The Hellenic American University Debating Team got off to a resounding start in late May with an inaugural series of workshops led by Dr. Eric Smaw, Professor of Philosophy at Rollins College and the founder and coach of its award-winning debate team. Under Dr. Smaw’s guidance, the Rollins’ team has earned first-place finishes at regional and national competitions.
The University’s own team is an initiative of provost Dr. Themis Kaniklidou, who met Dr. Smaw while she was a visiting instructor at Rollins. In her words, “Few opportunities match this one for showing how transformative a learning experience can be. We hope that the skill of debating will add value to our students’ education and foster their critical thinking and their self-confidence.”
The four-member squad, all of whom were recommended for the team by their teachers, is made up of Or Ayash (BSPSY ’26), Jonathan Cacatian (BSI ’24), Androniki Fili (BAELL ’25), and Andriana Gounalaki (BSPSY ’24). They will be coached by Dr. Kaniklidou and Stephen Bacigal, an adjunct faculty member who serves as the University’s Director of Institutional Research and Assessment.
Dr. Smaw began by providing team members with an overview of the Rollins College team, and the body of philosophical knowledge and skills they will need to acquire as debaters. But his session also included hours of hands-on training in argumentative templates, breathing exercises, and rhetoric. Joining Dr. Smaw in the training session was a contingent of three Rollins College undergraduates, champion debaters Enrique Alberti, Elle Manino, and Jiya Manhanda. The Rollins students worked individually with each member of the Hellenic American University’s team to coach them on preparing and delivering their first opening arguments.
The team will continue to meet and train this summer as it prepares for its first debate, which will take place at the Rollins campus in Florida this November. Known as the “Great Debate Forum”, this annual event is an international cultural and debating exchange that Dr. Smaw created when he saw the potential impact that his team at Rollins could have beyond the college itself.
Image: Hellenic American University’s Debate Team members
