Debate team renovation: Executive board builds foundation for success

Lehigh’s debate team is currently in a phase of rejuvenation and restructuring following its post-pandemic formation. With goals of creating more consistency — both in the scheduled club meetings and tournaments attended — the executive board is working to create a foundation for success. 

This team is made up of students of varying experience levels, as the trained executive board frequently welcomes new members. The executive board is led by president Hana Hussain, ‘26, who pioneered the changes implemented this school year.

With a new trajectory of conferences and meetings scheduled, Hussain secured the team as an official member of the American Parliamentary Debate Team. 

Securing this certification was not an easy task, and was accompanied by a period of trial and error for the group. 

As president, Hussain is responsible for activities including handling league relations, finances, social media content and corresponding with other presidents in the league. 

The team is appreciative of the student senate allocating funding concerning the conference’s expenses. 

“Funding has been a really big help this year because of our tournaments,” Hussain said. “So we’re very grateful to the (student) senate for that.”

With the help of other board members like Ashley Kim, ’27, the team is projecting toward efficient productivity. 

Kim is the director of debate training and is in charge of compiling weekly presentations with the team’s agenda. 

“The skills we learn and take away from our meetings are then used in real debates,” Kim said. 

During the first weekend in March, the team trekked to Connecticut to participate in the first American Parliamentary Debate Team tournament of the semester, where they competed against varying colleges at Yale University. 

Lehigh debate team member Andreas Marangos, ’26, addresses his team at Yale’s 2024 American Parliamentary Debate Team tournament on March 2. The team won six rounds at the tournament. (Courtesy of Hana Hussain)

The conference was competitive and included schools like Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Brown. Still, Lehigh’s debate team won six rounds in total. 

“I was honestly proud of everyone, especially in the last rounds considering we were going against really good teams,” Hussain said. “I feel like everyone improved throughout the whole tournament, people’s arguments and public speaking improved.”

Hussain said the team is composed of a “regular” 10 who attend conferences, and the rest of the members who do not participate as frequently in external debates. 

During the week leading up to the debate at Yale, new members joined the group. Any student is welcome to join the debate team at any time, as they’re looking to provide a sense of community. 

“I feel like new people are always joining us and wanting to see what’s going on in this club, and we support new people as much as possible,” Hussain said. “Even if you joined in the middle of a semester, we always try to get them up to speed as long as they’re interested in learning.”

The conference at Yale focused on varying topics: whether the Democratic Party should prioritize the wealthy in regards to allocating votes; religion and spirituality; the LGBTQ community; militarization against drug cartels and Biden’s antitrust laws. 

Bishop Pikinini, ‘24, an active member of the debate team, is a fifth-year student who has been a part of the team since it was formed. 

He said the team accepts members who just want to learn the skill of debating, and they learn each week by teaching debating styles and argumentation.

“I believe debating in general is a skill that enhances the quality of students for any field of study,” Pikinini said. “So, I would like to see the club grow.”