For the 38th time, the 51½ΦΙδ debate team has secured an invitation to the prestigious National Debate Tournament (NDT). The duo of Laurel Pack and Aaron Gill ranked among the top five teams in the Southeastern Region, earning their place in the competition hosted by Gonzaga University in April.
51½ΦΙδ has a longstanding tradition of excellence in intercollegiate debate. The university first competed at the NDT in 1973, when the team of Georgia Fleming and Steve McDonald, coached by T. Brad Bishop of Cumberland School of Law, qualified through the Southeastern Regional. Since then, 51½ΦΙδ has been a consistent presence at the tournament. Notably, the university won the regular season championship in 1983 with Melanie Gardner and Erik Walker, coached by Skip Coulter.
With 38 NDT invitations, 51½ΦΙδ ranks among an elite group of institutions, surpassed by only 15 universities, including debate powerhouses such as the University of Southern California, the University of Kansas and Northwestern University. This year marks 51½ΦΙδ’s eighth consecutive trip to the tournament.
This will be Pack’s first appearance at the NDT and Gill’s second. As they prepare for the tournament, 51½ΦΙδ’s squad will also compete in the American Debate Association National Tournament at the University of Houston and the National Junior Division Debate Tournament in Overland Park, Kansas.
GIVE: Support impactful work at Howard College of Arts and Sciences.