UA Discourse Series

UA Discourse Series

The UA Discourse Series is dedicated to elevating public discourse through respectful, rhetorically-sound, and competitive – at times voracious – debate.

Contact Us

Executive Director:
Ted McLoof
Email: gmcloof@email.arizona.edu  
Office: Modern Languages 476

Marketing Director
Marilyn Ayala

Events Coordinator
Riley Haas

You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram at @UADiscourseSeries, or like our Facebook page.

Support the UA Discourse Series 

You can help fund student travel for national tournaments, support hosting visiting speakers, and ensure regular and enlightening events for our students and community by donating online through the English department. Be sure to specify "UA Discourse Series" in the comments.

About Us

Welcome to the University of Arizona's Award-winning Discourse Series! The UA Discourse Series is a series of public forums dedicated to elevating our national discourse. Each semester, campus faculty, public officials, community leaders, and students engage in a series of roundtable discussions on matters of public interest. Members of the University and greater Tucson community are welcome to attend our forums, ask pointed questions, and vote on the winners!

The UA Discourse Series proudly boasts a robust faculty-student collaboration, with a staff of dedicated student interns in the areas of education, outreach, research, finance, promotion, and events planning. Interns travel free of cost around the country to collaborate with coordinating universities, and serve the Tucson community through our after school program for at-risk youth.

Apply for Internship

Mission statement

The UA Discourse Series is envisioned to engage Arizona's public university students in civil discourse. We honor participants for articulating dramatically different points of view in an environment where combatants can remain friends. It should be our goal to graduate well-educated human beings capable of resolving differences that exist in a democracy in an environment of civil discourse rather than force. Our campuses should provide an opportunity for people to say foolish things in a process that safely allows for change, growth, and correction. It is through such a process that one will come to say smarter things – which of course is the process we call education.

The Regents' Cup

Spring 2025 - The Regents' Cup is a state-wide tournament among Arizona's three sister schools: University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University. Each academic year, students compete in a day-long public forum engaging in civilized discourse. Participants receive scholarship funds, and finalists will receive large scholarship stipends. The school with the highest point tally will take home the annual Regents' Cup Trophy.

Contact Ted McLoof or Diana Leonard for any questions.

Apply now

UA Discourse Series Topics

All podcasts are live streamed on Facebook Live.

This year's topics:
Theme: The State of Higher Education

  • August 22 - The State of Campus Dialogue with American University Professor Lara Schwartz (UA Campus)
  • September 27 - Speaking Up about Academic Freedom with PEN America's Jeremy Young (American University)
  • October 24 - Special Event: Bridging America's Political Divide in an Election Year with former Obama Advance Press Aid Johanna Maska and Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (UA Campus)
  • November 5 - Election Night Panel: What Issues Get College Students to Vote (University of Northern Florida)
  • December 4 - Oxford Debate - Student Perspectives on Campus Issues

 

University Debate – Topic: Greek Life

Our Discourse Series wanted to debate a topic that has been of discussion since Greek Organizations came to campuses all over the country! This wonderful debate hits so many underlying topics and issues with the Greek Society.

Watch Past Debates