Forensic society hosts debate tournament

Twelve teams from all over the nation competed at UH.

The tournament acted as a qualifier event that helped participants practice and earn enough credentials to compete in national tournaments.Though they did not compete in the tournament themselves, the UH Forensic Society played an essential part in organizing and running the event.“It really put us in a real world situation where we have to run everything and we all had delegated positions,” said Mafe Alfaro, a junior co-captain with the UH Forensic Society.

The UH Forensic Society was involved in almost all aspects of the tournament. Behind the scenes, team members were helping participants check in and find classrooms, announcing debate topics, collecting judges’s ballots and doing everything in between.

“The tournament really helps get our school’s name out and bring attention to our campus,” said Alex Lacamu, another junior co-captain.

The tournament was divided into three categories: parliamentary debate, international public debate and Lincoln-Douglas debate.

After topics are announced, teams had 20 minutes to prepare their arguments. While each style poses its own technical challenges, all are intense and require participants to be quick on their feet as they draw from knowledge on a wide range of topics.