Q. What is parliamentary debate and how does it differ from the debate I did in high school?
A.Good question. Parliamentary debate is modeled on the most popular form of debate throughout the world. We simply have a "government" team propose a topic and an "opposition" team rebut the government's arguments. Unlike other
forms of debate in which the same issue is debated all year, every parliamentary debate round features a new topic. The
debates are decided by the quality of the arguments given by each side. Wit, rhetoric, charm, and good looks are highly valued.
Q. What if I didn't debate in high school?
A.No problem. Absolutely NO experience is necessary. Although some of our debaters come from the ranks of high school Lincoln-Douglas, Extemporaneous Speaking, or Policy Debate, many successful members of our team never debated at all before joining our team. Each fall, we provide extensive training to all of our new members. Most will have a chance to partner with a varsity debater at some point in thier first year.
Q. If the topics keep changing, how do I accumulate enough evidence?
A. You don't. Parliamentary debate doesn't require you
to be a mindless drone who spouts facts but doesn't analyze. Although a grasp of current events is always helpful, we rely on our own reasoning, humor, and rhetorical prowess to pull us through.
Q. Sounds great! But I'll bet it's really tough to get on the team.
A. There is a painless tryout process, but don't worry--the tryouts are mostly for us to gauge where you are and your willingness to improve as a debater. You should not feel deterred if you lack debate experience; in fact, some of our best debaters had no high school background. After that, all we ask is that you help us run our collegiate tournament in October and our high school tournament in February. Upon completing this short process, you will be a full-fledged member of the team, eligible to compete at any and all tournaments throughout the year.
Q. When I join, will I travel to exotic colleges, make new friends, improve my speaking, and be a happier, more fulfilled individual?
Q. Are you any good?
A. We're the best.
We have won more parliamentary debate National Championships than any other college, took home the National trophies in 2004 and 2005,
and were the 1992 World Champions. In the past year, we have amassed more than twice the number of bids to Nationals as any other university. Next year, we'll have a large number of returning debaters, and look to continue our dominance of the college circuit.
Q. So how do I join?
A.We'll be tabling during Pre-Frosh Weekend this April, and again at the fall activities fair in September. Come by and chat!
