The William Pitt Debating Union (WPDU) recently showcased its talent at three major debate and speech competitions, earning impressive accolades.
At the Washburn Warm Up, the first debate tournament of the season, Henry Anastasi-Scott won first place in the novice division and was ranked second top novice speaker.
At the Sixteenth Annual Golden Gate Opener (GGO), hosted by San Francisco State University on September 27-28, 2024, WPDU members delivered standout performances. In the Open Division, Natalie Rose was a finalist in Impromptu Speaking and took 3rd place in Informative Speaking. In Lincoln Douglas Debate, Avinash Kunde was ranked the 2nd top speaker in the Open Division, while Henry Anastasi-Scott was named the top speaker in the Novice Division.
The WPDU also competed in the UNT DeMougeot Debates, a fully online tournament held October 5-6, 2024. Rosalind Dong was a Semi-Finalist and earned the 5th top speaker award in the Junior-Varsity and division. Tanish Gupta secured 2nd top speaker and won 2nd place in the Novice Division, while Dannie Lyu finished 14th in speaker rankings in the Junior-Varsity Division.
These tournaments feature Lincoln Douglas debate, where students engage in one-on-one policy debates. This year, competitors are tackling the complex topic of artificial intelligence, debating whether the U.S. government should increase restrictions on AI in areas like law enforcement, automation, and privacy.
The team is now gearing up for the Collegiate Forensics Association's tournament, hosted at Duquesne University later this month.
