Chapters are at the core of the CSAmerica program. All around the United States, students at colleges and universities are starting and joining CSAmerica Chapters, making the CSAmerica program one of the fasting growing collegiate clubs in the country. This is because CSAmerica brings student leaders with the common passions of debate, politics, and a desire to get more college student engaged in our democratic process together.

At many schools, CSAmerica is the only nonpartisan political and open debate club. There are many political clubs on college campuses across the country, but nearly all of them have some sort of political leaning. Likewise, there are debate societies and teams at almost every college, but their debate is usually limited to experienced debaters who know the various technical aspects of competitive debate.

CSAmerica is a forum where students can come and debate pertinent issues in a friendly atmosphere in which they are not limited by their previous debating experience. Our debate format is easy to learn and emphasizes participation. Our debate guide lays out the CSAmerica guidelines for our unique debate style and can be viewed online or downloaded from the CSAmerica Chapter Toolkit. Also, since we are a nonpartisan organization, we have students arguing for either side of a given issue. This is one of a few collegiate arenas for college students to argue and defend their views, since most political clubs only represent one side of an issue.

CSAmerica chapters work to improve civic education, voter participation, and overall political awareness on their college campus. College students are significantly impacted by politics, but most students know very little about politics or the role it plays in their everyday lives. In President Lincoln’s words, the United States has a “government of the people, by the people, for the people” and CSAmerica chapters strive to educate their peers about our democratic system.

Debates:
Have an open chapter debate in the CSAmerica idea-oriented, participation-friendly format. Debates are a great way to involve the entire chapter by having a member moderate the debate and two main speakers. The debate format allows others to join in and express their views on an impromptu or prepared basis as subsequent speakers. Click here to view the CSAmerica Debate Style Guide.

Dialogue Session:
Dialogue Session is the CSAmerica term for an informal discussion on a given issue, for example, "what constitutes victory in the war on terror," during which a moderator facilitates a free-flowing group discussion.

Guest Speakers:
Inviting guest speakers from the political arena to chapter meetings and campus events is an exceptional way to bring politics to life. Speakers generally come from local and state politics to take questions and discuss politics and policy.

Political Movies:
Having an open showing of a political movie is a fun way to bond as a chapter. Holding a follow-up Dialogue Session based on a topic from a controversial political film makes for an engaging two-part activity.

Voter Registration:
CSAmerica chapters are strongly encouraged to help college students register to vote, whether they are in-state or far from home. We have partnered with Rock the Vote to bring you online voter registration! Click on the link and get registered, then have your chapter spread the word and register your campus to vote. You can also download the universal voter registration form and instruction guide from the CSAmerica Chapter Toolkit by clicking here.

Get Out the Vote Campaigns:
Help encourage students on campus to vote on election day! Planning ahead is important in a get out the vote campaign, as many students will need to request absentee ballots weeks before the election date. For general elections, September and early October is the prime time to facilitate absentee ballot requests.

Mock Court Hearings:
Hold a mock trial or a simulation of a famous court case. Submit a case for inclusion in the Chapter Toolkit by emailing an electronic copy of the case to web@csamerica.org.

The CSAmerica Chapter Toolkit is designed to be the ultimate resource for chapter leaders. The Toolkit includes helpful chapter start-up information such as the CSAmerica Chapter Start-Up Guide, sample constitution, campus flyers, and the chapter registration form.

If there is a resource that you have developed, submit it for inclusion in the Toolkit! Email an electronic file to web@csamerica.org along with a description of how you put the resource to work on your campus. Along the same lines, if you have discovered a need for a resource not currently available, request it by emailing us.

Visit the Chapter Toolkit page