MEETINGs
Meetings are held every Thursday at 7pm while classes are in session. We meet in Demosthenian Hall, which is located on North Campus between the Chapel and Holmes-Hunter building. During our meetings, we abide by Robert’s Rules of Order.
Dress for meetings is professional for members only. Guests and alumni do not have a dress code.
All Night Meeting
Photo Credit: Micarjo BenjaminOn the Saturday that falls closest to the anniversary of the Society’s founding, the All Night Meeting is hosted at Demosthenian Hall. The All Night Meeting lasts for twelve hours, from 7pm Saturday to 7am Sunday. Dinner is served and then the meeting opens with guest keynote speakers; the meeting then continues with debate among current members, guests, and alumni of the Society throughout the night and into the morning. Each year at the All Night Meeting, current members are recognized for their service and devotion to the Society by being awarded with Speaker’s Keys.
Intersociety Debate
Each spring, the Demosthenian and the Phi Kappa Literary Societies hold a debate to highlight the oratory skills of the societies’ best speakers. Debate is usually held in the Hatton-Lovejoy courtroom at the University of Georgia School of Law. Judges are randomly selected for the debate from a pool of nominations submitted by members of both societies.
Orations and Declamations
Once a year, typically in April, a meeting is dedicated to the reading of orations as well as some famous, and some not-so-famous, declamations. The event is a competition, judged by members of the Judicial Council, and the winner receives a speaker’s point.
Hat Debate
On the meeting closest to the night of Halloween, the annual tradition of the Hat Debate occurs. Members and guests are called up one-by-one in order to pull a resolution from a hat, and then argue the resolution in the affirmative. The resolutions are typically humorous and about any topic.