Debate Sin Fronteras

Spanish Language Debate deepens students' understanding of social and political issues.

As the only Spanish-language debate program at a public university in the United States, the Cal Poly Spanish Language Debate Team has been at the forefront of intercollegiate debate since it was established in 2017. Through a partnership with Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS), a private polytechnic university in Mexicali, Mexico, the team offers domestic and international opportunities for bilingual students to gain a broader understanding of global and societal issues.

“Spanish debate is growing in the United States, and we have the chance to shape how it transitions from academic settings to community-based advocacy, addressing real-world problems,” said Marion W. Hart, director of the Spanish Language Debate Team. Since 2021, the team has partnered with CETYS to provide hands-on debate experiences in Mexico and California for an interdisciplinary group of students. Legados—an annual Spanish-language civic debate—elevates and analyzes policies and conditions that impact Californians from both the State of California and Baja California. This year’s 2024 ¡Legados—USA! cowinner, communication studies student Andrea Valle, credits the team with providing a unique and memorable collegiate experience.

“Being on the team has been both exhilarating and unforgettable. I’m so happy that I was given the opportunity to join the team, even when I thought that I couldn’t do it,” Valle said. With a double minor in Spanish and sales, Valle was recruited to the team her freshman year after taking Hart’s class, SPAN 302: Advanced Conversation and Composition in Spanish, to brush up on her conversational skills.

“As a newer team member, I never expected to be so successful. Of the three major debates I’ve participated in, I’ve won all three,” Valle said. “That is something I will always remember and is a highlight of my college career.”

On top of her academic and competitive successes, Valle has found that the team also helps prepare her for her future career. “My goal is to work in the sales field, and since joining the team, I have become more confident and learned new ways to communicate with different types of people,” Valle said.

Sociology student and captain of the Spanish Language Debate Team Alondra Cardoso reflects Valle’s sentiments and also appreciates the comradery the team fosters.

“Joining the team was one of the best decisions I made in college because it allowed me to find my home away from home and meet many other driven students,” Cardoso said. “Although debates can sometimes get intense, it’s always in a constructive way. This is a team where everyone wants to see each other succeed.”

While the Spanish-language program is unique and relatively new, debate has been part of Cal Poly since its inception in 1901. However, it wasn’t until a “very persuasive” conversation with Debate Team Codirector Chris Skiles during an impromptu faculty social hour in 2016 that Hart decided to help cocreate the program.

“We ended up talking over a drink, and Chris spoke about the pedagogical benefits of debate, how it empowers students to be able to advocate for themselves, and proposed that we should do it in Spanish,” Hart said. “By the end of that drink, I decided to audit the debate class. By the second week in, I was sold!”

Alongside Debate Team Codirector John Patrick, Skiles and Hart created the Spanish-language debate program with three central goals: creating a California league where Spanish-speaking students compete in regional and state competitions; fostering a border consortium with universities in border states to collaborate on solutions to shared challenges; and finally, building connections with institutions across Latin America for an international debate circuit. “The program offers a supportive community—helping students build networks—while tournament participation allows students to broaden their horizons and tackle civic and policy challenges with cultural and linguistic fluency,” said Hart.

Cal Poly and CETYS Debate Teams visiting Morro Rock in Morro Bay.

Next to seeing the students’ improvement and providing a supportive learning environment, Hart is most proud of how the program empowers students to fulfill their potential. The majority of participants are first-generation Americans, whose families immigrated to the U.S. from Latin America.

“This program is a vital resource for our Spanish-speaking students, and this is really visible with our first-generation students, who make up a significant portion of the team, as it gives them unique opportunities to develop critical skills essential for academic and personal success,” Hart said.

The team’s partnership with CETYS has seen first-generation students like Valle and Cardoso debate current, local issues affecting Californians such as H-2A visas for temporary agricultural workers, sustainability and water rights.

“Debating enhances analytical thinking, public speaking and confidence—all of which are crucial in professional settings,” Hart said. “In an era where technology often overshadows language and literature, this program ensures that students become trained, competent and bilingual advocates for the importance of humanities in education.”