During the last few years, Willamette's competitive in parliamentary debate is among the best in the nation. Although other forms of debate are available, most Willamette University students have chosen to participate in parliamentary debate. Unlike other forms of debate, parliamentary debate is an extemporaneous form in which the topic changes from debate to debate.
Debaters learn of the topic approximately fifteen minutes prior to the debate.
The debates are spontaneous, engaging interchanges between well-informed and articulate students. To learn more about parliamentary debate, check the chapter on parliamentary debate written by Willamette's Director of Forensics, Robert Trapp. The NPDA homepage has links to major parliamentary debate programs all across the globe as well as a great deal of information about parliamentary debate.