HDC News

EVANSTON, IL — On September 12, the Harvard Debate Council (HDC) officially opened its 2026–2027 competitive season at Northwestern University.

It was a successful opening weekend across the board, with every HDC team securing enough victories to qualify for the elimination rounds.

The tournament marked the Harvard debuts for First-Years Russell Howard ’30, Jimmy Lin ’30, Salma Ghieth ’30, and Sitara Mazumdar ’30. Meanwhile, returning debaters Jayden Bodet ’28, Seiji Aoki ’28, Nanjaran Deshpande ’28, and Agastya Sridharan ’28 kicked off their junior campaigns with strong performances.

Debate Coach Dr. Rebrovick praised the team’s performance:

"I'm extremely proud of the hard work and effort the debaters showed at Northwestern. We look forward to building on this momentum and seeing the team's continued growth as we head to the University of Kentucky in a couple of weeks."

Congratulations to all our debaters on a great start to the season! 

Another successful year at the Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshops! Almost 700 students attended across both sessions in six different divisions. Division and session photos can be viewed here. We look forward to seeing the students again next summer!

HDC welcomed 300 students from all over the United States and 20 other countries on Sunday June 28 for the Harvard Debate Council Summer Workshop. These students will spend the next two weeks learning and honing thier debate skills. 

Congratulations to the HDC's graduating seniors, Kimtee and Leah! We are excited to see what you do next. 

The Harvard Debate Council had a successful run at the 2026 NDT hosted by the University of Houston.

Two teams from Harvard, composed of Seiji Aoki' 29/Jayden Bodet '29 and Niranjan Deshpande '29/Agastya Sridharan '29, and a third team from the University of Masschussets, Amherst, composed of Jamie Levitan '30 and Maguene Moussavou '30, competed at the tournament. 

Harvard DS had 5 wins with 12 ballots and reached the double-octafinals. Harvard AB finished with 4 wins and 11 ballots. UMass LM finished with 3 wins and 7 ballots. 

Applications for residential sessions on Harvard's campus are now being accepted. Five competitive tracks available this summer. Visit hdcsw.org.

The Harvard Debate Council participated at the 2025 National Debate Tournament hosted by Gonzaga University. 

The NSDA Hall of Famer and 2023 World Schools Championship co-coach brings 40+ years of experience to the HDC staff.

Current Harvard students can reach the team at harvarddebate.org. Open to all undergraduates regardless of prior experience.