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Debate Hawks Host and Win Four Awards at 4th Annual Jersey Shore Invitational

The Monmouth University Debate Hawks hosted the 4th annual Jersey Shore Invitational Debate Tournament on November 23 and 24. Over 100 college debaters representing 11 universities participated in this NDT/CEDA sanctioned tournament, including debaters from the West Point Military Academy, Boston College, West Virginia University, and New York University, to name a few.

The Monmouth team won four awards at the tournament. Monica Santos and Danielle Doud (both political science majors) won a team award by making it into the playoff rounds on Sunday. Three Monmouth students also won individual speaking awards, including Jessica Roberts (political science, 3rd place), Sana Rashid (chemistry, 5th place), and Ryan Kelly (political science, 6th place).

The students debated the following resolution: RESOLVED: THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE STATUTORY AND/OR JUDICIAL RESTRICTIONS ON THE WAR POWERS AUTHORITY OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IN ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING AREAS: TARGETED KILLING, INDEFINITE DETENTION, OFFENSIVE CYBER OPERATIONS, OR INTRODUCING U.S. ARMED FORCES INTO HOSTILITIES. The Monmouth team created a case limiting the president’s authority in the area of drone strikes.

Each two-person team is required to compete in six rounds of debate, three on the affirmative and three on the negative, with each debate round lasting approximately two hours. Teams that make it into the playoff rounds continued debating into Sunday evening’s championship round.

Monmouth entered ten teams, including Kelly Craig and Michelle Grushko (upper division); Dan Roman and Victoria Norges (upper division); Jessica Roberts and Ryan Kelly; Monica Santos and Danielle Doud; Sana Rashid and Amanda Kontor; Michael Hamilton and Iziah Thompson; and first-time debaters Nick Whittaker and Joe Telafous; Alya Yildiz and Payal Patel; Mike Kulik and Sal Popolillo; and Angela Ryan and Caique Nascimento. Former Debate Hawk Miriam Peguero, now working at the World Bank in Washington D.C., returned to campus to help judge at the tournament.

Please contact Political Science Professor Joseph Patten at 732-930-4300 for more information.