Center for Democracy in Deaf America announces 2022-2023 debate team, schedule

The Center for Democracy in Deaf America (CDDA) has announced its 2022-2023 debate team roster and schedule. Entering the third season of the debate program with Head Coach Dr. Brendan Stern, ’06; Willam Burgess and Moonhoon Choi as assistant coaches; and Adam Bartley as interpreter liaison. The 2022-2023 debate program roster features six veteran debaters (Aubrey Moorman, Romel Thurman, Lexi Hill, Daniel Miers, Thalia Guettler, and Lorelei Becktel-Lpiscomb) and nine newcomers: Franco Bippus, Amelia Palmer, Klijah Mitchell, Clark Barrett, Trent Mora, Aubrie Bauer, Sabrina Firl, and Neila Eaddy.

“This is the largest and most diverse, talented, and experienced debate team in Gallaudet history. I am fired up and ready to watch them argue with logic, research, and passion,” said Stern.  

The third annual Speeches and Stories in Sign (SASIS) event, on September 29, launched the 2022-2023 debate season. It featured the debaters presenting a persuasive argument on a controversial topic of their choice, using logic, evidence, emotion, and storytelling. The topics ranged from “College and universities should abolish safe spaces” to “Vasectomies should be mandatory for adult males.”

Four debaters participated in the Vanderbilt Dialogues on Democracy October 14-15 in Nashville, Tennessee. They pitched a 70-year-old age cap for elected officials to improve voting and elections, and finished in the top four out of 10 teams. 

After the Vanderbilt Dialogues, the program’s focus will be Loyola Marymount University’s St. Ignatius Dialogues this weekend in Los Angeles, California, in which the topic of discussion will be healing justice in the context of mass incarceration and homelessness. 

Two teams will attend the fall Social Justice Championships November 12-14 at George Washington University. The proposition will consider whether “The worker cooperative model is preferable to the traditional firm model in the United States to promote a more equitable economy.” 

The team will co-host with the Center for Black Deaf Studies a Social Justice Debate panel and debate event on December 1 at Peikoff Alumni House. The debate will determine the final two debaters  to represent Gallaudet at the Social Justice Debates National Championships next spring at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Several more intercollegiate debate competitions are in the works for the spring semester, including a debate with the United States Naval Academy on April 20. This debate will be unique in that representatives from both teams will team up and debate whether deaf people should be allowed to serve in the military. 

We wish our debate team the best of luck!