IU debate is a leading nationally competitive intercollegiate debate team. Undergraduates, with extensive research, preparation and coaching travel the country and debate against the nation's best and brightest. The program is dedicated to advancing the culture of debate on the IUB campus through public debate, curriculum development, and our high school debate outreach efforts.
We are proud to represent IUB as a collaborative effort of the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, The College of Arts and Sciences, and the Hamilton Lugar School. With their support we seek to use competitive debate to develop ethical, critically minded, and well-rounded leaders of academia, the nation, and the world.
IU debate have been the hosts of The High School National Debate Coaches Association National Championships (2024) and the College Policy Debate American Debate Association. The program also made history in hosting both the College National Debate Tournament and the Cross Examinational Debate Association in 2014.
Would you like to join or donate to the program? Please follow the links above to find out more!
A Strong Start to the Indiana University Debate Season
The Indiana University debate team kicked off their competitive season with impressive performances at the Owen L. Coon season opener hosted by Northwestern University and the JW Patterson debates at the University of Kentucky. With a blend of experience and fresh talent, the team made their presence known in the world of collegiate debate.
Novices Bring Home Third Place at the ADA Nationals
Indiana Debate began the month of March at the American Debate Association Nationals in Georgetown, marking the end of the season for most of our debaters. Vishnu Midithuri and Aaron Fernando ended their season as quarter-finalists at the ADA, and Midithuri was the 8th Speaker in the novice division. They also are the 3rd best novice debate team in the nation based on their performance throughout the year. Their high placings at ADA Nationals, the Texas Open, the Crowe Warken Debates, and winning the Hoosier Invitational Tournament earned them their high placing.
The Spring 2023 semester began with three tournaments. In early January, the Indiana Debate team traveled from Bloomington to Annapolis to compete in the Crowe Warken Debates at the US Naval Academy. From there we debated at the Hoosier Invitational Tournament and at the University of Texas.
