Activities
The Society organises a variety of events during term-time, including weekly informal Thursday debates at the Queen Margaret Union. In October, the Society holds a New Members' Dinner, followed in March by the Annual Dinner(this year it will be held on 25 February as a special Anniversary Celebration), held shortly before the AGM. There is also an Inter-Board Debate, held between the boards of the four major student bodies (Glasgow University Union, Queen Margaret Union, Students' Representative Council and Glasgow University Sports Association), and the Honorary President's Debate, as well as a St Andrews-tide football game and a Sports Day, the Dialectic Olympics. The Society holds a number of more informal events, especially during Freshers' Week, to attract new members.
Three internal competitions are organised by the Society: the Reftable, for new speakers; the Intra-Varsity, a pro-am competition; and the John Duncan Debate, between incoming and outgoing club leaders of the Glasgow University Union's Parliamentary Clubs.
The Dialectic Society, along with the Glasgow University Medico-Chirurgical Society and Glasgow University Athletic Club, helped drive the formation of the Glasgow University Union in 1885, as well as being instrumental in establishing the Glasgow University Students' Representative Council the following year, and remains an active contributor to the activities of both organisations. The GUU was originally an all-male organisation, having been established before the admission of women to the University in 1892. At this time, women were educated at Queen Margaret College, and opportunities for women students to debate existed at the Queen Margaret Union. This activity largely ceased following the admission of women to the GUU in 1980, however the Dialectic Society has recently been involved in a number of events aimed at its revival.
Read more about this topic: Glasgow University Dialectic Society
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