AU speech and debate team to host high school tournament
By Steve Schwartz | Staff writer
The Augusta University Speech and Debate Team kicked off its fall semester with an orientation meeting in the COMM Hub in Allgood Hall on the Summerville Campus on Monday, Sept. 14.
The team will be doing community outreach this semester. Indeed, this will be the first year the debate team hosts a high school debate competition. The competition will be on Saturday, Oct. 24, in University Hall 170. The teams from eight different high schools in Richmond County have been invited to the competition. The AU tournament will use the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) Format.
The plan to expand into Columbia County will be implemented upon this year’s successful pilot-run.
The debate team is open to all students and all majors. The preparation, debate practice and competition help prepare and polish “skills and strategies that can be used in any industry.” said communication lecturer Denielle Harris, the team’s coach.
Harris started coaching the team in 2025. The Department of Communication supported her desire to develop a team. A team was assembled, and those students competed in the 2025 Regents cup and placed 10th.
The Regents Cup debate series is an annual event for USG students to engage in IPDA-style debate. In the 2026 debates, Augusta University’s debate team tied with the University of Georgia in seventh place. These achievements were earned in competition after fall and spring semesters training and preparation.
If there were a season like a sport, the fall semester would be the start of preseason. Students can expect intense training; including practicing research strategies, argument structure and argumentation, delivery skills, critical thinking and active listening. The topics span a wide range from pop culture to government policy. Harris selects topics for practice debates from the previous year’s competition.
The debate team also coordinates debate scrimmages, one or two times a month. The scrimmages utilize Zoom and afford students from different universities within the USG to participate in debate practice, in a virtual central location. Expanding their training beyond the confines of their own locale. (‘Students engaging across campuses’ sounds good, but I forgot the second half of this sentence.)
Competition participants can look forward to applying their skills in the next Regents cup debate, to be held in April 2027(I need to confirm this and find the dang website for the debate competition). Last year’s champion received a $3000 scholarship while three other student competitors were awarded scholarships, as final and semi-finalists. That story here: https://www.usg.edu/news/release/uwg-wins-regents-cup-valdosta-state-student-named-individual-debate-champion/
This year’s training schedule includes the opportunity to scrimmage with professional lawyers. There will be additional engagement with individuals from other professions involved in the legal field and debate competition. This type of practice will provide opportunities for students to verbally spar with proven professionals.
The high school tournament next month is part of a plan by Harris to involve the community in speech and debate. Last spring, the AU team brought in the Josey High School speech and debate team for a day of practice. Harris led those practice sessions.
Contact Steve Schwartz at stschwartz@augusta.edu.
The 2026 AU Speech and Debate Team at the Regents’ Cup: From left to right, coach Danielle Harris, Lilly Williamson, Mikayli Roberson, Riya Ninan and Harry Tan. (photo courtesy of Danielle Harris) At the top of the page, Harris gives Josey High School students pointers about debate competition. (Bell Ringer file photo)
