The University of Pittsburgh’s William Pitt Debating Union has been described as a pillar and powerhouse within the intercollegiate debate community. As one of the oldest speech and debate teams in the country, it has built a reputation of intellectual excellence for over a century, but recent funding challenges threaten to undermine this legacy.
After half of its $35,000 budget was cut at the beginning of the fall semester, director Alvin Primack said he’s “100%” sure that without an infusion or restoration of funds, the team won’t be able to compete on a national or regional stage after this year. Last year, the team placed fifth overall at the National Forensic Association’s national championship tournament.
Since President Donald Trump resumed office, the financial outlook for U.S. higher education has constantly shifted. There’s been uncertainty over federal research funding — which Pitt relies on — along with threats to pull money over initiatives and courses that seemingly fall under the banner of “diversity, equity and inclusion.” Universities have tried to allay damage by initiating layoffs and operating under conservative budgets.
And these moves have trickled down to student clubs, organizations and groups, which some campus members worry will threaten the social health of campuses. For the debating union, team members worry the cuts risk a loss of pedigree, threaten important events for Pittsburghers, and leave students one less avenue for learning skills useful for navigating modern life.
Said team member Breanne Francis: “Especially, in today’s political climate and the state of the world, you think that competitive debate is not beneficial?”
Question: Who cut the funding?
Technically, the debating union is not a student club, meaning it is not student-led or run. Primack describes it as the academic counterpart of a sports team.
“We represent Pitt within the academic consortium of the ACC,” Primack said, referring to the Atlantic Coast Conference, in which Pitt athletes compete.
While student organizations typically run on money doled out from a university’s Student Government Association, the debate team receives the bulk of its funding from Pitt’s Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.
The two main lines of funding include an operating budget and supplemental money that Primack said has been granted from Dietrich for decades. He said the latter line was established to assist with travel costs and rising inflation. The union also has access to three endowments and a cash account, which all come with various use restrictions, according to the director.
The threat to the team’s competitive future started during the fall semester.
Part of Dietrich’s budget for the 2025-26 academic year was “reallocated,” as were budgets of other units across the university, according to Pitt spokesperson Jared Stonesifer. He said this was due to the “current operating environment” and the university’s need to manage expenses. Specific changes to the school’s budget were not detailed.
In response to the reallocation, Primack projected a tight-but-doable year, one that would still allow for a little travel before Nationals. However, on the first day of the semester, he was told he could no longer request supplemental money from Dietrich’s discretionary fund.
Last year, the debate team received $24,000 for its operating budget and $11,000 in supplemental funds.
Now, they have an $18,000 operating budget with nothing additional to utilize — around half the previous year. Primack said the change has “fundamentally shifted things” for the team, and his lobbying for a budget boost hasn’t been successful.
Stonesifer said university administration was not aware that the supplemental funding had been revoked or that the team’s competitive future was in danger.
Outside of a leader in the communication department, Primack said he has not spoken to or approached any other administrators about the union’s funding. He said this is because he has been following chain-of-command procedures.
The team’s budget situation, though, is one he’s having trouble figuring out on his own.
“Without any promises or guarantees of any kind of restoration, and with the university signaling to me that they’re going to want us to rely more and more on donations … it just puts us in a very, kind of, fiscally and ethically difficult situation,” Primack said. He explained that donors traditionally expect that they are lending money for upgrades, not baseline operations that the university has covered for a century.
Presumption: Nationals or bust
Currently, the debate team is trying to qualify for Nationals, which requires sending around a dozen students to various in-person and online tournaments. Primack said they’ve already used half of this year’s available funds going to virtual tournaments, which carry entrance and judging fees.
“It’s just been very isolating, and it makes me very much not want to compete on behalf of Pitt.”Breanne Francis, Member
“We’re in a situation where we have to spend probably 70% to 100% of our current operating budget just to get the experience required to qualify for the national championship tournament,” he said.
Primack said he’s already scaled back on expenses for the team by covering only one travel opportunity a year, sending a small number of students and paying out-of-pocket for some supplies. What he won’t compromise on: Going to the national tournament.
Despite its relatively small size and modest visibility on Pitt’s campus, Primack said the debate union has been firing “on all cylinders.” They are, as of Jan. 26, within the top five debate programs in the country.
But, member Francis said, “coming home to a university that does not care is just so sad.”
Francis, a junior and director of media and outreach for the team, has been trying to raise the union’s profile by publicizing wins and promoting events, but feels university administrators haven’t done enough to support them.
“There’s been very little [help] from Pitt,” she said. “It’s just been very isolating, and it makes me very much not want to compete on behalf of Pitt.”
Stonesifer pushed back on accusations that the university doesn’t support the team’s successes, saying they’ve been given free office space at the Cathedral of Learning, a website and salaries for grad student and faculty coaches. He also highlighted a February 2025 university news release about tournament results and a 2018 Pitt Magazine story about the team.
While Primack said he doesn’t view the university as an enemy, he seconded Francis’ sentiments that outreach to other Pitt offices is usually met with resistance or silence.
Rebuttal: Debate deserves support
Speech and debate can be a gateway to a better life, leading to a sense of purpose and connection, Primack explained. He said he wouldn’t be where he is today without having joined a team in college, and he wants other students to experience this.
In a letter with over 180 signatures given to a communication department lead, several people attest that debate teams have changed their lives. The petitioners detail benefits from learning how to engage in civil discourse and fight misinformation, to building personal confidence and strengthening their resumes.
Some signatories also wrote of the debating union’s prowess, with a former debater at rival Penn State calling the team a “powerhouse” whose work “is a testament to the value of speech and debate.” Faculty members at other universities call the program a “pillar” shaping best practices of intercollegiate debate, and even the “crown jewel” of Pitt’s communication department.
But the letter didn’t seem to move the needle, said Francis. “We gave it to the university, and I don’t think it mattered.”
Now, she feels the onus to maintain the team has fallen on the members and Primack. An annual university-wide fundraiser called Pitt Day of Giving is approaching on Feb. 24, and she said she’s on her “hands and knees” hoping that people will donate. Otherwise, she doesn’t know what will happen.
“No one’s going to join the William Pitt Debating Union that isn’t debating.”
Maddy Franklin reports on higher ed for Pittsburgh’s Public Source, in partnership with Open Campus, and can be reached at madison@publicsource.org.
This story was fact-checked by Rich Lord.
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