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nyu debate :: team :: background

In the mid-90s, the NYU program was founded by an experienced debater (Jacob Weigler) and a veteran debate coach, Will Baker. Weigler and Baker recognized the importance of a new form of debate structure that was inclusive and balanced the educational requirements of a nationally competitive university with the rigors of competitive academic debate. They recruited a number of novices and committed to finding ways for all NYU students to compete. NYU became a forerunner in applying critical theory to debate in ways that would challenge the assumptions of policymakers in every round.

NYU's CEDA team has been a success story since its inception ten years ago. In its first season debating the Mexico topic, NYU won awards in the novice, jv and open division despite starting competition in the middle of the year. The program has qualified teams for the National Debate Tournament and the Cross Examination Debate Association Championships. NYU was the 2003 National Champions in CEDA Debate, the first East region team to secure that honor. New York University CEDA debate team is one of only three programs ranked in the top 100 that maintains active programs in each division of policy debate (open, junior varsity and novice), plus runs volunteers programs and forums, and provides outreach assistance to inner-city high schools as an element of team responsibilities.

The rapid success of NYU team is thanks in part to its membership in the NY Coalition of Colleges, a program of the IMPACT Coalition. In 1991, Baker created a consortium of urban college debate programs at Columbia University, Rockland Community College and Queens College called the NY Coalition of Colleges to match the resources of larger traditional programs. The award-winning model supported programs at the college level that would not be able to start, much less maintain policy debate, without collaboration. Queens, Rockland and IMPACT’s support extended NYU’s four-figure budget into a five-figure one allowing travel from NY to California, Texas to Tucson and national prestige. In the interceding years, New School, Fordham, and various schools in the City University of New York (CUNY) have all joined. As NYU’s program has grown in national stature, it has taken its rightful place as a leader for the Coalition of Colleges helping other NYC schools expand their programs and resources.

Travel is contingent on the amount of evidence cut, community service, performance, and preparedness. On average, we attend between 16 and 20 tournaments a year. Regional travel plans include: Kings, West Point, U Mass, University of Buffalo, Binghamton, Novice Nationals, JV Nationals, NDT District Qualifiers, CEDA Eastern Championships. Our national travel plans include: Gonzaga, Ga. State. Northwestern, U of Richmond, Wake, Heart of America, USC, Cal State Fullerton, Miami, Texas, CEDA Nationals and the NDT. If performance and preparation merits additional tournaments, we will also attend Berkeley, West Georgia, Harvard, Baylor, and Pepperdine.

NYU also offers individual events and parliamentary debate for students who cannot commit the required time for policy debate.

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