Parliamentary debate is one of the most successful and involved activities at Columbia. With a tradition of excellence and dedication, the Columbia University Parliamentary Debate Team competes in and excels at tournaments nearly every weekend, traveling all over the east coast.

Joining the debate team is simply a matter of attending a meeting in order to sign up, though all members must meet certain requirements regarding attendance at meetings and tournaments and assist with Columbia run tournaments to remain in good standing. Meetings are every Tuesday at 9:00 pm at a location to be announced at the beginning of the school year. Team meetings are usually short, consisting of a brief acknowledgement of the previous week's successes and sign-ups for the next tournament. Optional practice rounds will also be held weekly at a time and location convenient for those attending.

Tournaments take place on Fridays and Saturdays. We typically leave midmorning on Friday and return late in the evening on Saturday. After arriving at the tournament, there are usually three rounds of debate on Friday and two on Saturday prior to "out-rounds," generally consisting of quarter-, semi-, and final rounds. Friday evenings there are debate parties, giving everyone a chance to blow off steam and socialize with debaters from other schools. At the end of the tournament, awards are given out to the top 10 teams, the top 10 individuals speakers, and either five or 10 of the top novice teams and speakers.