FIU Debate Team won first place in the local Voice Matters debate tournament, held on October 26, with individual debaters also earning awards. Jennifer Kleinberg won the “First Speaker’s Award” and the final round against the University of Miami along with Ro Vi, who won the “Third Speaker’s Award”! Joliette Re was declared second best speaker, and debated on a hybrid team with a student from Miami Dade College.
Everyone performed well and the wins reflected a great team effort before and during the event! The tournament was hosted by Miami Dade College and was in celebration of national Free Speech Week. The tournament is part of a larger effort from area universities to promote debate in South Florida and make South Florida a hub of college debate through the formation of a new South Florida Debate League. The next area tournament will be hosted by the University of Miami in December.