advanced to triple octa finals, double octa finals, and fell just shy of the final round. Overall, they made an impressive showing and scored within the top 36 schools in the nation.
The tournament, held March 19-21 at California State University, Long Beach, is one of two national championship collegiate debate tournaments in which FIU typically competes. The tournament had 163 teams from 64 different schools. Competing with top debate programs all over the nation, the FIU debate team finished with a strong performance.
The debate team has done a remarkable job competing throughout the academic year. The team last competition for this academic year is the state tournament on Friday, April 15 and 16 on the campus of Wellington High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Novice State Tournament is only open to those member schools that have competed with at least one student in a Regional Qualifying tournament in the year.
The FIU Debate Team, housed in the Communication Arts Department, is a student group with a presence on both the MMC and BBC campuses. The team focuses on the importance of fostering public debate and public deliberation. Over the last 12 years, the FIU Debate Team has represented the university in collegiate competitions in a variety of public debate styles, which include parliamentary, British Parliamentary, and IPDA. It has grown exponentially, with students joining each year.
