WINTER PARK, Fla. — For the first time in school history, the Rollins College Debate Team is made up of all women.
The team’s faculty advisor, Dr. Eric Smaw, said it’s very rare to have an all-female team. Smaw, who also serves as Professor of Philosophy and Special Assistant to the Provost, said debate is historically a male activity and that all-male teams are common.
“I think this means a lot because it shows that women are breaking through a glass ceiling,” Dr. Smaw said. “Debate, historically, has been a male co-curricular activity.”
The team is making history in more ways than one. While they are the school’s first all-female debate team, they are also accomplishing things no other team in school history has done before.
The team is currently ranked No. 1 in the Southeast for ethics debating. They also recently qualified for and competed in the 28th Annual Association For Practical And Professional Ethics Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl. More than 200 teams across the country compete in regional competitions in order to qualify for the bowl. At the competition, the Rollins College Debate Team placed No. 12 in the nation.
“What I can see, that they can’t see, is that they are making history in the present,” Dr. Smaw said. “Years from now, there will be young women who are interested in joining the Rollins College Debate Team and they’ll know about the mystique of the team and the accomplishments of the team.”
The team is made up of Abigail Buffington, Nora England, Jiya Manchanda (co-captain), Abrielle Mannino (co-captain), Shaya Mariji, Ana Mentucci, Linda Saraniti and Lindsay Scanlan.
For Manchanda, who is a junior double-majoring in philosophy and computer science, joining the debate team pushed her out of her comfort zone. She joined the team her first week of school as a freshman. Even though she didn’t have prior debate experience, she hit the ground running and helped the team prepare for a major competition.
“I just immediately started running cases with them and I didn’t have any prior experience,” Manchanda said. “But I said, you know, ‘Hey, I’m going to research or learn something and read.’ So, I just dove into the process immediately.”
Two years later, Manchanda is now the co-captain of the varsity debate team. She said the team has changed the trajectory of her life and propelled her forward.
“It gave me the resources to feel like all my ambitions could be achieved,” Manchanda said. “It’s a very rare program and I could not be more grateful for it.”
To prepare for ethics bowl competitions, the team is given a list of ethical dilemma cases to study. The Association For Practical And Professional Ethics (APPE) said the cases are “drawn from real-life examples in education, business, life, and politics.” The team members must study the cases, form arguments for both sides and develop justifications for their positions.
“I love the environment, the intellectual challenge, the competition capacity and being able to engage on topics that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do,” co-captain Abrielle Mannino said.
The debate team is also focused on mentorship. The team has a professional program to help pair members with Rollins College alumni who are working in the same career fields members want to go into in the future. The team also focuses on internal leadership, with co-captains Jiya Manchanda and Abrielle “Elle” Mannino.
“I came to Rollins because of the emphasis on mentorship, and this debate team was really the first time I experienced such excellent mentorship from Jiya and Elle,” team member Abigail Buffington said.
Team member Nora England agreed.
“They have shaped me and all of the other new members of this team in so many different ways — academically, debate-wise, life-wise,” England said.
For team member Shaya Mariji, the team is a home away from home.
“I’m very far from home,” Mariji said. “I’m from Switzerland, but here I feel like it’s a family.”
Dr. Smaw said the women work for the successes of one another. He said they are willing to share resources, experience levels and different perspectives to come together as a group.
“It is one of the most incredible experiences, in part because each of us brings so many different things to the table,” Manchanda said.
Manchanda said it has been rewarding to see the team both professionally and personally develop.
“I see our team breaking more glass ceilings than we’ve ever broken before,” she said.
Manchanda said she hopes the team continues to make progress, and that she wants to see the group go further than they’ve ever gone before.
Reagan Ryan is a 2023 — 2024 Report for America Corps Member, covering the environment and climate across Central Florida for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.