The Whitman Debate team was suspended for a minimum of two years on April 9th, after an investigation by administration revealed violation of team and school policies. The investigation primarily focused on violations of alcohol protocol by debaters and coaches during a 2015 tournament. Allegations of gender discrimination and potentially unsafe situations occurring over the course of the season were also presented to investigators.

Following the recent cancellation of the Policy Debate Team season, President George Bridges wrote in an email today that the college would be suspending all Debate Team activities for a minimum of two years. The decision came after multiple years of Title IX complaints and other problematic behaviors by team members and coaches during travel to competitions.

Following last spring's Title IX investigation, a number of concerns have been raised regarding the relationship between students and assistant coaches and the administration's expectation and treatment of these coaches. Assistant coaches are almost always recent graduates, often just a year removed from being Whitman students. Despite their closeness in age to members of the team, they are hired as members of Whitman’s instructional staff and are expected to conform to the same codes of conduct as other staff members. In moving forward, members of the debate team hope there can be more positive and open communication from the administration, starting with the hiring of a new Director of Forensics. Steps to begin this process had been underway with the creation of an advisory group consisting of alumni, current debaters and a faculty member to provide input for a new director.