At the beginning of the century one thing "everyone" was involved in was debate. Debate became a part of the regular curriculum and the classes attracted some of the best student minds. The systems at Nebraska consisted of a four-year course and its teams won every debate. Victorious returning teams were met at the railway station by cheering students, faculty, and even Chancellor Andrews. The students were treated in the same manner as the athletes and Miller M. Fogg, the organizer and coach, became a hero, like a football coach (Knoll).

The Palladian Society was a prominent literary society at the University of Nebraska during the 1900's. The Palladians participated in something called classes which consisted of essays, declamations, and debates. Each class required the student to get up in front of an audience and perform either an essay, which was a work written by the student, or a declamation, which was a work written by the someone else. They could also debate, which consisted of two team arguing a specific topic (Smallcomb).

The Palladian Society was popular among students and they often competed against fraternities. This competition could get heated and the Palladians even changed their constitution to exclude any members in Greek socities (Dorsey). However, the main objective of the Palladian Society went beyond that of normal classes. They emphasized public speaking and apllied lessons learned in class to real life (Smallcomb).