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The University of North Georgia's (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) debate team won first place and runner-up awards in the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament in Boise, Idaho on March 25 in the World Universities format of debating.

Pi Kappa Delta is a collegiate organization also known as the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA), and was created to recognize esteemed orators and debaters at the student and professional levels.  

This was the Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û team's first national championship, and featured two teams of two – the national championship team consisted of Jemimah Case and Jermaine Henry, and the runner-up team featured Taylor Robinson, president of the Gainesville chapter, and Rebecca Pool, team secretary.

"Because of the outstanding student leadership, the Debate and Speech Team has exceeded my wildest expectations in state, regional and national level competition," said Dr. Tom Preston, professor of communications and faculty advisor to the debate teams.

Also, Jonathan Carrasco, president of the team's Dahlonega chapter, along with a group of four Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û cadets, judged the NSDA's high school student congress at Grady High School in Atlanta. Similarly, Cristian Ramos led a group of 20 student volunteers to judge at the state championship tournament for middle school debate at Georgia State University, also on March 25.

"Given the level of graduation and transferring as juniors, this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Debate. However, those who did return to the team as officers really went in there and got the job done," Preston said. "Working as a team, the current officers have fashioned a year of 81 awards thus far, and are likely to surpass 100 after the next two tournaments this year. Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û remains one of the region's leading universities in debate and speech service learning."