Debate Team

Welcome to our team!

Debating provides hands-on experience speaking on important issues. You collaborate with teammates building a supportive group of friends that share your interests. Students from any major and regardless of experience are welcome to participate. With supportive coaching, our program builds your communication skills, allowing you to take on new challenges and accomplish the goals you want to achieve. Many of our debaters, with and without prior experience, have been extremely successful. We have won dozens of beginner and experienced awards including Top 4 in the nation first year team, Finals at Vanderbilt, NFC Silver award for a debate program, First Place Hatfield Tournament, and USU National Championship quarterfinalists.

We practice in-person on Tuesday and Thursday nights in the fall and continue on Thursdays in the winter and spring. You’ll be able to connect and talk with other students. We will debate and we will socialize—you and other students get to do most of the talking. Director Jim Hanson has run over 100 online debate programs including tournaments, summer camps, afterschool programs, and debate training and practice. Students have repeatedly said they were highly engaged, loved talking with other students, and learned important life skills that have made major positive differences in their lives and careers.

Team Meetings and Tournaments

  • Training and Practices are on Tuesday and Thursday Evenings. Most practices are in-person. 
  • Most Tournaments happen on Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday, or Saturday/Sunday morning/afternoon. 
  • Tournaments we participate in begin in early October, and continue through late April. 
  • We host tournaments from November through May. 
  • Most tournaments are in-person, some tournaments are online.

View the schedule here

More Reasons to Join Now

  • Markedly improve your public speaking, research, and critical thinking skills.
  • Meet students from other schools in the Northwest and throughout the U.S. and Canada.
  • Become better informed on issues affecting our local, national, and international community.
  • Learn new information and communication skills that help you succeed in your classes.
  • Work with other students who are supportive and share your interest in talking about interesting subjects.

Participating on the Seattle University Debate Union is great training for your future career especially for lawyers, educators, marketers, scientists, social and political advocates, and any position where communicating effectively is important.

Questions?

Director of Forensics Jim Hanson

Jim Hanson

Director of Forensics

hansonj@seattleu.edu