Two Baylor Teams Qualify for the National Debate Tournament
(Left to right): Baylor NDT qualifiers Anastasia Keeler, Lorilei Lassen, Omar Darwish and Spencer Benton (courtesy photo)
Two teams from Baylor University have qualified to compete in this year’s National Debate Tournament (NDT), to be held March 27-30 at the University of Houston. This is Baylor’s 22nd consecutive year to qualify at least one team in the NDT, and the 66th time since 1948 that Baylor has been represented at the tournament.
The Baylor team of Lorilei Lassen, a senior aviation sciences major from West Jordan, Utah, and Omar Darwish, a senior data science major from Upland, California, qualified for the NDT after posting an undefeated record of 8-0 in district competition, becoming the No. 1 seed. At the district competition, Darwish won first place in the overall speaker competition, while Lassen placed second.
The second Baylor team qualifying for the NDT, composed of Anastasia Keeler, a senior political science major from Austin, Texas, and Spencer Benton, a junior political science and sociology major from Houston, Texas, posted a 6-2 record in district competition and became the No. 4 seed.
All teams at the NDT will be prepared to debate both sides of this year’s resolution, which is "Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially strengthen collective bargaining rights for workers in the United States."
"This is an amazing accomplishment for all these debaters, especially as three of them are seniors and are completing a journey they started nearly a decade ago as high school students,” said Jeff Nagel, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and director of Baylor's Glenn R. Capp Debate Forum. “These teams are so talented that our goal is not just to qualify for the national tournament, but to go achieve at a high level against some of the best teams from across the country. The debaters have been working hard, and I am already so proud of them, and I have no doubt that they will finish the season strong and represent Baylor well."
Nagel said that debate at Baylor University traces its history to 1850 and the earliest organized debates through the Philomathesian Society, which dates back to when Baylor was located in Independence before moving to Waco in 1886. Notable Baylor debate alumni include five former presidents of Baylor as well as three former governors of Texas. This year’s debate team is coached by Nagel and assistant director Kristiana Báez-Gustavson.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments in the sciences, humanities, fine arts and social sciences, as well as 11 academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. The College’s undergraduate Unified Core Curriculum, which routinely receives top grades in national assessments, emphasizes a liberal education characterized by critical thinking, communication, civic engagement and Christian commitment. Arts & Sciences faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit the College of Arts & Sciences website.