Parliamentary Debate Team
| Parliamentary Debate Team | |
| |
| Founded: | early 1980s |
| Recognition: | ABC |
| Membership: | ~35 |
| Executive Board: | President; Treasurer; VP Campus Affairs, Public Affairs, and Team Affairs; Secretary |
| Category: | Debate |
| Website: | {{{Website}}} |
| Contact: | {{{Contact}}} |
The Columbia Parliamentary Debate Team (or simply Parli Debate or Parli) competes on the American Parliamentary Debate Association [1] circuit in a style known as American Parliamentary, which involves no research (as opposed to policy debate) and an emphasis on rhetoric, argumentation style, and creativity. Tournaments are held every weekend on Fridays and Saturdays by other member schools of APDA. Each year, the Columbia team hosts a college tournament and a high school tournament, the latter for which high school students travel to campus to compete in various forms of debate including Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum.
Powerful and well-respected in the '90s, the CU team experienced a period of decline starting in 2003, and underwent a very slow and bumpy recovery. Beginning in 2007, however, Columbia teams have routinely advanced to elimination rounds and finals at major tournaments, sent a team the World Universities Debating Championships, and placed as quarterfinalists ('08) and octofinalists ('07, '09) at the APDA National Championships. A former CU debater, Matt Scarola, was elected Member-at-Large on the APDA Executive Board and served as an alumni Trustee from 2009-2010.
In 2009-2010, Columbia debater Reid Bagwell achieved 2nd Novice of the Year.
Presidents
- 2010-2011 Rohan Jotwani, CC '12
- 2009-2010 Dhruv Vasishtha, CC '11
- 2007-2009 David Yin, CC '09
- 2005-2007 Josh Morrison, CC '07
- 2004-2005 Jon Blitzer, CC'07
- 2003-2004 Todd Berzon, CC '05
- 2002-2003 Evan Mayo-Wilson, CC '03
- 2001-2002 Harry Layman, CC '02
- 2000-2001 Daniel Lee, CC '01
- 1999-2000 Jeff Williams, CC '02
- 1998-1999 Jess Wendover, CC '99
- 1997-1998 Matt Schwartz, CC '99
- 1996-1997 Sanoj Stephen, CC '97
Contact
Email Parliamentary Debate to reach the current Executive Board.
