Advisory Council

The USUDA has a flat hierarchy and does not elect officers. That said, individuals associated with member institutions in some capacity may volunteer to serve on the USUDA’s advisory council. This body does the work that allows the organization to run smoothly, from chairing meetings to soliciting bids for future USUDCs.

The positions on the advisory council, their associated duties, and the incumbents are listed below. If you would like to join the advisory council, please get in touch with one of the folks on the relevant committee.

Bid Coordinators: this group solicits bids for future USUDCs from appropriate institutions, ensures that potential hosts have the necessary information about how to bid, informs potential hosts about the body’s expectations and desires with regard to bid form, and facilitates the distribution of bid information over the internet to the body.

Parliamentarians: this group organizes and oversees voting procedures of all forms whenever required, keeps minutes on any and all in-person meetings, prepares and distributes said minutes to the body in a timely fashion, maintains public and transparent archives of all decisions and vote counts online, and hears appeals in all forms from any member of the body on any issue that arises relating to voting.

Education Directors: this group collects and archives voluntary contributions of pedagogical material related to debate in the British Parliamentary format (e.g. classroom exercises, drills, etc.), makes such archives available to any and all American institutions that are interested in the British Parliamentary debating format, and answers emails seeking assistance from new directors and programs.

Public Relations Coordinators: this group maintains a website, calendar, and forum for the USUDA and communicates with relevant local and national media regarding USUDA competitions when the body sees fit.