Drury debaters have been making waves in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) since 2016 when the debate program was re-established on Drury’s campus. The debate team has competed in six tournaments this school year. With two regular season tournaments and the IPDA National Tournament left, the season is far from over.

2018-19 season-long standings

As of Jan. 14, 2019, the Drury debaters’ season-long standings were 1st place for Varsity Speaker Squad, 2nd place for Team IPDA Squad, 3rd place Founder Awards, 3rd place Scholastic Awards, 5th place Novice Squad, and 11th place Junior Varsity Squad.

The team’s wins throughout the season give Drury’s team points for season-long rankings. The squad’s three remaining tournaments will affect their final rankings at the end of this semester.

Erin Benedict, president of the Debate Union, believes that the team is doing better than ever.

“I think this is our best season yet. We are all doing a lot better in different categories. We’ve stepped up our individual game,” said Benedict.

Emily Collier, who has been debating at Drury for three years, said, “At the last tournament, in individual debate every person on the team except for one broke into out-rounds. That’s the first time this year that that has happened, so we’re kind of building momentum as the year goes on.”

So far, the team has traveled to tournaments at colleges in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The teams’ next two tournaments will be a bit closer to home at Arkansas Tech and the University of Central Arkansas.

National Tournament

The debate team’s end goal is to be successful at the IPDA National Tournament in April, which provides new competition for the debaters. Collier anticipates that the team will bring home some trophies and titles from Nationals.

“I think we’ve got a really good chance of novice and junior varsity getting some big trophies from Nationals, as well as varsity because we’ve been around the block a few times,” she said.

IPDA debate

The IPDA uses a specific style of debate in its tournaments. In this style of debate, participants draw a topic with their opponent. According to Collier, topics can range from the philosophical to making a case for a team to win the Super Bowl. Both sides have 30 minutes to prep before the round begins.

Debate requires competitors to be able to think critically, analyze arguments and sources, and communicate ideas effectively.

“Debate is like the fulfillment of going to a liberal arts college. What we learn in our classes you see at these tournaments,” said Benedict.

Article written by Taylor Stanton.