The MSU debate team placed second out of 41 schools at its first tournament of the season.

The team competed in the Georgia State University National Debate Tournament from Sept. 20-22.

It's the first time since 1998 that the MSU debate team reached the final round of its first tournament of the year.

Dave Strauss and Greta Stahl reached the final rounds, and three other MSU duos advanced to the octo-finals, made up of the top 16 teams.

The topic of this year's debate is issues in the United States and Europe, including Iraq's reconstruction, genetically modified foods, intellectual property rights, tactical nuclear weapons, Greece and Turkey, NATO and agricultural subsidies.

Shannon Houghton