Tarleton State University and the Department of Communication Studies are proud to continue the Texan Debate. The Texan Debate is on November 12, 2025, with daytime events and a 6 p.m. event in the Fine Arts Center.
This year’s motion is: This house moves to legalize casino gambling in the state of Texas.
In the Spring of 2017, Texan Debate was formed to give Tarleton State University students a forum to talk about controversial topics that are important and relevant in today’s society. This program is a high-impact learning practice that involves students enrolled in core communication courses at Tarleton State. Students participate as either novice debaters or through attendance at debate events. Even though students will debate controversial subjects citizens disagree on, students will learn to do so with civility, respect, and structure. You can watch the Texan Debate on the Tarleton YouTube Channel: Live on YouTube.
Past Texan Debate topics
The Texan Debate program has taken off across campus and has been widely accepted with faculty and students. Below show the success our program has experienced since its start in 2017:
| TOPIC | SEMESTER | VIDEO |
| Licensed Carry on Campus | Spring 2017 | |
| Building the Border Wall | Fall 2017 | |
| Confederate Statues | Spring 2018 | |
| Legalization of Marijuana | Fall 2018 |  |
| Statewide Standardized Testing | Spring 2019 | |
| Vaccine Mandate | Fall 2019 | |
| Cancelled due to COVID-19 | Spring 2020 | |
| Indefinite Mask Mandate | Fall 2020 | |
| Free College Tuition | Spring 2021 | |
| Assault Weapon Ban | Fall 2021 | |
| Heartbeat Bill – SB 18 | Spring 2022 | |
| Gas Powered Vehicle Ban | Fall 2022 | |
| Parking at Tarleton State | Spring 2023 | |
| Lowering the Drinking Age to 18 | Fall 2023 | |
| Sexual Education in K-12 Schools | Spring 2024 | |
| Cellphone Ban in K-12 Schools | Fall 2024 | |
| Capital Punishment Ban | Spring 2025 | |
| Legalizing Casino Gambling in Texas | Fall 2025 | |