University of St Andrews Union Debating Society

The University of St Andrews Union Debating Society

The crest of the Union Debating Society
Motto	Pro Amicitia Et Litteris (For friendship and learning)
Formation	1794
Type	Student debating society
Headquarters	St Andrews, Scotland
Location	Students’ Association St Mary’s Place St Andrews KY16 9UZ
President	Rebecca Thomas
Parent organization	University of St Andrews
Affiliations	World Universities Debating Council University of St Andrews Students' Association
Website	http://www.stadebates.org/

The University of St Andrews Union Debating Society is a student debating society at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Tracing its origins back to 1794 and established in 1890, it is the second UK's oldest student debating societies after The Cambridge Union. It competes at a high level in national and international debating competitions, and is currently ranked 21st in the world by The World Universities Debating Council. It also holds weekly public debates in the Lower Parliament Hall, which are open to all. In 2015, the society became the first in Scotland to win the European Universities Debating Championship.

The origins of the University of St Andrews Debating Society can be traced to the formation in 1794 of the university Literary Society. However the society suffered from a lack of sufficient funding, so much so that apart from joining and annual fees, much of the Society’s income came from the imposition of fees for lateness, absence, or the use of 'improper language'. At this stage of its history, the Literary Society operated under a strange mixture of egalitarianism and exclusiveness. Initially, there was no president of the Society and meetings were chaired by each member in rotation. The only distinct posts allowed were that of Secretary and Treasurer. In addition, all decisions were taken collectively by the Society as a whole. However, membership was limited to twenty-five students, was strictly by election, and no 'strangers' were permitted to attend debates. In 1846, The Classical Society, a rival debating society, was re-established and was soon vying with the Literary Society for the attention of the student body. However, it soon became apparent that there were simply not enough students at the university to justify the existence of two debating societies and consequently in 1890 the Classical Society and Literary Society merged to form the Union Debating Society.

The acquisition of James Crichton's House by the fledgling Students' Union afforded the Society a permanent home, although the two organisations had no official ties. This, and the fact that the Union Debating Society now had over seventy members (a third of the total student population), gave the Society renewed confidence and a greater importance than ever before in the lives of students.