1. Tilbury House is a British-style debating society at the University of Cologne. It debates exclusively in English.
2. Tilbury House is run by the President and the Senior Council. The Senior Council consists of a maximum of the six most senior active debaters in Tilbury House. The president is elected from among the members of the Senior Council. The president has the decisive vote on split decisions.
3. Tilbury House targets outstanding, highly motivated and committed students. The Senior Council decides on acceptance of the applicants.
4. The Senior Council decides on membership fees and other contributions.
5. Debaters who are not any more committed to the rules of Tilbury House may be excluded by the Senior Council.
6. The summer semester is devoted to practice and informal debates. Members are expected to join at least half of these sessions.
7. The winter semester is devoted to formal training and a highly competitive semester-long tournament. Attendance is mandatory.
8. The winter semester starts with a workshop. An English guest speaker of world-wide format is the tutor. Participation in the workshop is required of all members.
9. The Finals of the Tilbury House tournament takes place in January.
10. The best teams of the finals receive substantial sponsoring for participation in international tournaments. Only debaters that show long-term commitment to debating and Tilbury House are entitled to receive the prizes.
11. The annual Tilbury House Intervarsity will be held in early spring for the international debating elite.
12. The President organises the training of newcomers, the internal tournament including the finals, and the annual Tilbury House Cologne Intervarsity.
13. The President establishes and maintains contacts to other debating societies, guest speakers, the sponsors and the press.
14. The Senior Council decides on the rules.
15. These rules are carved in stone.
    

See the Tilbury House Constitution for details on our governance structure.