Welcome to the first ever 2018 Liberty Policy Conference hosted by the Columbia University Libertarians in New York City!
​

2018 Conference Dates: TBD

ABOUT

As a student libertarian organization, we, at CUL, are interested in understanding what precisely encompasses “libertarian” ideology. As we opined in our “Modern Political World” speaker series this past Fall, libertarianism “concerns itself with the concept of Freedom: how can we best access and supply the ideals of Freedom to not only American citizens, but the world beyond. Though most Libertarians believe limited government intervention and free markets are the two major ways to enact such an ideal, the ideology of “Freedom” finds common ground in all political parties as an inherently American value.”
 
We continue to be dedicated to our search for an answer to this broad question, and thus present our 2018 Policy Conference as an answer to our speaker series this Fall: while we concerned ourselves with intellectual discussion last semester, this Spring, we will apply what we learned to real-world problems. Join us for a 24-hour policy competition, where teams from universities in the New York City area will research, write, and debate their policy proposals in front of an audience of their peers all in the scope of one day. The winners will be determined by our judges (to be announced). All proposals will be published in our policy journal, to be released online shortly after the conference. See the official rules and regulations section for more information!

OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

I. Eligibility
All students attending schools located within 50 miles of New York City proper are eligible to register for this conference. Students must be current undergraduates (expecting to receive their Bachelor’s degrees between 2018 and 2021 or their Associate’s degrees between 2018 and 2019). At the start of the conference, all students will be asked to show their current student IDs. Students are responsible for their own transportation costs.
 
Registered students are required to attend the conference on the Day of.
 
II. Registration
By the deadline listed on the website, students must register in groups containing a maximum of three students from their school. One person (“the captain”) will serve as the designated point of contact between CUL and their specific group, responsible for communicating all official news to their members. Winning status, however, will be shared by all members of the group equally. Captains are required to register their groups using our official registration form, located here.
 
Due to our group size restrictions, schools are permitted (encouraged, even) to have multiple teams competing. There are no restrictions on the number of teams that can represent a particular school. Should individual students from the same school register, they will be given the option to form an appropriately-sized group representing their school, should they wish to (though this is not required).
 
III. Procedures
The competition will be held on a TBA Saturday in February in a TBA room at Columbia University’s Morningside Campus. Upon registering, CUL will provide all students with directions to our campus and will supply them with any other relevant information.
 
Though we will announce the theme of the conference prior to its official commencement, we will not announce the prompt until the night before (see schedule for more details). The purpose of this is to allow students to have an equal amount of time to spend on their proposals.  Upon announcing the prompt, students will be allowed to work on their proposals until the official deadline (see schedule) on the Saturday of the Conference. We will supply our participants with resources that they can use for their proposals, though students are welcome to use outside sources (though the timeframe of the competition will most likely limit this). We will also have an hour-long lecture from our partner organization (related to the prompt), where students can ask any clarifying questions they may have.
 
Students must upload their proposals to our supplied Google Drive folder (sharing permission will be granted upon registration) either as Google document or PDF. Late proposals will not be eligible to win. Neither will those found to have violated Columbia’s rules of academic integrity. All sources utilized, including those provided to students by us, must be properly cited. If you do not know how to cite your sources or would like to make sure you are doing so correctly on the Day of, ask one of CUL’s members. CUL members will remain open for any questions/comments/concerns during the event, though they are unable to provide feedback on the proposal.
 
Judges will be announced prior to the conference’s official commencement as well. So as to alleviate their burden, CUL will vet the top 2-5% of proposals (depending on conference attendance) in order to determine who will advance to the debate rounds. From the debates, the judges will determine the final winner. 

SAMPLE SCHEDULE

The night before:
5:00PM- The official prompt and resources will be announced/provided. Students may begin working on their proposals at this time.
 
Saturday, the Day of:
9:00AM- Arrive at Columbia University
9:30AM- Opening remarks and lecture from our partner organization. Students may ask clarifying questions.
10:30AM- Proposal writing time
1:30PM- Lunch will be provided to students
3:00PM- Debate rounds between the top 2-5% of teams
4:30PM- Judges deliberate
5:00PM- Winner is announced

REGISTER

Registration deadline: TBA

OFFICIAL PROMPT AND RESOURCES

Check back here the night before the conference!

FAQ

Where is Columbia University?
Columbia University’s main gates are at 116 and Broadway in Morningside Heights.
 
How do I get to Columbia University?
A key question (that will automatically be sent to registered captains)! As noted on Columbia’s website, five bus lines (M4, M5, M11, M60, M104) and one subway line (the #1) serve our neighborhood. The M60 Select Bus Service is a direct link between the campus and LaGuardia Airport. The subway stop for the campus is Columbia University/116th Street (the entrance/exit is on 116 and Broadway). Please note: if you begin your subway journey on the #2 or #3 express train, make sure to transfer at 96th street to the #1 train.
 
How do I get to the conference location?
Directions will be emailed out upon registration (and official announcement of the room) and posted on our event page.
 
How can I register?
By using our Google form, located here.
 
What if I register, but decide not to attend?
Not a problem! We do ask that you let us know, however. Have your captain email us at libertarians@columbia.edu, making sure to include all names of team members who are no longer able to attend. Should the captain him/herself wish not to attend (but his/her teammates would still like to participate), please designate a new captain so that we can make sure all pertinent information is being passed along to the right people.
 
What if I don’t register by the deadline but want to attend?
Unfortunately, due to catering and other services we need to request at Columbia, we cannot add late registrations. However, you will be placed on a waitlist and will be allowed to participate in the event should another team cancel. We will notify you as soon as possible if a spot opens up.
 
Do I need to bring anything to the conference?
Please bring your student ID and anything else you may need to write (and debate) the proposal.
 
What are the food options? What if I have allergies?
Though we do not know the food options yet, if you have allergies or any dietary restrictions, please make sure to indicate that in our registration form. If you did not include the (correct) information, please email us at libertarians@columbia.edu as soon as possible. All information will be kept confidential.
 
Is there a dress code?
Nope! It’s a Saturday. Wear what makes you comfortable.