Monmouth University’s Policy Debate Team’s co-captain Catherine Melman-Kenny and Alexander Mykulyn made it to the Quarter Final Playoff round at a debate tournament hosted by the University of Wyoming, running from Friday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 5.
The team of co-captain Nicholas Yalch and Sabria Smith received a team award for reaching the octa-final round.
MU had eight teams of two compete at the tournament, which included two rounds on Friday evening, four rounds on Saturday, and playoff rounds on Sunday.
“Congratulations also to the teams of Matt Filosa and Anthony Calamari, Tom Rosta and Eric Machnicki, Brianna Palmer and Angel Valerio, Claire Gaston and Lauren Bruno, Aaron Nitzberg and Gianna Tandari, and making their debating debut Maria Ortega-Lopez and Alexa Zupkay, all of whom scored impressive victories at the tournament,” Joseph Patten, Ph.D., coach of the MU debate team, wrote to The Outlook. “And a very special thank you to MU alum (and all former debate captains) Emely Diaz, Gregory Harpe, Landon Myers and Sabrina Saenger for helping coach the team and for judging at the tournament. “
The Policy Debate Team competed against teams from other universities, including George Mason University, James Madison, New York University, University of Minnesota, University of Texas, Cal State Fullerton, and more. The debates were hosted on Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The team’s next two tournaments will be in person at the University of Texas (Austin) in early February and in person at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in late February. This year’s debate resolution is: “Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase prohibitions on anticompetitive business practices by the private sector by at least expanding the scope of its core antitrust laws.”
“When on the affirmative, most of our teams are running a case on the negative impacts of factory farming,” Patten wrote. Patten urged those interested in learning more about the debate team to contact him, regardless of experience level.
