After nearly eight months of research and preparation, four members of the Harvard Debate Team will travel to Gonzaga College in Spokane. Wash this weekend to participate in the National Debate Tournament (NDI).

Approsimatels 64 of the country's best two man depate team are in sited to the last tournament of the debating season it which college student argue for and against a specific public policy issue

Auld Lang Syne

For Co-Presidents Jonathan S. Massey '85 and Edward T. Swaine '85, one of the most feared two-man teams in the nation the NDI represents the last tournament of their college careers. But for Lars Noah '87 and Charlie H. Synn '87, the NDI is an opportunity to prove themselves as one of the best "second teams" in the country

Harvard's toughest competition will probably come from Claremont-McKenna College of Los Angeles. Calif and the University of Kentucky in I exington, according to Swaine.

So far this year, the first team of Massey and Swain won first place at round robin tournaments sponsored on the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia, and Pmory University.

Last year's top team of Massey and Jonathan Wiener '84 placed third in the NDI, losing to the eventual national championship squad from Dartmouth in the semi-finals.

The 1985 debate topic--which the Harvard team has been arguing in competition since September questions whether the United States should significantly increase the exploration and development of outer space, according to national debate specification issued in July.

Debate coach Dallas Perkins, in his sixth year at Harvard, said from Chicago last week that he is "very confident" that both of his squads will do well.