{"680967":{"#nid":"680967","#data":{"type":"news","title":" Embracing Debate ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERiding the momentum of recent success, the Georgia Tech Debate Team is preparing for upcoming tournaments and reaching out to students interested in joining.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEight debaters recently competed against several of the top debate schools in the country at Vanderbilt University, and six of them won honors. Competing in the British Parliamentary format (BP\/WUDC), Emma Poma and Rafay Hadi navigated the preliminary and knockout rounds to become the tournament runners-up. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFifteen minutes before each round, the teams are given a topic \u2014 which can range from global economics to science \u2014 and assigned a position, arguing for or against the motion. The format forces the team to work quickly and critically to craft their argument. While they often find themselves arguing against their own opinions, Poma believes there\u2019s an upside to identifying alternative viewpoints. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Debate has made me a less strictly opinionated person because I\u2019ve come to see how both sides of an opinion have validity and reasons to believe what they believe, and that\u0027s allowed me to take a more nuanced approach in life,\u0022 she said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHadi, originally from Pakistan, says debate has been an invaluable part of his experience as an international student and hopes other students will see the club\u2019s value beyond competition. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It\u0027s always been more challenging to communicate because English isn\u0027t my first language, but debate has become my bridge. In conversation and job interviews, it\u0027s become exponentially easier to articulate and explain my thought process. For those who may not share my experience as an international student but aren\u0027t used to public speaking or are afraid of public speaking, debate can help you gain confidence in your ideas and beliefs,\u0022 he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHadi and Poma have participated in debate since high school, but no prior experience is required to join the club. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Just show up to practice, and we\u0027ll get you started. So many people are interested in current affairs and have discussions about politics, economics, or other topics, and the benefit of debate is that you find an outlet for that and a productive way to build real knowledge,\u0022 Hadi said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESix team members will travel to the University of California-Berkeley for a tournament March 8 \u2013 9, where they hope to continue their success. In addition to Hadi and Poma\u0027s second-place finish at Vanderbilt, Rebecca Bi and Marissa Mandir won the novice subcategory. In November, two debaters placed at a Wake Forest University tournament, marking the team\u0027s first participation in the prestigious NDT-CEDA Policy Debate Circuit. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile the BP\/WUDC format is the more common debate structure, the club also hosts and competes in policy debates, allowing more research and preparation.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrograms typically have a coach present for all tournaments, but Poma and Hadi take pride in their team being primarily student-led with support from the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As the team continues to grow, they plan to enter additional tournaments and elevate the program\u0027s standing in the competitive debate landscape.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"The Georgia Tech Debate Team is looking to capitalize on recent success and elevate the program\u0027s standing."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech Debate Team is looking to capitalize on recent success and elevate the program\u0027s standing.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Georgia Tech Debate Team is looking to capitalize on recent success and elevate the program\u0027s standing."}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2025-03-06 17:20:44","changed_gmt":"2025-03-06 17:44:33","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-03-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676489":{"id":"676489","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Debate Team ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EEight members of the Georgia Tech Debate Team recently participated in a tournament at Vanderbilt University, with the team earning six honors. Submitted photo.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1741282119","gmt_created":"2025-03-06 17:28:39","changed":"1741282119","gmt_changed":"2025-03-06 17:28:39","alt":"Debate Team Winners ","file":{"fid":"260285","name":"IMG_1338.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/06\/IMG_1338.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/03\/06\/IMG_1338.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":824688,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/03\/06\/IMG_1338.jpeg?itok=yuU-uaL0"}}},"media_ids":["676489"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"193157","name":"Student Honors and Achievements"}],"keywords":[{"id":"173814","name":"debate team"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E - Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}