UT Dallas Qualifies for 4th Straight National Debate Tournament

The University of Texas at Dallas qualified a team for the National Debate Tournament (NDT) in district competition this week in Austin.  It will be the fourth consecutive appearance for the university in the NDT, the most prestigious collegiate debate tournament in the country, the 2007 version of which will be held in Dallas later this month.

The UT Dallas team of Brian Rubaie, a freshman from Overland Park, Kansas, majoring  in crime and justice studies, and Sara Stephens, a junior government and politics major from Pensacola, Florida, finished third in the District III qualification tournament, held Feb. 23-26 at The University of Texas at Austin.  The performance was the best ever by UT Dallas in district competition.  The team finished behind first-place Kansas and second-place UT Austin.

“The performance by Brian and Sara – six wins against two losses – was very impressive, particularly given the competition in our district, which historically is the toughest in college debate in the country,” said Chris Burk, UT Dallas director of debate.  “District III, which includes all colleges and universities in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, consistently sends more teams to the NDT than any other district.”

A total of eight schools this year advanced from the district qualifying round to the NDT.

Rubaie, whom Burk called “one of the top freshmen in college debate this season,” earned an individual award as 10th speaker at the tournament.  Rubaie qualified for the NDT for the first time; this will be Stephens’ third appearance in the competition.

The 61st annual NDT will be held March 30 through April 2 at the Westin Park Central Hotel in Dallas.  Last year, teams from 54 colleges qualified for the event.  In addition to being a participant, UT Dallas is a major sponsor of this year’s NDT.

About UT Dallas

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students.  The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores.  The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs.  For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.