Frequently Answered Questions
Why should I debate?
I've never debated before and don't have much experience in public speaking. Can I still join?
What kind of time commitment are we talking?
How much do I pay?
What are tournaments like? Do I need to prepare a lot?
How much time does a tournament take?
Do we do anything besides constantly debate at these tournaments?
How does tournament signup work?
How do I subscribe/unsubscribe from the mailing list?

Why should I debate?

Parliamentary Debate, with its emphasis on impromptu speaking, helps you to develop excellent communication skills and teaches you to think on your feet. Debate also greatly enhances your appreciation of contemporary political and socio-economic issues. It provides you with a forum to analyse these issues and present your perspectives.

Debate Tournaments enable you to visit a host of colleges and universities (Harvard, Yale, and Brandeis to name a few) and to interact with the students there. We do everything we can to ensure that freshmen attend as many tournaments as possible. The team bears all the registration, transportation and accommodation costs.

And, finally, we genuinely believe that Debate is a lot of fun - it can be one of the most enjoyable parts of your undergraduate experience.

I've never debated before and don't have much experience in public speaking. Can I still join?

Absolutely! Prior experience is not a prerequisite for doing well or learning to debate. There have been many members of the team, such as Patrick Nichols '03 (a legendary debater who won the North American Debate Championships and was part of two of the top five teams of the year his senior year), who came in without any experience and became so good, he's still respected on the circuit. Our training sessions, practice rounds and frequent traveling will give you plenty of opportunities to practice and improve.

What kind of time commitment are we talking?

Whatever you choose. You are free to decide on the level and extent of your involvement. There are short meetings once a week, which we encourage all members to attend. Beside this, there are tournaments nearly every weekends; you are free to attend as many (or as few) as you want.

How much do I pay

None, Zilch, Zero. To make debate as accessible as possible, we make economic barriers next to none. When traveling, MIT Debate pays for travel and most food. Members only cover some minor expenses for themselves, such as the occassional slice of pizza or writing pad.

What are tournaments like? Do I need to prepare a lot?

A tournament consists of five general rounds, semifinals, and finals. The best thing about Parliamentary Debate is that you don't have to spend hours preparing for it. You are given a resolution in General Assembly a short period of time before each round, based on which you and your partner prepare a case. With MIT schedules being as they are, this is one aspect of Debate that we're sure you'll appreciate.

How much time does a tournament take?

Be prepared to leave on Friday morning of the scheduled weekend, and to return before dinner on Saturday evening. Team members are excused from Friday afternoon classes by MIT policy.

Do we do anything besides constantly debate at these tournaments?

Of course! There is a lot of fun to be had at every debate tournament. Between rounds, tournaments usually have silly contests and activities for those interested. Also, every Friday night, the host team holds a party where debaters can meet men and women from all over the country. Each tournament is usually attended by most major universities, and meeting other college students is one of the best things about debate. Occasionally, at especially unique locations such as San Francisco, Athens or New York, the team will stay for an extra night to enjoy the area.

How does tournament signup work?

There are two ways to sign up: 1) attend the weekly team meetings (preferred method), 2) send email to debate-request@mit.edu.

Regardles of method, please include name, email address and telephone number (in case we need to reach you quickly).

Generally, we need to know by the Mon. or Tues. right before the weekend of the tournament in order to accommodate you, but so long as the delegation hasn't left MIT yet, it may still be worth a shot trying to go. If you sign-up to go, and it turns out that you can't make it, we appreciate notice ASAP.

For most tournaments, we are able to accomodate everyone who wants to go. For certain ones, however, such as the North American Championships or Chicago, there are more people interested in going than we have space for. In such cases, it is to your advantage to sign-up promptly and ensure that you can go well ahead of time. Please note that for tournaments that are expensive to travel to, like Stanford or the World Championships, there is a strict priority system by experience, skill and dedication. In general, those who are committed to MIT Debate for three or four yours travel to Worlds at least once.

If you are going to a tournament, by Institute policy, you have a valid excuse for missing classes or having exams rescheduled. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you need assistance in that regard.

How do I subscribe/unsubscribe from the mailing list?

To change your membership, use one of following three procedures:
1) Use the built-in Athena mailing list utility by typing "mailmaint" at an Athena prompt. You will then see an options menu that will allow you to verify that you are on the debate mailing list and also remove yourself from that list.
2) Use the webbased version at http://web.mit.edu/moira (you will need certificates).
3) contact the VP of Membership by emailing the address on the main page. Please provide us with your name and email address for proper processing.