ABOUT

WHAT EXACTLY DO WE DO?

The University of Western Ontario Debate Society (UWODS) is the University of Western Ontario’s competitive intercollegiate debate team. It traces its roots to 1878 but was formally founded in 1933. UWODS exists independently from the university and is distinct from the University Students’ Council and its clubs system. UWODS is a self funded, not for profit society.

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UWODS has a proud history as a competitive debate society as well as a social club that encourages eloquence, confidence, and leadership. It has hosted many prestigious tournaments, including the Canadian Parliamentary National Championships, the British Parliamentary National Championships, the Leger Central Canadian Championships, and the North American Debating Championships. UWODS has also achieved many competitive successes in its history, including debating in the grand finals of the World Universities Debating Championships in 1998, winning the North American Debating Championships in 1998, co-winning the Canadian British Parliamentary National Championships in 2021 and 2023, and winning the Canadian Parliamentary National Championships in 1997, 2022, and co-winning in 2024.

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UWODS has also taken an active role organizationally in the Canadian debating circuit, with members of the society having served as the President and on the executive team of the Canadian Universities Society for Intercollegiate Debate (CUSID).