What We Succeed In

History of Success

Whitman College has a long history of national and regional success in debate including two 1st place Nationals Speaker Awards and numerous national champion sweepstakes awards.

Since 2018, Whitman College Debate and Forensics has accrued over 100 awards, including qualifying two teams to the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence in the 2021–2022 season, three first-round bids for 2023–2024, and has already qualified 2 teams by the start of November 2023 for the current season. 

In Fall 2022, Whitman expanded to a comprehensive level, adding Individual Events (also known as Forensics), IPDA (Individual Debate), and occasionally Public Forum and Congress. In 2022-2023 alone, the comprehensive program captured nearly 90 awards, including a National Championship in Junior Varsity Public Forum and a Top Novice finish in Editorial Impromptu, both at Pi Kappa Delta, the comprehensive Nationals we attend. 

Additionally, the program has placed consistently in the top five of the National Parliamentary Debate Association and National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence rankings.

Organizations We Participate In

Whitman College participates in NPDA and NPTE debate, IPDA debate, and Individual Events.

The National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA)

The National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) is one of the two national intercollegiate parliamentary debate organizations in the United States. In tournaments sponsored or sanctioned by the NPDA, teams of two persons debate head-to-head. Tournaments issue a new topic each round, generally on issues such as politics, philosophy, and current affairs, and speeches begin after limited preparation time.

The National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE)

The National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE) operates an invitation-only national championship tournament once per year for parliamentary debate. The NPTE attracts the top teams in the nation that compete in the parliamentary debate format supported by the National Parliamentary Debate Association.

Teams qualify for the NPTE based on their season-long performances at various invitational tournaments around the United States. The ranking system awards points for both preliminary and elimination round performances.

Pi Kappa Delta

Pi Kappa Delta is a national forensics honorary dedicated to promoting excellence in speech and debate. For over a century, PKD's 80,000 members have committed to the pursuit of "The Art of Persuasion, Beautiful and Just," in competition, civic engagement, and advocacy activities. Pi Kappa Delta hosts a "comprehensive" national tournament each year, combining Parliamentary Debate, Individual Debate, and a multitude of Individual Events.