Vodcasts, instant messaging and iPhones may dominate communications, but for dozens of students at Cornell, success at a good, old-fashioned debate speaks volumes. And successful they have been: The Cornell policy debate team, part of the Cornell Forensics Society, is now ranked 13th in the nation -- one behind Harvard and up from 22nd place just a couple of years ago.

The team's strong national showing is due in no small part to Vinay Prabhu '08, a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences premed biology major and an Academic All-American varsity debater. Prabhu and his partner, Jeff Terkowitz, A&S '07, advanced to the elimination rounds of last year's Cross-Examination Debate Association's national championship tournament at the University of Oklahoma.

"Vinay has everything that you want representing Cornell at a top national tournament: He's smart, articulate, self-confident and charming," says Sam Nelson, Cornell assistant professor of communication and director of the forensics team.

Meeting competition from around the country gets the debaters national exposure, but Cornell also has a rich history of on-campus debate centered on the Class of 1894 Debate Tournament. Wanting to give this annual spring contest a bit more edge, a group of late-19th-century Cornellians -- caught up in the "debate craze" of the period -- established a small cash prize for the winners.

"And, through the magic of compound interest, more than 100 years later, we've got a nice little prize-money account to draw from," says Nelson. "So these debaters are competing not just for the thrill of winning the prestigious tournament, but also for cash."

This year's Class of 1894 Debate Tournament featured more than 25 teams of Cornell undergraduates. The intense, daylong competition, hosted by CALS in Warren Hall, drew students from across campus.

"The teams debated whether the U.S. Supreme Court should overrule some of its most controversial decisions -- abortion, the enemy combatant status of Guantanamo Bay detainees, affirmative action and states' rights in relationship to gender discrimination," says Nelson. "Through the process of debate, students really got to relate to the kinds of things that our top politicians, judges and other policy-makers have to deal with every day."

And for Prabhu -- who will be graduating a semester early and spending his free semester traveling and debating before entering medical school next fall -- competing in debates is very much about gaining experience applicable to life after college.

"I am currently applying to medical school with the hopes of one day being able to do what I love the most: helping people who can use my talents and abilities for their benefit," says Prabhu. "The Cornell policy debate team has assisted me greatly in the sense that the ability to communicate with and adapt to patients requires skills like those I have been honing every weekend at debate tournaments."

Perhaps it's these transferable skills that are attracting an increasing number of debaters. In recent years, the team's roster has swelled to more than 40, making it one of the largest squads in the country.

Aaron Goldweber is a communications specialist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.