Bloomington, Indiana – The Indiana University Debate Team is doing more than just competing. It’s transforming the world of speech and debate for middle and high school students across Indiana, all while climbing the ranks of national debate competition.
Through a variety of initiatives — including middle school tournaments, coaching programs, and summer camps — the IU Debate Team has been building a bridge between the university and Hoosier classrooms. Their outreach gives students a head start in developing crucial skills such as critical thinking, research, public speaking, and argumentation.
It all started when Brian DeLong, debate coach and faculty member at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, took the reins in 2010. Since then, he has steadily broadened the team’s impact well beyond the university.
“We encourage students to go beyond consuming information,” DeLong said. “Through debate, they learn how to research a subject, teach it back, argue persuasively, understand counterarguments and ask meaningful questions. Additionally, they are more likely to retain information they researched and debated.”
The team’s efforts are particularly noticeable at the middle school level. With no official statewide tournament available, many younger students miss out on the competitive experience that helps prepare them for high school debate. IU’s solution to this gap is the Holiday Classic Middle School Debate Tournament — an annual event that gives students something big to work toward.
“It’s something our students work toward, and they value the feedback they get from the college students,” said Stephanie Hodge, a Westfield Middle School teacher and debate coach. “They walk away encouraged but are also excited to spend time on a college campus.”
This exposure to a collegiate atmosphere, combined with personalized feedback from IU students, gives middle schoolers both inspiration and a preview of what debate at the next level looks like.
But the work doesn’t stop when school lets out. Many IU debaters stay over the summer to host camps for students from across the state. These camps focus on building skills that translate directly into stronger performances on the national circuit, giving students a real shot at competitive success.
Further strengthening IU’s outreach, former IU debater and current advisor Anna Sanders launched a new program in the 2023–24 academic year. Her initiative connects the IU team with high school students and coaches weekly, offering support in formulating arguments, reviewing evidence, and practicing public speaking. Schools from Bloomington, Chesterton, and Munster have already joined the program.
“There isn’t a robust system that helps teams transition into Indiana’s competitive sphere of debate,” Sanders said. “I hope to break down barriers so it’s easier to get started.”
This effort is particularly valuable because many newcomers to debate are unaware of its different formats. Public forum and policy debate may seem similar, but they differ greatly in focus and style. While public forum debates center on current events and rely heavily on persuasive speaking, policy debates are more technical, deeply rooted in research, and driven by long-form arguments around specific policy resolutions.
That educational distinction is especially clear when students transition from high school to college-level debate — a leap that IU student Zander Fish experienced firsthand. His older sister, Anekah Fish, was already part of the IU Debate Team when Zander was still in high school. During his senior year, he won the state title in public forum debate and ultimately chose IU in part because of his sister and the coaching offered by DeLong.
“College debate is a much higher echelon,” Zander Fish said. “In high school, we had more lay debate, where there were parent and teacher judges.
“I transitioned from public forum in high school to doing policy debate in college, which is the oldest form of debate. It has a much deeper history and is more technical. Coach DeLong refined my skills, and as a team we’ve grown exponentially this year.”
Now a sophomore, Zander is the president of the IU Debate Team. Anekah, meanwhile, is enrolled at the Maurer School of Law and serves as a graduate assistant to the team. Their journey highlights how IU’s debate community not only develops competitive skills, but also fosters long-term academic and leadership growth.
The team is made up of students from across IU’s campus — not just political science or communications majors. Students from the Kelley School of Business, like Vishnu Midithuri and Adam Livnat, say their experience with debate has expanded their understanding of how business and policy overlap. They’ve carried those insights into classroom discussions and beyond.
Violet Peotter, a student studying East Asian languages and culture, said debate helped her sharpen the skills she needs for her career goals.
“My goal is to work for the government, examining policy,” she said. “Debate helped me speak efficiently and communicate my ideas clearly and persuasively.”
This wide-reaching impact hasn’t slowed IU’s competitive momentum. Over the past year, the team participated in ten national tournaments, taking home wins against top-tier programs like Dartmouth College and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Their season included an appearance at the Richland Correctional Institution in Ohio, where they participated in a unique matchup through the National Prison Debate League — an effort to bring intellectual exchange to unexpected places and redefine who can be a part of the debate community.
In January, IU hosted the Hoosier Invitational Tournament, part of the American Debate Association’s circuit. This event brought debaters from around the country to Bloomington and showcased IU’s growing national influence. At the ADA national championship in March, IU sophomore Kathleen Silkes received the Junior Varsity Debater of the Year Award — a major achievement for both her and the team.
“I’m so thankful and excited; I’m especially grateful for our team,” Silkes said. “We have such a great culture, and I’ve made so many connections. Starting off in collegiate debate can feel overwhelming, but Coach DeLong and our advisors turn us into highly skilled debaters and orators who are ready to take on any challenge.”
As IU’s Debate Team continues to make waves across the country, its commitment to growing speech and debate within Indiana is just as strong. From middle schoolers discovering their voice for the first time to college students preparing for careers in law, business, and government, the program is making debate more than just a competition — it’s creating a lasting legacy of leadership and learning.
