Frequently Asked Questions
Club-Related Questions
Q: How do I join?
Simply attend one of our weekly meetings! No prior experience is necessary, and you can join at any point during the year. Learn more about how to join here!
Q: When are debate meetings?
Meetings are in-person in Hart House at the University of Toronto on Tuesdays from 7-9pm and Thursdays from 4-6pm. To attend the meetings, make sure to fill out the weekly meeting form found here: bit.ly/455rjgX
Q: What happens at a meeting?
Weekly meetings begin with important announcements for tournament bidding, deadlines, or opportunities. This is followed by practice rounds organised by our Weekly Meetings Coordinators, who also select motions.
Q: What are debate styles, and which do we do?
Debate styles are formats in which debate is conducted! They act as rules of procedure that all debaters adhere to, to ensure a level of decorum and efficiency for rounds.
The Hart House Debating Club practices two main styles: British Parliamentary in the Fall semester, and Canadian Parliamentary in the Winter semester. To learn more about styles, tips and tricks, head over to resources!
Debate-Related Questions
Q: How do I attend tournaments?
Prior to a tournament, the External Tournaments Coordinator will release a bidding form on discord (typically through Google Sheets), wherein you can indicate your interest in attending the tournament.
Q: Who gets to go to tournaments?
Contingents for external tournaments are decided through selection by the Tournament Selection Committee (TSC), more of which can be learned here, or through a qualifier, which are normally run by the ITC.
Q: How much does it cost to attend?
The cost of attending tournaments varies from year to year and on the location of the tournament, but the executive will try their best to ensure copay fees are always accessible to the majority of the club.