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HighSchoolUnifiedManualChapter,Rules,andTournamentOperations
2016-2017
TheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationisthelargestinterscholasticspeechanddebateorganizationservingmiddleschool,highschool,andcollegiatestudentsintheUnitedStates.TheAssociationprovidescompetitivespeechanddebateactivities,high-qualityresources,comprehensivetraining,scholarshipopportunities,andadvancedrecognitiontomorethan150,000studentsandcoacheseveryyear.Formorethan90years,theNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationhasempoweredmorethan1.5millionmemberstobecomeengagedcitizens,skilledprofessionals,andhonorableleadersinoursociety.
OURMISSION:Webelievecommunicationskillsareessentialforempoweringyouthtobecomeengagedcitizens,skilledprofessionals,andhonorableleadersinourglobalsociety.Weconnect,support,andinspireadiversecommunityofhonorsocietymemberscommittedtofosteringexcellenceinyoungpeoplethroughcompetitivespeechanddebateactivities.
OURVISION:Weenvisionaworldinwhicheverystudenthasaccesstocompetitivespeechanddebateactivities.Wearetheleadingvoiceinthedevelopmentofresources,competitiveandethicalstandards,curricularandco-curricularopportunities,andrecognitionsystemsforourvastnetworkofstudent,coach,andalumnimembers.
Version2017.1.0
UpdatedFebruary13,2017
@speechanddebate/speechanddebate
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManual 2
TableofContentsSECTION1:HighSchoolChapterManual.........................................................................................6
Membership....................................................................................................................................7 I.SchoolMembership............................................................................................................................7 II.RecordingMeritPoints.......................................................................................................................8 III.IndividualMembership...................................................................................................................11 IV.Degrees...........................................................................................................................................13 V.ChapterProcedures..........................................................................................................................14
Supplies.........................................................................................................................................15
Awards...........................................................................................................................................15
CodeofHonor................................................................................................................................18
CoachesCodeofEthics...................................................................................................................18
DistrictandNationalLeadership.....................................................................................................19 I.DistrictCommittee............................................................................................................................19 II.BoardofDirectors............................................................................................................................19
Calendar:YearAt-a-Glance.............................................................................................................20
QuickReferenceforChapterAdvisors/Coaches..............................................................................21
Section2:HighSchoolEventRulesManual.....................................................................................22
MainEventRules............................................................................................................................23 PolicyDebate.......................................................................................................................................23 PublicForumDebate............................................................................................................................24 Lincoln-DouglasDebate.......................................................................................................................25 CongressionalDebate..........................................................................................................................32 OriginalOratory...................................................................................................................................41 InformativeSpeaking...........................................................................................................................41 ProgramOralInterpretation.................................................................................................................42 Interpretation.......................................................................................................................................43 ExtemporaneousSpeaking...................................................................................................................47
SupplementalEventRules..............................................................................................................50 ExtemporaneousCommentary............................................................................................................50 ProseandPoetry..................................................................................................................................50 ExtemporaneousDebate......................................................................................................................51 Expository............................................................................................................................................52
ConsolationEventRules.................................................................................................................53 Impromptu...........................................................................................................................................53 Storytelling...........................................................................................................................................53
USAWorldSchoolsDebateInvitational..........................................................................................54
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SECTION3:DistrictTournamentOperationsManual......................................................................55
PlanningtheDistrictTournament...................................................................................................56 GuidelinesforScheduling....................................................................................................................56 SettingupJoyofTournaments.............................................................................................................56
TournamentRolesandResponsibilities..........................................................................................56 TournamentOfficials............................................................................................................................56 SuggestedTournamentRoles...............................................................................................................56
StandardsforHoldingaDistrictQualifyingTournament.................................................................57 DistrictEligibility..................................................................................................................................57 NationalQualificationLevels................................................................................................................58 Auto-Qualification................................................................................................................................59
RegisteringfortheDistrictTournament..........................................................................................60 SchoolEligibilityandEntryLimits.........................................................................................................60 StudentEligibilityandRequirements...................................................................................................61
RunningtheDistrictDebateTournament.......................................................................................64 GeneralRulesandInstructions............................................................................................................64 AbsolutePairingPriorities....................................................................................................................65 PairingRoundsOneandTwo...............................................................................................................65 PairingSubsequentRounds..................................................................................................................66
RunningtheDistrictCongressionalDebateTournament.................................................................68 GeneralRulesandInstructions............................................................................................................68 AssigningStudentstoChambers..........................................................................................................69 NationalQualification..........................................................................................................................70
RunningtheDistrictSpeechTournament.......................................................................................73 GeneralRulesandInstructions............................................................................................................73 SectioningintheUp/DownModel.......................................................................................................73 Sectioning.............................................................................................................................................73 MovingEntriesfromSections..............................................................................................................73 SpeakerOrder......................................................................................................................................74 BalanceofPower.................................................................................................................................74 ChangingRanks....................................................................................................................................74 ScoringTies..........................................................................................................................................74 FinalRound..........................................................................................................................................74 DeterminingNationalQualifiersandAlternates..................................................................................74
TheCaliforniaPlan.........................................................................................................................76 PlanningPreliminaryRounds...............................................................................................................76 PresetPreliminaryRound.....................................................................................................................76 PoweredPreliminaryRounds...............................................................................................................78 DeterminingSemifinalQualifiers.........................................................................................................78 PairingtheSemifinalRound.................................................................................................................78 DeterminingFinalRoundQualifiers.....................................................................................................79 PairingtheFinalRound........................................................................................................................79 DeterminingNationalQualifiers..........................................................................................................79
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SweepstakesAwards......................................................................................................................80 OverallDistrictSweepstakesPlaque....................................................................................................80 Congress,Debate,andSpeechSweepstakesAwards...........................................................................81 DistrictCumulativeSweepstakesAward..............................................................................................81
ReportingtotheNationalOffice.....................................................................................................82
DistrictTournamentAuditProcedures...........................................................................................83
DistrictTournamentRulesandPenalties........................................................................................84 DebateEvents......................................................................................................................................84 SpeechEvents......................................................................................................................................85
JudgeInstructionsandGuidelines..................................................................................................86 GeneralInstructions.............................................................................................................................86 StatementonConflictsofInterestinJudging......................................................................................86
DistrictTeamforUSAWorldSchoolsDebateInvitational...............................................................88 MethodstoSelecttheWorldSchoolsDistrictTeam............................................................................88 CoachoftheWorldSchoolsDistrictTeam...........................................................................................88
DistrictQualificationProcessforBigQuestionsDebates.................................................................89 Entries/QualificationProcess...............................................................................................................89
SECTION4:NationalTournamentOperationsManual....................................................................90
EntryRequirements........................................................................................................................91 InstructionsforRegistering..................................................................................................................91
GeneralRules.................................................................................................................................94 EligibilityandQualification..................................................................................................................94 OverarchingCompetitionRules...........................................................................................................95
TournamentProceduresforDebateEvents....................................................................................97 GeneralRulesandInstructions............................................................................................................97 DebatePairingInstructions..................................................................................................................98
TournamentProceduresforMainSpeechEvents.........................................................................103 GeneralRulesandInstructions..........................................................................................................103 SpeechSectioningInstructions..........................................................................................................103
NationalCongressionalDebateProcedures..................................................................................108
SupplementalandConsolationEventProcedures.........................................................................113 SupplementalEvents..........................................................................................................................113 ConsolationEvents.............................................................................................................................113 SectioningandTabulation..................................................................................................................113
WorldSchoolsDebateProcedures:USWSDI.................................................................................115
BigQuestionsCapstoneEventLogistics........................................................................................116
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APPENDIXA:DebateEventTimeLimits........................................................................................119
APPENDIXB:SpeechEventTimeLimits........................................................................................120
APPENDIXC:CasebookQuestions................................................................................................121
APPENDIXD:CongressEvidenceChallengeForm..........................................................................125
APPENDIXE:ChangeLog..............................................................................................................126
Questions?...................................................................................................................................132
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 6
SECTION1:HighSchoolChapterManual
TheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationfunctionsontwolevels:first,asanorganizationtogovernandpromotespeechanddebateactivities;andsecond,asanhonorsocietytorecognizeandsupportspeechanddebateeducation.
Thissectionfocusesprimarilyonofficialrulespertainingtohighschoolmembership,individualstudentandcoachparticipation,memberenrollment,governance,andacknowledgementofservice.
Forquestionsnotansweredhere,[email protected](920)748-6206.
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MembershipI.SchoolMembership
A. ChapterActivation:AschoolmayjointheAssociationorrenewmembershipuponpaymentofyearlychapter$149duesandthesignatureoftheschoolprincipalonthemembershipform.Activechaptersareentitledto:
1. Accesstotheonlinepointrecordingsite(PointsApplication)andenrollmentofindividualstudents/coachesuponpaymentofindividualenrollmentfees(seebelow).
2. Aquarterly(Summer,Fall,Winter,Spring)subscriptiontoRostrummagazineincludestwocopiesmailedinmid-September,mid-November,mid-February,andmid-April;thereisafeeforadditionalsubscriptions.Themagazineandotherpublicationsalsoareavailableatwww.speechanddebate.org.
3. EntryinthedistricttournamenttoqualifyfortheNationalTournament.Entryallotmentisbasedonthechapterstrengthofmembersanddegreesonrecordseven(7)daysor168hourspriortothestartofthetournament.
4. AccesstothousandsofresourcesontheAssociation’swebsite.Fromlessonplans,coachingtechniques,andlivewebinarstorecordedvideosandsamplefinalroundperformances,theNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationistheleadingproviderofacademicandcompetitiveresourcesforspeechanddebate.
ImportantNoticefor2016-2017:Tobestserveourstudents,strengthenthecreationandsustainabilityofprograms,andestablishcontinuityfrommiddleschooltohighschool,theBoardofDirectorsvotedattheFall2015BoardMeetingtorequireschoolaffiliationforallmembershipsbeginningwiththe2016-2017schoolyear.Anyhighschool,middleschool,homeschool,orvirtualschoolrecognizedasanaccreditedpublicorprivateschoolbythestateinwhichthoseschoolscompetemayjointheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation.Allcurrentnon-school-basedclubsandorganizationsareencouragedtoworkwiththeAssociationandareaschooldistrictstocreatespeechanddebateprogramsthroughtheirstudents'schools.StudentswhoarecurrentlyAssociationmembersthroughtheirareanon-school-basedclubsandorganizationsmayrequesttohavetheirmembershipstransferredatanytimetotheiraccreditedpublicandprivateschoolsbycontactinginfo@speechanddebate.org.
B. ChapterClassification:Eachschoolisdesignatedaprovisionalchapter,memberchapter,orcharterchapter,whichdeterminesitsextentofvotingprivilegesandcredittowardadistrict’sstrengthofchapters.Inturn,thedistrictstrengthdeterminesthenumberofqualifierstotheNationalTournament.
1. ProvisionalChapter:AbrandnewschooloronewhoseAssociationmembershiplapsedformorethanfiveyears.Provisionalchapterscountasone-halfofafullcharterfordistrictstrength.Aschoolattheprovisionalchapterlevelmaystayatthatlevelforuptothreeyears.
2. MemberChapter:Achapterthathaseithercompletedthreeyearsattheprovisionallevelandhasnotmetcharteringrequirements,orisreturningasamemberchapterwithinfiveyearsofabsence.Charterchaptersnotmeetingcharterstrengthrenewalrequirementsoverathree-yearperiodaremovedtomemberchapterstatus.
3. CharterChapter:TheAssociation’shighestschoolmembershiphonor.Achapterisautomaticallycharteredafteratleastoneyearatprovisionalormemberstatus,andhasenrolledatleast50degreeswithinathree-yearperiod.Smallschoolswithagrade9-12enrollmentoffewerthan500studentsmustenrollatleast25degreeswithinathree-yearperiod.Ifacharterchapterdoesnotmeettheminimumthree-yearstrengthrequirements,itcanapplyforaone-yearextension,oritrevertstomemberchapterstatus.Ifacharterissuspendedfornon-paymentofdues,itmayreturnasacharterchapterifithasbeenlessthanthreeyearssinceitslastmembershipandallpriorinvoices(includingmissing
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yeardues)arepaidinfull.Chartersissuedbefore1931arepermanentandremainvalidaslongasthechapterremainsactive.Theschoolprincipalmaysurrenderthecharter.
Acharterdocumentisengrossedwiththenamesofcharterstudents/coaches(maximumof14namesperpage;thefirst14namesarefree;additionalpagescost$15each).Thechapteradvisorissentaformtolistthosememberstheywouldliketoappearonthecharterdocument.Sincechartersaresenttoacalligrapher,pleaseallowonemonthforcompletionanddelivery.Whenthecharterisreceived,itmaybeframedanddisplayedinthespeechclassroomorinanappropriateplaceintheschool.Replacementcertificatesforlostcharterscanbeobtainedfor$15.
C. DistrictPlacement:Newmemberschoolsareplacedinadistrictbythenationalofficebasedongeographiclocationanddistrictsizeequalization.
D. DistrictSize:Nodistrictwillbeallowedtosplitintotwodistrictsunlesstheyestablish40charterchaptersfortwoconsecutiveyears.
II.RecordingMeritPoints
A. ChapterRecords1. Studentsearnmeritpointsforparticipatingininterscholasticcontestsandforserviceinnon-competitive
speakingengagements,judgingmiddleschoolornovicecompetition,coachingmiddleschoolstudents,andparticipatingintheatricalspeakingperformances.Onceastudentearns25points(10ofwhichmustbeinhighschoolcompetition),theyareconsideredamemberoftheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation’sHonorSociety(NationalForensicLeague).Seerulesundereachsectionbelowformoredetails.
2. Pointsmayberecordedanytimeduringastudent’senrollmentingrades9-12forspeakingactivitiesoccurringduringthosegradelevels,exceptforserviceprojects,whichmayberecordedforuptooneyearprior.Onlythechapteradvisorofrecordmaysubmitemailswithchanges/correctionstorecords.
3. Studentsmaytransferone-tenthoftheirmiddleschoolmeritpointstotheirhighschoolrecord,nottoexceed50highschoolmeritpoints(maximumof500middleschoolpoints).Astudentwillnotgainhighschoolmembership,however,untiltheyhaveearnedatleast10pointsinhighschoolcompetition.
4. Thecoachmusttakecaretoenterthestudent’slegalname(notnickname),capitalizingappropriateletters.Thisisimportantforconsistentidentificationofthestudent.“Jon,”“Johnny,”or“Jack”shouldnotbeasubstitutionfor“Jonathan.”“JamesAndrewSmith”isdifferentthanjust“AndrewSmith.”
5. Pleaserecordpointspromptlyaftereacheventinwhichpointsweregained.Indicatethecorrectstartandenddate;separaterecordingmaybenecessaryforCongress,wherethereisadailylimitof24points.
6. Under"WhereHeld,"listtheplaceofeachcontest.Ifaschool,listthenameofthecityandthenameoftheschool(e.g.,Omaha-NorthHS).Genericnamessuchas"WashingtonHS"arevagueandsuchentriesmaybestricken.Instead,usecompletenames(e.g.,KansasCity-WashingtonHS).Ifacollege,listthenameandcity(e.g.,CentralStateUniv.–Edmund).AvoidacronymslikeUCLAorCSU.
7. AninterestedstudentorparentwhoisnotdeeplyinvolvedindebateorcontestactivitymaybeappointedRecordingSecretaryandgiventheresponsibilitiesofkeepingthecreditpointrecords.Theinstructormuststillcheckrecordsforaccuracy.
8. Severaltournamentsparticipateinourautomaticpointrecordingprogram.PleaseseeourHighSchoolPointRecordingGuideformoreinformation.
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B. RecordingInterscholasticDebates1. PublicForum,Lincoln-Douglas,andPolicyDebatearerecordedinthe“Debate”category,andareworth6
pointsperwinand3pointsperlossornon-decision.Onlyonewin/lossisrecordedperround,soforapanelofjudges,theprevailingdecisionisentered.
2. CongressionalDebateorotherassemblyspeaking(suchasModelUN,Girls/BoysState)isrecordedinthe“Congress”category.Studentsearn1-6pointsperspeechorpercompletehourofpresiding(soapanelofjudgescoresmustbeaveraged).Whena6-pt.scaleisnotawarded,usethefollowingconversiontable:
8-pt.scale 30-pt.scale 60-100-pt.scale Pts.toRecord TourneyPlacement Pts.toRecord
8 28-30 97-100 6 1st 24
6-7 23-27 90-96 5 2nd 23
4-5 18-22 84-89 4 3rd 22
3 13-17 77-83 3 4th 21
2 8-12 70-76 2 5th 20
1 1-7 60-69 1 (andsoforth)
Nomorethan24pointsmayberecordedpercalendarday.Anofficialscorermustbepresent.Atleastfourschoolsmustparticipate.Atleastfourhoursofdebatemustbeheld.
3. Non-Associationdebateevents,suchasMockTrial,ParliamentaryDebate,orSpontaneousArgumentarerecordedinthe“Debate”category,andareworth4pointsperwinand2pointsperlossornon-decision.
4. Ifadebateroundiscancelledornotheldduetoforfeitureordrawingofabye,nopointsarerecorded.
5. Ifatournamenthasmiddleschoolcompetitors,ahighschoolstudentmayonlyearnpointsforroundsagainstmiddleschoolcompetitorsifthetournamenthasatleastfourhighschoolscompeting.
6. Winsorlossesmaynotberecordedfordebatesagainstnon-schoolentities,suchasacivicorganization.Publicdebatesheldbeforeanaudienceofsuchanentitymayberecordedunder“Service,”butcannotalsoberecordedwithawin/lossunder“Debate.”
7. TheInternationalPublicPolicyForum(IPPF)debateessaycontestisrecordedunderDebate,eitherasPolicyDebateorPublicForumDebate.
C. RecordingInterscholasticSpeechContests1. Aminimumoffourschoolsmustbepresentatatournamentformeritpointstobeearnedinallevents.
2. Publicspeakingorinterpretiveeventsarerecordedbytheirindividualcategoryname.Studentranks,orrank-equivalents(conversionforpointtotalsoralternatesystems)areused.
3. Onlyonerankorroundplacingmaybeenteredforapanelofjudges.Foreliminationroundspriortoafinalround,anaverageofapanel’sranksmaybeused.Forthefinalround,tournamentplacementistherank.
4. MainAssociationeventsmayearn6pointsper1strank,5pointsper2ndrank,4pointsper3rdrank,3pointsper4thrank,and2pointsforranksof5andbelow.ThoseeventsincludeExtemporaneousSpeaking,OriginalOratory,InformativeSpeaking,andHumorous,Dramatic,Duo,andProgramOralInterpretation.
5. Non-mainAssociationeventsmayearn5pointsper1strank,4pointsper2ndrank,3pointsper3rdrank,2pointsper4thrank,and1pointforranksof5andbelow.Usetheappropriatecategoryname,orasimilarcategorynameasappropriate.
6. Extrapolatewhatspeechcategoriesbestmatchoutsidecontests.Forexample,AmericanLegionOratoricalContest’stwospeakingeventsarerecordedasOriginalOratoryandExtemporaneousSpeaking.PoetryOutLoud,SlamPoetry,andSpoken-WordPoetryarerecordedasPoetry.Whereratingsareusedinsteadofrankings,pleaseusethetablebelow.
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7. Usethefollowingtabletoconvertnon-rankratingstoranksforthepurposeofonlinerecording:
Non-RankRoundRating Grade Points Points RanktoInput
Superior 25 95-100 1
Excellent 24 90-94 2
GoodorExceedsExpectations A 20-23 71-89 3
FairorMeetsExpectations B 15-19 42-70 4
AverageorDoesNotMeetExpectations C 10-14 10-41 5
0-9° 0-9° None
°Severedeficiency,andtherefore,notworthanypoints
D. RecordingNon-Competitive/ServiceSpeaking1. Limits:Upto200servicepointsmaybereportedperyear;serviceactivitiescanberecordedretroactivelyfor
thecurrentandimmediatepastschoolyearsonly.Studentsmaynotrecordpointsinbothcontestandservicespeaking(thisincludesfinalroundsthatmayhaveanaudienceofmorethan25adults).Pleaseseeadditionallimitsbytypeofserviceenumeratedbelow.
2. AudienceSpeakingEngagements:Designationofaudienceandtypeofspeakingmustbeinaccordancewiththefollowinginstructions:
a. Audience:Itistobenamedspecifically(e.g.,PTA,HartfordRotaryClub,HSAssembly,RadioWHBC).Iftheaudienceisoneusuallycomposedofyoungpeopleand25adultsarealsopresent,theaudiencemaybedesignatedas"ScoutsandParents"or"Hi-YandAdults."Theseaudiencesqualify:
• HighSchoolAssembly
• RadioorTelevisionStation(stationletters)
• Rotary,Kiwanis,andotherservice,community,civic,veterans,orpoliticalclubs/organizations
• Placeofworship/churchcongregation(pleaseidentify)
b. Nopointsareearnedforspeakingtoastudentaudienceofanykindotherthantheofficialhighschoolassembly,sothisexactterm,"HSAssembly,"mustbeused.Suchvagueentriesas"schoolauditorium,""church,"or"school"invalidatetheentry.
c. Adults:Entertheapproximatenumber,atleast25.Onlypersonsbeyondhighschoolageareregardedasadults.
d. TypeofSpeaking:Theexactkindortypeofspeakingistobestated.Thetitleorsubjectisnottobewrittenin.Theterm"Service"istoovague.Oneofthefollowingdesignationsistobeused:AnalysisofAddress,MasterofCeremonies,AfterDinnerSpeech,OratoricalInterpretation,BookReview,Oration,Commentating,PersuasiveSpeech,PublicDebate,Declamation,PanelDiscussion,InterpretiveReading,SalesTalk,Sermon,Sportscasting,Storytelling,Impromptu,ExtemporaneousSpeech,TV&RadioAnnouncing.
e. LengthofSpeaking:Enterstudentspeakingminutes.Foradiscussion,thetimeforeachparticipantmaybeestimated.Aminimumoffourminutesisrequiredforeachservicespeech,oritshouldnotberecorded.
f. PointValue:Allstudentsreceivefivepointsforeachservicespeakingactivity,withalimitoffourprojectsperday.SummerServicespeakingmayberecorded,butworkshops/camps/institutesmaynot.Coachesmaynotrecordmorethanonedayofservicespeakingperentry.
3. Judging:Studentswillearntwopointspernoviceormiddleschoolroundjudged,withalimitoffourroundsperday.Individualtournamentsdeterminetheirowncriteriaforallowingstudentstojudge.
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4. MiddleSchoolCoaching:Highschoolstudentsmayearntwopointsperhourforcoachingmiddleschoolpracticesessions,whichdoesnotincludetournaments.Amaximumof50pointsperyearmayberecordedforcoaching.
5. TheatricalPerformanceSpeaking:Studentsmayearnpointsforacting/theatricalperformancesand/ortheatre/festivalcompetition.
a. Studentswillearnfivepointsforeachperformanceofaplayinfrontofanaudienceorincompetition.
b. Astudentmayearnamaximumof20pointsforanyparticularplayorforaparticularcompetitivereaderstheatreselection,oneactteam,ensemble,choralreadinggroup,etc.
c. Mimeandnon-speakingrolesmaynotearnpoints.
6. PresentationsDisallowedFromPointRecording:Studentsmaynotrecordpointsforinter-classorintramuraldebatesorcontests,summerinstitutetournaments,andschooleliminationorprizespeakingcontests,unlessheldbeforeahighschoolassemblyoradultaudienceandreportedasaservicespeech.SchoolpublicaddressannouncementsandInternetbroadcasts/blogsmaynotberecorded.Finally,anypresentationofinferiorqualityshouldbediscounted.
7. DistrictandNationalTournamentPoints:Pointsearnedatthedistrictandnationaltournamentsarerecordedautomatically.Forthedistricttournament,coacheswillbeemailed,promptingthemtopostthosepoints.
III.IndividualMembership
A. Students1. Onceastudenthasearned25creditpoints(seesectiononpointrecording),atleast10ofwhichweregained
ininterscholasticcontests,thelocalchapteradvisormayenrollthestudentasamemberuponpaymentofthe$20enrollmentfee.
2. Standards:Theapplicantshouldhavearealinterestinspeech,maintainahighstandardofcontestethics,andbeofgoodcharacter.Teststobeappliedtoeachapplicantshouldinclude:
a. Deservingbyabilityandachievement,tobehonoredwithAssociationmembershipandthekeyorpin?
b. WillgrantingmembershiptothispersonfavorablyaffectthesignificanceofAssociationmembershipinthisschoolandelsewhere?
Incaseofdoubt,itisbettertodefergrantingmembership.Theapplicantcanalwaysbeadmittedlater;onceadmitted,itisdifficultandpainfultoremovehim/her.
AllstudentswhobecomemembersoftheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationmustaffirmthehonorsociety’sCodeofHonor.Memberstudentspledgetoupholdthehigheststandardsofintegrity,humility,respect,leadership,andservice.
3. Studentapplicantsshouldrankscholasticallyintheuppertwo-thirdsoftheirclass.Rankmaybebasedeitherontheworkoftheprevioussemesterorupontheentirehighschoolrecord,whichevertheprincipalbelieveswillmostfairlymeasurethescholasticworthoftheapplicant.Iftheapplicantranksinthelowestthirdoftheclass,membershipmustbedeferreduntiltheirworkimproves.InspecialcircumstancestheprincipalmaybyletterrecommendtotheBoardofDirectorsthatastudentbeacceptedformembershipinspiteofscholasticorcreditpointdeficiency.
4. Thehighschoolfacultyisalsoauthorizedtoelectmembersanditshouldberequestedtodosoifthechapterwithoutjustcausedeclinestoelectaqualifiedapplicant.
5. Ninthgradestudentsinajuniorhighschoolmaybeelectedtomembershipbythehighschooltheyexpecttoattend.OnlyninthgradestudentsmaybeelectedtohighschoolAssociationmembershipinjuniorhighchapters.Ninthgradestudentsmay,iflocalrulespermit,participateasmembersofthehighschoolsquad.
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B. Instructors/Coaches1. Instructorsreceiveone-tenthofpointsrecordedforstudentstheycoach.Theyqualifyformembershipand
advanceddegreesaccordingtothesamescheduleprovidedforstudentsandmustapplyandpaytheindividualmembershipenrollmentfee.Onattainingatotalof1,500points,theinstructorwillbeentitledtowearadiamond-setAssociationkeyorpin;additionaldiamondsaccrueat3,000,6,000,10,000andeach3,000pointsthereafter,andtheminimumtimeforeachdiamondisfiveyearsasamembercoach.
2. Aninstructorwhoobtainedmembershipasastudentshouldreportthatfacttothenationaloffice.Membership,aswellasone-tenthofthepointsearnedasastudent,willbetransferred.
3. Degreesforuptothreeactivecoachesmaycountineachchaptertowarddistrictstandingandtournamentapportionment.However,morethanthreeactivecoachesmayearnpointsduringaseason.
C. Enrollment/Application1. Recordingatleast25pointsinastudentrecordintheonlinesystempromptsmembershipforthatstudent.
However,additionalstepsmustbetakentoofficiallyenrollthatindividualasamember.Onceacoachhasaccrued25pointsasone-tenthof250studentpointsrecorded,thatcoachshouldbelistedonthisformaswell.
a. Thenationalofficewillemailthechapteradvisoraninvoiceforeachnewmember($20each)afterthestudentisenrolledwithatleast25points.Theadvisorwillalsoreceiveapapercopyoftheinvoicewithmembershipcardsandhand-engrossedcertificates.Pleasepaythisinvoicein30days.Anyindividualmembershipfeenotpaidwithin60daysofthemembershipmeritdatewillincuranadditionalfeeof$5permembershipforatotalmembershipfeeof$25.AschoolwithanyoutstandingdebttotheAssociationwillnotbeallowedtoparticipateintheDistrictorNationalTournamentuntilthosefeesarepaidinfull.
b. Onlystudents/coacheswiththerequired25pointswillbelistedformembership.Studentswithfewerthan25pointsarenotyeteligibleandareviewableontheschoolprofileunder"ViewNon-MemberStudents."
c. SchoolsshouldincludeacheckormoneyorderpayabletoNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation,forfeesof$20foreachindividuallistedforenrollment.Excessremittanceisacknowledgedbycreditvoucherandmustbeusedwithintwoyearstoretainthevalueitrepresents.Thismaybeappliedtofutureenrollmentfees,schooldues,latefees,orNationalTournamentfees.SchoolsmayfileanEarlyInvoicingFormanddepositfundsaheadoftimewiththenationalofficetobeautomaticallydrawneachtimefeesareassessed.Receiptsforremittancearealwaysavailable;simplyrequestwhennecessary.
2. Thechapteradvisorshouldinspectcertificatesforaccuracyandreportanyissuesormissingcertificatestothenationalofficewithin30days.Beyond30days,areplacementfeeof$5percertificateischarged.
C. TransferofMembership:Astudentorcoachmaytransferfromonechaptertoanotherwithoutchargeorlossofpoints.Ifanewcertificateisdesired,$5mustberemitted.Transfermaybedoneautomaticallyonthepointssystem,orbyemailing/callingcustomerservicestaff.
D. InactiveMembership:Astudentorcoachismarked“inactive”inthePointsApplicationbySeptember1iffewerthan10pointswereaddedduringthepreviousschoolyear.Theindividualresumesactivestatusassoonas10pointsareaddedtotheirrecord.Aninactivememberdoesnotcountindeterminingchapterstrength,andtherefore,districtstanding.Aninactivememberremainseligibletoparticipateinthedistricttournament.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 13
E. StudentWebsiteRegistrationProcedures:Onlystudentsofficiallyregisteredasamemberuserontheorganization’swebsitemaycompeteindistrictcompetition.
InstructionsforStudents:
Step1: Gotowww.speechanddebate.org/join.
Step2: Provideyournameandemailaddress.Besuretouseyourformalname,capitalizingthefirstlettersofyourfirst,middle(optional),andlastname,asitwillappearontheirmembershipcertificatethatway!
Step3: Selectausernameandpassword.
Step4: AgreetoabidebytheAssociation’sHonorCodeandTerms&Conditions.
Step5: Reviewyourinformation.Ifeverythingiscorrect,clickthe“Submit”button.
Step6: Afterclicking“Submit,”studentswillseeanAccountConfirmationscreen.Theyshouldloginwiththeirnewlycreatedcredentialsbyclickingthe“LoginNow”buttonorbyclicking“Account”intheupperrightcornerofthescreen.ThiswilltakethemtotheirStudentProfilepage.Studentsneedtoclick“LinktoSchool”andselecttheirrole(student),highschoolormiddleschool,state,andnameofschool.Theywillbepromptedtoverifythattheywishtolinktotheirschool.
InstructionsforCoaches:Tocompletetheregistrationprocess,youshouldlogintowww.speechanddebate.org,click“Account”intheupperrightcorner,andthenclick“EnterPoints”intheleftmenubar(under“QuickLinks”).ThiswilltakeyoutotheSchoolProfilepage.Justbelowtheaddressforyourschool,alinkwillappearfor“ApprovalRequest.”Youshouldthen“LinktoExisting”ifthestudentisalreadylistedonyourSchoolProfilepage,or“CreateNew”iftheyarenotyetlisted.Pleasereviewthelistofnamesinthedropdownmenutoensurethatthestudentisnotalreadylisted.
IV.Degrees
A. AdvantagesofAdvancedDegrees:Advanceddegreesprovideconstantincentiveforfurthereffortevenaftermembership(Merit)levelisearned.Toobtainthemanyadvantagesofadvanceddegrees,advisorsshouldrecordpointsearnedbymembersassoonastheyhavequalifiedforsuchdegrees.Doingsowillgivethechapteranddistrictthefullestmeasureofrecognitionandprovidethemaximuminterestandenthusiasmfortheprogram.
1. Eachdegreeaddsadistinctivesealtothemembershipcertificateandtothemembershiprosterdisplayedinthechapterroom.Thesearesenttochapters,periodically,asindividualsadvanceintheirdegrees.Sealsshouldbeaffixedtotheoriginalmembershipcertificatesothatthree-eighthsofaninchoftheleftsideoftheformersealwillremainuncoveredbythenewone.
2. Thekeyorpinofthemembermaybejeweledtodesignatethehighestdegreeheld.Studentswhoattain500pointsmaywearthesilvermonogram.
3. DegreeofExcellenceandabovepermitsstudentstoreceiveservicepointsforjudgingnovicerounds.
4. Thenumberofentriesinthedistricttournamentfromeachchapterisbasedupontheactivemembersanddegreesonrecordseven(7)daysprecedingthetournament.
5. SeatsinthedistrictCongressionalDebateareapportionedamongthechaptersonthebasisofmembershipanddegreesonrecordbasedonthelastdistrictstandingseven(7)dayspriortotheCongress.
6. Thecharterchapterreportofstandingsisbaseduponthenumberofmembersanddegreesenrolledduringthepastyear.Eachdegreecountsasmuchasoneindividualmembership.
7. Eachdegreeaddstothecumulativechapterrecord,whichleadstoearningtheLeadingChapterAward.
8. Eachdegreehelpstoadvancethestandingofthedistrict,aspublishedinRostrum.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 14
Alertchapterswillseetoitthateachdegreeawardismentionedintheschoolorlocalpaper.Itisaproperformofpublicityandhighlyeffectiveinexpandingstudentinterestinspeech.Newspapersareusuallyeagertousebriefitemsconcerninghonorsawardedtolocalstudentsbyanationalorganization.Coachesmayaccesscustompressreleasetemplatesatwww.speechanddebate.org.
B.ApplyingforDegrees:Noapplicationorfeeisrequiredforanyadvanceddegree.Thedegreeswillberecordedinthenationalofficeassoonasamemberhasthenecessarynumberofpointsonrecord.
Degree Points Votes/Strength CertificateSeal PinInsignia-Gem
Honor 75 2 Bronze Emerald
Excellence 150 3 SilveronWhite BlueSapphire
Distinction 250 4 MetallicGoldonGold Ruby
SpecialDistinction 500 5 SilveronPink DoubleRuby
SuperiorDistinction 750 6 SilveronBlue TripleRuby
OutstandingDistinction 1,000 7 SilveronViolet QuadrupleRuby
PremierDistinction 1,500 8 SilveronBlack QuintupleRuby
V.ChapterProceduresA. ApproachestoRecognizingStudents:Certificates,degrees,andkeysshouldbepresentedtothemembersata
schoolassembly,anawardsdayprogramorotherappropriateoccasion.Bothschoolandcommunitypapersshouldbegiventhenamesofthestudentshonoredandaskedtogivebriefacknowledgmentoftheachievementsthehonorrepresents.
Givingfullanddeservedrecognitiontosuccessfulspeakersisasurewayofarousinginyoungerstudentsthedesiretofollowthesamecourseandlikewisetobehonoredfortheirachievements.
B. Induction:Thenationalorganizationprescribesnoritualfortheinitiationofnewmembers,inasmuchassuchproceduremightbecontrarytolocalschoolregulations.Intheabsenceofsuchrule,anappropriateceremonyfortheinductionofnewmembersmaybeemployed.
C. Insignia:Theemblemofourorganizationisshapedlikeakey,symbolizingtheunlockingofthepowersofexpression.Theshapeofthemainpartoftheemblemisoctagonal,whichsymbolizesthemanyanglesfromwhichaquestionmustbestudied.Theeyesymbolizesthelightwhichstudywillthrowuponallquestions.Theletters“NFL”standfor“NationalForensicLeague.”Thelampdesignatesknowledge.Theemblemismadeofsterlingsilverplatedwithrhodiumtopreserveindefinitelyitsmetallicluster.Silverisusedinsteadofgoldtodistinguishtheemblemfromthecollegiatehonorkeys.Oneshouldbeveryproudtowearthisdistinctiveinsignia.
Generationsofstudentshaveproudlywornourinsigniaasatangiblesignoftheirsuccessinmasteringthetechniquesofeffectivecommunication.Keysandpins,andespeciallytheadvanceddegreejewelsmakeexcellentawardstoworthystudents.Anymembermayobtainakeyorpin(plainorjeweled)toreflectstandingintheAssociation.
Keysaremadeofsilver,heavilyplatedwithaspecialrhodiumplating,andareguaranteedagainstdefectbythemanufacturer.Shouldonebefoundunsatisfactory,pleasereturnittothenationalofficeforreplacement.
TIP:Chaptersmayfindittobesimpler,quicker,andcheapertoestablishasmall“bank”ofinsigniasomemberscantradetheirpinsforjeweledpinsastheyqualifyforthem.Thesemembersreleasetheirplainpinsforusebynewmembers,whointurnwillqualifyforjeweleditemslater.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 15
Medium Large Monogram
Allinsigniashownactualsize
Thepinhasasafetyclaspontheback;thekeydoesnot.
D. OrderingKeysandPins:Honoraryinsigniaareavailableaseitherkeysorpinsintheactualsizesshownhere.Allitemsmaybeorderedeitherplainorwithdesignatedjewel.Toorderonline,visitstore.speechanddebate.org.
1. Advisorsmayordersilverkeysandpinsforstudents.Goldinsigniaareforinstructorsonly.
2. Pleaseorderinsigniaonlineatstore.speechanddebate.org.
3. Ifanemblemislost,anewordercompletedintheregularmannermaybesubmitted.Thereisnorulebarringpossessionofmorethanoneemblembyanymember.
4. Allordersfornewinsigniaaretobemailedtothenationaloffice,nottothemanufacturer.
5. Amemberholdinganadvanceddegreewhentheyobtainakeymayorderthejewelatthattime.
6. Insigniaforjewellingorchangeofjewellingisnottobesenttothenationaloffice.Sendtheinsigniaandacopyofthedegreereportsenttothechapter,plustheproperremittancetothemanufacturer.
SuppliesVarioussuppliesareavailableforpurchaseorofferedcomplimentarytoAssociationchapters.Orderingmaybedoneviatheonlinestore.Remittancemustaccompanytheorderforanypurchases.Followingisasamplelistingofsupplies.
• DiplomaSeals:ChapterswishingtoaffixAssociationsealstothediplomasoftheirgraduatingmembersmayobtainsuchsealsfromthenationaloffice.Thesealsareoneinchinsize,embossedonbronze,silver,gold,rose,blue,andpurplefoiltodesignatethedegreeheldbythemember.Eachpackagecontainsanassortmentofseals.Replacementpacketsofallbronze,allsilver,allgold,allrose,allblue,allpurple,orallblackareavailable.Diplomasealsmustnotbeawardedtomembersnotattainingadvanceddegrees.
• Magazine:Rostrum,theofficialpublicationoftheAssociation,isissuedquarterlyfromSeptembertoApril.Eachchapterreceivestwocopies.Additionalannualschoolsubscriptionscost$15each.Individualannualsubscriptionsare$15($25fortwoyears).
Awards• LeadingChapterAward:Eachyear,theAssociationpresentsaspecialLeadingChapterawardtotheschool
whoseaccumulatedtotalofmembersanddegreesishighestineachdistrict.Therulesaresetforthinbylaw21.Theawardisabeautifulwalnutplaque,eachmadeindividuallyforthechapterwhosenameitbears.Sincemembersanddegreesonceonrecordremainasacredittotheschool,everyschool,nomatterhowfardownthelist,canlookforwardtoattainingtheLeadingChapterAwardeventually.Thestandingofeachchapterinthedistrictinrelationtotheattainmentoftheplaque,aswellasitsrelativepositioninthepreviousyear,isreportedintheFallRostrum.Eachchaptercanthereforenoteitsownprogressfromyeartoyear,aswellastheprogressofitsfriendlyrivalsinspeechexcellence.
• HonoraryMembership:AchaptermayelectoneHonorarymemberforeach100membersanddegreesearnedbythatchapter;notmorethanoneayear.Honorarymembersmustbeadultswhohavecontributedinsomesignificantwaytothespeechprogramofthelocalchapter,buthavenotearnedAssociationmembershipasastudentorinstructor.
Aspecialformforhonorarymembershipisrequiredandisavailablefromthenationaloffice.Thereisnofee.Anappropriatemembershipcertificateisissued.AGoldChapterHonorarykeyisobtainablefromthenationaloffice.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 16
• StudentHonorCords:Wherelocalrulespermit,graduatingseniorsmaywearofficialAssociationSilverandRubyHonorCordsatGraduationceremonies.Thecordsmaybeorderedonlineatstore.speechanddebate.org.
• DistrictChairAwardsinHonorofRalphE.Carey:Districtchairsarechargedwithrunningdistricttournaments,areresponsibleforthewelfareoftheAssociationintheirdistricts,andadvisetheBoardonAssociationpolicy.Districtchairawardsareearnedinthefollowingmanner:
1. ThechairpersonofthedistrictinfirstplaceonMay1receives8units,thenextthreereceive4units,andthenextninereceive2units.Allothersreceive1unit.
2. For3units,achairisgivenabronzechairpersonaward,for5unitsasilveraward,andfor8unitsaRalphE.Careygoldaward.Nochairisevergivenalowerawardthanonepreviouslyreceived,butunitsaccumulateoverseveralyearstowardagoldaward;morethanonemaybeearned.
3. TheRalphE.CareyDistinguishedDistrictChairTrophyisacareerawardpresentedeachyeartooneoutstandingchairforlengthyandsuperlativeservice.Awardsalsoarepresentedtothebestnewchair,chairoftheyear,andthebestchaircommunications.
• StudentoftheYear:EachChaptermaynominateonegraduatingseniorasDistrictStudentoftheYear,usingtheconcise,two-pageapplication.Thenomineemust:beanAssociationmemberintheirsenioryearofhighschool;demonstratestrongacademicstandards;activelyengagetheircommunitythroughserviceandaction;exhibitdedicationtoforensicsandcommitmenttovaluesoftheAssociation.Eachindividualdistrictdeterminesthemannerinwhichnomineesarereviewedandselected.EachDistrictStudentoftheYeariseligibleforconsiderationasNationalStudentoftheYear,determinedthroughareviewprocesscoordinatedbythenationaloffice.
• AcademicAllAmerican:TheAcademicAllAmericanawardrecognizesstudentswhohave:
o EarnedthedegreeofSuperiorDistinction(750points)
o Completedatleast5semestersofhighschool
o Demonstratedoutstandingcharacterandleadership
o EarnedaGPAof3.7ona4.0scale(oritsequivalent)
NOTE:IftheGPAisbetween3.5and3.7ona4.0scale(oritsequivalent),studentsalsomusthavereceivedanACTscoreof27orhigher,oraNewSATscoreof1300orhigher
Coachesofstudentswhomeettheserequirementsshouldsubmitanapplicationfortheaward,availableonline,alongwithcharacterreferencesandacademictranscripts.
• StudentServiceCitations:Studentsreceiveonecitationforevery100servicepointsachieved.Asingleactofservice,suchascommunityspeaking,usuallygarnersbetweentwoandfiveservicepoints.Thenumberofcitationsastudentreceiveswillbenotedas“firstdegree,”“seconddegree,”“thirddegree,”andsoon.CoacheswillreceivenotificationonthePointsApplicationwhenstudentsreachnewdegrees,andmaydownloadcertificatesandpressreleaseswhenstudentsearnthosehonors.
• StudentServicePlaques:EachchaptermayawardAssociationserviceplaquestostudentswhorenderservice(conductingchapteraffairs,runningtournaments,judging,etc.).The4.5”x6.5”plaquesfeaturetheembossedNFLseal.Plaquesmaybeorderedfromthenationaloffice.
• HallofFame:Individualswith25yearsofcoachmembershipintheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation,orwhoareretiredfromcoachingandteaching,areeligibletobenominatedforthisprestigiousaward.ExistingHallofFamemembersandallcoacheswiththreeormorediamondselecteachyear’sclasstotheHallofFame.
• CoachDistinguishedServiceAward:AspecialhonorconferredbytheAssociationistheDistinguishedServiceAward.Aspecialgoldkeyisgrantedtoacoachmemberfor20citationsandabronzeplaqueisgivenforeachadditional50citationsforthefollowingservices:
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 17
Recruitinganewchapter....................................................................2Sponsoringanewchapter..................................................................2Yearasadistrictchair......................................................................1-3Memberofadistrictcommittee........................................................1Yearasanationalofficer....................................................................3ManaginganAssociationdistricttournament................................1-3Holdingatournamentfor10schools.................................................1Directingatournamentfor10schools...............................................1ServiceattheNationalTournament................................................1-3ArticleinRostrum............................................................................1-3ArticleabouttheAssociationinaneducationaljournal..................1-3PresentationabouttheAssociationataconvention.......................1-3OtherservicerequestedbytheBoardofDirectors.........................1-5
Wheneveramemberisentitledtoacitation,theCoachServiceCitationform(availableonline)shouldbefilledoutandsenttothenationaloffice,butnoapplicationshouldbesubmittedforaservicenotspecificallylistedabove.
1. Theserviceshouldbedescribedbycitingtime,place,name,oreventsoastoestablishitsidentitybeyondpossibilityofconfusionwithanysimilarone.Severalservicesmaybelistedononeblank,buttheformsshouldnotbecrowded.
2. Citationsmustbeappliedforwithintwoyearsfromthedateoftheserviceortheycannotbeallowed.
3. Signatureofschoolofficialisrequiredonlyiftheservicehasnotbeenestablishedbynationalrecordorattachedpapers.
4. CitationsapprovedatthenationalofficewillbesignedbytheExecutiveDirectorandkeptatthenationalofficeuntilthenumberrequiredforanawardhasbeenattained.Atthattime,theyshouldagainbesenttothenationalofficetoclaimtheaward.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 18
CodeofHonor“AsamemberoftheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation,Ipledgetoupholdthehigheststandardsof
integrity,humility,respect,leadershipandserviceinthepursuitofexcellence.”
Integrity:Anhonorsocietymemberobeysthehighestethicalstandardsandadherestotherulesoftheorganization.Membersrecognizethatintegrityiscentraltoearningthetrust,respect,andsupportofone’speers.Integrityencompassesthehighestregardforhonesty,civility,justice,andfairness.Humility:Amemberdoesnotregardhimorherselfmorehighlythanothers.Regardlessofaperson’slevelofsuccess,heorshealwayslooksbeyondoneselftoappreciatetheinherentvalueofothers.Respect:Amemberrespectsindividualdifferencesandfostersdiversity.Heorshepromotestolerance,inclusion,andempowermentforpeoplefromavarietyofbackgrounds.Leadership:Amemberinfluencesotherstotakepositiveactiontowardproductivechange.MemberscommittothoughtfulandresponsibleleadershipthatpromotestheothercorevaluesintheCodeofHonor.Service:Amemberexercisesthetalentsheorshehasbeengiventoprovideservicetohisorherpeers,community,andtheactivity.Atalltimesamemberispreparedtoworkconstructivelytoimprovethelivesofothers.
(adoptedSeptember2007)
CoachesCodeofEthicsThefunctionofacoachistoeducatestudentsthroughparticipationinspeechanddebate.Studentsshouldbetreatedwiththeutmostrespect,andtheirwelfareshouldbeconsideredindecisionsbycoachesatalltimes.Accordingly,thefollowingguidelinesforcoacheshavebeenadoptedbytheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation.
Coachesshallbeawarethattheyhaveatremendousinfluence,foreithergoodorill,ontheeducationoftheirstudentsand,thus,shallneverplacethevalueofwinningabovethevalueofinstillingthehighestidealsofcharacter.
Coachesshallpracticeintegritybyupholdingthehonoranddignityofourprofession.Inallpersonalcontactwithstudents,judges,tournamentofficials,activitiesdirectors,schooladministrators,othercoaches,themedia,andthepublic,coachesshallstrivetosetanexampleofthehighestethicalandmoralconduct.
Coachesshalltakeanactiveroleinthepreventionofstudentdrug,alcohol,andtobaccoabuse.
Coachesshallbeexpectedtoupholdtheirschool’spolicyinregardstodrug,alcohol,andtobaccousewhenincontactwithstudents.
Coachesshallstrivetounderstandthecontestrulesandtoteachthemtotheirstudents.Coachesshallnotseekanadvantagebycircumventionofthespiritorletteroftherules.
Coachesshallexerttheirinfluencetoenhancesportsmanshipandfair-playbycompetitorsandothercoaches.
Coachesshallrespectandsupporttournamentofficials.Coachesshallnotindulgeinconductthatwouldinciteothercoachesorstudentsagainsttournamentofficials.Publiccriticismoftournamentofficials,othercoaches,orstudentsisunethical.
Coachesshallsetthecorrecttoneforatournamentorcompetition.
(adoptedDecember2016)
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 19
DistrictandNationalLeadershipI.DistrictCommittee
A. Election:EachchapteradvisormaycastaballotonlineformembersoftheDistrictCommitteefromalistofcoachesactive(affiliatedwithaschool)inthedistrict.Allfiveplacesshouldbefilledwithnamesofactivecoachesinthedistrict.Eachactivememberschoolshallhaveonevote.Electionswillbeheldinodd-numberedyears.DistrictCommitteememberswillbeelectedtoserveatwo-yearterm.
Amemberofthecommitteehastherighttoserveeventhoughtheyleavetheschoolfromwhichtheywereelectediftheytransfertoanotherschoolwithinthedistrict.Ifapositionbecomesvacant,anewmemberischosenaccordingtotheoriginalvote.
II.BoardofDirectorsA. Election:Electionofnationalofficersshallbeconductedinevennumberedyearsasfollows:
1. AnymembercoachwithfiveyearsofAssociationcoachingexperiencemaybecomeacandidatefortheBoardofDirectorsbysoadvisingtheexecutivedirectorinwritingbeforeJanuary20viacertifiedmail.
2. PresentnationalofficerswhosetermsexpireonJuly31shallbecomecandidatesforre-electionbyfilingawrittenstatementwiththeexecutivedirectorbyJanuary20viacertifiedmail.
3. NopersonmayserveasamemberoftheBoardofDirectorsaftertheir70thbirthday.ThisruledoesnotapplytotheadministrativerepresentativewhoisappointedbytheBoardeverytwoyears.
4. CandidatesshallbeallottedonecolumninRostrum,nottoexceed400wordsinlength,tosupporttheircandidacy,dueJanuary20.
5. Eachchaptershallvoteonlineforuptofourdirectors.Eachactivememberschoolshallhaveonevote.ThosecandidatesnotelectedtotheBoardshallbedesignatedasalternatesinorderoffinish.
B. Organization:1. TheBoardofDirectorsconsistsofapresident,vicepresident,atleastsixelecteddirectors,one
representativefromsecondaryschooladministrators,andadditionalBoardappointeddirectors.ThenumberofBoardappointeddirectorsisnottobeequaltoorgreaterthanthetotalnumberofelecteddirectors.TheBoard,bymajorityvote,mayexpandordecreasethenumberofelectedandappointeddirectorsaslongastheactiondoesnotviolatetheaboveprovisions.
2. TheBoardofDirectorswillselectoneofitsownaspresident,andanotherofitsownasvicepresident.Ifthereisavacancyinthepresidency,thevicepresidentassumestheofficeofpresidentfortheremainderofthecurrentterm.Ifthereisavicepresidentialvacancy,theBoardwillselectoneofitsowntoserveasvicepresidentfortheremainderofthatterm.Intheeventofvacanciesinbothoffices,anewofficerelectionwillbeheldatthenextscheduledBoardmeeting.AppointeddirectorsandtheschooladministratorservingontheBoardarenoteligibletobepresidentorvicepresident.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 20
Calendar:YearAt-a-GlanceAugust/September:Chaptersuppliesonhandshouldbecheckedandtherequisitiontothenationalofficeshouldbesentforallitemsneeded.Thechapterduesasbilledbythenationalofficeshouldbepaid.
October:Ifanymatterfromthepreviousschooltermwasnotsatisfactorilycompleted,Octoberisthetimewhenthatmattershouldbecorrected.Reportsandapplicationsforstudentswhohavequalifiedformembershipordegreesshouldbesubmitted.
November:EachchaptershouldnotecriticallythestandingofitschapteraspublishedintheFallRostrum.Ifitisnotentirelygratifying,eachchaptershouldplanspecificallywhatshallbedoneduringtheyeartoadvancethestandinginthenextannualreport.
Beforetheseason'sworktakestoomuchtimeandthelocalschoolcalendarbecomescrowded,itisadvisabletoplanachapterprojectforraisingfunds,ifneedsarenotcoveredbytheschool/activitybudget.Chapterduesoughttohavebeenpaid.
November-April:1. AnychapterwhosecharterexpiresinJune,andneedsadditionalmemberstoqualifyforrenewal,mustmakefirm
plansatthistimeforaspeechprogramthatwillmeettherequirements.Submitapplicationsandcreditpointsheets.
2. Recordparticipation/meritpointsandenrollindividualmembers.Payallfeesassessedonaregularbasis.
3. Prepareforthedistricttournamentseries.ChaptersmustbesurethatalloftheircontestantsareAssociationmembersonrecordinthenationalofficeseven(7)daysbeforethetournament.Pointreportsandapplicationsaretobesubmitted.
4. MostAssociationtournamentsareheldinFebruary,March,andApril.ChaptersmustbesurethatalloftheircontestantsareAssociationmembersonrecordinthenationalofficeseven(7)daysbeforethetournament.
April:Asmanyenrollmentsformembershipaspossibleshouldbefiled.Orderinsignia,plaques,andotherAssociationawardsnowtoguaranteedeliveryintimeforawardsassemblies.Inodd-numberedyears,districtcommitteeelectionsareheldonline.Ineven-numberedyears,Boardelectionsareconductedonline.ElectionresultsareannouncedafterMay31.
May:1. Studentkeysandpinsaretobeorderedatleast20daysbeforetheyareneeded.Orderinstructors’andhonorary
insigniaatleastfourweeksbeforethepresentationdate.
2. Electchapterofficersfornextyear.Chapterrecordsandsuppliesaretobetransferredtothosenewofficers.
3. Holdaninductionorrecognitionceremony.Forrecommendations,seeourHonorSocietyGuide,aswellassamplevideosandmaterialsonline.
4. Recordfinalcreditpointsforgraduates.
June:ThisisthelastopportunitytoadvancechapterstandingpublishedintheFallRostrum.Allunfinishedbusinessneedstobecompleted.TheNationalSpeech&DebateTournamentisheld.Wehopetoseeyouthere!
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolChapterManual 21
QuickReferenceforChapterAdvisors/CoachesSchools• Tojoin,sendtheannualapplicationformsignedbytheprincipal,andpaytheannual$149dues.Schoolsrenewingon
aconsistentbasisdonotneedtoobtaintheprincipal’ssignatureeveryyear.
• Toearnandretainacharter,enrollatleast50newdegreeswithinathree-yearperiod.Annualduesmustbepaideveryyeartoretainthecharter,oritissuspended.
Students• Pointsarerecordedonlineforstudentparticipationininterscholasticcontestsorservicespeakingendeavors.
StudentsareenrolledasanAssociationmemberoncetheyhaveearned25points,atleast10ofwhichwereearnedininterscholastichighschoolcompetition.Theschoolwillbeassesseda$20membershipfeeoncethestudent’srecordreachesthe25pointrequirement.
• Studentsmaytransferone-tenthofmiddleschoolpointstotheirhighschoolrecord,nottoexceed50highschoolmeritpoints(maximumof500middleschoolpoints).Astudentwillnotgainhighschoolmembership,however,untiltheyhaveearnedatleast10pointsinhighschoolcompetition.
Points• Astudentmayearnpointsatanytimewhilethatstudentisenrolledingrades9-12.Pointsmayberecordedwhilethe
student’sschoolisamemberoftheAssociation.• Pointvaluesforinterscholasticcompetition:
o Onlyonerankingordecisionshallbeenteredperround.Forspeechroundswithpanels,theaveragerankisused,exceptforfinals,whereoveralltournamentplacingisused.
o PublicForum,Lincoln-Douglas,andPolicyDebate:6pointsperwin;3perlossornodecision.o MockTrial,ParliamentaryDebate,Supplemental,andothernon-Associationdebates:4perwin;2per
loss/nodecision.o Associationmainspeechevents(ExtemporaneousSpeaking,OriginalOratory,InformativeSpeaking,
Dramatic/Humorous/Duo/ProgramOralInterpretation):rankof–1st=6points;2nd=5points;3rd=4points;4th=3points;5th/lower=2points.
o Non-Associationmainspeechevents(includingImpromptu,Commentary,Expository,Poetry,Prose,etc.):rankof–1st=5points;2nd=4points;3rd=3points;4th=2points;5th/lower=1point(seep.5forachartofhowtoconvertnon-rankstoratings).
o CongressionalDebate:1-6pointsperspeech(averageofpanel);1-6pointspercompletehourofpresiding.Maximum24pointspercalendarday;anofficialscorermustbepresent.
• Pointvaluesforservice:o Limit:200pointsperschoolyearo AudienceSpeakingEngagements:Minimumspeakingtimemustbefourminutes;audiencesofatleast25
adults,outsideofinterscholasticcompetition;radioortelevisionisallowed;PAannouncements,Internetbroadcastsarenot
o Value:5pointsperproject;limit4projectsperdayo SeethesectiononNovice/MiddleSchoolJudgingandCoachingpoints.
• Coachesearnone-tenththepointsoftheirstudents,andareenrolledasindividualmembers(degreeofMerit)uponearning25points(atleast250studentpointscreditedtothatcoach).
o Acoachmaytransferone-tenthoftheirpointsasanAssociationstudenttotheircoachingrecord.• ChangestoonlinePointsApplicationrecordsmustbesubmittedbythechapteradvisorofrecord.
Section2:HighSchoolEventRulesManual
Thefollowingrulesshouldbeinterpretedliterallyandfollowedexactly.Allmembersareentitledtoassurancethatpointswereearnedandreportedstrictlyaccordingtotherules.Thenationalofficewillcheckallreportscriticallyandstrikeoutincompleteorquestionableentries.
Forquestionsnotansweredhere,[email protected](920)748-6206.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolEventRulesManual 23
MainEventRulesPolicyDebate1. Resolution:Theresolutionwillbeonerequiringapolicyjudgment.Thecurrentnationalquestionwillbeusedandwill
bepublishedinRostrumandatwww.speechanddebate.org/topics.
2. Entries:Anentryiscomprisedoftwostudentsfromthesameschool;eachdebatingbothsidesoftheresolutionandadvancingonitsownrecord.Nosubstitutionispermittedoncethetournamenthasbegun.
3. OrderofSpeeches:Eachdebatermustgiveoneandonlyoneconstructivespeech,oneperiodofquestioning,oneperiodofanswering,andonerebuttalspeech,inthefollowingorder:
AffirmativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes
NegativeCrossExaminesAffirmative 3minutes
NegativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes
AffirmativeCrossExaminesNegative 3minutes
AffirmativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes
NegativeCrossExaminesAffirmative 3minutes
NegativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes
AffirmativeCrossExaminesNegative 3minutes
NegativeRebuttal 5minutes
AffirmativeRebuttal 5minutes
NegativeRebuttal 5minutes
AffirmativeRebuttal 5minutes
Preptime 5minutesperteam
4. PromptingPhilosophy:Oralprompting,excepttimesignals,eitherbythespeaker'scolleagueorbyanyotherpersonwhilethedebaterhasthefloor,isdiscouragedthoughnotprohibitedandmaybepenalizedbysomejudges.Debatersmay,however,refertotheirnotesandmaterialsandmayconsultwiththeirteammatewhiletheydonothavethefloor.
5. UseofElectronicDevices:TheuseoflaptopcomputersispermittedattheNationalTournament.Theuseoflaptopcomputersatthequalifyingtournamentwillbetheautonomousdecisionofeachdistrict.LaptopusemustcomplywiththeGuidelinesforLaptopUseinDebateEvents.
6. Timing:Timekeepersareanoptionbutnotrequired.Ifnotimekeeperisused,debatersmaytimefortheirpartnersorthejudgemaykeeptime.Preptimeforeachteamisfiveminutes.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolEventRulesManual 24
PublicForumDebate1. Resolution:SpecificresolutionsfordistricttournamentsheldduringcertainmonthsandtheNationalTournament
topicwillbepublishedinRostrumandatwww.speechanddebate.org/topics.PublicForumDebatefocusesonadvocacyofapositionderivedfromtheissuespresentedintheresolution,notaprescribedsetofburdens.
2. Entries:Anentryiscomprisedoftwostudentsfromthesameschool;eachdebatingbothsidesoftheresolutionandadvancingonitsownrecord.Nosubstitutionispermittedoncethetournamenthasbegun.
3. ProcedureandOrderofSpeeches:PriortoEVERYroundandinthepresenceofthejudge(s),acoinistossedbyoneteamandcalledbytheotherteam.Theteamthatwinstheflipmaychooseoneoftwooptions:EITHERtheSIDEofthetopictheywishtodefend(proorcon)ORtheSPEAKINGPOSITIONtheywishtohave(beginthedebateorendthedebate).Theremainingoption(SIDEORSPEAKINGPOSITION)isthechoiceoftheteamthatlosestheflip.Oncespeakingpositionsandsideshasbeendetermined,thedebatebegins(theconteammaylead,dependingonthecoinflipresults).Followingthefirsttwoconstructivespeeches,thetwodebaterswhohavejustgivenspeecheswillstandandparticipateinathree-minute"crossfire".In"crossfire"bothdebaters"holdthefloor."However,thespeakerwhospokefirstmustaskthefirstquestion.Afterthatquestion,eitherdebatermayquestionand/oransweratwill.Attheconclusionofthesummaryspeeches,allfourdebaterswillremainseatedandparticipateinathree-minute"GrandCrossfire”inwhichallfourdebatersareallowedtocross-examineoneanother.Thespeakerwhogavethefirstsummaryspeechmustaskthefirstquestion.
FirstSpeaker-TeamA 4minutes
FirstSpeaker-TeamB 4minutes
Crossfire 3minutes
SecondSpeaker-TeamA 4minutes
SecondSpeaker-TeamB 4minutes
Crossfire 3minutes
Summary-FirstSpeaker-TeamA 2minutes
Summary-FirstSpeaker-TeamB 2minutes
GrandCrossfire 3minutes
FinalFocus-SecondSpeaker-TeamA 2minutes
FinalFocus-SecondSpeaker-TeamB 2minutes
PrepTime 2minutesperteam
4. Plans/Counterplans:InPublicForumDebate,theAssociationdefinesaplanorcounterplanasaformalized,comprehensiveproposalforimplementation.Neithertheproorconsideispermittedtoofferaplanorcounterplan;rather,theyshouldofferreasoningtosupportapositionofadvocacy.Debatersmayoffergeneralized,practicalsolutions.
5. PromptingPhilosophy:Oralprompting,excepttimesignals,eitherbythespeaker'scolleagueorbyanyotherpersonwhilethedebaterhasthefloor,isdiscouragedthoughnotprohibitedandmaybepenalizedbysomejudges.Debatersmay,however,refertotheirnotesandmaterialsandmayconsultwiththeirteammatewhiletheydonothavethefloorandduringtheGrandCrossfire.
6. UseofElectronicDevices:TheuseoflaptopcomputersispermittedattheNationalTournament.Theuseoflaptopcomputersatthequalifyingtournamentwillbetheautonomousdecisionofeachdistrict.LaptopusemustcomplywiththeGuidelinesforLaptopUseinDebateEvents.
7. Timing:Timekeepersareanoptionbutnotrequired.Ifnotimekeeperisused,debatersmaytimefortheirpartnersorthejudgemaykeeptime.Preptimeforeachteamistwominutes.
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Lincoln-DouglasDebate1. Resolution:Theresolutionwillbeonerequiringavaluejudgment.DistrictsmustusethecurrentLincoln-Douglas
topicforthemonthinwhichthecompetitionoccurs.RefertoRostrumorwww.speechanddebate.org/topicsforthecurrenttopic.
2. Entries:Eachcontestantwilldebatebothsides.Nosubstitutionispermittedoncethetournamenthasbegun.
3. OrderofSpeeches:AffirmativeConstructive 6minutes
NegativeCrossExamination 3minutes
NegativeConstructive 7minutes
AffirmativeCrossExamination 3minutes
AffirmativeRebuttal 4minutes
NegativeRebuttal 6minutes
AffirmativeRebuttal 3minutes
PrepTime 4minutesperdebater
4. Timing:Atimekeeperisanoptionbutisn’trequired.Ifnotimekeeperisused,debatersmaytimefortheiropponentorthejudgemaykeeptime.Preptimeforeachdebaterisfourminutes.
5. UseofElectronicDevices:TheuseoflaptopcomputersispermittedattheNationalTournament.Theuseoflaptopcomputersatthequalifyingtournamentwillbetheautonomousdecisionofeachdistrict.LaptopusemustcomplywiththeGuidelinesforLaptopUseinDebateEvents.
GuidelinesforLaptopUseinDebateEventsA. Computersequippedwithremovablewirelesscardsmusthavethecardsremovedbeforethebeginningofany
roundofcompetition.Itistheresponsibilityofthecontestanttodisengagetheequipment.
B. Computerswithbuilt-inwirelesscapabilitymaybeusedonlyifthewirelesscapabilityisdisabled.Itistheresponsibilityofthecontestanttodisabletheequipment.
C. Wiredconnections(Ethernetorphone)duringroundsofcompetitionarenotpermitted.
D. Computersorotherelectronicdevicesmaynotbeusedtoreceiveinformationfromanysource(coachesorassistantsincluded)insideoroutsideoftheroominwhichthecompetitionoccurs.Internetaccess,useofemail,instantmessaging,orothermeansofreceivinginformationfromsourcesinsideoroutsideofthecompetitionroomareprohibited.(Thisdoesnotprohibitnon-electroniccommunicationbetweendebatepartnersduringpreptime.)
E. Penalty:ContestantsfoundtohaveviolatedprovisionsAthroughCabovewillforfeittheroundofcompetitionandreceivezeromeritpoints.ContestantsfoundtohaveviolatedprovisionD(above)willbedisqualifiedfromthetournamentandwillforfeitallroundsandmeritpoints.
F. AvailabilityofEvidence:Contestantselectingtousecomputershavetheresponsibilitytopromptlyprovideacopyofanyevidencereadinaspeechforinspectionbythejudgeoropponent.Printersmaybeused.Evidencemaybeprintedintheroundorproducedelectronically,butmustbeprovidedinaformatreadablebytheopposingteamandthejudge.
G. Contestantselectingtousecomputersareresponsibleforprovidingtheirowncomputers,batteries,extensioncords,andallothernecessaryaccessories.Tournamenthostswillnotberesponsibleforprovidingcomputers,printers,software,paper,orextensioncordsforcontestants.
H. Becausepublicspeakingdecorumremainsanimportantelementofdebate,alldebatersareexpectedtostandatthefrontoftheroomfacingthejudgewhilespeaking.
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I. Contestantschoosingtouselaptopcomputersandrelatedequipmentaccepttheriskofequipmentfailure.Judgesand/orcontestdirectorswillgivenospecialconsiderationoraccommodation,includingnoadditionalspeechtimeorpreptime,shouldequipmentfailureoccur.
J. Bychoosingtouselaptopcomputersintheround,debatersareconsentingtogivetournamentofficialstherighttosearchtheirfiles.Debaterswhodonotwishtoconsentshouldnotusecomputersintheround.
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EvidenceRulesforPolicy,PublicForum,andLincoln-DouglasDebate
Evidenceisoneoftheimportantcomponentsofargumentsindebaterounds.Alldebatersinvolvedareexpectedtoactinanethicalmannerthatisinaccordancewiththerules.InkeepingwiththeNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationCodeofHonor,allparticipantsareexpectedtouseandinterpretevidence,evidencerules,andproceduresingoodfaith.
Note:Highlightedsentencesweremodifiedoraddedsincethereleaseofthe2014-2015piloteddebateevidencerules.
7.1.ResponsibilitiesofContestantsReadingEvidence
A. Evidencedefined.Debatersareresponsibleforthevalidityofallevidencetheyintroduceinthedebate.Evidenceincludes,butisnotlimitedto:facts,statistics,orexamplesattributabletoaspecific,identifiable,authoritativesourceusedtosupportaclaim.Unattributedideasaretheopinionofthestudentcompetitorandarenotevidence.
B. Oralsourcecitation.Inalldebateevents,contestantsareexpectedto,ataminimum,orallydeliverthefollowingwhenintroducingevidenceinadebateround:primaryauthor(s)’name(last)andyearofpublication.Anyotherinformationsuchassource,author’squalifications,etc.,maybegiven,butisnotrequired.Shouldtwoormorequotationsbeusedfromthesamesource,theauthorandyearmustbegivenorallyonlyforthefirstpieceofevidencefromthatsource.Subsequently,onlytheauthor’snameisrequired.Oralcitationsdonotsubstituteforthewrittensourcecitation.Thefullwrittencitationmustbeprovidedifrequestedbyanopponentorjudge.
C. Writtensourcecitation.Totheextentprovidedbytheoriginalsource,awrittensourcecitationmustinclude:
1. Fullnameofprimaryauthorand/oreditor2. Publicationdate3. Source4. Titleofarticle5. Dateaccessedfordigitalevidence6. FullURL,ifapplicable7. Authorqualifications8. Pagenumber(s)
D. Paraphrasing,authoritativesourceversusgeneralunderstanding.Ifparaphrasingisusedinadebate,thedebaterwillbeheldtothesamestandardofcitationandaccuracyasiftheentiretextoftheevidencewereread.Forexample,ifadebaterreferencesaspecifictheorybyaspecificauthor,thedebatermustalsobeabletoprovideanoriginalsource.Ifadebaterweretoreferencesocialcontracttheoryingeneral,thatwouldnotbeanauthoritativesourcethatwouldrequirecitation.However,ifthedebaterreferences“JohnLocke’sSocialContract,”evidencewouldneedtobeavailable.
E. Ellipsesprohibited.Inalldebateevents,theuseofinternalellipsis(…)isprohibitedunlessitisareplicationoftheoriginaldocument.Debatersmayomitthereadingofcertainwords;however,thetextthatisverballyomittedmustbepresentinthetextofwhatwasreadforopposingdebatersand/orjudgestoexamine.Theportionsoftheevidencereadincludingwherethedebaterbeginsandendsmustbeclearlymarked(asoutlinedin7.1.G.2.).
F. Availabilityofevidence.
1. Inalldebateevents,forreference,anymaterial(evidence,cases,writtencitations,etc.)thatispresentedduringtheroundmustbemadeavailabletotheopponentand/orjudgeduringtheroundifrequested.Whenrequested,theoriginalsourceorcopyoftherelevant(asoutlinedin7.1.F.2.)pagesofevidencereadintheroundmustbeavailabletotheopponentinatimelyfashionduringtheroundand/orjudgeattheconclusionoftheround.
2. Originalsource(s)defined.Understandingthatteams/individualsobtaintheirevidenceinmultipleways,theoriginalsourceforevidencemayinclude,butisnotlimitedsolelyto,oneofthefollowing:
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a. Accessingtheliveordisplayingacopyofawebpage(teams/individualsmayaccesstheInternettoprovidethisinformationifrequested).
b. Acopyofthepage(s)theevidenceison,thepagepreceding,andthepagefollowing,ortheactualprinted(book,periodical,pamphlet,etc.)source.
c. Copiesorelectronicversionsofpublishedhandbooks(i.e.,BaylorBriefs;PlanetDebate,etc.).
d. ElectronicorprintedversionsorthewebpageforadebateinstituteortheNDCAsponsoredOpenEvidenceProjectorsimilarsites.
3. Debaters,eveniftheyhaveacquiredtheevidenceotherthanbyoriginalresearch,areresponsibleforthecontentandaccuracyofallevidencetheypresentand/orread.
G. Distinguishingbetweenwhichpartsofeachpieceofevidenceareandarenotreadinaparticularround.Inalldebateevents,debatersmustmarktheirevidenceintwoways:
1. Oraldeliveryofeachpieceofevidencemustbeidentifiedbyaclearoralpauseorbysayingphrasessuchas“quote/unquote”or“markthecard.”Theuseofaphraseisdefinitiveandmaybepreferabletodebaters.Clear,oralpausesareleftsolelytothediscretionofthejudge.
2. Thewrittentextmustbemarkedtoclearlyindicatetheportionsreadinthedebate.Inthewrittentextthestandardpracticesofunderliningwhatisread,orhighlightingwhatisread,and/orminimizingwhatisunread,isdefinitiveandmaybepreferabletodebaters.Theclarityofothermeansofmarkingevidenceislefttothediscretionofthejudge.
H. Privatecommunicationprohibited.Private,personalcorrespondenceorcommunicationbetweenanauthorandthedebaterisinadmissibleasevidence.
7.2.DefinitionsofEvidenceViolations
A. “Distortion”existswhenthetextualevidenceitselfcontainsaddedand/ordeletedword(s),whichsignificantlyalterstheconclusionoftheauthor(e.g.,deleting‘not’;addingtheword‘not’).Additionally,failuretobracketaddedwordswouldbeconsidereddistortionofevidence.
B. “Non-existentevidence”meansoneormoreofthefollowing:
1. Thedebatercitingtheevidenceisunabletoprovidetheoriginalsourceorcopyoftherelevantpageswhenrequestedbytheiropponent,judge,ortournamentofficial.
2. Theoriginalsourceprovideddoesnotcontaintheevidencecited.
3. Theevidenceisparaphrasedbutlacksanoriginalsourcetoverifytheaccuracyoftheparaphrasing.
4. Thedebaterisinpossessionoftheoriginalsource,butdeclinestoprovideittotheiropponentuponrequestinatimelyfashion(asoutlinedin7.4.C.).
C. “Clipping”occurswhenthedebaterclaimstohavereadthecompletetextofhighlightedand/orunderlinedevidencewhen,infact,thecontestantskipsoromitsportionsofevidence.
D. “Strawargument”A“strawargument”isapositionorargumentativeclaimintroducedbyanauthorforthepurposeofrefuting,discreditingorcharacterizingit.Relianceonastrawargumentoccursinadebateroundwhenadebaterassertsincorrectlythattheauthorsupportsorendorsesthestrawargumentashisorherownposition.
Note:Adebaterwhoacknowledgesusinga“strawargument”whenverballyfirstreadintheround,wouldnotbemisrepresentingevidence.However,ifthedebaterfailstoacknowledgetheuseofa“strawargument”andtheiropponentquestionstheuseofsuchanargument,thenthatdebaterhascommittedanevidenceviolation.
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7.3.ProceduresforResolvingEvidenceViolations
A. Judgesareresponsibleforresolvingdisputesbetweendebatersregardingoralcitations(7.1.B.);writtensourcecitations(7.1.C.);distinguishingbetweenwhatpartsofeachpieceofevidenceareandarenotreadinaparticularround(7.1.G.).Whenthejudge(s)havesuchadisputeintheround,theymustmakeawrittennoteontheballotorinformthetabulationcommitteeofthedispute.Theymustdosoparticularlyifitimpactsthedecisioninthedebate.Thesedecisionsmaynotbeappealed.
B. Anappealcanonlybemadeiftheissuehasbeenraisedintheroundwiththeexceptionoftheissueslistedin7.3.C.Appealsmayonlybemadeifjudge(s)havemisapplied,misinterpreted,orignoredarule.
C. Aformalallegationofviolationoftheevidencerulesispermittedduringtheroundonlyifthedebater(s)allegeaviolationof7.2.A.(distortion);7.2.B.(nonexistentevidence);7.2.C.(clipping).Ifaformalallegationofviolationoftheserulesismadeduringaround,thefollowingproceduresmustbefollowed:(seesection7.3.D.forproceduresformakingaformalallegationaftertheconclusionoftheround):
1. Theteam/individualallegingaviolationmustmakeadefinitiveindicationthattheyareformallyallegingaviolationofanevidencerule.
2. Theteam/individualallegingtheviolationoftheevidencemustarticulatethespecificviolationasdefinedin7.2.A.;7.2.B.and/or7.2.C.
3. Thejudgeshouldstoptheroundatthattimetoexaminetheevidencefrombothteams/individualsandrenderadecisionaboutthecredibilityoftheevidence.
a. Ifthejudgedeterminesthattheallegationislegitimateandanevidenceviolationhasoccurred,theteam/individualcommittingtheviolationwillbegiventhelossintheround.Othersanctionsmayapplyaswellasarticulatedin7.3.E.
b. Ifthejudgedeterminesthattheallegationisnotlegitimateandthatthereisnoviolation,theteam/individualmakingthechallengewillreceivethelossintheround.
Note:Teams/individualsmayquestionthecredibilityand/orefficacyoftheevidencewithoutaformalallegationthatrequirestheroundtoend.Teams/debatersmaymakein-roundargumentsregardingthecredibilityofevidencewithoutmakingaformalallegationorviolationoftheserules.Suchinformalargumentsabouttheevidencewillnotautomaticallyendtheround,andwillbetreatedbythejudgeinthesamefashionasanyotherargument.
D. Thetabulationcommitteeisauthorizedtohear:(1)appeals,pursuantto7.3.B.,claimingthatajudgeignored,misinterpretedormisappliedrulesotherthanthosefromwhichnoappealispermittedpursuantto7.3.A.;(2)appealsfromajudge’sdecision,pursuantto7.3.C.,onaformalin-roundallegationofdistortionornon-existentevidence(note:judgedecisionsregardingclippingmaynotbeappealed);and(3)aformalallegationofdistortionornonexistentevidencethatismadeforthefirsttimeafterconclusionofthedebate.
E. Theproceduresformakinganappealorpost-roundformalallegationareasfollows:
1. Acoachorschool-affiliatedadultrepresentativefromtheschool(s)competinginthedebateorajudgefortheroundmustnotifythetabulationcommitteeofintenttosubmitanappealorformalpost-roundallegationwithin20minutesoftheendofthedebateround.The20-minutetimeperiodbeginsoncethelastballotfromallrounds(ifflighted,bothflights)hasbeencollectedbythetabulationcommittee.
2. Thecoachmustsubmitthepost-roundformalallegationtothetabulationcommitteewithin10minutesoftheformalnotificationoftheintenttoappeal.Theallegationmustbeinwritingandarticulatethespecificevidenceviolationthatisbeingchallenged.Thechallengedcontestantandcoachwillthenbenotified.
3. Ifthetabulationcommitteedeterminesthattheoriginalprotesthasmerit,thecoachorschoolaffiliatedadultandcontestant(s)beingchallengedwillbegiven20minutestoprovideevidencedenying,ortothecontraryoftheclaim.Ifsuchevidencecannotbeoffered,thechallengeddebater(s)willbegiventhelossintheroundandmaybesubjecttoadditionalpenalties.Ifthetabulationcommitteedeterminesthattheallegationisnot
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legitimateandthatthereisnoviolation,theteam/individualmakingthechallengewillreceivethelossintheround.
4. Thetabulationcommitteehasthediscretionofextendingthetimelimitsfortheseactionsifcircumstancesdonotallowacoachorschool-affiliatedadulttobeavailablewithintheprescribedtimelimits.
F. Thetabulationcommittee’sdecisiontodisqualifyastudentcanbeappealedbythecoachorschoolaffiliatedadult.Thefollowingprocedureshouldbefollowed:
1. Theappealmustbesubmittedinwritingtothetabulationcommitteewithin10minutesofthenotificationtodisqualify.
2. Thetabulationcommitteewillthensubmittheappealtothenationalofficereferee(s).Thecommitteewillcontactthenationalofficerefereeoncethewrittenappealhasbeenreceived.Bothsideswillbeabletoprovidewrittenexplanationsandsupportingevidencetodefendtheirindividualside.
3. Adecisionwillberenderedinatimelymanner.Thedecisionofthenationalofficeshallbefinalandcannotbeappealed.
4. Nomorethanoneroundmayoccurbetweentheroundbeingprotestedandthedecisionofthenationalofficereferee.
5. Iftheappealissuccessfulandthecontestant(s)maynowcontinueinthetournament,theywillbeputintotheappropriatebracketforpairingthedebates.
G. Ifappealsaremadeinroundsinwhichmultiplejudgesarebeingused,normalproceduresshouldbefollowedtoensureeachjudgereachestheirdecisionasindependentlyaspossible.Judgeswillbeinstructednottoconferordiscussthechargeand/oranswertothepotentialviolation.Itwillbepossibleforonejudgetodeterminethatanevidenceviolationhasoccurredandtheotherjudge(s)todeterminenoviolationhasoccurred.Thetabulationcommitteewillrecordthepanel'sdecisioninthesamefashionasanormalwinorloss;theoutcomeisthustabulatedinthesamefashionasaroundinwhichanevidenceviolationhasnotoccurred.Ifthemajorityofthepanelfindsanevidenceviolationdidnotoccur,nosanctionmaybeappliedtotheteam/individualchargedwiththeviolation.Ifthemajorityfindsaviolationhasoccurred,theappropriatepenaltieswillbeadministered.
7.4.PenaltiesforEvidenceViolations
A. Ifthejudgedeterminesthatanentryhasviolatedoneoftheruleslistedin7.3.A.and7.1.H.(oralcitation,writtencitation,indicationofpartsofcardreadornotread,useofprivatecommunication),thejudgemayathisorherdiscretiondisregardtheevidence,diminishthecredibilitygiventotheevidence,taketheviolationintoaccount(solelyorpartially)indecidingthewinnerofthedebate,ortakenoaction.
B. Ifadebater(s)commitsanevidenceviolationfor“clipping”(7.2.C.),theuseofa“strawargument”(7.2.D.),ortheuseof“ellipses”(7.1.E.),itwillresultinalossforthedebater(s)committingtheevidenceviolation.Thejudgeshouldawardzerospeakerpoints(ifapplicable),andindicatethereasonfordecisionontheballot.
C. Ifdebater(s)commitsanevidenceviolationof“distortion”(7.2.A.)orhaveused“non-existentevidence”(asdefinedby7.2.B.)theoffendingdebater(s)willlosethedebateandbedisqualifiedfromthetournament.However,ifadebater(s)losesarounddueto“non-existentevidence”(7.2.B.)violationduringanin-roundformalallegation,butcanproduceitaftertheroundwithin20minutestothetabulationcommittee,thecommitteemaydecidenottodisqualifytheentry.Thelossthatwasrecordedbythejudgemaynotbechanged.Ifapost-roundprotestisleviedagainstadebaterfornotprovidingevidenceoranoriginalsourceinround(non-existentevidence),andthejudgeconfirmstheyinfactdidnotprovidetheevidenceinatimelyfashionwhenrequestedinround,thedebater(s)willlosetheroundandbedisqualifiedfromthetournament.However,ifadebater(s)producestheevidencewithinthepost-roundchallengeperiod,thatdebater(s)mayavoiddisqualification.
D. EvidenceinfractionsviolatetheCodeofHonor.Dependingontheseverity,anoffensemayresultinnotificationofsaidoffensetothecontestant’shighschooladministrationandchapteradvisor,lossofallDistrictand/orNationalTournamentmeritpoints,includingtrophyandsweepstakespointsfortheoffendingstudent(s),and/orrevocationof
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Associationmembership.Thesedecisionswouldbelefttothenationaloffice,andnottheindividualDistrictCommittee.
7.5.TournamentAdjustments
A. Undernocircumstancewillatournamentorpartofatournamentbere-runbecauseofaviolationoftheserules.
B. Inthecaseofadisqualificationofadebater(s),allranksanddecisionsofotherdebater(s)madepriortothestartoftheroundbeingprotestedstandandnorevisionofpastroundrankswilltakeplace.Penaltieslistedin7.4.willbeapplied.
C. Whenaroundhasbeenheldbetweentheroundbeingprotestedandafinaldecisionregardingtheprotest,theresultofthatroundwillberecordedasfollows:
1. Iftheprotestisupheld,andadebaterisdisqualified,theopponentofthedisqualifieddebaterwillreceiveaforfeitwin.
2. Iftheprotestisoverruled,andtheprotestingdebaterwontheprotestedround,norevisionoftheresultontheballotwilltakeplace.
3. Iftheprotestisoverruled,theprotestingdebaterlosttheprotestedround,andhadnopreviouslosses,norevisionoftheresultontheballotwilltakeplace.
4. Iftheprotestisoverruled,theprotestingdebaterlosttheprotestedround,andhadapreviousloss,theopponentwillreceiveaforfeitwinregardlessoftheresultontheballot.
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CongressionalDebate1. Asessionisdefinedasincluding:
A. Minimumofthreehours.
B. 18-20studentsastheoptimumnumberforathree-hoursession;otherwise,asessionshouldbelengthenedbytenminutespereachadditionalstudentbeyond20.Chambersmaynotbelargerthan30students.
C. Electionofapresidingofficer.Thepresidingofficermustbeelectedwithamajorityofthevote.Ifonecandidatedoesnotreceiveamajorityofvotes,eliminatethecandidatewiththefewestvotesandvoteagain.Ifcandidatesaretiedforthefewestnumberofvotes,votetodeterminewhichofthetiedcandidatesshouldremainincontention.Repeatthisprocessuntilonecandidatereceivesamajorityofvotes.
D. Newseatingchart(necessaryaccommodationsforstudentswithspecialneedsmaybemade).
E. Resettingofprecedence/recency.See‘RecognizingSpeakers’below.
F. Newlegislationthathasnotbeendebatedinaprevioussessionatthattournament.
2. RecognizingSpeakers
A. Whenmorethanonespeakerseeksthefloor,thepresidingofficermustfollowtheprecedence/recencymethod:
1) Firstrecognizestudentswhohavenotspokenduringthesession.
2) Nextrecognizestudentswhohavespokenfewertimes.
3) Thenrecognizestudentswhospokeearlier(leastrecently).
B. Beforeprecedenceisestablished,thepresidingofficershouldrecognizespeakersfairlyandconsistently.Theymaynotlinkrecognitionofspeakerstopreviousrecognitionofstudentsaskingquestions,movingmotions,orlongeststanding(standingtime).
C. Duringanysession,precedence/recencyshouldnotreset,toensurethatallstudentsinachamberhaveanequalopportunitytospeakandreceiveevaluationfromscorers.Whenanewsessionbegins,precedence/recencywillberesetalongwithanewseatingchart,andelectionofapresidingofficer.
D. Beforeprecedenceisestablished,thepresidingofficershouldexplaintheirrecognitionprocessanditmustbefair,consistentandjustifiable.
E. Scorerswillincludeanswerstoquestionswhenevaluatingspeeches.
F. Aspeakermayyieldtimeonthefloorduringdebate(forquestionsorclarifications)butthatspeakerwillremainincontroloftheirthreeminutes(see#6belowregardingquestioning).
3. Speechesintroducinglegislationareallotteduptothreeminutes,followedbytwominutesofquestioningbyotherdelegates.Astudentfromtheschool(oratthenationallevel,thedistrict)whowrotethelegislationgetstheprivilegeofrecognition(calledauthorship),regardlessofprecedence;otherwisethepresidingofficermayrecognizea“sponsor”fromthechamber,providedthisrecognitionfollowstheprecedenceguidelinesabove.Regardless,thisspeechofintroductionmustbefollowedbytwominutesofquestions.Shouldnostudentseekrecognitionfortheauthorship/sponsorship,thechamberwillmovetolaythelegislationonthetableuntilsuchtimethatastudentispreparedtointroduceit.
4. Thefirstnegativespeechmustbefollowedbytwominutesofquestions.
5. Followingthefirsttwospeechesonlegislation,thepresidingofficerwillalternatelyrecognizeaffirmativeandnegativespeakers,whowilladdressthechamberforuptothreeminutes,followedbyoneminuteofquestioningbyotherdelegates.Ifnoonewishestoopposetheprecedingspeaker,thepresidingofficermayrecognizeaspeakerupholdingthesameside.Whennooneseeksthefloorfordebate,thepresidingofficermayaskthechamberiftheyare“readyforthequestion,”atwhichpoint,ifthereisnoobjection,votingmaycommenceonthelegislationitself.Thereisno“minimumcycle”rule;however,ifdebategets“one-sided,”thechambermaydecidetomovethepreviousquestion.
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A. Intheeventastudentspeaksonthewrongsidecalledforbythepresidingofficerandtheerrorisnotcaught,thespeakershallbescoredandthespeechshallcountinprecedence,butthespeakermustbepenalizedatleastthreepointsfornotpayingcloseattentiontotheflowofdebate.
B. Intheeventastudentspeaksonanitemoflegislationnotcurrentlybeingdebated,saidspeechshallcountinprecedence,butzeropointsshallbeawarded.
6. Thepresidingofficerfairlyandequitablyrecognizesmemberstoaskquestionsfollowingeachspeech.Thepresidingofficerstartstimingquestioningperiodswhentheyhaverecognizedthefirstquestioner,andkeepstheclockrunningcontinuouslyuntilthetimehaslapsed.Speakersareencouragedtoaskbriefquestions,andmayonlyaskonequestionatatime.Two-part/multiple-partquestionsarenotallowed,unlesspilotingthedirectquestioningmethod(seebelow).Thereisnoformal“permissiontopreface,”however;presidingofficersshoulddiscouragestudentsfrommakingstatementsaspartofquestioning,sincethatisanabusiveuseofthelimitedtimeavailable.
7. Thepresidingofficerwillpausebrieflybetweenspeechestorecognizeanymotionsfromthefloor;however,theyshouldnotcallformotions(atthebeginningofasession,thepresidingofficershouldremindmemberstoseektheirattentionbetweenspeeches).
8. Amendmentsmustbepresentedtothepresidingofficerinwritingwithspecificreferencestolinesandclausesthatchange.Thismustbedoneinadvanceofmovingtoamend.
A. Theparliamentarianwillrecommendwhethertheamendmentis“germane”—thatis,itupholdstheoriginalintentofthelegislation—otherwise,itisconsidered“dilatory.”Thetitleofthelegislationmaybechanged.
B. Alegislatormaymovetoamendbetweenfloorspeeches.Oncethatmotionismade,thepresidingofficerwillreadtheproposedamendmentaloudandcallforasecondbyone-thirdofthosememberspresent,unlesshe/sherulesitdilatory.
C. Shouldstudentswishtospeakontheproposedamendment,thepresidingofficerwillrecognizethemasperthestandingprecedenceandrecency,andthespeechwillbecountedtowardtheirtotals,accordingly.
D. Simplyproposinganamendmentdoesnotguaranteean“author/sponsor”speech,andanyspeechesonamendmentsarefollowedbythenormaloneminuteofquestioning.
E. Amendmentsareconsideredneutralanddonotconstituteanaffirmativeornegativespeechontheoriginallegislation.
F. Iftherearenospeakersorthepreviousquestionismoved,thechambermayvoteonaproposedamendmentwithoutdebatingit.
9. Allmajorvoting(suchasthemainmotion/legislation)whichacongressperson’sconstituentsshouldhavearecordof,shallbedonewithacountedvote.Secretballotingisusedwhenvotingforpresidingofficer.
10. Studentsshouldaskpermissiontoleaveandenterthechamberwhenitisinsession(moveapersonalprivilege).However,donotinterruptaspeakerwhoisaddressingthechamber.
11. Newin2016-2017:Districtsmaypilotdirectquestioningattheirdistricttournaments.Atthe2017NationalTournament,directquestioningwillbepilotedinthesemifinalandfinalcongressionalsessions.Thepresidingofficerwillopenthefloorforquestionsfollowingeachspeech.Thepresidingofficerwillrecognizequestionersforacross-examinationperiodofnomorethan30seconds.Questionerswillbechosenaccordingtoaseparatequestioningrecency.
12. UseofEvidence(alsoseethePilotedCongressionalDebateEvidenceRules)A. VisualaidsarepermittedinCongressionalDebate,providedtheydonotrequireelectronicretrievaldevicesinthe
chamber.
B. Allevidenceusedissubjecttoverification.Honestyandintegrityareofutmostimportanceinlegislativedebate.Falsificationordeliberatemisuseofevidencemayresultinthelegislatorbeingsuspendedbytournamentofficials.
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C. TheuseoflaptopcomputersispermittedattheNationalTournament.Theuseoflaptopcomputersatthequalifyingtournamentwillbetheautonomousdecisionofeachdistrict.LaptopusemustcomplywiththeGuidelinesforLaptopUseinDebateEvents.
13. Sincetherulesaboveensurefairnessforcompetition,theymaynotbesuspended;thepresidingofficershouldrulesuchmotionsoutoforder;excepttoextendquestioningandallowforopenchambersprovidedthetournamentstaffpermitsdoingso.
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CongressionalDebateLegislationGuidelines
Mostlegislationshouldhaveanational/domesticfocusthattheU.S.Congresswouldhavejurisdictionover,takingtheformofabill.Abillestablishesdetailsbehindhowaparticularlawmustwork,includingwhenittakeseffect,howmuchtaxlevywouldbeappropriated(ifapplicable),howinfractions/violationswillbedealtwith,etc.Abillmayanswerthewho,what,when,where—andmostspecificallyhow—butitwillneveranswer“why.“Legislatorsexplainrationalebehindbillsintheirspeeches,andhowabillimplementsitssolutioncansparkdeeper,moremeaningfuldebate.
StudentsshouldconsiderwhattheU.S.Congresshasjurisdictionover.SincetheExecutiveBranchrunsmostoftheagenciesthatenforcefederallaws,understandingthosehelps;formoreinformation,visitwww.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/Executive.shtml.WhileforeignaffairsoftenfallunderthejurisdictionoftheExecutiveBranch,fundingeffortssuchasUSAIDcanhaveanimpactonthesuccessorfailureofUnitedStatesinvolvementinothercountries,andtherefore,canbeframedasabill.Inspirationforlegislativeideascanbefoundatthomas.loc.gov.
Writinganeffectivebillinvolvesmoretimeandresearchthanresearchingonewrittenbysomeoneelse.Astudentmustaskher/himselfwhatthelegislationdoes,whoisinvolved(governmentagencies),whereithappens,whenitisfeasibletotakeplaceandhowmuchtimeisneededforimplementation,andhowitshouldbecarriedout(aplanofaction).Allofthesequestionsmustbeansweredinwritingthesectionsofthebill,withthoughtfulconsiderationastohowthoroughlyeachsectionexplainsitsplankofimplementingtheoverallbill’splanofaction.
ResolutionsaresimplypositionstatementsonissuesCongressdoesnothavejurisdictionover(suchasaforeignissue,althoughabillcansuggestforeignaid),orfurtheraction(suchasamendingtheConstitution).Resolutionslacktheforceoflaw,andneverestablishenforcement.
Appropriatetopicsexhibitseriousnessofpurpose.Theactionproposedshouldbefeasible,andsuchthattheactualUnitedStatesCongressmightdebateit.Topicsshouldbedebatable,meaningsubstantiveargumentationexistsonbothsides.Legislationshouldbetypedanddouble-spacedwithlinenumbers,notexceedingonepage.Capitalizingthewords“WHEREAS”and“RESOLVED”inresolutions,and“SECTION”inbills,aswellasinverse-indentingeachclauseorsectionhelpstodistinguishbetweenideasandconcepts.
Thesamplesaboveshowproperformatting.Intheresolution,notethesemicolon,andhowitprecedestheword“and”attheendofeach“whereas”clause,andthephrase“now,therefore,beit”attheendofthelast“whereas”clause.
Note:Legislationthatissubmittedforconsiderationatthedistrictand/ornationaltournamentmayberejectedifseriousissuesexistwiththeadherencetotheseguidelines.
Templatesforbills,resolutions,andresolutionstoamendtheConstitutionareavailableonlineatwww.speechanddebate.org.
ABilltoEstablishaSpecificPolicy
BEITENACTEDBYTHISCONGRESSTHAT:
SECTION1. Statethenewpolicyinabrief
declarativesentence,orinasfew
sentencesaspossible.
SECTION2. Defineanyambiguoustermsinherent
inthefirstsection.
SECTION3. Namethegovernmentagencythatwill
overseetheenforcementofthebill
alongwiththespecificenforcement
mechanism.
SECTION4. Indicatetheimplementation
date/timeframe.
SECTION5. Statethatallotherlawsthatarein
conflictwiththisnewpolicyshall
herebybedeclarednullandvoid.
IntroducedbyNameofSchool
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AResolutiontoUrgeFurtherActiononaSpecificIssue
WHEREAS, Statethecurrentproblem(thisneeds
tobeaccomplishedinonebrief
sentence);and
WHEREAS, Describethescopeoftheproblem
citedinthefirstwhereasclause(this
clauseneedstoflowlogicallyfromthe
first);and
WHEREAS, Explaintheimpactandharmsallowed
bythecurrentproblem(onceagain,
theclauseneedstoflowinalogical
sequence);now,therefore,beit
RESOLVED, BythisCongressthat:stateyour
recommendationfordealingwiththe
problem(theresolutionshouldbea
clearcallforaction);and,beit
FURTHERRESOLVED,That(anoptionaladditional
recommendation;ifnotused,endthe
previousclausewithaperiod).
IntroducedbyNameofSchool
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Newin2016-2017:PilotedCongressionalDebateEvidenceRulesBasedonrecommendationsfromtheCongressEvidenceCommittee,theBoardofDirectorshadadiscussionofhowevidenceiscurrentlyusedinCongressionalDebateandtheconcernssurroundingstudents’appropriate,substantiated,andethicaluseofevidenceinCongressionalDebatespeeches.TheBoardofDirectorsvotedtoadoptpilotedCongressionalDebateevidencerulesasanoptionforusebydistrictsduringthe2016-2017districtcompetitionseason.DistrictCommitteesmaychoosetousetheseattheirdistrictcongresstournament,provided60days’advancenoticeisgiventothecommunity.Coachesareencouragedtocheckwithlocaltournamentofficialstoseewhichsetofruleswillbeusedintheirarea.
7.1.ResponsibilitiesofContestantsReadingEvidenceinCongressionalDebate
A. Evidencedefined.Debatersareresponsibleforthevalidityofallevidencetheyintroduceinthedebate.Evidenceincludes,butisnotlimitedto:facts,statistics,orexamplesattributabletoaspecific,identifiable,authoritativesourceusedtosupportaclaim.Unattributedideasaretheopinionofthestudentcompetitorandarenotevidence.
B. Oralsourcecitation.Inalldebateevents,contestantsareexpectedto,ataminimum,orallydeliverthefollowingwhenintroducingevidenceinadebateround:primaryauthor(s)’name(last)andyearofpublication.Anyotherinformationsuchassource,author’squalifications,etc.,maybegiven,butisnotrequired.Shouldtwoormorequotationsbeusedfromthesamesource,theauthorandyearmustbegivenorallyonlyforthefirstpieceofevidencefromthatsource.Subsequently,onlytheauthor’snameisrequired.Oralcitationsdonotsubstituteforthewrittensourcecitation.Thefullwrittencitationmustbeprovidedifrequestedbyanopponentorjudge.
C. Writtensourcecitation.Totheextentprovidedbytheoriginalsource,awrittensourcecitationmustinclude:
1. Fullnameofprimaryauthorand/oreditor2. Publicationdate3. Source4. Titleofarticle5. Dateaccessedfordigitalevidence6. FullURL,ifapplicable7. Authorqualifications8. Pagenumber(s)
D. Paraphrasing,authoritativesourceversusgeneralunderstanding.Ifparaphrasingisusedinadebate,thedebaterwillbeheldtothesamestandardofcitationandaccuracyasiftheentiretextoftheevidencewereread.Forexample,ifadebaterreferencesaspecifictheorybyaspecificauthor,thedebatermustalsobeabletoprovideanoriginalsource.Ifadebaterweretoreferencesocialcontracttheoryingeneral,thatwouldnotbeanauthoritativesourcethatwouldrequirecitation.However,ifthedebaterreferences“JohnLocke’sSocialContract,”evidencewouldneedtobeavailable.
E. Ellipsesprohibited.Inalldebateevents,theuseofinternalellipsis(…)isprohibitedunlessitisareplicationoftheoriginaldocument.Debatersmayomitthereadingofcertainwords;however,thetextthatisverballyomittedmustbepresentinthetextofwhatwasreadforopposingdebatersand/orjudgestoexamine.Theportionsoftheevidencereadincludingwherethedebaterbeginsandendsmustbeclearlymarked(asoutlinedin7.1.G.2.).
F. Availabilityoforiginalsource.
1. Whenchallenged,theoriginalsourceorcopyoftherelevant(asoutlinedin7.1.F.2.)pagesofevidencereadinroundmustbeavailabletothestudentmakingthechallengewithintwospeeches.Inalldebateevents,forreference,anyevidencethatispresentedduringtheroundmustbemadeavailabletotheopponentduringtheroundifrequested.
2. Originalsource(s)defined.Understandingthatteams/individualsobtaintheirevidenceinmultipleways,theoriginalsourceforevidencemayinclude,butisnotlimitedsolelyto,oneofthefollowing:
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a. Accessingtheliveordisplayingacopyofawebpage(teams/individualsmayaccesstheInternettoprovidethisinformationifrequested).
b. Acopyofthepage(s)theevidenceison,thepagepreceding,andthepagefollowing,ortheactualprinted(book,periodical,pamphlet,etc.)source.
c. Copiesorelectronicversionsofpublishedhandbooks(i.e.,BaylorBriefs;PlanetDebate,etc.).
d. ElectronicorprintedversionsorthewebpageforadebateinstituteortheNDCAsponsoredOpenEvidenceProjectorsimilarsites.
3. Debaters,eveniftheyhaveacquiredtheevidenceotherthanbyoriginalresearch,arestillresponsibleforthecontentandaccuracyoftheevidencetheypresentand/orread.
G. Distinguishingbetweenwhichpartsofeachpieceofevidenceareandarenotreadinaparticularround.Inalldebateevents,debatersmustmarktheirevidenceintwoways:
1. Oraldeliveryofeachpieceofevidencemustbeidentifiedbyaclearoralpauseorbysayingphrasessuchas“quote/unquote”or“markthecard.”Theuseofaphraseisdefinitiveandmaybepreferabletodebaters.Clear,oralpausesareleftsolelytothediscretionofthejudge(s)andparliamentarian.
2. Thewrittentextmustbemarkedtoclearlyindicatetheportionsreadinthedebate.Inthewrittentextthestandardpracticesofunderliningwhatisread,orhighlightingwhatisread,and/orminimizingwhatisunread,isdefinitiveandmaybepreferabletodebaters.Theclarityofothermeansofmarkingevidenceislefttothediscretionofthejudge.
H. Privatecommunicationprohibited.Private,personalcorrespondenceorcommunicationbetweenanauthorandthedebaterisinadmissibleasevidence.
7.2.DefinitionsofEvidenceViolationsinCongressionalDebate
A. “Distortion”existswhenthetextualevidenceitselfcontainsaddedand/ordeletedword(s),whichsignificantlyalterstheconclusionoftheauthor(e.g.,deleting‘not’;addingtheword‘not’).Additionally,failuretobracketaddedwordswouldbeconsidereddistortionofevidence.
B. “Non-existentevidence”meansoneormoreofthefollowing:
1. Thedebatercitingtheevidenceisunabletoprovidetheoriginalsourceorcopyoftherelevantpageswhenrequestedbytheiropponent,judge,ortournamentofficial.
2. Theoriginalsourceprovideddoesnotcontaintheevidencecited.
3. Theevidenceisparaphrasedbutlacksanoriginalsourcetoverifytheaccuracyoftheparaphrasing.
4. Thedebaterisinpossessionoftheoriginalsource,butdeclinestoprovideittoastudentwhochallenges,thechair,ortheparliamentarianuponrequest.
C. “Clipping”occurswhenthedebaterclaimstohavereadthecompletetextofhighlightedand/orunderlinedevidencewhen,infact,thecontestantskipsoromitsportionsofevidence.
D. “Strawargument”A“strawargument”isapositionorargumentativeclaimintroducedbyanauthorforthepurposeofrefuting,discreditingorcharacterizingit.Relianceonastrawargumentoccursinadebateroundwhenadebaterassertsincorrectlythattheauthorsupportsorendorsesthestrawargumentashisorherownposition.
Note:Adebaterwhoacknowledgesusinga“strawargument”whenverballyfirstreadintheround,wouldnotbemisrepresentingevidence.However,ifthedebaterfailstoacknowledgetheuseofa“strawargument”andtheiropponentquestionstheuseofsuchanargument,thenthatdebaterhascommittedanevidenceviolation.
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7.3.ProceduresforRaisingEvidenceQuestionsDuringaCongressionalDebateSession
TheproceduresformakinganIn-roundevidencequestionareasfollows:
A. CongressionalDebateentriesmustrisetoapointofinformationafteraspeechtoformallyrequestacopyoftheevidencecited,thecitation,ortheoriginalsourceofevidence.Whenrequestedduringthepointofinformation,thepresidingofficerwillinstructthedebaterbeingchallengedtoproducethecopyoftheevidence,citation,ororiginalsource.Thedebaterbeingchallengedmustproducetherequestedmaterialsinatimelyfashion.Shouldadebaterfeeltheyarenotreceivingtheinformationtheyrequestedinatimelyfashion,theymayrisetoanotherpointofinformationforthepresidingofficerandparliamentariantoaddressthesituation.
B. Debaterswhorequesttheinformationmayreceivetheevidencefromthepresidingofficerwithinaperiodoftwospeeches.Theroundwouldnotbeputonholdfortherequesttobecompleted.Forexample,ifadebaterrisestoapointoforderafterspeech#4,thenbytheconclusionofspeech#6,therequestedevidenceshouldbepresentedtothepresidingofficer.
C. Ifafterreviewingtheevidenceinquestion,adebaterfeelsthatanevidenceviolationhasoccurred,theymaysubmitaformalallegationbycompletinganevidencechallengeform(seeAppendix)and,aftermakingamotiontoapproachthechair,thedebaterwillpresenttheformtothepresidingofficerandparliamentarian.
7.4.PenaltiesforResolvingEvidenceViolationsDuringCongressionalDebate
A. AllevidencechallengesmustoccurduringthesessionofCongressionalDebatewhereanallegedviolationtookplace,andshouldhappenbeforeavoteonthependinglegislation.Iftheconcernarisesduringthelastcycleofspeeches,theparliamentarianmaygrantachallengeafterthevote,priortothefirstspeechonanewpieceoflegislation.
B. Parliamentariansareresponsibleforresolvingdisputesbetweendebatersregardingoralcitations(7.1.B.);andwrittensourcecitations(7.1.C.).Whentheparliamentarianhassuchadisputeintheround,theparliamentarianmustsubmittheprotestformtothetabulationcommittee.Allprotestformswillbesubmittedtothetabulationcommittee.
1. Theparliamentarianwilldeterminethelegitimacyofthechallenge,andiftheparliamentarianconsiderstherequestjustified,thedebatermakingtheallegationwillmoveapointofordertoaddresstheallegationtothechamber.
2. Thedebaterbeingchallengedwillberecognizedbythepresidingofficerforaresponsetotheevidenceviolation.
3. Theparliamentarianwillevaluatethelegitimacyandseverityofthechargeandmakearecommendationtothepresidingofficerforaction.Therecommendationmaybechargedagainsteitherstudentinvolvedinthedispute.Dependingupontheseverityoftheoffense,theparliamentarianmayopttocensurethedebater(s).Refertosection7.5.foranoutlineoftheseverityofoffensesandcorrespondingactions.
4. Thepresidingofficerwillannouncetheparliamentarian’sdecisionandrecognizeeither/bothdebatersforconsequentaction.
C.ProceduresforAppealingtheParliamentarian’sDecision
1. Anappealcanonlybemadeiftheissue-in-questionhasbeenraised,byastudent,intheround.Appealsmayonlybemadeiftheparliamentarianhasmisapplied,misinterpreted,orignoredarule.
2. Acoachorschool-affiliatedadultrepresentativemustnotifythetabulationcommitteeofintenttosubmitanappealoftheparliamentarian’srulingwithin20minutesoftheendofsessionasrecordedbytheParliamentarianforthatchamber.
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a. Thecoachmustsubmitthepost-roundappealtothetabulationcommitteewithin10minutesoftheformalnotificationoftheintenttoappeal.Theallegationmustbeinwritingandarticulatethespecificevidenceviolationandrulingthatisbeingchallenged.
b. Ifthetabulationcommitteedeterminestheappealhasmerit,bothpartiesinvolvedintheoriginaldisputewillbegiven20minutestorespond.
c. Thetabulationcommitteewillmakeadecisionandhasthediscretionofextendingthetimelimitsfortheseactionsifcircumstancesdonotallowacoachorschool-affiliatedadulttobeavailablewithintheprescribedtimelimits.
3. Atthedistricttournamentlevel,thetabulationcommittee’sdecisiontodisqualifyastudent’srankingsforthatsessioncanbeappealedbythecoachorschool-affiliatedadult.Thefollowingprocedureshouldbefollowed:
a. Theappealmustbesubmittedinwritingtothetabulationcommitteewithin10minutesofthenotificationtodisqualify.
b. Thetabulationcommitteewillthensubmittheappealtothenationalofficerepresentative(s).Thecommitteewillcontactthenationalofficerepresentativeoncethewrittenappealhasbeenreceived.Bothsideswillbeabletoprovidewrittenexplanationsandsupportingevidencetodefendtheirindividualside.
c. Adecisionwillberenderedinatimelymanner.Thedecisionofthenationalofficerepresentativeshallbefinalandcannotbeappealed.
d. Noeliminationsessionmayoccurbeforearulingismadebythenationaloffice.
e. Iftheappealissuccessful,anystudent(s)involvedwillreceivetheappropriaterankasiftheevidencechallengewasnevercalledintoquestion.
f. AttheNationalTournament,theappealwillgodirectlytotheombudsperson,andacceptedproceduresandpracticeswillbefollowed.
7.5.PenaltiesforEvidenceViolationsinCongressionalDebate
A. Iftheparliamentariandeterminesthatanentryhasviolatedoneoftheruleslistedin7.1(A-D,F-H)(oralcitation,writtencitation,indicationofpartsofcardreadornotread,useofprivatecommunication),theparliamentarianmustnotifythejudge(s)oftheviolation.Thejudge(s)andparliamentarianmayattheirdiscretiondisregardtheevidence,diminishthecredibilitygiventotheevidence,taketheviolationintoaccount(solelyorpartially)intherankingofchamberparticipants,ortakenoaction.Theseoffensesareconsideredminorandaparliamentariansanctionistheonlyprescribedpenalty.
B. Ifadebater(s)commitsanevidenceviolationof“distortion”(7.2.A.),uses“nonexistentevidence”(7.2.B.),usesa“strawargument”(7.2.C.)ortheuseof“ellipses”(7.1.E.)suchactionwillresultinthedebater(s)committingtheevidenceviolationnotbeingrankedbythejudge(s)andparliamentarian.Theseoffensesareconsideredmajorandcensurebytheparliamentarianwouldbeapplied.
C. EvidenceinfractionsviolatetheCodeofHonor.Dependingontheseverity,anoffensemayresultinthenotificationofsaidoffensetothecontestant’shighschooladministrationandchapteradvisor,lossofallDistrictand/orNationalTournamentmeritpoints,includingtrophyandsweepstakespointsfortheoffendingstudent(s),and/orrevocationofAssociationmembership.ThesedecisionswouldbelefttotheNSDAnationaloffice,andnottheindividualtabulationcommittee.
7.6.TournamentAdjustmentsinCongressionalDebate
A. Undernocircumstancewillatournamentorpartofatournamentbere-runbecauseofaviolationoftheserules.
B. Inthecaseofcensure,allranksanddecisionsmadepriortothestartoftheroundbeingprotestedstandandnorevisionofpastsessionrankswilltakeplace.Penaltieslistedin7.4.willbeapplied.
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C.Whenasessionhasbeenheldbetweenthesessionbeingappealedandafinaldecisionregardingtheprotest,theresultofthatsessionwillberecordedasfollows:
1. Iftheprotestisupheld,allranksandscoreswillremainasrecorded.Theevidenceviolationwouldapplyonlytothesessioninwhichitoccurredandnotaffectpriororsubsequentsessions.
2. Iftheappealisupheld,thejudgeand/orparliamentarianwillrestoreanyranksandscoresthatwereearnedbythatdebater.
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OriginalOratory1. Purpose:Thegeneralpurposeofthespeechistopersuade.Anyotherpurposesuchastoinformorentertainshallbe
secondary.
2. Contest:Thiscontestcomprisesonlymemorizedorationsactuallycomposedbythecontestantsandnotusedbythemduringapreviouscontestseason.Novisualaidsarepermitted.
3. Subject:Anyappropriatesubjectmaybeused,buttheoratormustbetruthful.Anynon-factualreference,especiallyapersonalone,mustbesoidentified.
4. Length:ThetimelimitinOriginalOratoryistenminuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
5. Quotation:Notmorethan150wordsoftheorationmaybedirectquotationfromanyotherspeechorwritingandsuchquotationsmustbeidentifiedinaprintedcopyoftheorationsuppliedpriortoregistration.Extensiveparaphrasingfromothersourcesisprohibited.
6. Script:Theorator'sscriptmustidentifythequotedmaterials,statethenumberofquotedwords,includeaworkcitedpageinAPAorMLAformat,andboththeoratorandthecoachmustattestbysignaturethattheorationistheoriginalworkofthecontestant.Itistheresponsibilityofthecontestanttohaveascriptreadyuponrequestshouldthespeechbechallenged.
7. Re-Use:Astudentmaynotuseanorationthestudentusedindistrictornationalcompetitioninanypreviouscontestyear.
Newin2016-2017:AttheFall2016BoardofDirectorsMeeting,theBoardvotedtomakeInformativeSpeaking(INF)andProgramOralInterpretation(POI)maineventsatthedistrictandnationaltournaments.
InformativeSpeaking1. Purpose:Aninformativespeechisanoriginalspeechdesignedtoexplain,define,describe,orillustrateaparticular
subject.Thegeneralpurposeofthespeechisfortheaudiencetogainunderstandingand/orknowledgeofatopic.Anyotherpurposesuchastoentertainortoconvinceshallbesecondary.Theuseofaudio/visualaidsisoptional.(See#4onAids.)
2. Contest:Thiscontestcomprisesonlymemorizedspeechescomposedbythecontestantsandnotusedbythemduringapreviouscontestseason.
3. Subject:Effectivespeechesprovidenewinformationorperspectivesonatopic,includingthosethatarewidelyknown.Theresponsibilityforchoosingaworthwhiletopicrestswiththecontestant.Afabricatedtopicmaynotbeused.Anynon-factualreference,includingapersonalreference,mustbesoidentified.
4. Aids:Audio/visualaidsmayormaynotbeusedtosupplementandreinforcethemessage.Ifused,theaudio/visualaidsshouldenhanceorsupportthemessageratherthandistractfromtheoveralleffectivenessofthepresentation.Duringthepresentation,noelectronicequipmentispermitted.Electronicequipmentisdefinedasanyobjectrequiringanelectricalcord,battery,orsolarpowertooperateit(projectors,cellphones,radios,iPads,computers,etc.).Theuseofliveanimalsoranyadditionalpeopleasvisualaidsisnotallowedduringthespeech.Itemsofdressputonand/orremovedforillustrationduringthecourseofthepresentationareconsideredcostumesandmaynotbepartofthecontestant’spresentation.Visualaidsmaynotviolatepoliciesasdictatedbylocalandstatelaw(weapons,drugs,etc.)Thehostschoolisnotresponsibleforprovidinganyfacilities,equipment,includingtables,chairs,oreasels,orassistanceinacontestant’suseofvisualaids.Expedientsetupandtakedownofaidsisexpected.Ifavisualaiddisplayspublishedpictorialmaterial,thesourcemustbeincludedinthework-citedpagebutdoesnotneedtobecitedorally.
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5. Length:Thetimelimitis10minuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
6.Quotation:Notmorethan150wordsofthespeechmaybedirectquotationandsuchquotationsmustbeidentifiedorallyandinaprintedcopyofthespeechsuppliedpriortoregistration.
7. Script:Manuscriptsmustbeavailableatalldistricttournamentcontestsintheeventofaprotest.However,itshallbethechoiceofeachindividualDistrictCommitteewhetherornottorequirethesematerialsbesubmittedpriortothedistrictcontest.Thescriptmustidentifythequotedmaterials,statethenumberofquotedwords,includeawork-citedpageinAPAorMLAformat,andboththespeakerandthecoachmustattestbysignaturethatthespeechistheoriginalworkofthecontestant.
8. Re-Use:Astudentmaynotuseaninformativespeechthestudentusedindistrictornationalcompetitioninanypreviouscontestyear.
ProgramOralInterpretation1. Purpose:POIisaprogramoforalinterpretationofthematically-linkedselectionschosenfromtwoorthreegenres:
prose,poetry,drama(plays).Atleasttwopiecesofliteraturethatrepresentatleasttwoseparategenresmustbeused.Unliketheotherinterpretationevents,ProgramOralInterpretationmayusemultiplesourcesfortheprogram.Allselectionsmustbeverballyidentifiedbytitleandauthor.Competitorsareencouragedtodevoteapproximatelyequaltimestoeachofthegenresusedintheprogram.Thisdistinctionpertainstothesetwoorthreegenresasawhole,nottypesofliteraturewithinagenre(suchasfiction/nonfiction).Proseexpressesthoughtthroughlanguagerecordedinsentencesandparagraphs:fiction(shortstories,novels)andnon-fiction(articles,essays,journals,biographies).Poetryiswritingwhichexpressesideas,experience,oremotionthroughthecreativearrangementofwordsaccordingtotheirsound,theirrhythm,theirmeaning.Poetrymayrelyonverseandstanzaform.
2. Contest:Theuseofamanuscriptduringtheperformanceisrequired.Commonpracticesincludetheuseofabinderorfolder.Readingfromabookormagazineisnotpermitted.Theintactmanuscriptmaybeusedbythecontestantasaprop,solongasitremainsinthecontestant'scontrolatalltimes.Nocostumesorpropsotherthanthemanuscriptarepermitted.Thecontestantmustaddressthescript;however,introductionandtransitionalmaterialmaybememorized.
3. Length:Thetimelimitis10minuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
4. PublicationRules:AllliteratureperformedmustmeetthepublicationrulesoftheAssociation.AllonlinematerialmustfirstbevettedandapprovedthroughtheNSDAnationaloffice.Approvedmaterialand/orsiteswillbelistedontheNSDAwebsite.Songlyricsmaybeusediftheperformerhasanoriginal,hardcopyofthelyricssuchassheetmusicoraCDjacket.Lyricsmayonlybeusedfromonlinesourcesthatappearontheapprovedwebsiteslist.
5. Adaptationsmaybeusedonlyforthepurposeoftransition.Anywordchanges(toeliminateprofanelanguage)and/oradditions(fortransition)mustbeindicatedclearlyinink.Failuretoclearlyindicatetheadditionofwordswillbesubjecttodisqualification.Changestothescriptmayonlybeusedforthepurposeoftransitionortoeliminateprofanelanguage.Transitionsmaybeusedtoclarifythelogicalsequenceofideas.Theyarenottobeusedforthepurposeofembellishingthehumorousordramaticeffectoftheliterature.
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InterpretationThisincludescategoriesofindividual(solo)performanceofdramatic(serious)andhumorousliterature,aswellasduoperformanceofeitheremotiveappeal,withselectionsdrawnfrompublished,printed:novels,shortstories,plays,poetry,orotherprinted,publishedworks,PDFs,e-books,aswellaslimitedonlineworksasprovidedforintherulesbelow.
1. Divisions.ContestsareconductedinDramatic,Humorous,Duo,andProgramOralInterpretation.SeeadditionalrulesforthesupplementalandconsolationinterpretationeventsofPoetry,Prose,andStorytelling.
2. Length:ThetimelimitinInterpretationMainEvents(Dramatic,Humorous,Duo,andProgramOralInterpretation)istenminuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
3. Material:Selectionsusedinthesecontestsmustbecuttingsfromasingleworkofliterature(oneshortstory,play,ornovel).Ifthesourceisananthology(collectionofshortstories,plays,ornovels),eachselectionofliteratureisindependentandonlyoneselectioncanbeused,evenifitisfromthesameauthor.Inthegenreofpoetry,cuttingsmaycomefromoneormorepoemsoracollectionofpoems.Unliketheotherinterpretationevents,ProgramOralInterpretationmayusemultiplesourcesfortheprogram.Songlyricsmaybeusediftheperformerhasanoriginal,hardcopyofthelyricssuchassheetmusicoraCDjacket.Lyricsmayonlybeusedfromonlinesourcesthatappearontheapprovedwebsiteslist.
A. Print,PDF,andE-bookPublications:
1) Printpublicationsincludenovels,shortstories,plays,orpoetry,publishedinprintasper4A.
2) Inaddition,published,unalteredPDFdocumentsthatarecommerciallyorprofessionallyavailablearealsoeligiblesources.
3) E-books(suchasKindle,Nook,etc.)mayalsoserveaseligiblesources.NOTE:Inadditiontothesesources,certainonlinematerialsareallowedasper3B.
4) Also,ifatreatmentofamoviescriptisorderedfromacompanythatprovidesprintedmoviescripts,keeptheoriginaltreatment.Pleasenotethattextofthetreatmentmaydifferfromtheactualfilm,sostudentsareadvisedagainsttranscribingdirectlyfromthefilm.
B. Digital(Online)Publications:Materialisonlyallowedfrompre-approvedonlinepublishingsourceslistedatwww.speechanddebate.org/approvedwebsites.Onlinematerialmustmeetthewebpagestandardsoutlinedbelow:
1) Ifthewebsiteoffersonlinematerialinavarietyofformats,onlymaterialthatcanbeprinteddirectlyfromthewebpageisallowed.
2) TheAssociationdefinesawebpageasadocumentcodedwithhypertextmarkuplanguage(HTML),displayedinawebbrowser.
3) Thefollowingguidelinesdeterminedigital(online)publicationsourcesselected:
a. Theliterarymaterialisfromawebsitewithstricteditorialsubmissionstandardsthatincludeeditorialreviewandacceptance.Also,websitesthathaveeditorialreviewfortheirownstaffwritersarepermissible.Ineithercase,thewebsitemustbeontheNSDAApprovedList.Seesubmissionguidelinesbelow.
b. Unacceptablesitesinclude:
i. Personalsites(socialnetworkcontent,suchasFacebookposts,tweets,andunmoderatedblogs)
ii. Personalprofessionalsites(thosewhereawriterwhohastheirownsiteandcanplacetheirworksforsaleorviewsuchasWixorsimilarplatforms)
iii. Publishitsites(thosewithoneclickuploadorthatacceptsubmissionswithoutaselectionprocess)
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c. Textsmustcomefromaverifiablewebsitethatcanbeaccesseduniversallybyanyuser.Thesiteandliterarytextneedstobeverifiableonthewebifchallenged.
i. Unmarkedorcasualsiteswhereindividualscaneasilypostworkeitherforperformanceorcriticismwillnotbeaccepted.
ii. ThewebsitehasbeeninexistenceforaminimumoftwoyearspriortosubmissionforconsiderationbytheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationfortheupcomingschoolyear(severalonlinetoolsallowforverificationoftheexistenceofawebsite).
C. ProhibitedMaterial:notpublishedinprintorallowableonlinematerialasperabove,including:
1) Recordedmaterial(videotape,DVDs,audiotape,CDs,MP3s,orphonographrecordings).
2) Originalmaterialpublishedinahighschoolpublicationsuchasanewspaper,literarymagazine,oryearbook.
D. SourceVerification:Interpsourcematerialmustbeavailableatalldistricttournamentcontestsintheeventofaprotest.However,itshallbethechoiceofeachindividualDistrictCommitteewhetherornottorequirethesematerialsbesubmittedpriortothedistrictcontest.AttheNationalTournament,allquarterfinalistsarerequiredtoturnintheoriginalprint,PDF,ore-booksourceORprintedwebmanuscript(asoutlinedaboveunderSourceVerification)totheombudspersonbynoononthethirddayofcompetitionunlessofficiallynotifiedotherwisebytheNationalTournamentdirector.Photocopiesarenotacceptable.Anycontestantfailingtoproducetheoriginalsourcetotheombudspersonbytheaforementioneddeadlinewillnotqualifyforthesemifinalroundsofcompetition.
1) Whenrequestedbytournamentofficials,accesstothesourcematerialupondemand,eitherinelectronicorprintform,mustbepresented.
2) Forprintpublications,theoriginalpublicationmustbepresented.
3) Fore-books,anoriginal,unalterede-puborotherrecognizede-bookformatviaflashdriveoremailmustbepresented;however,assomee-bookformatsareexclusivetotheirspecificappsorelectronicreaders,studentsmustprovidetherequiredtechnologyand/orInternetaccesstoverifythematerialperformedfortournamentofficials.
4) ForPDFs,anoriginal,unalteredPDFviaflashdrive,email,oronanelectronicdevice(e.g.,laptop)mustbepresented.ManipulationofaPDFscriptoutsidethescopeoftheruleswillbesubjecttodisqualification.
4. MaterialAvailability:ItistheaffirmativedutyofeachcoachandeachstudententeredinInterpretationconteststodetermineabsolutelythatthecuttingbeingperformedmeetsallrulesformaterial.
A. PrintPublications:Theoriginalpublishedsourceofanyselectionusedmustbeimmediatelyavailableatthetournamentaswellasaword-processedmanuscriptofthecuttingperformed,andacompletecopyofthehighlightedpagesfromtheoriginalscriptusedinthecutting.Thetypedmanuscriptandthetextusedfromthepagecopiesoftheoriginalscriptshouldreflectthecontentperformed.Acompletescriptofthecuttingfromtheoriginaltextincludes:
1) Aphotocopy(orprintedscreenshotfore-books)ofeverypagefromwhichanylineofthecuttingistaken;pagesaretobeplacedintheorderinwhichtheyareperformed(e.g.,iftextfromonepageisusedmorethanoncewithinthecutting,thatpageshouldbecopiedagainwiththosewordshighlightedandre-insertedwhereitisusedinthecutting).
2) Allwordsusedfromthescriptshouldbehighlighted(anywords/linesnotusedshouldbeleftunmarked).
3) Anywordchanges(toeliminateprofanelanguage)and/oradditions(fortransition)mustbeindicatedclearlyinink.Failuretoclearlyindicatetheadditionofwordswillbesubjecttodisqualification.Changestothescriptmayonlybeusedforthepurposeoftransitionortoeliminateprofanelanguage.Transitionsmaybeusedtoclarifythelogicalsequenceofideas.Theyarenottobeusedforthepurposeofembellishingthehumorousordramaticeffectoftheliterature.
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4) TheNSDAprovidedchecklistmustbecompletedbythecoachattestingthattheoralinterpretationtypedmanuscriptandthepagessubmittedfromtheoriginalscriptaccuratelyreflecttheperformance.Seesamplechecklistbelow:
Icertifythatwe,thecoach(es),student(s),andadministrator(s)directlyaffiliatedwithourNSDAchapter,havecompliedwiththefollowingrequirements.
_____ Ihaveincludedaword-processedmanuscriptofthecutting.
_____ Ihaveincludedahighlightedcopyoftheoriginalscript.Thepagesareintheorderofthecutting.Iflinesfromonepagewereusedmorethanoncewithinthecutting,theoriginalpagewasre-copied,highlighted,andinsertedtoshowtheorderoftheline(s)used.
_____ Ihaveclearlyindicatedininkanywordsaddedorchangedaspermittedintherules.
_____ IamawareoftheTransitionRule:“Failuretoclearlyindicatetheadditionofwordswillbesubjecttodisqualification.Changestothescriptmayonlybeusedforthepurposeoftransitionortoeliminateprofanelanguage.Transitionsmaybeusedtoclarifythelogicalsequenceofideas.Theyarenottobeusedforthepurposeofembellishingthehumorousordramaticeffectoftheliterature.”
_____ Thepagessubmittedfromtheoriginalscriptaccuratelyreflecttheperformance.
B. Digital(Online)Publications:Thematerialthecompetitorperformsmustpresentlyappearonthewebsiteifquestionsariseincompetition,additionally,aprintedmanuscriptmustbeavailable:
1) Manuscriptitemstobeprinteddirectlyfromthescreen:
a. Thefirstpageinthewebsite(thehomepage)
b. Allotherlinkedpagesneededtonavigatetotheliterarytextselectedforcompetitionshallbeprintedoutandthelinkmustbehighlightedinthemanuscript
c. Allwebpagesuponwhichthecuttingappears
2) Eachpagemusthaveprintedintheheaderand/orfooter:
a. Datethepagewasprinted
b. Webaddress
3) Onlytheprintedmanuscriptshallbeconsideredadequateproofofauthenticity.Inotherwords,thestudentorcoachmustprovideprintedpagesoranidenticalcopyforexamination.
4) Thehighlightedmanuscriptsubmittedformaterialverificationwillfollowthesamerulesdesignatedforprintpublicationsasper4A.
5) Thewebsiteandonlineversionofthedigitalpublicationneedtobeavailableforcomparisonifchallenged.Onlineaccessisthefundamentalresponsibilityoftournamentofficialsand/orindividualfilingtheprotest.NOTE:Iftournamentofficialscannotgainonlineaccessandtheaboverequirementshavebeenmet,thepieceisconsideredlegalforuse.
5. Performance:Thepresentationmaynotusephysicalobjectsorcostuming.Duringthepresentationthecontestant/teammustnametheauthorandthebookormagazinefromwhichthecuttingwasmade.Additionally:
A. Adaptationstomaterialmayonlybeusedforthepurposeoftransition.Thegenderstatedbytheauthormustbehonored.However,afemalecontestantmayplayamalerole,andamalecontestantmayplayafemalerole.
B. Humorous,Dramatic,andDuoInterpretationselectionsmustbepresentedfrommemory.ProgramOralInterpretationmustuseamanuscript.
C. InDuoInterpretation,eachofthetwoperformersmayplayoneormorecharacterssolongasperformanceresponsibilityinthecuttingremainsasbalancedaspossible.
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D. Monologues,prose,andpoetryselectionsareacceptableinDramatic,Humorous,andProgramOralInterpretation.InDuoInterpretation,iftheselectionisproseorpoetryandcontainsnarration,eitherorbothoftheperformersmaypresentthenarration.
E. ArtisticPlagiarism:Videosofpreviousfinalroundperformancesareintendedtoprovideeducationalexamplesforcoachesandstudents.Theyarenotintendedtoserveasamodeltodirectlyimitateorduplicateinperformance.Thewholesaleimpersonationoffinalroundperformancesisstronglydiscouraged.
6. Focus:InDramatic,Humorous,andProgramOralInterpretation,useoffocalpointsand/ordirectcontactwiththeaudienceshouldbedeterminedbytherequirementsoftheliteraturebeinginterpreted.InDuoInterpretation,focusmaybedirectduringtheintroduction[theperformersmaylookateachother]butmustbeindirect[off-stage]duringtheperformanceitself.
7. Re-Use:AstudentmaynotuseacuttingfromaworkofliteraturethestudentusedinNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationdistrictornationalcompetitioninanypreviouscontestyear.Astudententeredintwoeventsmaynotusethesameselectionofliteratureinbothevents.
8. WebsiteApprovalSubmissionProcess:Literaturesourcesubmissionsfortheapprovedwebsitelistwillbeacceptedyear-roundforreview.Ifthesourcemeetsthestatedcriteria,itwillbepostedontheapprovedwebsitelistfourtimesayear.Submissionsreceivedbythe15thofeachdesignatedmonthwillbereviewedandpostedbythe1stofthenextmonth.ThemonthsforsubmissionsareAugust,November,February,andApril.Onceasiteisapproved(e.g.,TheNewYorkTimes),allarticlespostedbythatsourcewouldbeapprovedforuse.
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ExtemporaneousSpeaking1. Divisions:TwodivisionsofExtemporaneousSpeakingwillbeheldatthedistrictandnationallevel:
A. UnitedStatesDivision:QuestionswillcoverU.S.domesticandU.S.foreignpolicy.
B. InternationalDivision:Questionswillcoverthedomesticaffairsofforeigncountriesandtheforeignaffairsofallcountries,includingtheUnitedStates.
2. Topics:Thedistrictchairwillobtainalistofquestionsphrasedforcontestuseandbasedonsubjectsdiscussedinperiodicalsduringthecurrentschoolyear.Thecontentsofthelistmustnotbedisclosedexceptascontestantsdrawquestions.Anewsubjectareawillbeusedforeachroundwithnoduplicationofquestionsbetweenthedivisions.
3. Entry:AttheNationalTournament,nostudentisallowedtoenterbothdivisionsinasinglecontestyear.EachdistricthastheautonomytodeterminewhetherdoubleentryinExtemporaneousSpeakingeventsisallowed.ThedecisionoftheDistrictCommitteeisfinal.
4. Drawing:Thirtyminutesbeforethecontestistobegin,thefirstspeakerdrawsthreequestions,chooseone,andreturntheothertwo.Theothercontestantsdrawinlikemanner,intheorderofspeaking,atintervalsofsevenminutes.Theentirelistofquestionsforthatroundmustbeusedforeachentryineachsection.Acontestantdrawingaquestiononwhichtheyhavespokenpreviouslyinthetournamentmustreturnitanddrawagain.
5. Preparation:Assoonasaquestionischosen,thecontestantwillprepareaspeechwithoutconsultationandwithoutreferencestopreparednotes.Studentsmayconsultpublishedbooks,magazines,newspapersandjournalsorarticles,provided:
A. Theyareoriginalsorcopiesofwholepages.
B. Providedthoseoriginalsorcopiesareuncut.
C. Thereisnowrittenmaterialonthatoriginalorcopyotherthancitationinformation.
D. Topicalindexwithoutannotationmaybepresent.
NoothermaterialwillbeallowedintheExtemppreproomotherthanstatedabove.Extempspeeches,handbooks,briefsandoutlinesareprohibitedfromtheExtemppreproom.UnderliningorhighlightinginExtempwillbeallowedifdoneinonlyonecoloroneacharticleorcopy.Pleaseseerulesonp.26concerninguseofelectronicretrievaldevices.Printedcopiesofinformationfromonlinecomputerservicesmaybeused.ElectronicallyretrievedevidenceusedinanyAssociationExtempcompetitionmustconformtothecitationstandardoftheModernLanguageAssociation[consulttheMLAHandbookforWritersofResearchPapers(7thedition)orhttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/].
6. Notes:Contestantsmaymakenotesduringthepreparationtime,buttheuseofnotes,cards,briefsorotheraidsisprohibitedduringthespeech.
7. Time:ThetimelimitinbothExtemporaneousSpeakingeventsissevenminuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.“Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
8. Recuse:ContestantsmaynotleavethepreparationareauntildismissedbytheExtempproctor.ConsultationwithanypersonotherthantheExtempproctorbetweenthetimeofdrawingandtimeofspeakingisprohibited.
9. Cross-Examination:Eachdistricthastheautonomytodeterminewhethercross-examinationwillbeusedinthefinalroundofExtemporaneousSpeakingeventsatthedistricttournament.TheNationalTournamentwillutilizeanopen-crossexaminationperiodoftwominutesforboththesemifinalandfinalrounds.Ifcross-examinationisused,thedistrictmustusetheNationalTournamentfinalroundformat.ThedecisionoftheDistrictCommitteeisfinal.Procedure:Eachspeakershallbeassignedaspeakerorderposition.Drawingshalltakeplaceat12-minuteintervals.Thirtyminutesafterspeakerfirsthasdrawn,speakersfirstandlastshallenterthecontestroom.Speakerfirstshallgiveaspeechandspeakerlastshalllistenandmaytakenotes.Attheconclusionofspeakerfirst'sspeech,speakerlastshallquestionspeakerfirstfortwominutes.Speakerlastshallreturntothepreproomandspeakerfirstshallstayand
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questionspeakersecond.Speakersecondwillquestionspeakerthird,etc.Unlessitisunavoidable,studentsfromthesameschoolshallnotcross-examineoneanother.Speakerordershouldbeadjustedaccordingly.
10. Observation:StudentsinExtemporaneousSpeakingareencouraged,butnotrequired,tostayandwatchtheremainingspeakersaftertheydelivertheirspeech.Studentswhoaredoubleenteredmaybeabletoobserveastimepermits.
GuidelinesforLaptopUseinExtemporaneousSpeaking
TheuseoflaptopcomputersinExtemporaneousSpeakingispermitted.
1. ExtemporaneousSpeakingcontestantsmaymakeuseofelectronicretrievaldevicestostoreandtoretrievetheirsubjectfilesattournaments(districtornational).Studentscanretrieveextemporaneousfilestoread,butcannotwritespeechesororganizetheirthoughtsonthecomputers.ThisruleinnowaypreventsstudentsfromstillutilizingtraditionalpapercopyfilestoenablethecompetitortosuccessfullycompeteinExtemporaneousSpeaking.TheAssociationtakesnopositiononwhichformoffilestorageispreferableforuseattournaments(districtornational).
2. Theuseofelectronicretrievaldevicesatthedistrictcompetitionwillbetheautonomousdecisionofeachindividualdistrictcommittee.
3. Electronicretrievaldevicesaredefinedaslaptopcomputers,netbooks,iPads,orotherportableelectronicretrievalequipment.Secondarydevicessuchasflashdrivesorexternalharddrivesareallowedaswell.Cellphonesorsmartphonesareprohibitedfrombeingusedwhilepreparingorbeforespeakingattournaments(districtornational).
4. SourceMaterials:Studentsmayconsultpublishedbooks,periodicalarticles,newspaperarticles,thinktankarticles,governmentreportsorjournalarticlessavedontheirelectronicretrievaldeviceorpresentinhardcopyformprovided:
a. Therearenonotationsmadewithinoronthesavedarticleotherthancitationinformation.
b. Anyhighlightingorunderliningofthearticlesisdoneinonlyonecolorwithineacharticle.Bolding,italicizing,oranyothermanipulationoftheoriginaltextofsources(otherthanhighlightingorunderliningaspreviouslystipulated)isprohibited.
5. NoothersourcematerialswillbeallowedintheExtemporaneouspreproomotherthanstatedabove.Pre-writtenExtemporaneousspeeches,handbooks,briefsoroutlinesareprohibitedfromthepreproom,whetherstoredelectronicallyorpresentinhardcopyform.
6. PowerSource:Powerplugsoroutletsmaynotbeusedinthepreproomatanytime.Allcomputersusedinthepreproommustbebatteryoperatedatalltimes.
7. Competitorsareresponsibleformakingcertaintheirelectronicretrievaldevicesarefullychargedatthestartofeachcompetitiondayandforproperpowermanagementensuringthattheirdeviceremainsfunctionalthroughoutthecompetitionday.Contestantsmaynotuseexternalpowersourcesinthepreproom,suchaswalloutletsand/orextensioncords.
8. Internet:ExtemporaneousSpeakingcontestantsshallnotaccesstheInternetorcommunicateelectronicallywithanyotherindividualwhileinthepreproomatanyAssociationtournament(districtornational).Allcomputersmustcomplywiththefollowingprovisions:
a. Computersequippedwithremovablewirelesscardsmusthavethecardsremovedbeforethebeginningofanyroundofcompetition.Itistheresponsibilityofthecontestanttodisengagetheequipment.
b. Computerswithbuilt-inwirelesscapabilitymaybeusedonlyifthewirelesscapabilityisdisabled.Itistheresponsibilityofthecontestanttodisabletheequipment.
c. Wiredconnections(Ethernetorphone)duringroundsofcompetitionarenotpermitted.
d. Computersorotherelectronicdevicesmaynotbeusedtoreceiveinformationfromanysource(coachesorassistantsincluded)insideoroutsideoftheroominwhichthecompetitionoccurs.Internetaccess,useofe-mail,instantmessaging,orothermeansofreceivinginformationfromsourcesinsideoroutsideofthe
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competitionroomareprohibited.
e. Penalty:Contestantsfoundtohaveviolatedprovisionsithroughiiiabovewillberankedlastintheroundandreceivezeropoints.Contestantsfoundtohaveviolatedprovisioniv(above)willbedisqualifiedfromthetournamentandwillforfeitallroundcreditsandpoints.Atdistricttournaments,thedistrictcommitteewillmakethefinaldecisionconcerningdisqualification.Incaseofaseriousdisputeorcriticalquestion,theactingtournamentreferee(representingthenationaloffice)maybecontactedforaruling.
9. Liability:ExtemporaneousSpeakingcompetitorsacceptfullresponsibilityforthesafetyandsecurityoftheirelectronicretrievaldevicesthroughouttheentirecourseofanyAssociationtournament(districtornational).TheAssociationmayputstickersand/ortapeoncomputerstoensuretheyarenotopenedorused,ortoensureappropriateownerstaketheirownmachines.TheAssociationdoesnotassumeanyliabilityforthecomputers.StudentsarewelcometouseKensingtonlocksorothersuchdevicestosecuretheircomputersinthepreproom.Students,parents,andcoachesshouldbeawarethatthestudentsarebringingandusingthecomputersattheirownrisk.TheAssociationisnotresponsibleforlost,stolen,orbrokencomputers.
10. FileMonitoring:TheAssociationretainstherighttoviewandsearchanyelectronicretrievaldevicestoensurecompliancewithanyandallrulesatanyAssociationtournament(districtornational).
11. Devicesshouldbemutedinthepreproom.Contestantsshouldnotplaygamesorengageinotherdistractingactivitiesontheirelectronicdevicesinthepreproom.Tournamentofficialsmayaskastudenttopower-offthedeviceifitbecomesdistracting.
12. Studentsfromthesameschoolmaysharecomputersduringpreparation.However,communicationamongcontestantsduringpreparationtimeisstrictlyprohibited.
Contestantswithlaptopsareresponsibleforprovidingsufficientbatterypower.Noelectricalpowerwillbesuppliedbythetournament,andcontestantsmaynot
plugintooutletsintheExtemppreparea.
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SupplementalEventRulesExtemporaneousCommentary1. Topics:Thetournamentdirectorshallobtainalistoftopicsphrasedforcontestuse,basedonsubjectsannouncedon
theAssociation’swebsiteonMay1.Thecontentsofthelistshallnotbedisclosedexceptascontestantsdrawtopicstherefrom.
2. Drawing:Twentyminutesbeforetheroundistobegin,thefirstspeakershalldrawthreetopics,chooseone,andreturntheothertwo.Theothercontestantsshalldrawinlikemanner,intheorderofspeaking,atintervalsofsixminutes.Thesamelistoftopicsshallbeusedforthedrawingbyeachsection.Adifferenttopicareawillbechoseneachround.
3. Preparation:Assoonasatopicischosen,thecontestantshallwithdrawandprepareaspeechwithoutconsultationandwithoutreferencestopreparednotes.Studentsmayconsultpublishedbooks,magazines,newspapersandjournalsorarticlestherefrom,provided:
a. Theyareoriginalsorphotocopiesoforiginals.
b. Originalarticlesorcopiesareintactanduncut.
c. Nowrittenmaterialisonoriginalsorcopies.
d. Topicalindexwithoutannotationisallowed.
NoothermaterialshallbeallowedintheCommentarypreproomotherthanstatedabove.Speeches,handbooks,briefs,andoutlinesshallbebarredfromthepreproom.Underliningorhighlightingwillbeallowedifdoneinonlyonecoloroneacharticleorcopy.Noelectronicretrievaldevicemaybeused,butprintedmaterialsfrom"online"computerservicesmaybeused.SourcecitationsofsuchmaterialsmustmeetMLAstandards.
4. Recusal:Acontestantmaynotleavetheprepareawithoutfirstcheckingoutwiththeproctor.
5. Notes:Nonotesareallowedduringpresentation.
6. Time:Themaximumtimelimitis5minuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
7. Presentation:Thecommentarymustbedeliveredseatedbehindatableordesk.
ProseandPoetry1. Prose:Proseexpressesthoughtthroughlanguagerecordedinsentencesandparagraphs:fiction(shortstories,
novels)andnon-fiction(articles,essays,journals,biographies).
2. Poetry:Poetryiswritingwhichexpressesideas,experience,oremotionthroughthecreativearrangementofwordsaccordingtotheirsound,theirrhythm,theirmeaning.Poetrymayrelyonverseandstanzaform.
3. Selections:Onlypublished,printedworksmaybeused,unlesstheworksmeettheInterpretationRules(p.17-18)forPDFs,e-books,andonlinematerial.Noplaysorotherdramaticmaterialsmaybeused.InProseandPoetry,astudentmaynotusethesamesourcetheyusedinDuo,Dramatic,Humorous,orProgramOralInterpretationatanydistrictornationalAssociationtournament.
4. Time:Themaximumtimelimitis5minuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingis
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uptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
5. Presentation:Performancesmustbefromamanuscript(whichmaybeinafolder).Readingfromabookormagazineisnotpermitted.
ExtemporaneousDebate1. Resolutions:Tournamentofficialswillposttheresolutionthatwillbedebatedforeachround30minutespriortothe
startofflightA.
2. Sides:Contestantswillbeassignedsidesbythetabroom.
3. Evidence:Studentsmayconductresearchpriortothedebateanduseauthoritativereferenceswithintheirspeeches,butarenotrequiredtodoso.StudentsmayusetheInternettoconductresearchbetweenthepostingofthetopicandthestartofthedebate.Ifusingauthoritativesources,studentsareexpectedtoactinaccordancewiththeAssociation’s“EvidenceRulesforPolicy,PublicForum,andLincoln-DouglasDebate.”
4. ExpectationsofDebaters:Contestantsmustdebatethetopicthatwasassignedforthedebateround.Studentsmayusematerialstheycreateduringthepreparationtimebeforetheirrounds,includingbutnotlimitedtoresearchtheyhavecompleted,pre-writtenblocks,andflows.Contestantsshoulddirectlyclashwiththeiroppositionintherebuttalspeechesandprovideclearorganizationalschemesthroughoutthedebate.
5. ExpectationsofJudges:Judgesshoulddecidetheroundasitisdebated,notbasedontheirpersonalbeliefs.
6. StructureoftheRound:Allspeechesaretwominutesinlengthandallspeechtimesareprotected;aspeakermaynotbeinterruptedbytheotherspeakerorbythejudge.ThePropositiondebatermustaffirmtheresolutionbypresentinganddefendingasufficientcaseforthatresolution.TheOppositiondebatermustopposetheresolutionand/orthePropositiondebater’scase.
PropositionConstructive 2MinutesCross-ExaminationofProposition 1MinuteOppositionConstructive 2MinutesCross-ExaminationofOpposition 1MinuteMandatoryPrepTime 1MinutePropositionRebuttal 2MinutesOppositionRebuttal 2MinutesMandatoryPrepTime 1MinutePropositionRebuttal 2MinutesOppositionRebuttal 2Minutes
7. Decisions:Attheconclusionoftheround,thejudge(s)willdeterminewhichdebaterwontheround.Judgeswillnotmakeanyoralorwrittencommentstothedebaters.Ballotswillnotbereturnedtothedebaters.
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Expository1. Purpose:Expositoryspeechesareoriginalcompositionsofthecontestant.TheExpositoryspeechisaspeechto
inform,notaperformance.Itshoulddescribe,clarify,illustrate,ordefineanobject,idea,concept,orprocess.Afabricatedtopic/subjectmaynotbeused.InExpository,astudentmaynotuseanyportionoftheiroriginalorationorinformativespeechenteredatanydistrictornationalAssociationtournament.
2. Time:Themaximumtimelimitis5minuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
3. Aids:Nonotecards,audioand/orvisualaidsareallowed.NOanimalsorotherperson(s)maybeusedasaidsoraides.Itemsofdressputonandremovedduringthecourseofthepresentationareconsideredvisualaidsandmaynotbepartofthecontestant'spresentation.
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ConsolationEventRulesImpromptu1. Topics:Topicswillincludeproverbs,abstractwords,events,quotations,andfamouspeople.
2. Drawing:Ajudgeineachsection/roomshallbeprovidedanenvelopecontainingauniformsetoftopics,withadifferentsubjectareausedforeachround.Oncethefirstspeakeriscalled,theotherspeakersshallleavetheroom,andwaitoutsidethedoor.Eachspeakerwilldrawthreetopics,chooseone,andreturntheothertwototheenvelope.
3. PreparationandDelivery:Thespeakerhassevenminutesinwhichtopreparearesponseandpresentaspeechwithoutconsultationofpreparednotes.Studentsmayconsultpublishedbooks,magazines,newspapersandjournalsorarticlestherefrom,provided:
a. Theyareoriginalsorphotocopiesoforiginals.
b. Thatoriginalarticleorcopyisintactanduncut.
c. Thereisnowrittenmaterialonoriginalorcopy.
d. Topicalindexwithoutannotationisallowed.
4. Noothermaterialshallbeallowedintheroomotherthanstatedabove.Speeches,handbooks,briefs,andoutlinesshallbebarred.Underliningorhighlightinginmaterialswillbeallowedifdoneinonecoloroneacharticleorcopy.Noelectronicretrievaldevicemaybeused,butprintedmaterialsfromonlinecomputerservicesmaybeused.
5. Recuse:Onceaspeakerhasspoken,theymaylistentootherspeakersinthatround.
6. Notes:Nonotesshallbeusedduringpresentation.
7. Time:Themaximumtimelimitis7minuteswitha30-second“graceperiod,”whichincludesbothpreparationandspeaking.Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
Storytelling1. Asinglepublished,printedstory,anecdote,tale,myth,orlegendmustberetoldwithoutnotesorprops.Any
theme/topicareamaybeused.
2. Time:Themaximumtimelimitis5minuteswitha30-second“graceperiod.”Iftherearemultiplejudgesintheround,allmustagreethatthestudenthasgonebeyondthegraceperiod.Shouldastudentgobeyondthegraceperiod,thestudentmaynotberanked1st.Thereisnootherprescribedpenaltyforgoingoverthegraceperiod.Therankingisuptoeachindividualjudge’sdiscretion.Judgeswhochoosetotimearetouseaccurate(stopwatchfunction)timingdevices.Nominimumtimeismandated.
3. ThestudentmaynottellastorytheyhaveusedpreviouslyinanyAssociationtournaments(districtornational).
4. Thedeliverymustbeextempore,notread.Nobookorscriptmaybeused.Thestorymaybedeliveredstandingorseated.
5. Gestures,pantomimeandcharacterization,maybeusedwithrestraintbutthefocusmustbeonthenarrative.
6. Theretellingmustbetruetotheoriginaltale.Thecontestantmaynotaddoriginalmaterialormateriallychangethecontentofthestory.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolEventRulesManual 54
USAWorldSchoolsDebateInvitationalWorldSchoolsDebatefeaturesadynamicformatcombiningtheconceptsof“prepared”topicswith“impromptu”topics,encouragingdebaterstofocusonspecifiedissuesratherthandebatetheoryorproceduralarguments.Thishighlyinteractivestyleofdebateallowsdebaterstoengageeachother,evenduringspeeches.Thischallengingformatrequiresgoodteamworkandin-depthqualityargumentation.
Pleaseconsultthe2016-2017USAWorldSchoolsDebateInvitationalManualforofficialdebaterules,procedures,andprotocolsgoverningthisevent.
SECTION3:DistrictTournamentOperationsManual
TheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationiscommittedtoprovidingeverystudentwiththeopportunitytoqualifyfortheNationalTournamentinafairandimpartialmanner.Thisdocumentprovidesthespecificproceduresfordeterminingthenationalqualifiersineachdistrict.Duediligencemustbemadetoensurethattheseproceduresarefollowedtoensurefairnessaswellastheabsenceoftheperceptionofimproprietywhenrunningthedistrictcontest.TheBoardofDirectorshasestablishedandapprovedtheseproceduresforalldistrictcontests.TheExecutiveDirectormustapprovespecificexceptionstotheserulesinwriting.AllrulesestablishedintheEventRulesManualguidethespecificrulesforeachevent.Duringeachcontest,anombudspersonisavailablethroughthenationalofficetoadjudicatedisputesregardingtheserules.Pleasecontactthenationalofficetoidentifywhoyourombudspersonwillbeaswellastoclarifyanyoftherulesorproceduresregardingdistricttournamentoperations.
Forquestionsnotansweredhere,[email protected](920)748-6206.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 56
PlanningtheDistrictTournamentThedistrictchair,inconsultationwiththeDistrictCommitteeandmembersofthedistrict,willdeterminethedate,time,andplaceofthedistrictcontest.Thisinformationandanychangestoitmustbereportedtothenationalofficeimmediately.
GuidelinesforScheduling• TheDistrictCommitteeshouldofficiallyregisteralltournamentdateswiththenationalofficebyNovember1of
thecompetitionseason.
• Thedateshouldbedeterminedafterconsideringtheinterscholasticcalendarsoastoavoidconflictwithstatecontests,majorschoolevents,andcollegeentranceexaminations.Ifmultipledatesorlocationsareavailable,thedecisionshouldbemadebyavoteofthechapterschoolsortheDistrictCommittee,ratherthanbythechair.
• AdistricttournamentmaynotbeheldafterMay1,2017.NopartofadistrictcontestmaybeginonorafterMay1,2017.
• Ifnecessary,multipleweeksorweekendsmaybeused.
• Nomorethansixroundsofasingleeventaretobescheduledperday.
• Sitelogistics(roomaccess,judges,andcooperativehosts)shouldbeprioritizedoveracentralizedlocationorrotation.
• Non-districtqualifyingcontestsshouldnotbeheldatthesamelocationoratthesametimeasthedistrictqualifyingcontestsunlessapprovedbythenationaloffice.
• Noroundmaystartafter9:30p.m.(Extemproundafter9:45p.m.)unlessitisthefinaldayofthetournament.
• Atleastthreeroundsmustbeheldinallcontests.
SettingupJoyofTournamentsTheAssociationrequeststhatalldistrictsusetheJoyofTournamentswebsiteregistrationandsoftwareforoperationofthedistrictcontest,includingCongress.ThewebsiteregistrationsystemandsoftwareareavailablefreeofchargetoallAssociationdistricts.
TournamentRolesandResponsibilitiesTournamentOfficials• DistrictChair:ThechairexercisesgeneralsupervisionoverthetournamentandshouldNOTworkoneoftheother
specifiedtournamentroles.Thechairshouldbeavailableforconsultationandgiveassistancewherenecessary.Thechairmusthaveamasteryofthismanualaswellasunderstandeachpartofthetournamentprocess.
• DistrictCommitteeMember:Asindividuals,committeemembersshouldtakemajorassignmentsintournamentoperations.Asacommittee,theyadjudicatedisputes,protests,andinterpretationsofrules.Ifacommitteemember’sschoolisinvolvedinadispute,anotherpartyappointedbythecommitteemayserveinthiscapacity.
• DistrictCoaches:Thechairandcommitteeshouldworktomaketheoperationofthetournamentacommunityexperience.Distributingleadershipbeyondjustthecommitteewouldassistinthisendeavor.
SuggestedTournamentRoles• Registration:Dependingonthesizeofthetournament,oneormanyindividualsmaybenecessarytoregisterschools
atthebeginningofthetournament.ItistheresponsibilityoftheseindividualstoensureeachstudententeredisanAssociationmember,allfeesarepaid,formsarecompleted,etc.
• BallotDistribution/Check-In:Dependingonthesizeofthetournament,oneormanyindividualsmaybenecessarytodistributeballotstojudgesandensureallroundshavestarted.Thisindividualorgroupwillalsoaccountforreturnofallballotsandproperdeliverytothetabulationroom.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 57
• HelpDesk:Atleastonepersonshouldanswerquestionsabouttournamentoperations,logistics,judgingconcerns,etc.
• BallotReader:Thispersonistaskedwithreadingtheballotaloudtotherecorder/computeroperator.
• Recorder/ComputerOperator:Thispersonenterstheinformationintothecomputer.
• Audit:Thisteamofindividualsreplicatesthereader/recorderrolestoensurethattheinformationoneachballotmatchestheinformationenteredintothesoftware.
• ExtempPrepSupervisor:ThisindividualensuresstudentsintheExtemporaneousSpeakingpreparationareacompletetheirdrawanddonotconsultwithoneanotherduringtheirpreparationtime.
• CongressDirector:ThisindividualsupervisestheCongress.Thiscouldbethedistrictchairordesignee.
NOTE:Thedistrictchairandcommitteemaydeterminethatadditionalpersonnelarenecessaryfortheadministrationofthetournamentandassignadditionalroles,accordingly.
StandardsforHoldingaDistrictQualifyingTournamentDistrictEligibility1. MinimumSchoolsRequirement:Anydistrictthatmaintainsatleast8activecharterchaptersor16activechaptersof
anytypeisallowedtoholdadistrictqualifyingtournamentseries.Ifadistrictdoesnotmeetthisminimumrequirement,itmaynotholdatournamentseries.However,schoolsinthedistrictmaypetitiontoattendaqualifyingtournamentinacontiguousdistrict.Schoolsmustattendtheentiredistricttournamentseries(inclusiveofdebate,speechandcongress)intheirowndistrict.
2. MinimumEntriesRequirement:Ifaparticularspeechordebateeventhasfewerthanfourentries,regardlessofthedistrict’squalificationlevel,noqualifiersareallowedinthatevent.Anentrymustparticipateinatleastoneround(orinthecaseofCongressionalDebate,mustgiveatleastonespeech)inordertocountasanentry.
3. MinimumSchoolEntryRequirement:InordertoqualifyentriesinaspeechordebateeventtotheNationalTournament,aminimumoftwoschoolsmusthaveentriesthatparticipateintheevent.(SeeCongressionalDebateExceptionbelow.)
4. CongressionalDebateException:ThenumberofSenateandHousequalifiersisindependentofallotherdistricttournamentbenchmarkstandards.Adistrictwitheight(8)ormoreschoolsrepresentedintheSenatewillqualifytwo(2)senatorstotheNationalSenate.Iffewerthaneight(8)schoolsarerepresented,noSenatemaybeseated.However,adistrictmaystillconductaHousewithsufficiententries.RefertothechartbelowtodeterminenumberofHousechambers,finalsessionrequirements,andadvancementtotheNationalHouse(notethatthenumberofstudentsinthefarleftcolumnisbasedonparticipation—speakingorpresidingatleastonce):ParticipatingStudents(mustgiveaspeechorpreside)
PreliminaryChambers(ifnofinalsession,onestudentperchamberqualifiestotheNationalCongress)
StudentswhoAdvancetoFinalSessionfromeachPreliminaryChamber
StudentsAdvancingtotheNationalCongressfromtheFinalSession
16-29 1 Notapplicable Notapplicable
30-60 2 8-12 2
61-90 3 6-8 3
91ormore 4 4-6 4
Formoreinformation,pleaseconsultthe“RunningtheDistrictCongressionalDebateTournament»NationalQualification”sectionofthismanual.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 58
NationalQualificationLevelsNationalQualification:Level1
1.1 AdistrictthatmeetstheminimumschoolsandentriesrequirementsisallowedoneentrytotheNationalTournamentperspeechanddebateevent,aslongastheeventmeetsthefour-entryminimum.Also,forLevel1districts:
1.1.1 Ifthereareatleast16entriesinateameventor20entriesinasoloevent,thateventisallowed2qualifiers.1.1.2 Ifthereareatleast32entriesinateameventor46entriesinasoloevent,thateventisallowed3qualifiers.1.1.3 Ifthereareatleast56entriesinateameventor66entriesinasoloevent,thateventisallowed4qualifiers.
NationalQualification:Level2
2.1 AdistrictthatmaintainsanyoneofthefollowingcriteriaisallowedtwoentriestotheNationalTournamentperspeechanddebateevent,aslongtheeventmeetsthefour-entryminimum:
2.1.1 Maintain16ormoreactivecharterchapterspriortothefirstdistricttournamentdate(note:districtsreceiveonecharterchaptercreditforeverytwoactiveprovisionalchapters).
2.1.2 Maintain24ormoreactivechaptersofanytypepriortothefirstdistricttournamentdate.2.1.3 Maintain700ormoredistricttournamententriesinthepreviousthreeyears.2.1.4 Maintain900ormorenewmembersanddegreesfromactiveschoolsduringthepreviousschoolyear.2.1.5 Increasetotaldistrictstrengthinmembersanddegreesby15%inthepreviousschoolyearovertheyearprior.2.1.6 Enroll300newindividualmembershipsasadistrict,bysevendayspriortothefirstdistricttournamentdate.
2.2 IfthedistrictqualifiesforLevel2underoneoftheabovecriteria,thatdistrictmay:
2.2.1 Earnathirdqualifierinanyeventwith30teamor38soloentries.2.2.2 Earnafourthqualifierinanyeventwith50teamor58soloentries.
NationalQualification:Level33.1 AdistrictthatmaintainsanyoneofthefollowingcriteriaisallowedthreeentriestotheNationalTournamentinevery
speechanddebateeventaslongasatleast12soloentriesor10teamentriesineacheventcompeteinatleastoneround;ifthatminimumisnotmetbyaparticularevent,onlytwoentriesshallbegrantedinthatevent:
3.1.1 Maintain1,400ormorenewmembersanddegreesfromactiveschoolsduringthepreviousyear.3.1.2 Earn1,400ormorenewmembersanddegreesfromactiveschoolsduringthecurrentyear,priortothefirst
districttournamentdate.3.1.3 Maintainmorethan45activechapterspriortothefirstdistricttournamentevent.3.1.4 Enroll400newindividualmembershipsasadistrict,bysevendayspriortothefirstdistricttournamentdate.
3.2 IfthedistrictqualifiesforLevel3underoneoftheabovecriteria,thatdistrictmayearnafourthqualifierinanyeventwith50teamor58soloentries.
QualifierstotheNationalTournament–EntriesRequiredperEvent
NationalQualifyingLevel
1Qualifier 2Qualifiers 3Qualifiers 4Qualifiers
Level1 Atleast4entries 16teamentries
20soloentries
32teamentries
46soloentries
56teamentries
66soloentries
Level2 Atleast4entries 30teamentries
38soloentries
50teamentries
58soloentries
Level3 Atleast4entries 10teamentries
12soloentries
50teamentries
58soloentries
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 59
Auto-QualificationInanygivenyearattheNationalTournament,anystudentwhoplacesinthetop14inanymainevent,hasnotcompletedmorethansixsemestersofhighschool,andisstillenrolledinhighschool(asastudentingoodstanding)mayenterthefollowingyear’sNationalTournamentinthesamesoloeventorinthesameteameventwiththesamepartner.Thedistrictwillpermitanauto-qualifiedstudenttoparticipateinthedistrictcontestandtodoubleenterasspecifiedbythedistrict’suniformdouble-entrypolicies.Noruleregardingdoubleentrymaybeviolatedbyauto-qualification.Theentrymustindicateacceptanceoftheauto-qualificationthroughhisorherSingleEntryLetterofIntentpriortoitsdistrictcompetition.Thedistrictchairshouldnotifythenationalofficeofacceptanceoftheauto-qualificationinreportingdistrictresults.Astudentwhoacceptsauto-qualificationmaydouble-enterbasedonrulesabovebutmustsignhis/hersingleletterofintent,whichisbinding,infavoroftheeventoftheirauto-qualification.Iftheentrysignsthesingleletterofintentandrejectsauto-qualification,theresultsofthedistrictcontestarebinding.
NOTE:Anentrythatacceptsauto-qualificationisaboveandbeyondthenumberofqualifiersadistrictmayearnaspertheLevel1-3requirementsabove,whetherornottheentryparticipatesinthecurrentyear’sdistricttournamentseries.However,anauto-qualifiermayparticipateandhelpadistrictmeetitsquotarequirements.
Thetop14studentswhocompetedinProgramOralInterpretationorInformativeSpeakingatthe2016NationalTournamentmayenterthe2017NationalTournamentinthesamesoloeventiftheymeettheotherrequirementsforauto-qualificationoutlinedabove.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 60
RegisteringfortheDistrictTournamentThedistrictchairmustnotifychapterschoolsoftournamentdatesandlocationsinatimelymanneraswellascommunicaterequirementsforentry.Eachschoolisresponsibleforensuringallrulesofentryaremetpriortoarrivingatthetournamentsite.
SchoolEligibilityandEntryLimitsAnentryisdefinedasaregisteredunitinanyevent.Inapartnershipevent(PolicyDebate,PublicForumDebate,orDuoInterpretation),eachteamisoneentry.Astudentwhoisdoubleenteredcountsastwoentries.Twostudentsinapartnershipeventwhobothdoubleenter(insoloevents)arecountedasthreeentries.
1. Allotment:Thenumberofentriesaschoolispermittedtoenterisbaseduponthenumberofactivemembersanddegreesonrecordwiththenationalofficeasof4:00p.m.CTaminimumofsevendays(168hours)priortothedistrictcontestbeginning.Ifmultipledatesareused,allotmentisassessedpriortoeachcontest,subtractingentriesthatmayhavebeenusedinapriorcontest.CurrentschoolstrengthcanbefoundontheSchoolProfilepageofthePointsApplicationwebsite.PleaserefertotheChapterManualtodeterminehowmembersanddegreesarecalculated.(Theentrylimitswererevisedin2016-2017toaccountfortheadditionsofPOIandINFasmainevents.)
MembersandDegrees(Strength)
Speech,Lincoln-Douglas,Policy,andPublicForum
EntriesAllowed
MembersandDegrees(Strength)
SenateEntriesAllowed
HouseEntriesAllowed
1-15 4 1-20 2 2
16-20 6 21-35 2 3
21-30 10 36-55 2 4
31-40 12 56-75 2 5
41-50 15 76-100 2 6
51-60 16 101-150 2 7
61-70 18 151-200 2 8
71-80 21 201-250 2 9
81-90 23 251-300 2 10
91-100 24 301-350 2 11
101-120 27 351-400 2 12
121-140 29 401+ 2 13
141-160 32
161-180 33
181-200 34
201-230 35
231-260 37
261-300 38
301-350 39
351-400 40
401-500 42
501-600 43
601+ 44
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 61
2. EntryLimitperEvent:Eachschoolmayenteruptofourentriesineachevent.Congressusesaseparateformulaforentrylimits.SeetheSenate/Housechartaboveunder“Allotment.”
3. PenaltyforExcessEntry:TheDistrictCommitteemustnotpermitexcessentry.Ifaschoolentersinexcessofitsallotment,itforfeitsallcoachingcreditpointsandallsweepstakespointsfortheentiretournamentaswellasapenaltyoftentrophypoints.Iftheexcessentriescreateadditionalqualifiers,theDistrictmayfacepenaltiesresultinginlossofqualifiers.
4. BonusEntries:Anyschoolthatregisterstwoentriesineverycategorythatactuallycompete(byparticipatinginatleastoneround)inthedistricttournamentwillbepermittedtoregistertwoadditionalentriesinthetournament.However,notmorethanfourentriesarepermittedineachevent.
5. Registration:Thecompletedtournamententrymustbecompletedsevendays(168hours)priortothebeginningofthetournament,onlineatJoyofTournaments—includingdownloadingandprintingtheofficialformandobtainingnecessarysignatures,orbyusingtheofficialdistricttournamententryform(availableonline),andsubmittingittothedistrictchair.
A. Thedistrictmaychoosetoimposealatefeeof$5perday,or$5perentry,whicheverisless.
B. Entrytothetournamentmaynotbemadewithoutanofficialsignatureofthechapteradvisor.Therefore,entriesmadebyphoneoremailareinvalid.
C. Entrytothetournamentisprohibitedwithin48hoursofthestartofthecontest.Onlycancellationsorsubstitutionswithinthesameeventwillbepermittedwithinthistimeperiod.
D. Anysubstitutionsindistrictentriesafterthecloseofregistrationmustbeapprovedbythedistrictchair.
E. Thedistrictchairwillacceptincompleteregistrationsandnotifytheschoolthattheirregistrationisincomplete.Ifregistrationremainsincompleteatthestartofthecontest,theaffectedstudentswillbeineligibletoparticipate.
F. Allschoolfeesandoutstandinginvoicesmustbepaidpriortothebeginningofthetournament.Thedistrictchairreceivesalistofoutstandingbalancespriortothetournamentandshouldcommunicatethisinformationtoeachschool.Thechairwillacceptpaymentatthetimeofregistration,whichwillbesenttothenationalofficealongwithotherrequiredtournamentinformation.Ifoutstandingfeesarenotpaidpriortothestartofthecontest,theschoolanditsstudentsareineligibletoparticipate.Districtchairsmustcallatournamentofficialbeforeallowinganunpaidschooltocompeteoritsresultswillbeinvalid.
StudentEligibilityandRequirements1. NationalSpeech&DebateAssociationMembership:OnlyactiveAssociationmembersingoodstandingare
permittedtoparticipateinthedistricttournament.ItistheaffirmativedutyofeachcoachtoprovideproofofAssociationmembershipandproofofwebsiteregistrationforeachnewstudentmemberenteredinthedistrictcontest.TheDistrictCommitteemustdisqualifyanynon-memberstudentfromcompetition.Beginningwiththe2014-15schoolyear,onlystudentsofficiallyregisteredasamemberuserontheorganizationwebsite(www.speechanddebate.org)maycompeteindistrictcompetition.Further,onlystudentswhoareregisteredwillcounttowardaschool’sallotment.
A. Studentsmustbemembers(meritdegree;25points)aminimumofsevendays(168hours)priortotheofficialstarttimeofthecontest,or4:00p.m.CTFriday,ifthecontestwillstartafterward.Allnecessarypointsandfeesmustbesubmittedtothenationalofficebythisdeadline.
B. Astudentmaynothaveattendedasecondaryschoolmorethanninesemestersandmustmeettheage/eligibilityrequirementsofhis/herstateactivitiesassociation.
2. CommunityStandards:Priortoregisteringonlineforthedistrictcontest,allcoachesarerequiredtoconfirmthefollowingstatement:“Icertifythatwe,thecoach(es),student(s),administrator(s)directlyaffiliatedwithourNSDAchapter,haveagreedthatthestudentperformance(s)reflect(s)ourschoolstandardsintermsofsubjectmatter,language,anduseofgesture.”
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 62
3. DoubleEntryPolicy
A. NostudentmaydoubleenterattheNationalTournament.Therefore,aSingleEntryLetterofIntentmustbefiledwiththedistrictchairindicatingtheeventinwhichthestudentwillcompeteattheNationalTournament,shoulds/hequalify.Thislettermustbeonfilebeforethestudentcompetesinthesecondevent.
B. TheDistrictCommitteemaylimitentrytooneeventinthedistricttournament.Thedistrictmaychoosetopermitdoubleentryunderthefollowingguidelines:
1) CongressionalDebateException:StudentswhodoubleenterwithinthespeechanddebatedistricttournamentarestilleligibletocompeteintheDistrictCongress.
2) NoTripleEntry:TheDistrictCommitteeisallowedautonomyintermsofitsdoubleentrypolicy.However,tripleentryisnotpermittedunlessoneoftheeventsisCongressionalDebate.AstudentwhoentersmorethantwoofthefollowingeventswillforfeitNationalTournamententry,districtpoints,andtrophypoints:HumorousInterpretation,DramaticInterpretation,DuoInterpretation,OriginalOratory,UnitedStatesExtemporaneousSpeaking,InternationalExtemporaneousSpeaking,PolicyDebate,Lincoln-DouglasDebate,andPublicForumDebate.Nostudentmaytripleentertheimmediateaforementionedeventsevenifportionsofthetournamentoccurondifferentdatesordifferenttimesoftheyearoriftheyhavefailedtoqualifyinapreviousevent.
3) QualifyinginaPartnershipEvent:Ifastudentqualifiesinapartnershipevent(PublicForumDebate,PolicyDebate,orDuoInterpretation)andanindividualevent,thestudentmustattendtheNationalTournamentinthepartnershipevent.
4) PartnershipEvents:Studentsmayonlyenteronepartnershipdebateevent(PolicyDebateorPublicForum).StudentsmayenterinonepartnershipdebateeventaspartnersandinDuoInterpretationasthesamepartnership.AstudentmaynotenterapartnershipdebateeventandaDuoInterpretationwithdifferentpartnersunlessthetwoeventsareheldondifferentweekends(seeexceptionsbelow).
5) PartnershipEventException:IftwostudentsqualifyfortheNationalTournamentinapartnershipeventandbothindividualsalsoqualifyfortheNationalTournamentintheirrespectiveindividualevents,thestudentsmaychoosetoentertheNationalTournamentintheirindividualeventsifindicatedontheirSingleEntryLetterofIntent.IftwostudentsenterthedistricttournamentinapartnershipdebateeventandinDuoInterpretation(asthesamepartners)inwhichthetwoeventsoccuronthesameweekend,thestudentsmustchooseoneoftheteameventsandbothindicatethesamepreferenceontheirrespectiveSingleEntryLetterofIntentpriortothebeginningofthetournamentinwhichthepartnershipwoulddoublequalify.Ifthepartnerdebateeventandtheduoeventdonotoccuronthesameweekend,theschoolmayforfeititsalternatepositionthatresultedfromthefirstcompetition,allowingnewpartnershipstobecreated.Iftheschoolwishesforthealternatestatustoberetainedfromthefirstcompetition,thesamepartnershiphastobeusedwhenenteringthenextcompetition.Ifthefirstcompetitionresultedinaqualificationfornationals,thosestudentsareineligibletoenterateameventwithdifferentpartners.
6) IndividualEvents:AstudentwhoisdoubleenteredintwoindividualeventsmustsubmitaSingleEntryLetterofIntentindicatingtheeventinwhichtheywillcompeteattheNationalTournament,priortothebeginningofthetournamentinwhichtheindividualwoulddoublequalify.
7) Denialofentry:NostudentwillbedeniedentryintoaneventordeniedparticipationinthedistricttournamentbasedonpreviousNationalTournamentqualificationorperformanceunlessthatstudentisattemptingtoviolatetheaboverulesorhasfailedtosubmitaSingleEntryLetterofIntent.
8) Penalty:ViolationoftheaboveruleswillresultindisqualificationfromNationalTournamententry.
3. OrationsandLiteraryMaterial
A. Ininterpretiveevents(Dramatic,Humorous,Duo,andProgramOralInterpretation),thesameselectionofliteratureenteredaton-siteregistrationshouldbeusedforthedurationofthetournament.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 63
B. Oratorymanuscriptsmustbeavailableatalldistricttournamentcontestsintheeventofaprotest.However,itshallbethechoiceofeachindividualDistrictCommitteewhetherornottorequirethesematerialsbesubmittedpriortothedistrictcontest.Thescriptmustidentifyquotedmaterials,statethenumberofquotedwords,includeaworkcitedpageinAPAorMLAformat,andboththeoratorandthecoachmustattestbysignaturethattheorationistheoriginalworkofthecontestant.
C. AllmaterialsusedareexpectedtomeetthestandardsintheHighSchoolUnifiedManual.
4. Penalties:Anineligibleparticipantoronewhousesineligiblematerialwillnotearncreditpoints,pointstowardtournamenttrophies,tournamentawards,orNationalTournamententry.Astudentwhocompetesinthewrongcontestsectionoragainstthewrongopponent,atnofaultofhisorheropponentorthetournamentofficials,willautomaticallyreceivelastintheroundoralossforthatround.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 64
RunningtheDistrictDebateTournamentThefollowingrulesapplytoLincoln-Douglas,Policy,andPublicForumDebateeventsatthedistricttournament.Thedistricttournamentisadoubleeliminationcontest.Entrieswhoreceivetheirsecondlossareeliminatedfromthetournament.
GeneralRulesandInstructions1. StartingTimes:Nodebateisvalidifstartedafter9:30p.m.unlessitisthefinaldayofthetournament.
2. MinimumRounds:Atleastthreeroundsmustbeheldinallcontests.
3. NumberofJudges:Oneorthreejudgesmaybeusedinthefirsttwodebatecontestrounds(evenifthereareeightentriesorless),asdeterminedbytheDistrictCommittee.Wheneightorfewerdebateentriesremain,threejudgesmustbeused.Anyoddnumberofthreeorgreatermaybeusedfordebateeliminationandfinalrounds.Oncemultiplejudgeshavebeenused,itisessentialthatthesamenumberorhigherbeusedforallsubsequentrounds.Allsectionswithinthesameeventmustusethesamenumberofjudges.College-agejudgesmusthavecompletedtheirsecondyear(foursemesters).Collegecoursestakeninhighschoolforadvancedcreditdonotcounttowardjudgestanding.
4. Fines:Ifajudgefailstofulfillajudgingassignment,afinemaybeassessedatthediscretionoftheDistrictCommittee.
5. ProtestofJudges:Judgesassignedbythetournamentcommitteearefinalunlessprotestedbeforethebeginningofthetournament.Ifajudgeisaddedtothepoolafterthetournamentbegins,anyprotestmustbemadepriortotheroundinwhichthatindividualisassignedtojudge.Ifprotested,theDistrictCommitteewillheartheprotest,anditsdecisionisfinal.Ifamemberofthecommitteeisinvolvedintheprotest,s/heshouldberecused.
6. JudgeStrikes:TheDistrictCommitteemaypermitajudgestrikepolicyatthedistricttournament.
A. Districtsareencouragedtosolicitopinionsofallschoolsinthedistrictwhendeterminingwhetherastrikesystemwillbeused,andifso,whattypeofsystem.ThedecisionoftheDistrictCommitteeisfinal.
B. IfaDistrictCommitteechoosestoimplementajudgestrikesystem,thechairmustsubmitacompletedescriptionoftheproposedstrikeproceduretothenationalofficefortheapproval.Thedescriptionmustbeapprovedatleastsevendayspriortothebeginningofthetournament.Strikepolicywordingsshouldbesenttodirector@speechanddebate.org.
C. Thesystemusedmustbemaintainedthroughouttheentiredistricttournament.
7. ComputerUsage:PermissiontouselaptopcomputersinanyeventshallbetheautonomousdecisionoftheDistrictCommittee.Grantingusagesubjectsdebaterstotheguidelinescontainedintherulessectionofthismanual.
8. Forfeits:Debaterswhoare15minuteslateforfeittheround,butthedistrictcommitteemaywaivethepenalty.
9. Disqualification:Inthecaseofadisqualification,allpreviousdecisionswillstandandnorevisionofdecisionswilloccurunlessdictatedbyaspecificprotestprocedure(e.g.,evidenceviolation).
10. Harassment:Harassmentinanyformatanycontestisprohibitedandisgroundsfordisqualification.
11. Scouting:Scoutingisstronglydiscouraged.12. Disputes:TheDistrictCommitteeortournamentcommitteeappointedbyithasthefullpowertoadjudicatedisputes
orinterpretationofrulesbutmaynotchangetherules.TheDistrictCommitteeisauthorizedtodeterminehowaruleistobeinterpretedorappliedinaspecificsituation.Incaseofaseriousdisputeorcriticalquestionofprocedure,whichtheDistrictCommitteecannotresolve,thenationalofficeoractingtournamentrefereemustbephonedforaruling.Pleaseconsultthenationalofficetodeterminetherefereeforyourevent.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 65
AbsolutePairingPrioritiesThefollowingsevenpairingprioritiesareabsoluteandcontrolthepairingproceduresdescribedbelow:
1. Drawabyeifoneisrequired.Drawthebyefirst,beforepairinganyotherrounds.
• Seethe“DrawingaBye”sectiononp.11.
2. Donotpairaschoolagainstitselfunlesstheyare:
A. Theonlytworemainingundefeatedentries,or3of4undefeatedentries,or4of5undefeatedentries.
B. Thelasttwoonce-defeatedentries.
C. Thelasttwoofthreeonce-defeatedentriesandtheotherentrydrawsthebye.
D. Amajorityoftheonce-defeatedafterthebyeisdrawnandaftertheundefeatedbrackethasbeenpaired.
3. Donotpairentriesthathavemetbeforeinthetournament.
• Exception:Twoentrieswhohavemetpreviouslymaymeetagaintoavoidthesameschoolmeeting,ortheymaymeetagainifallremainingteamsinthatbrackethavepreviouslymet.
4. Donotbreakbracketsatanytime.Undefeatedentriesareinonebracketandonce-defeatedentriesareinanotherbracket.Ifthereareanoddnumberofundefeatedentries,thenandonlythen,shouldaonce-defeatedbedrawnuptomeetanundefeatedentry.
• Drawfromtheteamswhoare“due”theoppositesideoftheundefeatedopponenttheywillface.InPublicForum,drawfromalleligibleundefeatedteams.
5. EntriesinPolicyandLincoln-DouglasDebate(notPublicForum)whohavedebatedanunequalnumberofaffirmativeandnegativeroundsareconsideredduethesidetheyhavedebatedtheleast.Sideconstraintscannotviolatetheprioritieslistedabovethataresubstantiallymoreimportant.Whenanentryhasdebatedanequalnumberofaffirmativeandnegativerounds,theteamisconsideredeligibleforeithersideinthenextround.Sidealterationfromthepreviousroundisnotapriorityandshouldnotbeconsideredinpairing.InPublicForum,noentryisdueasideatanytime.
6. Duringaspecificround’spairingprocedure,onceanentryhasappropriatelybeendrawnuptotheundefeatedbracketorhasdrawnthebye,thatentryisnolongerconsideredapartoftheonce-defeatedbracketandshouldnotbeconsideredwhenpairingtheonce-defeatedbracket.Neverre-pullanentryfromtheonce-defeatedbracketonceanentryhascorrectlybeendrawnup,evenifthatparticularpullupcreatesapriorityconflictintheonce-defeatedbracket.
7. IneveryPublicForumdebate,sideswillbedeterminedbyacoinflipbetweentheteams,eveniftheteamshavepreviouslymet.
PairingRoundsOneandTwoTheJoyofTournamentssoftwareisdesignedtorandomlycreatepreliminaryroundpairingsforroundsoneandtwotomeetthefollowingconstraints:
1. Seedingisnotpermittedinthepreliminaryrounds.
2. Unlessthesmallnumberofentriesortherandomdrawingofbyesmakesitunavoidable,noteamshouldmeetanotherteamfromitsschool,andnoschoolshouldmeetanotherschoolmorethanonce.
3. InPolicyandLincoln-DouglasDebate,eachentryshouldbeassignedoneaffirmativeandonenegativeroundunlessitdrawsabye.
4. Ifnecessary,abyeshouldbedrawnbutnoschoolmayreceivetwobyesinroundsoneandtwo.
*Ifpreliminaryroundsaremanuallyassignedbycards,theseconstraintsmustbemet.
ItistheaffirmativedutyoftabulationstafftoauditJoyofTournamentspairingstodetermineallpairingruleswerefollowed.
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PairingSubsequentRoundsAnentryisanindependentunitandwillbepairedandassignedsidesbaseduponitsownrecord.Theopponentsdebatedorsidesdebatedbyotherteamsfromitsschoolareirrelevantandmustnotbeconsideredwhenpairingorassigningsides.
A.DrawingaBye1. Allentrieseligibleforabyemustbeincludedinthedrawingofabye.
2. Untilthreeentriesremainordrawingforanationalqualifier,byeswillfirstbedrawnfromentrieslosingtoanentrywhoisstillundefeated.Ifnoentrieshavelosttoanundefeatedortheentrieslosingtoanundefeatedhavealsodrawnabye,ablinddrawwilltakeplaceamongallonce-defeatedteamswhohavenotdrawnabye.
3. Noentrywillhavemorethanonebyeuntilthreeentriesremain.Whenthreeentriesremain,thebyemustgototheundefeatedeveniftheentryhaspreviouslyreceivedabye.Ifnoentriesareundefeated,drawthebyefromallentrieswhohavenotpreviouslydrawnabye.
4. Anentrymaynotrefuseabye.
B.PairingtheUndefeatedBracketTheundefeatedbrackettakespriorityovertheonce-defeatedbracketonceanyeligiblebyehasbeendrawn.OncethisbrackethasbeenpairedcorrectlybasedontheAbsolutePairingPriorities(above),itmustnotbeadjustedorchangedtoeliminateconflictsintheonce-defeatedbracket.
NOTE:Ifaonce-defeatedentryispulleduptocreateanAbsolutePairingPrioritiesconflictintheUNDEFEATEDbracketandthereareentriesintheonce-defeatedbracketthatcanbedrawnuptoavoidthisconflict,anewentryshouldbepulledup.
1. Pairundefeatedentriesagainstundefeatedentries.WhenviewingpairingsonJoyofTournaments,usethe“ShowSeeding”optiontoensurethattheundefeatedentriesarepairedagainstundefeatedentries.
2. InLincoln-DouglasandPolicyDebate,ensurethatJoyofTournamentshasproperlypairedtheentriestoensuresideequalization.Sidealterationisneverapriority,sothiswarningmustbeignored.
A. Ifpairingmanually,placecardsofentrieswithmoreaffirmativerounds(duenegativeinthenextround),inapiletotheright.Placecardsoftheentrieswithmorenegativerounds(dueaffirmativeinthenextround)inapiletotheleft.Allentrieswhohaveanequalnumberofrounds(dueeitheraffirmativeornegative)shouldbeplacedinaseparatepile.Ifthepilesareunequal,randomlydrawfromthepileofequalsidestocreateequalpiles.
B. Ifthereareanoddnumberofundefeatedentries,drawupaonce-defeatedentrywhoisduetoupholdtheoppositesideoftheundefeatedentry.
C. Shuffleandlayoutcardsofentriesdueaffirmativeintoacolumnontheleftsideofthetable.Shuffleandplacethecardsofthenegativeentriesinacolumntotherightoftheaffirmativecolumn,ensuringthattheAbsolutePairingPrioritiesaremet.
3. InPublicForumDebate,ensurethatJoyofTournamentshaspairedbracketsproperlyandnoabsolutepriorityhasbeenviolated.Sidealterationandequalizationwarningsmustbeignored.
A. Ifpairingmanually,shuffleallofthecardsfortheundefeatedbracketandlayhalfinacolumnontheleftandtheremaininginacolumnontheright.Ifthereareanoddnumberofundefeatedteams,drawfromthepileofeligibleonce-defeatedteams.
C.PairingtheOnce-DefeatedBracket1. Ifnecessary,checktoseeifthesoftwareselectedaonce-defeatedentrytomeetanundefeated.Unlessabsolutely
unavoidable,ensurethatthepullupintotheundefeatedbracketdidnotviolatetheAbsolutePairingPriorities.
2. Atthispoint,theundefeatedbracketisfinalandshouldnotbealteredforanyreason.Whenusingthesoftware,besurenottomoveanentryintooroutoftheundefeatedbracket.
3. FollowtherulesfromtheundefeatedbracketforLincoln-DouglasandPolicyDebateasdescribedin#2aboveandforPublicForumin#3above.
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D.DeterminingNationalQualifiers1. IfadistrictiseligibletosendonlyoneentrytotheNationalTournament,thequalifieristhefinalroundwinner.
2. Ifadistrictiseligibletosendtwoentries:
A. Thelasttworemainingentriesarethequalifiers.
B. Ifthreeteamsremain,onewilldrawabye(whichmustgototheundefeatedifthereisoneortoanentrywhohasnotpreviouslydrawnabye)andtheothertwoentriesdebate.Thebyeandthewinnerarethequalifiers.
3. Ifadistrictiseligibletosendthreeentries:
A. Thelastthreeremainingentriesarethequalifiers.
B. Iffourentriesremainandoneisundefeated,allfourentrieswilldebate.
1) Iftheundefeatedloses,thenthreeentriesremainandarethequalifiers.
2) Iftheundefeatedwins,itandtheotherwinningentryqualify.Thetwoentrieswholosttothequalifierswilldebatetodeterminethethirdqualifier.
C. Iffourentriesremainandtherearenoundefeatedentries,allentriesdebate,andthetwowinnersaretwoofthequalifiers.Thetwolosingentriesdebateagaintodeterminethethirdqualifier.
D. Iffiveentriesremain,abyegoestotheundefeated.Ifthereisnoundefeatedentry,drawabyefromallentrieswhohavenotpreviouslydrawnabye.Thefourremainingentriesdebateeachother.Thebyeandthetwowinnersarethequalifiers.
4. Ifadistrictiseligibletosendfourentries:
A. Thelastfourremainingentriesarethequalifiers.
B. Iffiveentriesremain,abyegoestotheundefeatedandtheotherfourentriesdebateeachother.Thebyeandthetwowinnersarethreeofthequalifiers.Thetwolosingentriesdebateagaintodeterminethefourthqualifier.
C. Ifsixentriesremain,drawtwobyes.Byesfirstgotoundefeatedentries.Ifoneundefeatedentryremains,thatundefeatedentryreceivesabyeandqualifies.Then,abyeisdrawnfromtheremainingonce-defeatedentrieswhohavenotalreadyreceivedabye,andthatentryqualifies.Theremainingfourentriesdebateeachother.Thetwobyesandthetwowinnersarethefourqualifiers.
D. Ifsevenentriesremain,abyegoestotheundefeatedandtheremainingsixdebateeachother.Thebyeandthethreewinnersarethequalifiers.
E.DeterminingAlternatesAlistof14alternatesmustbedeterminedineventswith30entriesormore.Ineventswith29entriesorfewer,noentrythatfinishesinthebottomhalfofthefieldmaybelistedasanalternate.Alternatesaredeterminedbythemostnumberofroundsdebated.Byesandforfeitwinsarecountedasroundsdebated.Tiesmustbebrokeninthefollowingorder:
1. Theresultofahead-to-headdebatebetweentheentries,iftheymetinthetournament.
2. Totalballots.Thenumberofballotsforabyeequalsthenumberofjudgesintheroundwherethebyeoccurred.
3. Arun-offroundbetweentheentries.
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RunningtheDistrictCongressionalDebateTournamentGeneralRulesandInstructions1. Legislation.Chaptersareencouragedtosubmitatleasttwobillsorresolutionsnolaterthan24dayspriortothe
scheduledCongress.AlllegislationpresentedshallmeetAssociationformattingcriteria(seerulessection),andmustbetheoriginalworkofstudentsfromthesubmittingschool.Non-originalworkshallnotbeconsideredfortheagenda.ItshallbetheaffirmativedutyofeachcoachandeachstudententeredintheDistrictCongresstodetermineabsolutelythatmaterialsubmittedisoriginal.
A. TheDistrictCommitteeshallattempttoacceptatleastonebillorresolutionfromeachschoolsubmittingbillsorresolutions,providedthelegislationissubmittedbythedeadline.
B. Atleast14daysbeforetheofficialCongressdate,thedistrictchairshouldsendtoeachparticipatingschoolacopyofnotfewerthansixbillsorresolutions,whichshallconstitutetheagendaforeachchamberperday.
C. IftheDistrictCommitteeallowsforasuspensionoftherules,billsorresolutionsnotsubmittedmaybeconsideredonlyafterthedistrict’sofficiallyestablishedlegislativeagendahasbeenconsidered(debated).
D. ADistrictCommitteemaydenybillsorresolutionsfrombeingofferedfromthefloorattheDistrictCongress.
2. TimeAllowanceandSessions.Districtsshouldallowsevenhoursforaone-daytournamenttoincludetwosessions,breaks,andmeals.Foratwo-daytournament,tenhourstoallowforatthreesessions(oneofwhichmaybefinals),breaks,andmeals.Aminimumoftwosessionsofdebatemustbeheld,oneofwhichmaybethefinalchamber.Eachsessionisthreehoursandincludes:
A. Electionofapresidingofficer
B. Newseatingchart(necessaryaccommodationsforstudentswithspecialneedsmaybemade)
C. Resettingofprecedence/recency
D. Newlegislationthathasnotbeendebatedinaprevioussessionatthattournament
3. DistrictCongressOfficials
A. TheDistrictCommitteewilldeterminethemannerinwhichjudgesareprocured:whetherfromparticipatingschools,orfromthecommunity(suchaslocallegislators,legislativestaff,attorneys,lawstudents,civicorganizationmembers,chamberofcommerceprofessionals,etc.).Unaffiliatedjudgesandparliamentariansarerequired.College-agejudgesmusthavecompletedtheirsecondyear(foursemesters).Collegecoursestakeninhighschoolforadvancedcreditdonotcounttowardjudgestanding.
B. Aparliamentariansuperviseseachchamberandremainsthroughoutallpreliminarysessions:tocallrollandensurestudentsareinassignedseats,tomonitortimekeepingbythepresidingofficer,tointerveneincaseastudentofficerbecomestoodeeplyinvolvedinparliamentaryrules,tocorrectgrosserrorsinprocedure,torecordsessionstartandendtimes,andtorecordactionstaken.Ordinarilys/heshouldremaininthebackground,butstepforwardfirmlywhenhis/herpresenceisrequired.ThepurposeofCongressistodebatelegislation;theparliamentarianensuresthisisdone.Theparliamentarianisalsoconsideredajudgeinthechamberandwillrankallparticipantsattheendofthesession(orinthecaseofamultiplesessionpreliminaryround,attheendofthelastsession).
C. Scorers:Inadditiontotheparliamentarian,atleasttwoscorersmustbeusedforeachsessionineachchamber,andthosescorersmustnotbeaffiliatedwithstudentsinthatchamber.TheDistrictCommitteecandecidetoassigndifferentjudgeseachsession,orkeepthesamejudges,aswellaswhethertouseonescorerinpreliminarysessionsprecedingafinalsession(whichmusthaveatleastthree,includingaparliamentarian).
1) Assignuptoeight(8)pointsperspeech,consideringanswerstoquestionsintheawardingofpoints.
2) Presidingofficersshallreceivenotlessthanfour(4)ormorethaneight(8)speakercreditpointsforeachfullhourofpresiding(fractionsofanhourarenotscored).
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3) Points–Nomorethan40pointsmaybeawardedadayperstudent.Atotaloftheaverageofthescorerpanel’spointsforeachspeechandcompletehourofpresidingshallbereportedbythechairasmeritpointsforthetournament,butpointsnolongerhavebearingonadvancement.
D. Attheendofeachscorer’sandparliamentarian’sjudgingcommitment,theyranktheireightmostpreferredlegislators(whichmayincludepresidingofficers);theparliamentarianalsoranksallstudentsinthechamber.
E. Alljudge/parliamentarianballotsmustbecheckedcarefullybytournamentofficialstoensureeightnameswerelisted,andthatnameswerenotrepeated.
4. Protests.Judgesassignedbythetournamentcommitteeshallbefinalunlessprotestedbeforethetournamenthasbegun.Ifajudge(s)isaddedtothejudgepoolafterthetournamenthasbegun,anyprotestsmustbemadepriortothesessioninwhichthatindividual(s)isassignedtojudge.Ifprotested,theDistrictCommitteeshallheartheprotest,anditsdecisionshallbefinal.MembersoftheDistrictCommitteeinvolvedintheprotestshouldrecusethemselves.
5. SettinguptheDistrictCongress.
A. Roomsmustallowforallcontestantstobeseatedappropriatelyastobeseenbythepresidingofficer,withnobarriersbetween.
B. Seatingchartsshouldbepreparedinadvancebasedontheentryformsreceivedfromtheschools.Assignalternatestudentstotheseatsassignedtothenon-attendingdelegates.
C. Thedistrictchairand/ordesignatedDistrictCongressDirectorshouldcreateatimescheduletofacilitatetheminimumnumberoffloordebatehoursenumeratedaboveinitem2.
D. Obtaingavels.ThenationalofficewillsendNationalQualifierPlaquesfortheDistrictCongress.AdditionalCongressplaquesmaybeorderedfromthenationalofficeoronlineathttp://store.speechanddebate.org.
E. Obtainneededmaterials/supplies:
1) Seatingcharts:aminimumoffive(presidingofficer,parliamentarian,andscorers)foreachchamberonwhichthenamesoflegislatorsarewritteninthepatternofseatingasonefacestheassembly
2) Timersorstopwatches
3) Ballotsforvoting(generateanofficialformorhaveslipsofpaper)
4) TableofParliamentaryMotions,amendmentforms,andrecencycharts
6. Disqualification.Inthecaseofadisqualificationofacontestantinadistricttournamentseriesevent,allpreviousscores,ranks,anddecisionsofothercontestantsstandandnorevisionofpastsessionswilltakeplace.
7. Harassment.HarassmentinanyNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationeventwillnotbepermitted.
8. Scouting.ScoutingisdiscouragedattheDistrictCongresstournament.
9. Petitions.ProtestsofDistrictCommitteedecisionsmaybefiled,inwriting,withtheExecutiveDirectorwhoshallissueadecision.Thedirector’sdecisionmaybeappealedtotheBoardofDirectors,whosedecisionshallbefinal.
AssigningStudentstoChambers1. Allparticipatingschoolscanchoosetoenterzero,one,ortwostudentstoparticipateintheSenate.Therequestof
specificstudentstobeenteredintheSenateshallbehonored.Aminimumofeight(8)schoolsmustparticipateintheSenateforaDistrictSenatetobeheld.
2. WhenenteringstudentsintheHouse,schoolsshalldeterminethegroupingofindividualstudentsfromtheirschools,aslongasthenumberofentriesineachhouseisapproximatelyequal(i.e.,threehouses3-3-2ortwohouses4-3).Placementofaschool'sgroupsintospecificchambersshallbedonebyblinddraw,butthetournamentdirectormayadjustplacementofindividualschoolgroupings,sothatchambersareapproximatelyequalinsize.
3. Achambershallseatnomorethan30contestants.
4. Chamberassignmentsshallbemadeatregistrationandarefinal.Atregistration,studentswhoaremembersandhaveastarnexttotheirnameindicatingtheyarearegisteredmember,maybeseatedinthechamberreplacinganabsentstudentfromthesameschool.
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5. NochangesintheDistrictCongressentryorinthoseseatedintheCongressmaybemadeonceachamberhasconvened.
PresidingOfficersPresidingofficerswillbenominatedfromthefloorwitheitheraparliamentarianand/orDistrictCommitteemember/coachtoconducttheelection.ADistrictCommitteemayappointadultpresidingofficerswithnoaffiliationtoanyparticipants.Notethenewrulethatbeforeprecedenceisestablished,thepresidingofficershouldrecognizespeakersfairlyandconsistently.Theymaynotlinkrecognitionofspeakerstopreviousrecognitionofstudentsaskingquestions,movingmotions,orlongeststanding(standingtime).
NationalQualification
A.SenateAdistrictwitheight(8)ormoreschoolsrepresentedintheSenatewillqualifytwo(2)senatorstotheNationalSenate.Iffewerthaneight(8)schoolsarerepresented,noSenatemaybeseated;however,adistrictmaystillconductaHousewithsufficiententries.When31ormorestudentsareentered,twoSenates,orafinalsessionSenate,shallbeconductedtodeterminenationalqualifiers.
B.HouseofRepresentativesUsethistabletodeterminenumberofchambers,finalsessionrequirements,andadvancementtotheNationalCongress(notethatthenumberofstudentsinthefarleftcolumnisbasedonparticipation—speakingorpresidingatleastonce):
ParticipatingStudents(mustgiveaspeechorpreside)
PreliminaryChambers(ifnofinalsession,onestudentperchamberqualifiestotheNationalCongress)
StudentswhoAdvancetoFinalSessionfromeachPreliminaryChamber
StudentsAdvancingtotheNationalCongressfromtheFinalSession
16-29 1 Notapplicable Notapplicable
30-60 2 8-12 2
61-90 3 6-8 3
91ormore 4 4-6 4
Achambershallseatnomorethan30Congresscontestants.AdistrictmayhavenoSenateoroneortwoSenateChambersanduptofourHouseChambersasdeterminedbytheaboveformula.Non-qualifying(Non-DistrictCongress)Housesmayalsobeheldforregularmeritpoints.Nomorethanfour(4)studentsfromadistrictmayqualifytothenationalHouseofRepresentatives.
ContestantsqualifytothenationalHouseofRepresentativesaccordingtothenumberofactualparticipantsineachchamber(numberofstudentsgivingatleastonespeech).Nodistrictshallstateorimplythatifastudentqualifiedinapreviousevent,thatstudentmaynotentertheDistrictCongressorimplythatastudentpreviouslyqualifiedcannotqualifyfortheNationalCongress.
C.TabulatingRanksTotabulateCongressionalDebate,thedistrictmustuseeitherJoyofTournamentsorthetabulationspreadsheetsavailablewithotherdistrictformsonline.Thedatafilesmustbesenttothenationaloffice.
Scorers’ranksareinputted,withnon-rankedstudentsconsideredasranksof9(JoyofTournamentsdoesthisautomatically,but9smustbeenteredmanuallyonthespreadsheet).Theparliamentarian’sranks,uptoeighthareinputtedaswell,withsubsequentranksconsideredasranksof9.
Eachindividualchamberistabulatedindependentoftheothers.Legislatorswiththelowestcumulativeranktotaladvancetothenextlevelofcompetition,employingthefollowingtiebreakers:
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1. Judges’preference(orstudents’preferenceforthestudentrankoption,below)
2. Reciprocalfractions
3. Adjustedcumulativeranktotalafterdroppinghighestandlowestranks
4. Judges’preferenceofadjustedcumulativeranktotal(orstudents’preferenceforthestudentrankoption,below)
5. Reciprocalsofadjustedcumulativeranktotal
6. Rankbytheparliamentarian
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D.StudentRankOptionDistrictshavetheoptionofallowingstudentcumulativeranktotals(nottobeconfusedwithstudentpreferentialredistributionofballots)todetermineplacement.Ifadistrictexercisesthisoption,itmustdosoforallchambers(inclusiveofbothSenateandHouse).Afterjudgecumulativeranktotalshavedeterminedthetopeightstudentsinthechamber,studentsshallwritetheirrankorderofpreferencenexttoeachstudent’sname.Eachindividualrankforallparticipatingstudentswillbeinputted,andtotaledtodeterminethelowestcumulativeranktotal.Again,thedistrictmustuseJoyofTournamentsorthestudentranktabulationspreadsheetavailable.Ifastudentcompletesaballotincorrectly(duplicateormissingrank),itmustbediscarded,andshallnotcountintabulationatall.Tournamentofficialsineachchambershouldensurethatstudentscompletetheirballotscarefully.
E.QualifiersandAlternatesThetopcontestants,upto14thplaceineachchamber,arequalifiersandalternatesinorderoffinish.AlternatesmayattendifqualifierswithdrawbeforeJune1regardlessofwhetherornotthequalifierhasenteredthetournament.AfterJune1,alternatescanonlyreplacequalifiersthathavebeenofficiallyenteredintothetournament.Noalternate(whoisreplacinganofficiallyenteredqualifier)mayentertheNationalTournamentafter4:00p.m.onregistrationdayoftheNationalTournament.NationalTournamentalternatesaredeterminedasfollows:
1. Alternatesarefirstdeterminedbyorderofplacement,whetherbycumulativeranktotalbyjudges,orbystudents.
2. Ifstudentrankingwasusedandadditionalalternatesarenecessarybeyondthoserankedbythestudents,theoriginaljudgecumulativeranktotal,usingappropriatetiebreakersthroughtheparliamentarian’srank,shallbeused.
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RunningtheDistrictSpeechTournamentUnlikedebateevents,thespeechportionofthetournamentpresentsthedistrictwithanopportunitytoautonomouslydeterminehowtorunitscontestwithinarangeofvariations.Whenchoosingasystem,becertainthatallrulesforthatparticularsystemarefollowed.
TheUp/DownMethodmimicsthedebateportionofthetournamentbycreatingadoubleeliminationsystemforspeechevents.Halfthecontestantsactuallycompetingaremarkedupineachsection.Threearemarkedupinasectionoffiveandseven.Fourmaybemarkedupinasectionofsevenifanunbreakabletripletieoccursforsecondplaceoratripletieoccursforsecondorthird(seebelow).Fivearenevermarkedup.Ifanentryisrankeddowntwice,itiseliminatedfromcompetition.Onlyonejudgeisrequiredinthefirsttwopreliminaryrounds,threejudgesmustbeusedineachsubsequentround,andonlythreejudgesmaybeusedinthefinalround(whenthenumberofentriesremainingissevenorfewer).
TheCaliforniaPlanusesamoretraditionalspeechtournamentapproachtodeterminingthequalifiers.Thenumberofpreliminaryroundsispredeterminedbaseduponthenumberofentriesintheevent.Eithertwoorthreejudgesmaybeusedinthepreliminaryrounds,threejudgesinthesemifinalround,andfivejudgesinthefinalround.
NOTE:ThedistrictmustdecideinadvancewhetheritwillusetheUp/DownMethodortheCaliforniaPlan.IfchoosingtheCaliforniaPlan,itmustdeterminewhetheritwillusetwoorthreejudgesineachpreliminaryround.Thenumberofjudgesmaynotchangefromeventtoeventorroundtoround.Nohybridizationispermitted.College-agejudgesmusthavecompletedtheirsecondyear(foursemesters).Collegecoursestakeninhighschoolforadvancedcreditdonotcounttowardjudgestanding.
GeneralRulesandInstructions1. StartingTimes:Noroundmaystartafter9:30p.m.(Extempafter9:45p.m.)unlessitisthefinaldayofthe
tournament.
2. MinimumRounds:Atleastthreeroundsmustbeheldinallcontests.
SectioningintheUp/DownModelOncetheJoyofTournamentssoftwarehassectionedthepreliminaryrounds,thetabulationroomshouldensurethefollowingparametersaremet.Eachstudentisguaranteedtwopreliminaryroundsofcompetition.ItistheaffirmativedutyofthetabulationstafftoauditJoyofTournamentspairingstodeterminethatallpairing/sectioningrulesarefollowed.
SectioningEntriesineacheventshouldbedividedasequallyaspossibleintoasmanysectionsasrequired.Theminimumnumberofentriesinasectionisfour;maximumiseight,acceptableonlyunderextremecircumstances.Asectionwithsixentriesisideal,whilesevenoreightshouldbeavoided.Seedingisnotpermittedinsectioningeitherofthefirsttworounds.Anentrywhoreceivesatleastoneupinthefirsttwopreliminaryroundsiseligibletocontinuecompetinguntilitreceivestwodowns.
Insubsequentrounds,thetotalofeachentry’srankswilldetermineitsseed.Entriesshouldbesectionedtopreventthehighestseedsfrommeetingineachsubsequentround.Aserpentine(orsnaking)distributionshouldbeused.
MovingEntriesfromSectionsEntriesaretobemovedonlytoavoid(asmuchaspossible)thefollowing,inorderofpriority:
1. Twoentriesfromthesameschoolinasection.
2. Twointerpretationentrieswiththesametitleinasection.
3. Havingthesamespeakerscompeteagainsteachotherasecondtime.
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SpeakerOrderSpeakerordershouldbevariedfromoneroundtothenext.Entriesareguaranteedavariationinspeakerpositionunlessitisimpossibletoprovidevariationbaseduponthenumberofpreviousrounds,theotherpairingpriorities,orunavoidabletournamentcircumstances.Inthiscase,theoptimalpairingisonethatdoesnotreplicatethepreviousround’sspeakerpositionandminimizesthenumberofrepeatedspeakerpositions.
NOTE:JoyofTournamentshighlightsinredentrieswhosesectioningconstraintshavenotbeenmet.Therefore,theleastpossibleredhighlightingistheoptimalpairing.
Doubleenteredcontestantsshouldbescheduledtoappearearlyinoneeventandlateinthesecondevent.IfanExtemporaneousspeakerisdoubleentered,s/heshouldbescheduledearlyinExtempandlaterinthesecondevent.
InExtemporaneousSpeakingevents,unlessitisunavoidable,studentsfromthesameschoolshallnotcross-examineoneanother.Speakerordershouldbeadjustedaccordingly.
BalanceofPowerAfterthefirsttwopreliminaryrounds,anoptimalpairingisonethatbalancesthepowerthesections.Todeterminethepowerofasection,addthetotalranksofeachentry.Thesumofeachsectionshouldbeasclosetoequalaspossible.Iftheyarenot,moveentriesfromonesectiontoanotherusingtheMovingEntriesfromSectionsparagraphabove.Whenthenumberofcontestantsineachsectionisunequal,usetheaveragepowertobalance.
Wheninconflict,cumulativeranktotalsaremoreimportantthatupswhenbalancingsections.
ChangingRanksRecordallranksofsixandsevenasfivesexceptinthefinalround.Neverbreaktiesbyusingoriginalranksexceptinthefinalround.Inthefinalround,ranksofsixandsevenwillbecounted.
ScoringTiesIngeneral,atieisnottobebrokenexcepttoavoidmarkingupmorethanhalftheentriesinasection.
• EXCEPTIONS:Threearemarkedupinasectionoffive.Fourmaybemarkedupinasectionofsevenifanunbreakabletripletieoccursforsecondplaceoratripletieoccursforsecondorthird.Fivesareneverup.
SimpleTies:Ifasimpletwo-waytiemustbebroken,usejudge’spreferencetodeterminewhichentryreceivesthehigherplace.Ifunbreakablebyjudge’spreference,usereciprocalfractions.Ifstillunbroken,bothstudentsreceivethehigherplace.Inasimpletie,bothentriesreceivetheplaceforwhichtheytied.Aplaceistobeskippedandplacingcontinuesasusual.
TripleTies:Atripletieshallonlybebrokentoavoidmarkingmorethanthreeupinasectionoffourorfive,ormorethanfourinasectionofseven.Tobreakatripletie,judge’sranksmustbeconvertedtoreciprocalfractions.Inatripletie,allthreeentriesreceivethemiddleplace.Oneplaceistobeskipped,andremainingplacescontinueasusual(e.g.,ifthreeentriestieforfirst,allreceivesecondplace,andthenextentryreceivesfourth).
UnbreakableTripleTie:Inatripletiewhereallentrieshaveidenticalranks,thetieisunbreakable.Allaretobegiventhesamemiddleplaceforwhichtheytieandgivenanupifthatnumberisintheupperhalfofasectionorthirdinasectionofseven.
FinalRoundThefinalroundoccurswhensevenorfewerentriesremain.Threeandonlythreejudgesaretobeusedinthefinalround(requirementsaredifferentfortheCaliforniaPlan;seethenextsection).
DeterminingNationalQualifiersandAlternatesFinalplacementisdeterminedbyaddingplacementsofeachpreliminaryroundandthethreejudges’ranksinthefinalround.Lowfinalroundtotalbreaksatie.The14alternatesaredeterminedinthefollowingorder(‘semifinals’referstotheroundimmediatelyprecedingthefinalround):
1. Finalroundplacementasdescribedabove.
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2. Totalcumulativeroundranksthroughsemifinals.
3. Iftied,determinethewinnerofahead-to-headcompetitioninsemifinals.
4. Iftheentriesdidnotmeetinsemifinalsorarestilltied,countthenumberofones,usingalljudgeranks,throughsemifinals.
5. Ifstilltied,countthenumberoftwos,usingalljudgeranks,throughsemifinals.
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TheCaliforniaPlanIn2009,theBoardofDirectorsapprovedastreamlinedprocessforusingtheCaliforniaPlaninrunningdistrictspeechcontests.Thedistrictmayselecttousetwojudgesorthreejudgesineachpreliminaryroundbutmustapplythisdecisionconsistentlythroughoutthetournamentandacrossallevents.
PlanningPreliminaryRoundsTwoJudgeSystem:Ifusingtwojudgesinpreliminaryrounds,thenumberofroundsineacheventisdeterminedbythenumberofactualparticipantsintheeventatthebeginningofroundone,basedonthefollowingtable:
NumberofEntries NumberofPreliminaryRounds14orfewer 224orfewer 342orfewer 443ormore 5
ThreeJudgeSystem:Ifusingthreejudgesinthepreliminaryrounds,thenumberofpreliminaryroundsineacheventisdeterminedbythenumberofactualparticipantsintheeventatthebeginningofroundone,basedonthefollowingtable:
NumberofEntries NumberofPreliminaryRounds14orfewer 224orfewer 342orfewer 443ormore 5
Newin2016-2017:WhenusingtheCaliforniaPlan,DistrictCommitteesinspeecheventswith14orfewerentriesmaydeterminetoholdtwopreliminaryroundsofcompetition.
PresetPreliminaryRoundRoundOne:Thefirstroundofeacheventwillbepresetusingarandomdraw.Twoorthreejudgesmustbeusedineachpreliminaryround.Thenumberofjudgesmustbethesameineverypreliminaryroundandthesameforeachevent.Entriesaretobechangedfromonesectiononlytoanothertoavoidthefollowingintheprecedencelisted:
1. Entriesfromthesameschoolinthesamesection.
2. (Ifpossible)Entrieswiththesameselectioninthesamesection.
Onlysectionsoffive,six,orsevenarepermitted.
SpeakingOrder:Inpreliminaryrounds,speakingordershouldbevaried.Eachentryshouldreceiveatop,middle,andbottomspeakerorder,nottoberepeatedinpreliminaryroundsunlessunavoidable.
1. Inthesemifinalround,speakingpositionisdeterminedbyblinddraw.
2. Inthefinalround,speakingorderisdeterminedbyblinddraw.However,anentryshouldnotreceivethesamespeakingorderithadinthesemifinals.
DoubleEntries:Accommodatedoubleentriesbypermittingentriestospeakearlyinoneeventandlaterinanother;however,itisnotnecessarytoplaceentriesinthefirstorlastposition.
Rankings:Eachjudgewillrankentriesfromoneasthebesttosevenastheworst.Wheneverajudgehasmarkedanentrylowerthanfifth,suchrankwillbechangedtofifthbeforetabulationbegins.However,afterasixthorseventhrankhasbeentabulatedasafiveandatieoccursbetweenentriesforarankintheround,thesixandsevenisusedtodeterminethejudges'preference.
Definitionsofterms
• Compositere-rank:Sumtheindividualjudgeranksforeachentryandlisttheentryinorderoftheirrespectivetotals.Theentrywiththelowestcumulativescorewouldbere-rankedfirst,second-mostassecond,andsoon.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 77
• Adjustedrank:Insectionsofsixorseven,eachjudgewillrankentriesthroughthesixthandseventhplacing.Thetabulationstaffwilladjusteachrankofsixorseventoafiveforthepurposeofcreatingthecompositere-rank.Thisistheonlyinstancewhentheadjustedrankisused.
• Actualrank:Rankthejudgegavetheentry,countingsixesandsevens.
Scoring:Addjudges’ranksandre-rankentriesineachsectionbasedonthecumulativescore.
BreakingTieswithTwoJudges
Intheeventofatwo-waytie,bothentriesareawardedthehigherplacingrank.
ExampleASpeaker Judge1 Judge2 Sumofranks CompositeRe-rank
1 3 4 7 32 7(5) 5 10 63 2 1 3 14 4 6(5) 9 55 1 2 3 16 6(5) 3 8 47 5 7(5) 10 6
Intheeventofathree-waytie,entriesareawardedatied,middlerank.Intheeventofafour-waytie,entriesareawardedanupper-middlerank(inafour-waytieforfirst,allentrieswouldberankedsecond).Acompositere-rankmaynotbehigherthan5.
ExampleBSpeaker Judge1 Judge2 Sumofranks CompositeRe-rank
1 6(5) 5 10 52 5 6(5) 10 53 4 4 8 44 1 3 4 25 3 1 4 26 2 2 4 2
BreakingTieswithThreeJudges
Intheeventofatwo-waytie,thetiewillbebrokenbyjudges’preference.
Intheeventofathree-orfour-waytie,theentriesareawardedthebettermiddlepositionforwhichthespeakersaretied.Forotherentriesinthesection,eliminatethenextpositionafterthetieranking.InExampleC(below),thenextrankingintheroundwouldbefourth.
ExampleCSpeaker Judge1 Judge2 Judge3 Sumofranks CompositeRe-rank
1 1 2 3 6 22 2 3 1 6 23 3 1 2 6 2
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 78
PoweredPreliminaryRoundsRoundtwoandsubsequentroundsmustbedeterminedaftertheresultsarerecordedfromthepreviousround.
Seeding:Theentry’sseedingisdeterminedbythesumofitscompositere-ranksfrompreviousrounds.
SectioningPoweredRounds:Placeentriesinsections,bytheirseeding,inaserpentineorsnakingpattern.Beginwiththefirstseedinsectiononeandcontinuetoplaceseedsinseparatesectionsuntilplacinganentryinthelastavailablesection.PlacethenextseededentryinthenextavailablesectionandcontinuetoplaceentriesinseparatesectionsasindicatedinExampleD.Wheretiesinseedingoccur,randomlyplacetheequalseedsinsubsequentseparatesections.
ExampleDSection1 Section2 Section3 Section4
1stSeed--> 2ndSeed--> 3rdSeed--> 4thSeed▼
8thSeed▼ 7thSeed<-- 6thSeed<-- 5thSeed<--
9thSeed--> 10thSeed--> 11thSeed--> 12thSeed
AlteringContestantPlacementinSections
Entriesaretobemovedfromsectionsonlyunderthefollowingconditions:
1. Toavoidanimbalanceofschools.Thehigherseededentryfromaschoolmustremainintheoriginalsection.Thelowerseededentry(EntryB)fromthesameschoolmustbeplacedinthenextavailablesectioninthesnakingpatternuntilschoolbalanceoccurs.Thenextseededentry(EntryC)isplacedinEntryB’soriginallocation.
2. IfplacementofEntryBresultsinaschoolimbalance,placeEntryBinthenextavailablesectioninthesnakingorderuntilschoolbalanceoccurs.Ifaschoolconflictisunavoidable,placetheentryintheoriginalseedinglocation.Thenextseededentry(EntryC)isplacedinEntryB’soriginallocation.
3. Tobalancepower,entriesmaybemovedfromasuboptimalpairingtoanoptimalpairingifitdoesnotresultinentrieswiththelowestcompositeranks(equaltothenumberofsectionsintheround)meetingeachotheroranimbalanceofschools.Thebalanceofpowerisdeterminedbythesumofthecompositeranksineachsectionifsectionshavethesamenumberofentries.Ifunevensectionsexist,powerisdeterminedbytheaverageofthecompositeranksineachsection.
Newin2016-2017:WhenusingtheCaliforniaPlan,DistrictCommitteesinspeecheventswith14orfewerentriesarenotrequiredtoholdasemifinalroundandstudentsmayadvancedirectlytothefinalround.
DeterminingSemifinalQualifiersTwelveentrieswillbeselectedtoparticipateinthesemifinalroundonthebasisoflowestcumulativescoreofcompositere-ranksfromtheentry’spreliminaryrounds.
BreakingSemifinalTies:Ifthecumulativescoreofcompositere-ranksbringsthetotalnumberofqualifierstomorethan12,determinethequalifiersinthefollowingorderofprecedence:
1. Iftheentriesarestilltied,theentrywiththemostnumberofones,twos,etc.,incompositeranksadvances.
2. Iftheentriesarestilltied,theentrywiththelowestsumofactualranksadvances.
3. Iftheentriesarestilltied,theentrywiththemostnumberofones,twos,etc.,inactualranksadvances.
4. Iftheentriesarestilltied,includethosetiedinthesemifinals.
PairingtheSemifinalRoundNOTE:Threejudgesmustbeusedinthesemifinalroundineachevent.
1. Speakerorderisdeterminedbyblinddraw.
2. Usethesameprocedureoutlinedin“PoweredPreliminaryRounds.”
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 79
3. Noaccommodationwillbemadetoseparateentriesfromthesameschoolinasectionwheretheyarerequiredtomeetbythepreviousrulesasoutlinedin“PoweredPreliminaryRounds.”
4. Accommodatedoubleentriesbypermittingentriestospeakearlyinoneeventandlaterinanother,however,itisnotnecessarytoplaceentriesinthefirstorlastposition.
DeterminingFinalRoundQualifiersAddcompositepreliminaryroundre-ranksandeachjudge’sballotinthesemifinalroundtodeterminesixqualifiersforthefinalround.
*Inthecaseofunevensemifinalsections,countsevensassixesunlessatieoccurs.
BreakingFinalRoundTies:Ifthenumberoffinalroundqualifiersexceedssix,usethefollowingtiebreakersinorderofprecedence:
1. Iftiedentriesmetinthesemifinalround,determinejudges’preferenceinthesemifinalround.
2. Ifstilltied,advancetheentrywiththelowesttotalfromsemifinalballotsalone.
3. Ifstilltied,advancetheentrywiththegreatestnumberofones,twos,etc.,fromthesemifinalballots.
4. Ifstilltied,advancetheentrywiththelowesttotalofadjusted,actualpreliminaryroundranksandsemifinalranks.
5. Ifstilltied,advancetheentrywiththegreatestnumberofones,twos,etc.,fromallcompositere-ranksandsemifinalroundranks.
6. Ifstilltied,includethosetiedentriesinthefinalround.
PairingtheFinalRoundNOTE:Fivejudgesmustbeusedinthefinalround.Ifadistrictchoosestousesevenjudgesinthefinals,thehighandthelowscoresmustbeexcludedwhendeterminingtheNationalQualifier.
1. Speakerorderisdeterminedbyblinddrawbutmustnotbethesameasthesemifinalroundspeakingposition.
2. Noaccommodationwillbemadetoseparateentriesfromthesameschoolinthespeakerorder.
3. Reverseaccommodationsfordoubleenteredentriesfromanyaccommodationmadeinthesemifinalround.
DeterminingNationalQualifiersEntriesqualifyingfortheNationalTournamentareselectedbydeterminingthelowesttotalofpreliminarycompositere-ranks,addedtothreesemifinalranks,addedtofivefinalranks.Ifatieexistsamongqualifiersoralternates,determinefinalplacementbyusingthefollowingtiebreakersinorderofprecedence:
1. Thecumulativescoreoffinalroundjudgesonly.
2. Judges’preferenceinthefinalroundonly.
3. Greatestnumberofones,twos,etc.,inthefinalroundonly.
4. Ifstilltied,repeatsteps1through3byaddingthesemifinalscores.
5. Ifstilltied,addtheactualranksfrompreliminaryroundstosemifinalranksandtofinalranks,todetermineplacement.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 80
SweepstakesAwardsOverallDistrictSweepstakesPlaqueOverview:
1. Aschoolmustactivelyparticipateinbothdebateandspeechwithatleastthreeentriesineacharea.CongressionalDebateisnotcurrentlyincludedincalculationoftheoverallDistrictSweepstakesPlaque.
2. Topfivespeechandtopfivedebateentriesperschoolwillcounttowardsitssweepstakescalculation.
3. Teamevents(PublicForum,Policy,Duo)countasoneentry.
4. Tiebreakers:
A. Addthe6thspeechandthe6thdebateentryperschool.B. Greatestnumberof1sts,2nds,3rds,etc.C. Addthe7thspeechandthe7thdebateentryperschool.D. Addthe8thspeechandthe8thdebateentryperschool.
5. TiebreakersdescribedintheDistrictTournamentOperationsManualwillbeusedtodetermineplaces.Iftiescannotbebroken,bothstudentswillreceivethepointsforthehighestplaceinwhichtheytie.
6. 1st,2nd,and3rdplacesweepstakesfinishesshouldbeawardedineachdistrict.
PointSchedulePerEvent-Pointsareallocatedbasedonactualentriesforqualificationratherthananydistrictbonus.
CategoryAEvent≤37entries
Teamevent≤29entries
CategoryBEvent=38-57entries
Teamevent=30-49entries
CategoryCEvent≥58entries
Teamevent≥50entries 1or2qualifiers 3qualifiers 4qualifiers
Speech Debate Speech Debate Speech Debate1stPlace 6 7 7 8 8 92ndPlace 5 6 6 7 7 83rdPlace 4 5 5 6 6 74thPlace 3 4 4 5 5 65thPlace 2 3 3 4 4 56thPlace 1 2 2 3 3 4
Example:
TeamA TeamBPF2Qualifiers
1stPlace3rdPlace
12points 2ndPlace 6points
DUO Policy2Qualifiers
2ndPlace4thPlace
10points 5thPlace 3points
LD3Qualifiers
4thPlace 5points
IX2Qualifiers
6thPlace 1point 2ndPlace 5points
USX2Qualifiers
4thPlace6thPlace
4points
DI2Qualifiers
1stPlace 6points
HI2Qualifiers
2ndPlace 5points
OO2Qualifiers
1stPlace3rdPlace
10points
TeamATotal: 32points TeamBTotal: 35points
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 81
Congress,Debate,andSpeechSweepstakesAwardsInadditiontoanoverallDistrictSweepstakesPlaque,awardswillbegivenforthethreedistinctdivisionsatthedistricttournament:Congress,Debate,andSpeech.Eachoftheseareasfunctionsessentiallydifferent,andareoftenheldondifferentdays/weekends.Thisalsoallowsschoolswhoseprogramsfocusinoneortwooftheareastostillhaveachanceatearningsometypeofsquadaward.
Aschool’stopeightplacingspeech,topsixdebate,andtopfivecongressentrieswillcounttowardcalculationineacharea,respectively.
ComputingthesweepstakesawardforSpeechandtheawardforDebatefunctionsinthesamemannerasthosetwoareasarefiguredfortheoverallsweepstakesaward(seescheduleforawardingsweepstakespointsonthepreviouspage).
InCongress,eachofaschool’stopfivestudentswhoplaceintheirrespectiveSenateandHousechamberswillreceivepointsbasedonthescheduletotheright.Ifapreliminaryandafinalsessionareheld,onlythefinalsessionwillcount.
Note:Asnewmainevents,ProgramOralInterpretationandInformativeSpeakingcounttowardtheSpeechSweepstakesAward.
DistrictCumulativeSweepstakesAwardRoundsforallstudententriesaccumulatefromyeartoyearandaDistrictTournamentTrophyisawardedforone-yearpossessiontotheschoolparticipatinginthepresenttournamentwhosetotalishighestattheconclusionofthetournament.Itsrecordwillbesetbacktozeroandtherecordsforotherschoolscarriedforwardtothenextyear.Thetrophywillbecomethepermanentpossessionoftheschoolwinningitthree(3)times.Atiewillbebrokeninfavoroftheschoolwhosestudentswereinthelargestnumberofroundsinthepresenttournament.Ifstilltied,thetrophywillbeawardedtotheschoolwiththehighesttotalofAssociationmeritpointsearnedatthepresenttournament.
Note:Asnewmainevents,ProgramOralInterpretationandInformativeSpeakingcounttowardtheCumulativeSweepstakesAward.
Congress
1stPlace 82ndPlace 73rdPlace 64thPlace 55thPlace 46thPlace 3
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 82
ReportingtotheNationalOfficeThedistrictchairisrequiredtosubmitseveralreportstothenationalofficewithin48hoursofthecompletionofthedistrictcontest.Ifthedistrictholdscontestsonseparateweekend,submitmaterialsaftereachsegmentofthecompetition.Pleasedonotsubmitmaterialsnotrequestedhere.
JoyofTournamentsDistricts:
1. AnyfeesduetotheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationcollectedatthetournament.
2. AsignedcopyoftheQualifiersandAlternateReport.JoyofTournamentswillgeneratethisforalleventsexceptCongress,whichmustbecompletedmanually.Thesignatureofthechairindicatestheorderoffinishrepresentedonthesetwopagesiscorrect.Itistheaffirmativedutyofthechairtoensurethatthequalifiersandalternateslistedonthisformareaccurate.
3. Allentry(registration)forms.Theseusedtobecalledgreensheetsandareidentifiablebytheprincipal’ssignature.
4. AllSingleEntryLetterofIntentforms.
5. TheJoyofTournamentsdatafile.Saveonecopyforyourrecordsandsubmitonecopytosupport@joyoftournaments.comandonecopytoinfo@speechanddebate.orgbyattachingthefileswiththeextensionJOTandTRNtoanemail.Thenationalofficewillconfirmyoursubmission.ThisincludesdistrictsusingJoyofTournamentstotabulateCongressionalDebate.
Non-JoyofTournamentsDistricts:IfthenationalofficehasexemptedyourdistrictfromusingJoyofTournamentssoftware,youmustsubmitthefollowingmaterial.Yourauditanddistrictpointswillbeprocessedslower,sinceyouwillnotbenefitfromtheautomationprovidedbyJoyofTournaments.
1. AnyfeesduetotheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationcollectedatthetournament.
2. AsignedcopyoftheQualifiersandAlternateReport,includingforCongress.Thismustbefilledoutmanually.Thesignatureofthechairindicatestheorderoffinishrepresentedonthesetwopagesiscorrect.Itistheaffirmativedutyofthechairtoensurethatthequalifiersandalternateslistedonthisformareaccurate.
3. Allentry(registration)forms.Theseusedtobecalledgreensheetsandareidentifiablebytheprincipal’ssignature.
4. AllSingleEntryLettersofIntentforms.
5. Allresults/pointsmustbemanuallyenteredintothePointsApplicationwithin48hoursoftheconclusionofthedistrictcontest,withallscreensprintedbeforethechairsubmits/finalizedthoseresults.Thoseprintoutsmustbesubmittedtothenationaloffice.
6. Allentrycards,groupedbyevent,aswellasallscoresheetsandspeechballots.
7. Congress:adigitalfileandprintedcopyoftheofficialAssociationjudgecumulativeranktotalspreadsheetforeachchamber,andifused,astudentcumulativeranktotalspreadsheetforeachchamber.PleasedonotsendCongressevaluationforms/[email protected].
Decreaseyourpaperwork!Use
JoyofTournamentstotabulateyourtournament.
Plus,schoolscanregisterforNationals
sooner!
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 83
DistrictTournamentAuditProceduresThepreferredmethodoftabulatingthedistricttournamentistousetheapprovedtournamentsoftwareonacomputer.
Atthecompletionofeachround,theDistrictCommitteewillproduceanauditsheet.Thatsheetwillbecomparedtotheballotsforeachroundtodeterminethattheballotshavebeenaccuratelytabulated.Ifmistakeshavebeenmade,theresultswillbeevaluatedandcorrected.
Onceeventsaretabulated,theDistrictCommitteemustauditorchecktheresultsofroundsintwoways:
1. TheauditwillbeconductedbyanAuditCommitteeappointedbytheDistrictCommittee.2. Ballotsandtheauditsheetwillbemadepublicsothatheadcoachesortheirdesigneesmaytakeresponsibility
fortheaudit.DistrictCommitteesarestronglyencouragedtomakethetabulationprocessastransparentaspossible.
Ballotsandauditsheetswillbemadeavailabletothedesignatedcoachattheconclusionofeachroundaudit.Ifadistrictisnotauditingresultsand/orprovidingtheaudittoacoachrepresentative,thecoachrepresentativeshouldfileaprotesttothecommittee,citingthisproceduralviolation.Ifaprotestisfiled,theDistrictCommitteeisrequiredtocontactthetournamentrefereeforaruling.
Ifcoachesbelieveerrorsintabulationhaveoccurred,theymustfirstaddresstheissuewiththeDistrictCommitteeinatimelyfashion.Ifthetournamentisstillinprogress,theprotestshouldbelodgedwithinoneroundoftheauditbeingavailabletocoaches.
Theauditforthefinalroundresultsmustbemadeavailablebeforetheawardsassembly.Noprotestsregardingtabulationwillbepermittedaftertheawardsassembly.
Thenationalqualifiersdeterminedbythenationalofficefinalauditwillbeofficial.IftheDistrictCommitteeerroneouslyidentifiesandannouncesthatastudenthasqualifiedfortheNationalTournament,thatstudentwillnotbeallowedtoattendorcompeteintheNationalTournament.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 84
DistrictTournamentRulesandPenaltiesInadditiontopairing/sectioningprotocolsoutlinedabove,thedistricttournamentserieshasspecificrulesandpoliciesthatmustbefollowedinordertoensurethatqualificationtotheNationalTournamentisvalid.
ItistheaffirmativedutyoftheDistrictCommitteetoensureallrulesandproceduresinthismanualarefollowed.Failuretoadheretotheserulesmayinvalidatetournamentresults.
ThemembersoftheDistrictCommitteepresentshallhavefullpowertoadjudicateanyprotest,dispute,orinterpretationoftherules.Protestsmustbefiledinwritingandmustinclude:
• Nameofcoachfilingprotest(acoachofrecordmustfiletheprotest)andschool,city,state.• Codeofperson/teambeingprotested.• Roundbeingprotested.• Section/roomandspeakernumberofperson/teambeingprotested.• Specificinfractionbeingprotesteddescribedwithsupportingdetail.• Signatureofprotestingcoach.
Aftertheinfractionhasbeenobserved/discovered,theprotestmustbefiledinatimelymatter.Atimelymannerisdefinedaswithinonehouroftheendoftheroundinwhichtheinfractionoccurred,unlessaspecificrulespecifiesotherwise.
Ifthedistrictchairand/orcommitteeareunclearastohowaruleshouldbeinterpretedorthepenaltyforarule,pleasecontactthedistricttournamentrefereeassignedtothedistrictbythenationaloffice.Thisenumerationdoesnotimplythatothertournamentrulesmaybeviolated.
DebateEvents1. StartTime:Nodebatemaybeginafter9:30p.m.unlessitisthefinaldayofthetournament.
Penalty:Noofficialwinnerofthateventandnonationalqualifier.
2. MinimumRounds:Atleastthreeroundsmustbeheldinspeechanddebateevents.CongressionalDebatemustincludeatleastfivehoursoffloordebateforaone-dayCongress,eighthoursoffloordebateforatwo-dayCongress,andthreehoursofdebateforafinalsession. Penalty:Noofficialwinnerofthateventandnonationalqualifier.
7. Judges:Oneorthreejudgesmaybeusedinthefirsttwodebaterounds.Wheneightorfewerentriesremain,threejudgesmustbeused.Anyoddnumberofjudgesgreaterthanorequaltothreemaybeusedfordebateeliminationandfinalrounds.Oncemultiplejudgeshavebeenused,thesamenumberorhighermustbeusedinallsubsequentrounds.Allsectionswithinthesameeventmustusethesamethesamenumberofjudges.AtleastthreejudgespersessionmustbeusedinCongressionalDebate. Penalty:Noofficialwinnerofthateventandnonationalqualifier.
3. Retrieval:UnlessdisallowedinparticulareventsbytheDistrictCommittee,theAssociationallowsforcomputeruseasenumeratedbelow.Usebycontestantsofanyelectronicretrievalsystem(recordingorinformationretrievalsystem)thatisnotallowedresultsinthepenaltybelow.Otherwise,electricorelectronicdevicesmaybeusedforthesolepurposeofkeepingtime.Judgesmayuseacomputertotakenoteswhilejudgingduringcompetitionatthedistrictand/orNationalTournament.MaterialsprintedfromtheInternetarepermittedifproperlycited.
Penalty:Ifadebaterusesacontrabanddevice,s/hewillreceivealossintheround.ACongressionaldebaterwillbesuspendedfromasession.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 85
SpeechEvents1. StartTime:Nospeechroundmaybeginafter9:30p.m.(Extemproundafter9:45p.m.)unlessitisthefinaldayofthe
tournament.
Penalty:Noofficialwinnerofthateventandnonationalqualifier.
4. MinimumRounds:Threeroundsmustbeheldinallspeechevents.
Penalty:Noofficialwinnerofthateventandnonationalqualifier.
5. FinalRound:Nomorethansevencontestantsmayparticipateinthefinalround.
Penalty:Noofficialwinnerofthateventandnonationalqualifier.
6. Judges:Thedistrictmustusetheappropriatenumberofjudgesforthetypeofsystem.
• Up/Down:Afterthefirsttworoundsthreejudgesmustbeused.
• Two-judgeCalifornia:Twojudgesmustbeusedineachpreliminaryround,threejudgesmustbeusedinthesemifinalround,andfivejudgesmustbeusedinthefinalround.
• Three-judgeCalifornia:Threejudgesmustbeusedineachpreliminaryround,threejudgesmustbeusedinthesemifinalround,andfivejudgesmustbeusedinthefinalround.Penalty:Noofficialwinnerofthateventandnonationalqualifier.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 86
JudgeInstructionsandGuidelinesGeneralInstructions
• Alljudgesaretoreporttotheirassignedroomsatleastfiveminutesbeforethetimethecontestroundisscheduledtobegin.
• Eachjudge'sballotistobesecuredfromcontestofficialandreturnedimmediatelyfollowingeachround.
• Readtheinstructionsontheballot.
• Donotconferwithotherjudges.
• Judgesshouldnotinterrupttheflowofdebatesorcontestsinanyway.Theyaresilentevaluatorsandshouldnotrevealtheirdecision.
• College-agejudgesmusthavecompletedtheirsecondyear(foursemesters).Collegecoursestakeninhighschoolforadvancedcreditdonotcounttowardjudgestanding.
StatementonConflictsofInterestinJudgingFaircompetitionrequiresnotmerelytheabsenceofimproprietybutalsotheappearanceofimpropriety.Aconflictofinterestisarelationshipthatmightreasonablybethoughttobiasajudgetowardoragainstacompetitor.Suchrelationshipsmaythemselvesbequiteinnocent,buttheycouldreasonablybethoughttocompromiseajudge’simpartiality.
Ajudgemustrecusehimselforherselffromjudgingastudentunderthefollowingconditions:
1. Thejudgeandthestudentmaybeperceivedtohaveacompetitiveorfinancialagreementthatmaybiasthejudge’simpartialevaluationoftheround.Examplesincludebutarenotlimitedto:
A. Thestudentattendsaschool(oracollaborationofschools)thatthejudgeattended,coachedfor,orcompetedwith.NOTE:Twopotentialexceptionstothisguidelinewouldbethatifadesignatedcommitteeorombudspersonfeltthatenoughtimehaspassedsincethatjudge’sattendanceattheschooltoresolveconcernsofimpropriety.Inaddition,ifbothcoachesfeltcomfortablewithajudgethatgraduatedfromaschoolofoneofthecompetitors,thetabroommayallowthatjudgeplacement.
B. Thejudgehasapaidorunpaidcoaching,consulting,orjudgingrelationshipwiththestudentorschoolduringthesameacademicyear.NOTE:Servingatournament-hiredjudgedoesnotconstituteaconflictofinterest.
C. Thejudgehasreceivedorprovidedexpressedorimpliedofferstoprovidefuturecoaching,consulting,orjudgingtoaschoolorstudent.
D. Thejudgehasprovidedexclusivepre-roundpreparationtoastudenteitherbeforeorduringatournamentthroughanymethodincludingelectronically,verbally,orthroughthetransferofresources.NOTE:Sharingofinformationdoesnotconstitutepreparation,butthediscussionofstrategies,arguments,evidence,etc.,wouldconstitutepreparation.Ifsuchpreparationisprovidedduringatournament,thejudgeshouldimmediately(beforepairingsarereleased)recusehimselforherselffromjudgingthestudenttheypreparedfortherestofthetournament.Ifpracticeroundsbeforeorduringthetournamenthasoccurredbetweenschoolsthatajudgeisfulfillingobligationsforandcouldpotentiallyjudge,thatwouldbedefinedaspreparationandallpartiesshouldconsiderthataconflict.
2. Thejudgeandthestudentmaybeperceivedtohaveapersonalorsocialarrangementthatmaybiasthejudge’simpartialevaluationoftheround.Examplesincludebutarenotlimitedto:
A. Thejudgeandthestudentmaybeperceivedtohavehadapersonalrelationshipthatmaybiasthejudge’simpartialevaluationoftheround.
B. Thejudgeandthestudentareorhavebeeninafamilial,physical,oremotionalrelationship.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 87
C. Thejudgeandthestudenthavecommunicationsofapersonalnatureoveremail,telephone,ortheInternetincludingsocialnetworkingsitesthatgoesbeyondcausalexchanges.Forexample,communicationsthatareextensiveand/orrepetitivemaycreateaconflict.Judgeswhosocializewiththestudentoutsideofthecompetitionarenaareconsideredtohaveestablishedapersonalorsocialrelationshipwiththatstudent.
3. Thejudgedoesnotbelievetheyareabletofairlyandimpartiallyadjudicateacompetitioninvolvingaparticularstudentforwhateverreason.
Judgesmaychoosetorecusethemselvesfromadjudicatingastudentunderthefollowingconditions.(Iftheseconditionsexist,itistheaffirmativedutyofthejudgetomakesuchinformationpubliclyavailablepriortotheroundbeginning.)
1. Thejudgesharestransportationand/orlodgingwiththestudent’steamonaregularbasis.
2. Thejudgehasapersonal,financial,orfamilialrelationshipwiththestudent’scoachormemberofthestudent’sfamily.
3. Thejudgeisanadministratorof,currentlyemployedby,oranticipatesemploymentfromaforensic-relatedenterprisewithwhomafinancialoradvisoryrelationshipexistsorissoughtwiththestudent.NOTE:Theseguidelinesdonotprohibitlableaders/institutestafffromjudgingtheirlabstudents;however,ifthoselableadersmaintainconsistentcontactwiththosestudentsand/orengageinpersonalrelationshipswiththem,theyshouldrecusethemselvesfromjudgingthosespecificindividuals.
Theexpectationofcompetitors,judges,andcoachesistoengageinthehighestlevelsofprofessionalismandintegrity.Whiletheresponsibilityisonjudgestoaidetransparency,theresponsibilityexistsforcoachesandstudentcompetitorsaswell.Itistheaffirmativedutyofallcoachesanddebaterstoassisteffortsintransparency.Nodecisionswillbemodifiedasaresultofdisclosedinformation.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 DistrictTournamentOperationsManual 88
DistrictTeamforUSAWorldSchoolsDebateInvitationalAllAssociationdistrictsareallowedtoqualifyuptotwoteamsofthreetofivestudentsusingtheproceduresoutlinedbelow.ThedeadlineforthedistrictchairtoofficiallynameateamisMay1,2017.Theentryfeeis$50perstudentontheteam.Eachdistrictmustprovideafull-timejudgeforeachteamavailablefortheentiretyofthecompetition.Districtsthatdonotprovideafull-timejudgeforeachteamwillnotbepermittedtoenter.
MethodstoSelecttheWorldSchoolsDistrictTeamTeamsarecomprisedofthreetofivemembersfromeachdistrictoptingtoparticipate.Aftertheentiredistricttournamentseries(speech,debate,congress)iscomplete,anystudentwhocompetedatdistrictsbutdidnotqualifytoNationalswouldbeeligibleforparticipationontheWorldSchoolsDistrictTeam.Theestablishedcriteriaofthedistrictshouldbemadeavailabletoallcoachesattendingthedistricttournament.Thiscouldbedoneviathetournamentinvitationorthroughanemailannouncement.Adistricthastwooptionsforselectingitsmembers:
OptionA–Districtsmayinvitealternatestobeontheteam.Toprovideanobjectivemethodofselectingtheteammembers,districtswoulddothefollowing:
• Invitethehighestpointearnersthataresenior,1stalternatestoserveontheteam.
• Ifastudentturnsdowntheopportunity,gotothenextnameonthelistofsenior,1stalternatesbymeritpoints.
• Ifyougetthroughallsenior,1stalternates,thengotosenior,2ndalternatesbymeritpoints.
• Keepworkingthroughthesenioralternates(3rd,4th,5th,etc.).Iftherearenoseniorsleft,gotojunior,1stalternatesbymeritpoints,thensophomores,andthenfreshmen.JoyofTournamentscanproducethisreportforanydistrictthatusestheJOTsoftwaretotabulatethedistricttournamentseries.
OptionB–Anydistrictparticipantwouldbegiventheopportunitytoapplyforconsideration.Thedistrictwouldselectacommitteetoexaminetheapplicationsandmakedecisionstofieldtheteam.Theselectioncommitteemayconsistofactivecoaches,retiredcoaches,communitymembers,administrators,andmore.Selectioncommitteemembersshouldrecusethemselvesfromscoringtheirownstudentapplicants.InadditiontotheabovecriteriasuggestedinoptionA,theselectioncommitteemightalsoconsideradditionalcriteria,butarenotboundtothem:
• GivepreferencetoapplicantswhoarefromschoolsthatdidnotqualifytotheNationalTournament.
• Givepreferencetoapplicantsfromschoolswithfewerthanthreeentries.
• Givepreferencetonewschoolstothedistrict.
• Givepreferencetoschoolswithnewcoachesinthedistrict.
Note:Ifyourstateassociationpreventshybridteams,adistrictmayselectentriesallfromoneschooltoenableaparticipatingteamtoattendNationals.Studentsdonothavetobeanon-qualifyingentryfromdistrictstobeselectedtocompeteforthedistrictWorldSchoolsDebateteam.Studentswhoattendthedistricttournamentandqualifyinamaineventforthe2017NationalTournamentmayforgotheirqualificationandparticipateinthe2017USAWorldSchoolsDebateInvitational,iftheyareselectedfortheteambytheirdistrictandhavepreferreditontheSingleLetterofIntentpriortotheDistrictTournamentSeries.
CoachoftheWorldSchoolsDistrictTeamThecoachofthedistrictteamcouldbeselectedbytheDistrictCommittee.Thispersonwouldbethemainpointofcontactbetweenthenationalofficeandthedistrictteam.
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DistrictQualificationProcessforBigQuestionsDebatesForadditionalinformationaboutdebaterulesandaccesstoresourcesandjudgetraining,visittheBigQuestionswebsiteatwww.speechanddebate.org/big-questions.
Entries/QualificationProcess• Thetop-placingstudentateachdistrict’sBigQuestionsdivisionwillbeinvitedtoparticipateatNationals.• TohostadistrictBigQuestionsevent,fillouttheonlineapplicationbyApril1,2017.Togetstarted,visit
www.speechanddebate.org/[email protected].• BigQuestionsentrieswillnotcounttowardaschool’sdistrictentrylimits.• ThedistrictBigQuestionsdivisionmaybeheldinconjunctionwiththedistricttournamentorasastand-alone
eventonaseparatedateaslongasitoccursbeforeMay15,2017.Thedistricteventmustmeetthefollowingrequirements:• Minimumof15highschoolcompetitors.• Allstudentsmustcompeteasindividuals.• Morethanoneschoolinattendance.• Theeventmustbeorganizedthroughorwiththepermissionofthedistrictchair.• Theeventwilleithera)followthedoubleeliminationformatofotherdistrictdebateeventsorb)holda
minimumoffourpreliminaryroundsandsemifinals.• Thetop-placingstudentwillnotbeeligibletocompeteintheBigQuestionsCapstoneEventiftheyhave
qualifiedinamainevent.• IftheBigQuestionsdistricteventisheldbeforethedistrict’smainNationalQualifyingtournament,thetop-
placingstudent’snamemaybewithdrawnandreplacedwithanalternate’sifthetop-placingstudentqualifiesinanotherevent.
• “At-large”invitationswillalsobesenttoindividualstudentswhohaveperformedwellintheeventthroughouttheseasoniftheydidnotqualifyattheirdistricttournament.InvitationswillbesentstartingApril15,2017.
• OnlyentriescomposedofindividualdebatersmaycompeteatNationals.
SECTION4:NationalTournamentOperationsManual
08Fall
TheNationalSpeech&DebateTournamentisthelargestacademiccompetitionintheworld.Toattend,studentsmustplaceamongthetopcompetitorsatoneoftheAssociation’sdistricttournaments.TheNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationiscommittedtoprovidingeverystudentafairandimpartialcompetitionexperience.AllrulesestablishedintheEventsRulesManualguidethespecificrulesforeachevent.ThisdocumentprovidesthespecificproceduresestablishedbytheBoardofDirectors.Tournamentombudspeopleareavailabletoanswerquestionsandfieldprotestsregardinginfractionofruleshereinenumerated.
Forquestionsnotansweredhere,[email protected](920)748-6206.
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EntryRequirementsOfficialNotice:AllschoolsmustregisterONLINEforthe2017NationalSpeech&DebateTournamentatwww.speechanddebate.org/nationals.Youmustreadallinformationbelowbeforeclickingthelinkentitled“BEGINREGISTERING.”PleasedirectallquestionstothenationalofficebycallingLisaVossekuilat(920)[email protected].
REMINDER:TheAssociationnolongeracceptsmailedscriptsorspeeches.AdvisorsmustUPLOADthedigitalfilesduringonlineregistrationinstead.
InstructionsforRegistering1) Registration:NationalTournamentregistrationisavailablebeginningFebruary15.Coachesmayregisterbyclicking
thelinkentitled“IAGREE.”Althoughtheentireregistrationprocessdoesnothavetobecompletedinonesitting,coachesmustcompletetheonlineprocess,printoutALLdesignatedpaperwork,andsendwithALLappropriatefeestothenationalofficebeforetheentrywillbeconsideredofficial.
2) CommunityStandards:PriortoregisteringonlinefortheNationalTournament,allcoachesarerequiredtoconfirmthefollowingstatement:“Icertifythatwe,thecoach(es),student(s),administrator(s)directlyaffiliatedwithourNSDAchapter,haveagreedthatthestudentperformance(s)reflect(s)ourschoolstandardsintermsofsubjectmatter,language,anduseofgesture.”
3) Supervision:InordertocompeteintheNationalTournament,eachstudentmustbesupervisedbyanadultapprovedbytheprincipal.Theadultsupervisormustbethestudent’scoach,aschooldistrictfacultymemberoradministrator,orthechild’sownparent(s).Thesupervisingadultmuststayatthesamelodgingwithstudent(s)undertheirsupervision.Studentswithoutanaccreditedsupervisorstayinginthesamelodgingwillnotbepermittedtoparticipateinthetournament.CoachesfromotherschooldistrictsmaynotbetheadultsupervisorwithoutpriorwrittenpermissionofbothschooldistrictsuperintendentssubmittedtotheAssociationbeforetheentrywillbeaccepted.
4) Fees:Paymentmustaccompanyyourregistrationmaterials.Seebelow:Policy,PublicForum,orDuoEntry $150perentrySpeech,Lincoln-Douglas,orCongressEntry $75perentryWorldSchoolsDistrictTeam $50perteammemberSupplementalEvents(Commentary,Expository,Poetry,Prose,ExtemporaneousDebate)
$20eachevententered(maypre-registerforallfive,butmayonlyre-registerfortwospeechORExtemporaneousDebateonly)
ConsolationEvents(ImpromptuorStorytelling)
$10eachevententered(maypre-registerforboth,butmayonlyre-registerforone)
ArefundinfullisavailableuponcancellationinwritingreceivedbythenationalofficebeforeMay1,2017,and50%uponcancellationbeforeMay8,2017.Norefundsthereafter.
5) Deadline:TheENTIREentryform,includingmailedmaterials,MUSTbecompletedandpostmarkedviacertified
mailbyMonday,May1,2017.Onlyregistrationscompletewithrespecttoeveryessentialitemwillbeaccepted.Lateorincompleteentriesandeachentrylackingsignaturesorpaymentinfullwillbesubjecttoa$200latefee,ordenialofentry.AlternateswillbenotifiedofavailablevacantslotsstartingMonday,May8,2017.Alternateshaveseven(7)daystocommittoentryoncenotified,ortheywillforfeittheirqualification.DeadlineforregistrationofalternatesisFriday,May26,2017.
6) CongressionalDebate:DistrictchairsareencouragedtoUPLOADoneortwoitemsoflegislation(preferably,onebillandoneresolution)tothePointsApplication(points.speechanddebate.org)byApril1,2017.LegislationisreviewedtoensureitadherestoAssociationguidelines,andblindlyvettedbyacommitteewhoratesandselectslegislationfromavarietyofgeographicregions.ThenationaldocketwillbereleasedontheAssociation’swebsitebyMay10,
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2017.DistrictchairsalsosendnamesofcoachesexperiencedinjudgingCongress,socoachesshouldcontactthechairtocommunicateinterest,aswellasselect“preferCongress”and/or“Parliamentarian”onthenationalentryjudgingform.Note:Serviceasaparliamentarianisonlyatwo-daycommitment.
7) OriginalOratoryandInformativeSpeaking:EntrantsmustUPLOADacopyoftheirmanuscriptduringonlineregistration,signedbythecontestantandthecoach,certifyingthespeechisthestudent’soriginalwork.Note:Nomorethan150wordsmaybequotedfromothersources.Extensiveparaphrasingfromothersourcesisprohibited.ThedocumentMUSTincludeacompleteworkcitedpageinMLAorAPAformat.
8) Interpretation(HI,DI,Duo,andPOI):EntrantsmustUPLOADthehighlightedmanuscriptoftheoriginalsourceuseduringonlineregistration.Ataminimum,thismustincludethecuttingthestudentwillperform,includingtheintroduction.AllPOIentriesmustincludeaworkscitedpagewiththeirupload.AttheNationalTournament,allquarterfinalistsarerequiredtoturnintheoriginalsourceORprintedwebmanuscripttotheombudspersonbynoononthethirddayofcompetition.Photocopiesarenotacceptable.Anycontestantfailingtoproducetheoriginalsourcetotheombudspersonbytheaforementioneddeadlinewillnotqualifyforthesemifinalroundsofcompetition.Pleaseseethe“EventRulesManual”sectionofthismanualforfurtherdetails.
9) NoDoubleEntry:Acontestantmayenteronlyonemaineventcategory.
10) SupplementalEventEntry:Studentsmaypre-registerforuptofoursupplementalspeechevents(Commentary,Expository,Poetry,Prose)ANDExtemporaneousDebate.Thereisapre-registrationfeeof$20perevent.Allstudentsenteringsupplementaleventsarerequiredtopre-registerwiththenationalofficebeforeJune1,2017.Studentswhohavebeeneliminatedfrommaineventcompetitionpriortoround9orpriortothesemifinalsofCongressionalDebatemayre-registerTuesdayevening,June20,andofficiallyenteruptotwosupplementalspeecheventsORExtemporaneousDebate(ifpre-registered).
11) ConsolationEventEntry:Studentsmaypre-registerforbothconsolationevents(StorytellingandImpromptu).Thereisapre-registrationfeeof$10perevent.Allstudentsenteringconsolationeventsarerequiredtopre-registerwiththenationalofficebeforeJune1,2017.Allpre-registeredstudentseliminatedfrommaineventorsupplementalcompetitionbytheendofconsolationre-registrationonWednesday,June21,mayre-registerforeitherStorytellingorImpromptu.
12) WorldSchoolsDebate:AllNSDAdistrictsareallowedtoqualifyuptotwoteamsofthreetofivestudentsusingtheproceduresoutlinedintheHighSchoolUnifiedManual.ThedeadlineforthedistrictchairtoofficiallynameateamisMay1,2017.Theentryfeeis$50perstudentontheteam.Eachdistrictmustprovideafull-timejudgeavailablefortheentiretyofthecompetition.Districtsthatdonotprovideafull-timejudgewillnotbepermittedtoenter.
13) BigQuestionsDebate:AllNSDAdistrictsareallowedtoqualifyoneentryusingtheproceduresoutlinedintheHighSchoolUnifiedManualaslongastheeventoccursbeforeMay15,2017.OnlyentriescomposedofindividualdebatersmaycompeteatNationals.Thecostofentryis$50perstudent.Eachdistrictmustprovideafull--timejudgeforeachentryavailablefortheentiretyofthecompetition.BeginningApril15,2017,“at-large”invitationswillalsobesenttoindividualstudentswhohaveperformedwellintheeventthroughouttheseasoniftheydidnotqualifyattheirdistricttournament.
14) Lodging:Informationconcerninghotelsandtournamentactivitiesisavailableonlineatwww.speechanddebate.org/nationals.AllattendeesareencouragedtostayatoneoftheAssociationrecommendedproperties.
15) “ParticipantReleaseForms”AND“EntryConfirmationandSignatureSheets”:Onceyou’veprintedandobtainedsignaturesforALLstudentscompeting,pleaseUPLOADtheseformsaspartofonlineregistration.DONOTmailtheseforms.
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16) Mailing:OURADDRESSHASCHANGED!Sendtherequiredregistrationmaterialsandfeesviacertifiedmail
postmarkednolaterthanMonday,May1,2017,to:NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation,401RailroadPlace,WestDesMoines,IA50265-4730.NOTE:Faxedoremailedregistrationswillberejected!NOTE:REMEMBERTOMAILalltournamententryfees,notpaidbycreditcard,includingjudgefeesandjudgebond.
17) Pre-OrderNationalsT-Shirts:Guaranteeyouandyourstudentsgettheshirtssizesyouneed!Sizestendtoselloutquickly,sopre-purchasingisagreatoption.T-shirtsmaybepre-orderedatadiscountedrateduringonlineregistrationORbyvisitingstore.speechanddebate.orgbyMay1,2017.T-shirtswillbeavailableforpickupinBirminghamonJune18andthroughouttheweek.GetyoursbeforepricesgoupinJune!
18) Pre-OrderMealTickets:Affordable,pre-purchasedmealsareavailableduringtheonlinetournamentregistrationprocess.Teamswithpre-purchasemealticketswillreceivefastandconvenientmealserviceduringverybusycompetitiontimeperiods.
19) JudgingInformation:AlljudgesmustbeavailabletojudgeMonday,Tuesday,Wednesday,ANDThursday.Alljudgesareeligibletojudgesupplementalandconsolationeventsregardlessofmaineventassignment.
A. EventsEachPolicyDebateTeam* 8roundsEachPublicForumDebateTeam** 5roundsEachLincoln-DouglasDebater 5roundsEachDuoTeam 4roundsEachSpeechEntry 4roundsEachCongressionalDebateEntry 4roundsor2sessionsofCongressEachSupplementalSpeechEntry 2roundsEachExtemporaneousDebateEntry 2roundsEachConsolationEntry 1round
B. Astudententeredintwosupplementaleventscountsastwoentries.
C. EachschoolthatqualifiesaPolicyDebateteamtotheNationalTournamentmustprovideaqualifiedPolicyjudgeforeachteamthatqualifies.Eachjudgemustbeavailableforaminimumof8rounds.
D. **EachschoolthatqualifiesaPublicForumteamtotheNationalTournamentmustprovideaqualifiedPublicForumjudgeforthatteamwhocanjudgeaminimumof5roundsofPublicForum.SchoolswithtwoPublicForumteamsmayprovideonejudgefor8rounds.JudgeswhoarecoveringaPublicForumobligationalsomayfilloutaLincoln-DouglasDebatejudgingcardtobeconsideredfortheserounds.
E. Eachschoolmustprovideajudgeforatleast6rounds(PolicyDebateteam8rounds)andbeavailableonMonday,Tuesday,Wednesday,ANDThursday.Schoolsthatdonotfurnishajudgewillbeassessedaminimumpenaltyof$700.APolicyDebateteamorPublicForumteamwithnojudgewillbedeniedentry!ThejudgequotaforeachCongressionalDebateentryisfourroundsortwosessionsofCongressionalDebate.CoacheswithonlyCongressentriesmayberequiredtojudgeCongressionalDebate.
F. SchoolsmaychoosetobringadditionaljudgesforadditionalowedroundsORpay$30perroundbasedupontheabovequota.Youmustfillouttheenclosedjudgecalculationworksheet.NOTE:YoucannotbuyoutofPolicyroundsorPublicForumrounds.
G. Eachschoolmustpostajudgebondof$200.Thisbondisinadditiontoentryfeesandjudgefees.Ifalljudgesfromaschoolcompletealljudgingassignments,the$200willbereturnedattheendofthetournament.AlljudgebondsmustbeclaimedbyJuly31,2017.IfyoudonotclaimyourbondatthetournamentorbyJuly31,itwillbeappliedasschoolcredit.Failuretoreportforajudgingassignmentorpoolingassignmentwillforfeityourjudgebondof$200forthefirstroundmissed,anda$100perjudgeperroundpenaltywillbeassessedthereafter.Aschoolwillnotbepermittedtocompetethefollowingyearunlessalloutstandingfees
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havebeenpaid.
H. Eachjudgemaypledgetojudgeasmanyas8rounds,butnomorethan8.
I. TheAssociationcannotacceptregistrationunlesstheENTIREonlineregistrationprocessiscomplete,ALLmailedmaterialshavebeenreceived,andacheckcoveringallfeeshasbeenreceived.Eachincompleteregistrationwillbeassesseda$200latefee.
J. PolicyandLincoln-DouglasDebatejudgesmustincludecompletedjudgephilosophycardswithregistration.FailuretodosobytheMay1,2017,entrydeadlinewillresultinalatefeeof$200.TeamswillNOTbeallowedtocompeteunlessALLjudgephilosophycardsarefiledwiththenationalofficebyJune1,2017.
Severalotherformsarerequired,includingaparticipantrelease,signedbythestudentandparent/guardian(ifthestudentisnotoflegalage).Pleaseseetheregistrationwebsiteformoredetails.
GeneralRulesEligibilityandQualification13. Events:ThetournamentshallconsistofmaineventcontestsinPolicyDebate,PublicForumDebate,Lincoln-Douglas
Debate,CongressionalDebate–Senate,CongressionalDebate–HouseofRepresentatives,InternationalExtemporaneousSpeaking,UnitedStatesExtemporaneousSpeaking,OriginalOratory,InformativeSpeaking,DramaticInterpretation,HumorousInterpretation,DuoInterpretation,andProgramOralInterpretation.Supplementalandconsolationcontestsmaybeconducted.FeesandjudgingrequirementsareestablishedeachyearbytheBoardofDirectors
14. Qualification:NationalqualificationshallbedeterminedbydistrictNationalQualificationLevelsenumeratedintheDistrictTournamentOperationsManual.
15. Auto-Qualification:InanygivenyearattheNationalTournament,anystudentwhoplacesinthetop14inanymainevent,hasnotcompletedmorethansixsemestersofhighschool,andisstillenrolledinhighschool(asastudentingoodstanding)mayenterthefollowingyear’sNationalTournamentinthesamesoloeventorinthesameteameventwiththesamepartner.Thedistrictwillpermitanauto-qualifiedstudenttoparticipateinthedistrictcontestandtodoubleenterasspecifiedbythedistrict’suniformdouble-entrypolicies.Noruleregardingdoubleentrymaybeviolatedbyauto-qualification.Theentrymustindicateacceptanceoftheauto-qualificationthroughhisorherSingleEntryLetterofIntentpriortoitsdistrictcompetition.Thedistrictchairshouldnotifythenationalofficeofacceptanceoftheauto-qualificationinreportingdistrictresults.Astudentwhoacceptsauto-qualificationmaydouble-enterbasedonrulesabovebutmustsignthesingleletterofintent,whichisbinding,infavoroftheeventoftheirauto-qualification.Iftheentrysignsthesingleletterofintentandrejectsauto-qualification,theresultsofthedistrictcontestarebinding.
16. DoubleQualification:Astudentmaynotqualifyfor,orenterin,morethanonemainevent.
17. Alternates:Ifqualifier(s)donotregisterfortheNationalTournamentbytheestablishedandpublisheddeadlinedate,alternate(s)may,inorderoffinishatthedistricttournament,registerandattendthetournament.Thetop14contestants(teams)inorderoffinishineacheventatthedistricttournamentshallbedesignatedasqualifiersand/oralternates.
18. Eligibility:AnystudentwhohasattendedasecondaryschoolmorethanninesemesterscannotbeenteredintotheNationalTournament.AnystudentwhoisnotanAssociationmembercannotbeenteredintotheNationalTournament.NostudentmayparticipateintheNationalTournamentwhohasnotmettheageandeligibilityrequirementoftheirstateactivitiesassociation.IfastudenthasalreadyqualifiedtocometotheNationalTournamentbeforetheygraduate,theywillbeallowedtoattendtheNationalTournament,butnostudentmayreturnfromcollegeandparticipateinadistricttournament.Graduationisdefinedasthereceivingofadiplomaoritsequivalent,ornoticeofapassingGEDtestscore.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 NationalTournamentOperationsManual 95
OverarchingCompetitionRules19. Forfeit:Acontestantwhodoesnotappearatthescheduledtimetospeakshallbemarkedlast.Adebateteammore
than15minuteslateshallforfeitthedecision.Theombudspersonmaywaivethesepenaltiesforvalidreasons.
20. Ifastudent/teamcompetesinthewrongcontestsectionoragainstthewrongopponent,atnofaultoftheiropponentorthetournamentofficials,thatstudent/teamwillautomaticallyreceivelastorwillreceivealossforthatparticularround.
21. Judges:Preliminarydebatesandspeecheventsshallbejudgedbytwojudges;eliminationroundsbythreejudges;semifinalsbyfive.Infinalroundsofdebateanyoddnumber9orgreaterjudgeswillbeassignedbythetournamentdirectorinconsultationwiththelocalhostandBoardofDirectors.Infinalroundsofspeecheventsatleast13judgeswillbeassignedbythetournamentdirectorinconsultationwiththelocalhostandBoardofDirectors,withaminimumofonehighandlowrankdroppedtoallowfor11finalroundballotstobecounted.College-agejudgesmusthavecompletedtheirsecondyear(foursemesters).Collegecoursestakeninhighschoolforadvancedcreditdonotcounttowardjudgestanding.Thefirstballotmissedbyajudgefromaschoolwillresultinthelossofthejudgebond.A$100perjudgeperroundpenaltyisassessedwhenajudgemisseseachsubsequentjudgingassignment.Judgesassignedbythetournamentcommitteeshallbefinalunlessprotestedinwritingforcause.
22. Protests:Protestsarefiledwithanofficialombudspersononduty,appointedbythetournamentdirector.TheAssociationwillprovideaforminthebudroomonwhichprotestsmaybefiled:
a. Nameofcoachfilingprotest(acoachofrecordmustfiletheprotest)andschool,city,state.b. Codeofperson/teambeingprotested.c. Roundbeingprotested.d. Section/roomandspeakernumberofperson/teambeingprotested.e. Specificinfractionbeingprotesteddescribedwithsupportingdetail.
Aftertheinfractionhasbeenobserved/discovered,theprotestmustbefiledinatimelymanner.Forcoachesinitiatingprotests,decisionsoftheombudspeoplearefinal.Ifaperceivedviolationoccursinasubsequentround,anotherprotestmaybefiled.
23. AdjudicationofAppeals:Thecoachoftheaccusedmayappealthedecisionofanombudspersontothetournamentdirector.Thetournamentdirector'srulingmaybeappealedtoacommitteeofpresentorformerboardmembers(appointedbythetournamentdirector)whosedecisionisfinal.
24. Disqualification:IncaseofadisqualificationofacontestantintheNationalTournament,allpreviousranksanddecisionsofothercontestantsstandandnorevisionofpastroundrankswilltakeplace.
25. CumulativeTrophyPoints:Eachtimeastudentappearsinadebateoramaineventcontest,theirschoolshallreceiveonetrophypoint.Trophypointsshallaccumulatefromyeartoyear,andtheparticipatingschoolwiththelargesttotalattheconclusionofeachtournamentshallreceivetheBrunoE.JacobawardsponsoredbyPiKappaDelta.
26. InterpretationMaterial:Theinterpretationcuttingperformedinthefirstroundofcompetitionmustbeusedthroughouttheentiretyofthetournamentinthatevent(DI,HI,Duo,POI,Prose,Poetry,Storytelling).Ifamainevent(DI,HI,Duo,POI)cuttingischangedbetweenthedateitissubmittedonlineandregistration,anewcuttingmustbereportedandsubmittedtothenationalofficepriortotheendofregistration.
27. Harassment:Harassmentinanyformatanycontestisprohibitedandisgroundsfordisqualification.28. TournamentAdjustments:
a. Undernocircumstanceshallatournamentorpartofatournamentbere-runbecauseofaviolationoftheserules.
b. Inthecaseofadisqualificationofacontestant,allpreviousranksanddecisionsofothercontestantsstandandnorevisionofpastroundrankswilltakeplace.
29. TabulationErrors:IfatabroomerrorattheNationalTournamentresultsinanannouncementattheawardsassemblyofanincorrectplacementinanevent,nocontestant'splacewillbelowered.Contestantswhoseranksjustifyahigherpositionwillbeawardedthecorrectplaceandaward.Tiesmayresult.
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30. MeritPoints:a. Inpreliminaryrounds:
i. Debate:Win(2judges)=10pts.;Split(1-1)=8pts.;Loss(0-2)=7pts.ii. Speech:
twojudgetotalsof2or3=10pts.;4or5=9pts.;6or7=8pts.;8or9=7pts.;10+=6pts.b. Ineliminationrounds:
i. Debate:Win=10pts.;Loss=7pts.ii. Events1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th/7th
Speech 10 9 8 7 6Supplemental6 5 4 3 2
c. InCongress:averageofpointsawardedbyofficialscorers,onascaleof3-9pointsperspeechandcompletehourofpresiding.
d. Bonus:(tonationalwinners):1st=15pts.;2nd=10pts.;3rd=5pts.
Contestantswithlaptopsareresponsibleforprovidingsufficientbatterypower.Noelectricalpowerwillbesuppliedbythetournament,andcontestantsmaynot
plugintooutletsintheExtemppreparea.
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TournamentProceduresforDebateEventsThefollowingrulesapplytoPublicForum,Lincoln-Douglas,andPolicyDebateevents.
GeneralRulesandInstructions1. Entries:AnentryisdefinedasateamoftwoPolicyorPublicForumdebaters,oranindividualLincoln-Douglas
debater.Nosubstitutionisallowed.
2. Codes:Entriesareidentifiedbyarandomalphanumericalcode.
3. Advancement/Elimination:Entriesareguaranteedsixpreliminaryrounds;thosewhohavewon8ormoreballotscompeteinrounds7and8.Beginningwithround7,anentryiseliminatedassoonasitlosestwodebates.
4. PromptingPhilosophy:Oralprompting,excepttimesignals,eitherbythespeaker'scolleagueorbyanyotherpersonwhilethedebaterhasthefloor,isdiscouragedthoughnotprohibitedandmaybepenalizedbysomejudges.Debatersmay,however,refertotheirnotesandmaterialsandmayconsultwiththeirteammatewhiletheydonothavethefloororduringPublicForumGrandCrossfire.
5. Timing:Timekeepersareanoptionbutnotrequired.Ifnotimekeeperisused,debatersmaytimefortheirpartnersorthejudgemaykeeptime.Seerulesforeachevent,particulartopreparationtime.
6. ReadingCaseand/orPlan:Ateammaydecide,whenaskedbytheopponentteamforacopyoftheircaseand/orplan,whetherornottoprovideit;iftheteamrefusestheywillnotbepenalizedinanyway.
7. OralCritiques:Nodebateballotmaybereturnedwithoutareasonfordecision.Oralcommentaryisnotconsideredasubstituteforthewrittenballot.TheAssociationstronglydiscouragesjudgesfromdisclosingdecisionsinthepreliminaryroundofcompetition.Commentsmadebyajudge(orallyorwritten)shouldbeconstructiveandprofessional.
8. Judges:a. Twocomputer-assignedjudgeswillbeusedinallpreliminaryrounds;threejudgesinelimroundsprior
tosemifinals.b. Insemifinals,fivejudgesareassignedwhohavebeennominatedforsemifinalsbythedistrictchairs.The
semifinalisanyroundthatmayresultinthefinalistsbeingdetermineduponitsconclusion.c. Inthefinalround,anyoddnumber9orgreaterjudgeswillbeassignedbythetournamentdirectorin
consultationwiththelocalhostandBoardofDirectors.
9. Conflicts:Contestantsinanydebateeventwhoareabouttobejudgedbysomeonewhohastaughtthematanytimemustreportthatfactimmediatelytotheombudsperson.Failuretocomplymayresultindisqualification.Ajudgemustrecusehimselforherselffromjudgingastudentunderthefollowingconditions:
1. Thejudgeandthestudentmaybeperceivedtohaveacompetitiveorfinancialagreementthatmaybiasthejudge’simpartialevaluationoftheround.Examplesincludebutarenotlimitedto:
A. Thestudentattendsaschool(oracollaborationofschools)thatthejudgeattended,coachedfor,orcompetedwith.NOTE:Twopotentialexceptionstothisguidelinewouldbethatifadesignatedcommitteeorombudspersonfeltthatenoughtimehaspassedsincethatjudge’sattendanceattheschooltoresolveconcernsofimpropriety.Inaddition,ifbothcoachesfeltcomfortablewithajudgethatgraduatedfromaschoolofoneofthecompetitors,thetabroommayallowthatjudgeplacement.
B. Thejudgehasapaidorunpaidcoaching,consulting,orjudgingrelationshipwiththestudentorschoolduringthesameacademicyear.NOTE:Servingatournament-hiredjudgedoesnotconstituteaconflictofinterest.
C. Thejudgehasreceivedorprovidedexpressedorimpliedofferstoprovidefuturecoaching,consulting,orjudgingtoaschoolorstudent.
D. Thejudgehasprovidedexclusivepre-roundpreparationtoastudenteitherbeforeorduringatournamentthroughanymethodincludingelectronically,verbally,orthroughthetransferofresources.NOTE:Sharingof
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informationdoesnotconstitutepreparationbutthediscussionofstrategies,arguments,evidence,etc.,wouldconstitutepreparation.Ifsuchpreparationisprovidedduringatournament,thejudgeshouldimmediately(beforepairingsarereleased)recusehimselforherselffromjudgingthestudenttheypreparedfortherestofthetournament.Ifpracticeroundsbeforeorduringthetournamenthasoccurredbetweenschoolsthatajudgeisfulfillingobligationsforandcouldpotentiallyjudge,thatwouldbedefinedaspreparationandallpartiesshouldconsiderthataconflict.
2. Thejudgeandthestudentmaybeperceivedtohaveapersonalorsocialarrangementthatmaybiasthejudge’simpartialevaluationoftheround.Examplesincludebutarenotlimitedto:
A. Thejudgeandthestudentmaybeperceivedtohavehadapersonalrelationshipthatmaybiasthejudge’simpartialevaluationoftheround.
B. Thejudgeandthestudentareorhavebeeninafamilial,physical,oremotionalrelationship.
C. Thejudgeandthestudenthavecommunicationsofapersonalnatureoveremail,telephone,ortheInternetincludingsocialnetworkingsitesthatgoesbeyondcausalexchanges.Forexample,communicationsthatareextensiveand/orrepetitivemaycreateaconflict.Judgeswhosocializewiththestudentoutsideofthecompetitionarenaareconsideredtohaveestablishedapersonalorsocialrelationshipwiththatstudent.
3. Thejudgedoesnotbelievetheyareabletofairlyandimpartiallyadjudicateacompetitioninvolvingaparticularstudentforwhateverreason.
Judgesmaychoosetorecusethemselvesfromadjudicatingastudentunderthefollowingconditions.(Iftheseconditionsexist,itistheaffirmativedutyofthejudgetomakesuchinformationpubliclyavailablepriortotheroundbeginning.)
1. Thejudgesharestransportationand/orlodgingwiththestudent’steamonaregularbasis.
2. Thejudgehasapersonal,financial,orfamilialrelationshipwiththestudent’scoachormemberofthestudent’sfamily.
3. Thejudgeisanadministratorof,currentlyemployedby,oranticipatesemploymentfromaforensic-relatedenterprisewithwhomafinancialoradvisoryrelationshipexistsorissoughtwiththestudent.NOTE:Whiletheseguidelinesdonotprohibitlableaders/institutestafffromjudgingtheirlabstudents.However,ifthoselableadersmaintainconsistentcontactwiththosestudentsand/orengageinpersonalrelationshipswiththem,theyshouldrecusethemselvesfromjudgingthosespecificindividuals.
Theexpectationofcompetitors,judges,andcoachesistoengageinthehighestlevelsofprofessionalismandintegrity.Whiletheresponsibilityisonjudgestoaidetransparency,theresponsibilityexistsforcoachesandstudentcompetitorsaswell.Itistheaffirmativedutyofallcoachesanddebaterstoassisteffortsintransparency.Nodecisionswillbemodifiedasaresultofdisclosedinformation.
10. Scouting:Scoutingisstronglydiscouraged.
DebatePairingInstructions
I.PairingPrioritiesThesetakeabsoluteprecedenceoverpairingmethods.Prioritiesaremoreimportantthansidealternation.
A. Thefirstpriorityisthedrawingofbyes.B. Thesecondpriorityistoavoidthepairingofteamsfromthesameschool.C. Thethirdpriorityistoavoidthepairingofteamswhohavemetpreviouslyinthetournament,excepttoavoid
thepairingofteamsfromthesameschool.D. Thefourthpriorityistoavoidthepairingofteamsfromthesamestateexcepttoavoidpairingteamsfromthe
sameschoolorteamswhometearlier(waivedafterround11).
II.DrawingofByesA. Onceabyehasbeencorrectlydrawn,itcannotbechanged.B. Allteamseligibleforabyemustbeincludedinthedrawing.
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C. Untilthreeteamsremain,byesshallfirstbedrawnfromteamslosingtoateamstillundefeated.Ifnoremainingteamshavelosttoundefeatedsorifteam(s)losingtoanundefeatedhavehadpreviousbye(s),ablinddrawshalltakeplaceamongoncedefeatedteam(s)whichhavehadnobye.
D. Whenonly3teamsremainandonlyoneisundefeated,thatteammustgetthebye,evenifithashadapreviousbye.
E. Noteammayrefuseabye.
III.StepsinPairingWhenpairingdebateroundsatthenationaltournament,thefollowingorderofbusinessshouldbefollowedunlesstheyviolatethepairingprioritiesabove.
A. Thefirststepisthedrawingofbyes.B. Thesecondstepisthepairingofundefeatedteams.C. Thethirdstepistheselectionofaonce-defeatedteamtomeetanundefeatedteam,ifnecessary.D. Thefourthstepisthepairingofonce-undefeatedteams.
IV.PairingofGuaranteedRoundsA. ApresetscheduleforthefirstsixpreliminaryroundsoftheNationalTournamentwillbepreparedbycomputer.B. Eachteamshallupholdthreeaffirmativesandthreenegativesunlessbyed,exceptPublicForumroundsthat
alwaysfliptodeterminesides.C. Byes,ifnecessary,aretobeselectedatrandom.Noschoolorteammayreceivemorethanonebyeinthesix
guaranteedrounds.
V.QualificationforEliminationRoundsA. Eachdebateinthesixpreliminaryroundswillbejudgedbytwojudges.B. Eachteamwillcountballotscastinitsfavor[byescountastwoballots;receivingaforfeitwincountsastwo
ballots]C. Anyteamwhowinseightballotsormorequalifiesforeliminationrounds7and8.
VI.Rounds7and8A. Thequalifyingteamsshallbeginrounds7and8withaclearrecord(0-0).Eachteamshallbeaffirmativeinone
roundandnegativeintheother,unlessbyed.B. Pairingsshallbemadeatrandom,but
1. Noteamshallbepairedagainstitsownschool.2. Teamswhohavemetpreviouslyshallnotbepaired.3. Teamsfromthesamestateshallnotbepaired.
C. Afterround8,thoseteamslosingbothrounds7and8areeliminated.Theremainingteamscontinueuntillosingasecondtimeorreachingthefinalround.
D. Noteamshallbeeliminatedbeforelosingtwiceorlosingthefinalround.
VII.PairingMethodsforSubsequentRoundsPhilosophy:Ateamisanindependentunitandshallbepairedandassignedsidesbaseduponitsownrecord.Theopponentsdebated,sidesdebated,orbyesdrawnbyotherteamsfromitsschoolareirrelevantandmustNOTbeusedwhenpairingorassigningsides.
A. PairingtheUndefeatedBracket1. Pairundefeatedteamsagainstundefeatedteams.2. Teamsshouldalternatesides,ifpossible;however,alterationofsidesisnotoneofthecore
priorities.3. PairingprocedureinLincoln-DouglasandPolicyDebate:
a. Onatableattheleft,placetheregistrationcardsofteamswithmorenegativedebateswhoarethenduetodebateaffirmativeinthenextround.
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b. Attheright,placethosewithmoreaffirmativedebateswhoarethenduetodebatethenegativeinthenextround.
c. HoldbackanywhohavehadanequalnumberofaffirmativeandnegativedebatestoeventheshortercolumnastheseteamsARENOTDUEaparticularside.
d. Ifstillunequalinnumber,movecardsfromthesidewithmoretothesidewithless.Choosethosecardsbyblindlot.
e. Workingwiththestackofaffirmativecards,dealtheminaverticalrow.f. Thenegativecardsaretobeshuffledandplacedinsequenceoppositetheaffirmative
cards.EveryeffortshouldbemadetoadheretopairingprioritiesaslistedinSectionI.g. Ifthereisanoddnumberofundefeatedteams,drawfromthepileofonce-defeatedteams
whoAREDUE(seeletteribelow)toupholdthesideoppositetheoddundefeatedteamunlessthepairingcreatesaconflictwiththepairingpriorities.Iftheblinddrawresultsinpairingsofteamsinconflictwiththepairingpriorities,thedrawshallberedonetocreatepairingsofteamsnotinconflict.
h. Iftherearenoonce-defeatedteamswhoareduetoupholdthesideoppositeanoddundefeatedteam,drawonefromalloftheonce-defeatedteams.Iftheblinddrawresultsinpairingsofteamsinconflictwiththepairingpriorities,thedrawshallberedonetocreatepairingsnotinconflict.
i. Teamswhohavedebatedanunequalnumberofaffirmativeandnegativedebatesareconsideredduethesideinwhichtheyhaveparticipatedintheleast,thesesideconstraintsCANNOTviolatetheprioritieslistedaboveinpairingpriorityruleIwhicharesubstantiallymoreimportant.Whenateamhasdebatedanequalnumberofaffirmativeandnegativedebates,theteamisconsideredeligibleforeithersideinthenextround,andsidealternationfromthepreviousroundisNOTAPRIORITYandshouldnotbeconsideredinpairing.
4. PairingProcedureinPublicForumDebate:Shuffleallcardsfromtheundefeatedbracket.Placehalfoftheregistrationcardsonatablettheleftinasinglecolumnfromtoptobottom.Theremainingcardsaretobeshuffled,onceagain,andplacedinsequenceinasinglecolumnfromtoptobottomsothateachcardisoppositeacardintheleftcolumn.Ifthereisanoddnumberofundefeatedteams,drawfromthepileofonce-defeatedteams.
5. Teamsfromthesameschoolshallnotbepairedintheundefeatedbracketunless,a. Theyarethelasttwoundefeatedteams,orb. Thelastthreeundefeatedteams,orc. Threeofthelastfourundefeatedteams,ord. Amajorityoftheundefeatedteams(afterabye,ifany,)hasbeendrawn.
B. PairingtheOnce-DefeatedBracket.1. Paironce-defeatedteams(exceptthatoneonce-defeatedteammaybedrawntomeetan
undefeated)againstoncedefeatedteams.2. Teamsshouldalternatesides,ifpossible.3. PairingProcedureinLincoln-DouglasandPolicyDebate:
a. Onatableattheleft,placetheregistrationcardsofonce-defeatedteamswithmorenegativedebateswhoareduetodebateaffirmativeinthenextround.
b. Attheright,placethosewithmoreaffirmativedebateswhoareduetodebatenegativeinthenextround.
c. InPolicyandLDholdbackanywhohavehadanequalnumberofbothtoeventhecolumnsasthesearenotdueeitherside.
d. Ifstilluneveninnumber,movecardsfromthesidewithmoretothesidewithless.Choosethosecardsbyblindlot.
e. Workingwiththestackofaffirmativecards,dealtheminaverticalrow.f. Thenegativecardsaretobeshuffledandplacedinsequenceoppositetheaffirmative
cards.EveryeffortshouldbemadetoadheretopairingprioritiesaslistedinSectionI.
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4. PairingProcedureinPublicForumDebate:Shuffleallcardsfromtheoncedefeatedbracket.Placehalfoftheregistrationcardsonatableattheleftinasinglecolumnfromtoptobottom.Theremainingcardsaretobeshuffled,onceagain,andplacedinsequenceinasinglecolumnfromtoptobottomsothateachcardisoppositeacardintheleftcolumn.
5. Teamswhohavemetpreviouslyshouldnotbepairedunlesstoofewteamsremain.Toofewteamsshallbedeemedtoremainwhennocombinationofpairingscanbeconstructedwhereallteamsaremeetingforthefirsttimewithoutleavingthebracket.
6. Teamsfromthesameschoolshallnotbepairedunless,a. Theyarethelasttwoonce-defeatedteams,orb. Theyarethelast3once-defeatedteams.c. Twoofthelastthreeonce-defeatedteamsandotherteamdrawsabye.d. Threeofthelast4once-defeatedteams,ore. Threeofthelast5oncedefeatedteamsandoneoftheothertwoteamsdrawsabye.
VIII.AssignmentofSidesSidesarenotassignedinPublicForumDebate.Everyroundisaflipround.SidesareassignedinPolicyandLDDebate.Eachteamoperatesasanindependentunit.SideassignmentsareNOTbasedonsidesdebatedbyotherteamsfromitsschool.Sideassignmentislessimportantthanotherpairingpriorities.
A. Sidealternationisnotapriority.However,intheprelimroundseachteamshoulddebateanequalnumberofroundsastheaffirmativeandnegativeteam.Abyecancreateanunequalnumber.Also,inrounds7and8,eachdebatemustdebateeachsideonce.
B. Noteamshouldbeassignedtodebatethreetimesinsuccessiononthesamesideunlesspairingprioritiesforcethistohappen.PriorityDiswaivedafterround11.
C. Ifteamsmeetasecondtime,theymustreversesides.D. Ifteamsmeetathirdtime:
1. Ifbothhavehadanunequalnumberof"affirmatives"and"negatives"andthelessdebatedsidesareopposite,eachshallbeassignedthelessdebatedside.
2. Ifoneteamhasanunevennumberof"affirmatives"and"negatives,"andtheotherteamanequalnumber,theteamwiththeunevennumbershallbeassigneditslessdebatedsideandtheotherassignedtheoppositeside.
3. Ifbothteamshaveanequalnumberof"affirmatives"and"negatives"andare,therefore,duetoupholdthesameside,orifbothteamshaveanunequalnumber,andbothhavedebatedmoreonthesamesideandlessontheother,thensidesshallbeassignedbyblinddraw.
IX.EliminationandFinalRoundA. Beginningwithround7,doubleeliminationshallbeineffectuntiltherearetwoteamsremaining.B. Whentwoteamsremain,theyshallbeassignedtoafinalround.Thedecisionofthatroundshalldeterminethe
nationaldebatechampion.C. Determining3rd-14thplace:
1. Placementshallbedeterminedbythemostnumberofrounds.Byesandforfeitwinscountasroundsdebated.
2. Whencontestantsareeliminatedinthesameround,placementshallbedeterminedbytotalballotcountthroughouttheeliminationrounds.Byesshallcountasmanyballotsasjudgesineachdebateintheroundwherethebyeoccurred.Forfeitsshallnotcounttowardballotcount.
3. Ifstilltied,placementshallbedeterminedbytotalballotcountthroughoutthepreliminaryrounds.Byesshallcountasmanyballotsasjudgesineachdebateintheroundwherethebyeoccurred.Forfeitsshallnotcounttowardballotcount.
4. Ifstilltied,placementshallbedeterminedbythewinnerofapreviousmeetingbetweenthetwoteamsintheeliminationrounds.
5. Ifthetiedteamsdidnotmeetintheeliminationrounds,placementshallbedeterminedbythewinnerofpreviousmeetinginthepreliminaryrounds,ifoneoftheteamswonbothballots.
6. Ifstilltied,bothcontestantswillreceivethesameplacementandthesameaward.
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XI.TabulationofSpeakerPoints(PolicyDebateonly)A. Eachballotistoberecorded.Ifballotsaresubmittedwithincompleteinformation,everyattemptshouldbe
madetogetinformationinordertocompleteballottabulations.Averageswillbeusedifballotsremainincomplete.
B. Determinationofthetopspeakersshallproceedasfollows:1. Drophighandlowballotsfrom12totalballotsof6preliminaryrounds.2. Adduptotalspeakerpointsfromtheremainingballotsoftheguaranteedrounds(10ballots).
C. Tie-breakingprocedures:1. Usetotalspeakerpoints(12ballots)2. Dropasecondsetofhigh-lowballots(8ballots).3. Thedebaterontheteamadvancingthefurthestinthetournament.
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TournamentProceduresforMainSpeechEventsGeneralRulesandInstructions1. Codes:Entriesareidentifiedbyarandomalphanumericalcode.
2. Judges:a. Twocomputer-assignedjudgeswillbeusedinallpreliminaryrounds;threejudgeswillbeusedinelim
roundspriortosemifinals.b. Insemifinals,fivejudgesareassignedwhohavebeennominatedforsemifinalsbydistrictchairs.c. Inthefinalround,atleast13judgeswillbeassignedbythetournamentdirectorinconsultationwiththe
localhostandBoardofDirectors.Aminimumofonehighandlowrankwillbedroppedtoallowforelevenballotstobecountedforthefinalround.
3. Scripts:a. Interpretation(HI,DI,DUO,andPOI):EntrantsmustUPLOADthehighlightedmanuscriptofthecutting
usedduringonlineregistration.ItshallbetheaffirmativedutyofeachcoachandeachstudententeredinInterpretationtodetermineabsolutelythatthecuttingbeingperformedmeetsAssociationrules.
b. OriginalOratoryandInformativeSpeaking:EntrantsmustUPLOADacopyoftheirspeechduringonlineregistration.ItshallbetheaffirmativedutyofeachcoachandeachstudententeredinOriginalOratoryandInformativeSpeakingtodetermineabsolutelythatthemanuscriptbeingperformedmeetsAssociationrules.
SpeechSectioningInstructions
I.GuaranteedPreliminaryRoundsSectioning:Guaranteedroundswillberandomlypairedbycomputer:
1. Pairings:Nostudentisplacedinasectionwithanotherstudentfromtheirsameschool,Associationdistrict,orstate.
2. Opposition:Eachstudentwillmeetdifferentoppositionineachround.3. Eachstudentwillbeassignedadifferentspeakerpositioneachround.
II.EliminationRounds:A. EliminationProcess:
1. Afterround6,eachmaineventwillbereducedtothetop60contestantsdeterminedonthebasisoflowtotalranksinthesixpreliminaryrounds.Tieswillbebrokenusingtheprioritysystem.(SeeruleVII.)
2. Thetop60contestantsineachindividualeventwillbeguaranteedcompetitionthroughround8.3. Attheconclusionofround8,eachindividualeventwillbereducedtothetopthirtycontestantsdetermined
bythetotalofjudgeballotsinrounds7and8only.Tieswillbebrokenusingtheprioritysystem.4. Thetop30contestantsineachindividualeventwillbeguaranteedcompetitionthroughround10.Rounds9
and10shallbeknownasthequarterfinals.5. Attheconclusionofround10,eachindividualeventwillbereducedtothetop14contestantsdetermined
bythetotalofjudgeballotsinrounds7-10only.Tieswillbebrokenusingtheprioritysystem.6. Thetop14contestantsineachindividualeventwillbeguaranteedcompetitionthroughround12.Rounds
11and12shallbeknownasthesemifinals.7. Attheconclusionofround12,eachindividualeventwillbereducedtothetopsixcontestantsdetermined
bythetotalofjudgeballotsinrounds7-12.Tieswillbebrokenonthebasisoftheprioritysystem.8. Thetopsixcontestantsineachindividualeventwillcompeteinthefinalround.9. Attheconclusionofthefinalround,thefinalplacementofcontestantswillbedeterminedonthebasisof
thelowcumulativetotalofalljudgeballotsinrounds7-12pluselevenballotsfromthefinalroundafterdroppingatleastonehighandlowrankforeachcontestantinthefinalroundonly.
B. Paneling:
1. Number:Thenumberofpanelsineacheventshallbeasfollows:
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a. Rounds7and8:10panelsofsixcontestantseach.b. Rounds9and10:fivepanelsofsixcontestantseach.c. Rounds11and12:twopanelsofsevencontestantseach.d. Round13:onepanelofsixcontestants.
2. Procedures:Totaleachspeaker'sranks.Thenorganizethecontestantsinorderfromlowtotaltohightotal.Determinethenumberofpanels.Sectioncontestantsinabackandforth(weave)pattern. Example1–5panels(1hasthelowesttotal,30thehighesttotal)
3. Balance:Pairingintheeliminationroundsshallbebalanced.Thesumofcontestantranksineachsectionshallbeequalorbeclosetoequal.
4. Adjustment:Contestantsshouldbechangedfromonepaneltoanothertoavoid(intheprecedencelisted):a. Contestantsfromthesameschoolinthesamepanel.b. Contestantsfromthesamedistrictinthesamepanel(throughround10).c. Contestantswiththelowestcumulativerankstotalinthesamepanel.d. Contestantswhohavecompetedagainsteachotherinprecedingrounds.
Inlaterrounds,someoftheseconditionsbecomeunavoidable;however,eachandeveryoneshouldbeavoidedwheneverpossible.
III.SpeakingOrderA. Philosophy:Speakingorderforcontestantsshouldbevariedthroughoutthetournament.
1. Inthesixguaranteedrounds,nocontestantshouldbegivenaspeakingpositiontwice.
2. Inalleliminationroundsspeakingpositionsshouldbevaried.Aspeakershouldnotrepeataspeakingpositionuntilitbecomesunavoidable.
B. Procedure:Todeterminespeakingorder,totalthespeaker'spositionsinpreviousroundsoneachspeaker'scard,andthenarrangethecardsineachsectionhightolow.Thehighernumberswillspeakinthetophalfoftheround,andthelowernumberswillspeakinthebottomhalf.Adjustthecardswithintheframeworksothatastudentspeaksinanewposition,ifpossible.Example2:NotethatG,F,B,havesametotal,yetspeak2,4,5asadjustmentsaremadetogivethemanewposition.
C. Priority:Newpositionsforseveralspeakerstakespriorityoverexacthightolowplacementorder.Example3:
D. InExtemporaneousSpeakingevents,unlessitisunavoidable,studentsfromthesameschoolshallnotcross-examineoneanother.Speakerordershouldbeadjustedaccordingly.
A B C D E1 2 3 4 510 9 8 7 611 12 13 14 1520 19 18 17 1621 22 23 24 2530 29 28 27 26
Speaker Position Total Comment PositionRd.5Rd.1 Rd.2 Rd.3 Rd.4
A 1 3 5 2 11 Lowtotal;never7 7B 4 1 7 3 15 Never5 5C 2 6 7 4 19 Hightotal;never1 1D 7 1 6 2 16 2ndhigh;never3 3E 5 3 2 4 14 Never6 6F 6 2 5 2 15 Never4 4G 3 7 4 1 15 Never2 2
Speaker Position Total Comment PositionRd.4Rd.1 Rd.2 Rd.3
A 2 5 3 10 2ndhighest;hasbeen2,3 4B 3 2 4 9 Middle;never5 5C 4 1 4 9 Never3 3D 4 3 1 8 Low;butnever2 2E 6 3 2 11 High;never1 1
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E. Speakingorderinthefinalroundofspeecheventsshallbedeterminedbyrandomplacement.
IV.EliminationRoundSelectionA. Round7Selection:Onalowcumulativebasis,totalingthe12judges'ballotsinthesixpreliminaryrounds,rounds7
and8shallbecomposedofthetop60contestantsdividedinto10panelsofsixeach.Iftiesincumulativescoresbringthenumbertoover60,theprioritysystemshallbreakties:
1. Greatestnumberoffirsts,thenseconds,thenthirds,etc.,inanindividualjudge'srankings.2. Iftiescannotberesolvedbytheabovemethod,thosetiedshallbeincludedinelimrounds7and8.
B. Round9Selection:Usingonlytheindividualjudge'sballotsfromrounds7and8,round9shallbecomposedofthetopthirtycontestantsdividedintofivepanelsofsixeach.Iftiesincumulativescoresbringthenumbertooverthirty,thefollowingprocedureshallbeemployed.
1. Inatwo-waytieiftheparticipantshavemet,thetieisresolvedinfavorofthewinner.Ifthereisamultipletieortheopponentshavenotmet,then
2. Greatestnumberofjudges'firsts,seconds,thirds,etc.,ineliminationroundsonly.3. Greatestnumberoffirsts,seconds,thirds,etc.,ineliminationroundre-rankings.4. Ifstilltied,both(all)participate.
C. Round11–SemifinalistSelection:Onalowcumulativebasis,consideringtheindividualjudge'sballotsfromrounds7-10,rounds11and12(semifinals)shallbecomposedofthetopfourteencontestantsdividedintotwopanelsofseveneach.Iftiesincumulativescoresbringthenumbertoover14,theprocedureusedabove(fordetermininground9contestants)shallbeemployed.
D. FinalistSelection:Thefinalroundshallbecomposedofthetopsixcontestantsselectedonalowcumulativebasis,addingthethreejudges’ranksineachround7-10,andthefivejudgesinrounds11and12(22numbers).Iftiesbringthenumberoversix,thefollowingshallbeconsideredintheorderlistedtobreakties:
1. Lowcumulativejudges’ballotscountedinrounds11and12only(speakersneednothavebeeninthesamepanels).
2. Greatestnumberoffirstsinbothsemis.3. Greatestnumberofindividualjudge'sfirsts,seconds,etc.,awardedinallelimrounds.4. Iftiescannotberesolvedbytheabovemethods,thosetiedaretobeincludedinthefinals.
E. FinalScore:Thewinnerineacheventshallbedeterminedonthebasisoflowtotalcumulativescore,countingtheindividualjudges’ranksinrounds7-10andtheranksofall10judgesinrounds11and12,andelevenindividualjudge'sranksinthefinalround,afterdroppingatleastonehighandonelowrankforeachcontestantinthefinalround.INALLROUNDS,ACTUALJUDGES'RANKSSHALLBERECORDEDANDADDED.
F.BreakingTiesinFinalScores:Iftiesexist,thefollowingshallbeconsideredinorderlistedtobreakties:a. Lowtotalinthefinalroundonly,afterdroppinghighandlowranksforeachspeaker.b. Judges'preferenceinthefinalroundonly,afterdroppinghighandlowranksforeachspeaker.c. Lowtotalofallranksinthefinalround.d. Greatestnumberoffirstsinthefinalroundonly.e. Judgespreferenceorreciprocalsfromallfinalroundjudges.f. Iftiesstillexist,duplicateawardswillbegiven.
*Twohighandtwolowranksdropped.SpeakersAandCtieat70cumulativetotal.SpeakerAwinswith24inthefinalround.SpeakerChas28.
Speaker Rd.7Ranks Rd.8Ranks Rd.9Ranks Rd.10Ranks Rd.11Ranks Rd.12RanksA 123 141 152 111 15221 23214B 111 222 333 243 31142 11322C 233 111 122 211 22315 32141
Speaker JudgeRanks CumulativeTotalA (1) 4 1 3 3 1 2 1 2 2 (5) 3 2 70B 4 (5) 2 2 2 3 (1) 2 3 5 2 2 3 77C 2 3 3 1 (1) 2 (5) 2 4 1 1 4 5 70
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V.TiesinEliminationRoundsA. Two-WayTies:Two-waytiesshallbebrokeninelimrounds
(seeexampleatright).
B. Three-andFour-WayTies:Three-orfour-waytiesshallnotbebrokeninanypanel(seeexamplebelow).
Eachcontestantinvolvedinathree-orfour-waytieinapanelshallbeawardedthebettermiddlepositionforwhichthespeakersaretied.Forothercontestantsinthepanel,eliminatethenextposition(s)afterthetieranking.
VI.TabulationofResultsA. InPreliminaryrounds:
Aftereachround,thetwojudges’ranksforeachstudentinthatroundshouldberecordedinthecomputer.B. InEliminationrounds:
1. ScoreSheets:Thecomputerwillgenerateascoringsheetforeachpanelofanevent,listingthecodenumbersofeachcontestantinthepanelinspeakingorder.Whenballotscomein,recordthedecisioninthecomputer.Thecomputerwillthentotalthejudges'decisionsandgivearanktoeachcontestant,lowcumulativerankingfirst,etc.Staplethescoresheettothethreeballots.
VII.SpeechRulesViolations
Rulesviolationsaredefinedasactionsinwhichacompetitorhaspresentedmaterialthatdoesnotfitwithintheguidelinesoftheactivityinwhichtheyareparticipating.Suchviolationsmayinclude,butarenotlimitedto,plagiarism,exceedingtransitionalmaterialguidelines,usingnon-existentevidenceinextemporaneouspreparationevents,andmisrepresentingthecontentofthescriptsubmittedwithwhatisactuallypresentedinrounds.Insuchinstances,thefollowingconsequenceswillresult:
A. Thecompetitorwillbeimmediatelydisqualifiedfromthetournament.Thedisqualificationwilloccurafterallappealshavebeenexhaustedandthedecisionthatarulesviolationhasoccurredisconfirmed.
B. Ifinafinalround,anyplacingsorpointsearnedbythatstudentwillbevacated.Allcompetitorsrankedlowerthanthedisqualifiedcompetitorwillbemoveduponeplacementinthatround.Ifmultipleviolationsinthesameeventhaveoccurred,competitorswillbeadvancedaccordingly.Iftheviolationisdiscoveredduringthesemifinalround,theoffendingcompetitorwillberanked6thinthesemifinalround.Ifthestudentstillqualifiesforthefinalroundwiththatranking,theirplaceinthefinalroundwillbevacated,andthe7thplacecompetitorwillbeplacedinthefinalround.Iftheviolationoccurspriortothesemifinalround,allpreviousplacingswillremainthesame.
C. IftheviolationoccursinthefinalroundoftheNationalTournamentandtheviolationwouldresultinanewchampion,thechampionshipwillbevacated.Potentialscholarshipsmaybeforfeited.
D. Allcoachingpointsearnedforalloftheschool/chapter’scompetitorsfortheentiretournamentwillberemoved.
Speaker Judge1 Judge2 Judge3 Cume PlaceA 1 2 3 6 2ndB 2 3 1 6 2ndC 3 1 2 6 2ndThenextrankintheroundwouldbefourth.
Speaker Judge1 Judge2 Judge3 Cume PlaceA 1 3 4 8 2ndB 2 5 1 8 2ndC 3 2 3 8 2ndD 5 1 2 8 2ndThenextrankwouldbefifth.
Speaker Judge1 Judge2 Judge3 Cume PlaceA 1* 3 2* 6 1stB 2 1* 3 6 2ndSpeakerAispreferredbytwoofthethreejudges.
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E. IftheviolationoccursattheNationalTournament,theoffendingschool/chaptermay,dependingontheseverityoftheviolation,loseuptofourentryslotsforthenextyear’sdistricttournament.Theschool/chapterwillnotbeeligibleforanybonusentriesforthedistricttournament.
F. AllroundsinwhichthecompetitorparticipatedwillnotbeincludedinthecounttowardeligibilityforSchoolofExcellenceandBrunoE.Jacobawards.
VIII.NationalTournamentAuditProceduresA. Beginningwiththe2016NationalTournament,thenationalofficewillperformanauditofallfinalroundspeech
performancesaftertheconclusionofthetournamenttoconfirmthatnoegregiousviolationsoftheruleshasoccurred.Oncetheauditiscomplete,alldecisionswillbefinal.
B. AttheNationalTournament,theoriginalsourcemusttobeturnedintotournamentofficialsbyquarterfinals.Itisduebynoononthethirddayofcompetition.Ifanelectronicdeviceisnecessarytoreadthedocumentandcannotbeaccessedbytournamentofficials,itmustbeprovidedbythestudent.Thesourceandequipmentwillbereturnedafterthecompletionoftheaudit.Forsemifinalistandfinalists,thismayrequirekeepingthedeviceforonemonthandreturningitbymail.
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NationalCongressionalDebateProceduresI. NationalLegislation
A. Eachdistrictcansubmitoneortwoitemsoflegislation,preferablyonebillandoneresolution.B. TheNationalOfficewillreviewthelegislationandselectoneitemtobeconsideredbyanationalcommittee
ofcoaches.C. District identity will be kept blind from the committee, but legislation will be grouped in six geographic
regionsofabalancednumberofAssociationdistrictstoensuregeographicdiversity.D. Thecommitteewillrateeachbillandresolution,andrankwithineachgeographicregion.Thetopsixranked
legislation,plusthenexthighestratedlegislationoverallwilladvancetoadocketof37items,toberankedagainbythecommittee.
E. Thetop12itemsrankedbythecommitteewillcomprisethesemifinaldocketfortheNationalTournament.F. Thenext25-rankeditemswillcomprisethedocketforpreliminarysessions.G. TheNational Officewill add another four items of legislation as “reserve” items for the final preliminary
session; thesewill be selected to avoid duplication of topics already selected, and from the next-highestrateditems,aswellasfromavarietyofgeographicregions.
H. LegislationforthefinalsessionwillbewrittenbyappointeesdesignatedbytheExecutiveDirectortoavoidduplicationoftopicsandabalanceofdebatableissues.
II. OpeningAssembly–includesthePledgeofAllegianceandOathofOffice,andgeneralannouncements.AlltimesareprintedintheNationalTournamentBook.Allparticipantsandofficialsareexpectedtoadheretostartandendtimes,accordingly.
III. PreliminaryChambers–intheSenateandHouseofRepresentatives,therearechambersofapproximately18-21studentseach.
A. Preliminaryroundsaresplitintofoursessionsofaboutthreehoursapiece;eachsession:1. Beginswithelectingapresidingofficer.2. Featuresanewseatingchart,withnecessaryaccommodationsmadeforstudentswithspecial
needs.3. Resetsprecedenceandrecency.4. Beginswithdebateonnewlegislationnotdebatedinaprevioussession.
B. Aparliamentarianwillbeassignedtoachamberforallpreliminarysessions.Parliamentarianscalltheirchamberstoorderandwill:
1. Announcetheyshallremaininthebackground,butwillnothesitatetostepforwardfirmlywhentheirpresenceisrequired.Theywillimpressuponmembersoftheirchambersthattheirpurposeistodebatelegislation;nomisuseoftheparliamentaryprocedurewillbetolerated.Theywillannouncethatinquestionsofprocedure,priorityisasfollows:
a. Associationrulesandprocedures.b. Rulingsbythetournamentdirector’sdesignee,whowillconsultRobert’sRulesofOrder
andotherAssociationofficialsifnecessary.c. Theparliamentarianmaynotaddguidelinesorsuggestionsthatarenotapprovedby
Associationrulesand/orthetournamentdirector’sdesignee.2. Wheneachsessionbegins,conductasingle-ballotelectionforpresidingofficer.Unlessone
candidatereceivesamajorityofvotescast,thepersonwiththefewestvotesisdropped.Ifcombinedvotesofthetwolowestcandidatesdonotequalvotesofthenextlowestcandidate,bothareeliminated.Onceacandidatereceivesamajority,theywillserveforthesessionimmediatelyfollowingtheelection,andreceivesanengravedgavel.Note:astudentmayrunforpresidingofficereachsession,butoncetheyareelectedandserve,theymaynotbeconsideredforfuturepreliminarysessionsunlessnootherstudentwishestoserve.
3. Onceelected,thepresidingofficerwillconductbusinessofthechamber.Atthebeginningofsession1,thechamberwillestablishanagenda,eitherbycaucusingcommitteeswhowillproposeagendas,orbynominatinganagendafromthefloor.Tournamentstaffmaydebriefthefirstsessionpresidingofficerswhilechambersdetermineagendas.
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4. Priortoestablishingprecedenceandrecency,presidingofficersmaynottierecognitionforspeechestoquestionsandmotions(oftencalled“activity”),norto“longeststanding”or“standingtime.”
5. ParliamentariansshouldfamiliarizethemselveswithAssociationrulesandprocedures(furnishedwithchambermaterials),andbecomeacquaintedwithnamesofstudentsinthechamberasplacedontheseatingchart.
6. Sincedifferentdistrictsandleaguesusetheirownrules,legislatorsfrequentlybelievelocalrulesaresynonymouswithnationalrules.Theparliamentarianmustbewellversedwiththenationalrulesandwillingtoconsulttournamentstaffwhennecessary.He/shemustbefirmbutfairatalltimes.
7. Ensurethateachsession,thechamberreachesasclosetothreehoursoffloordebateaspossible(notcountingrecessesorpresidingofficerelections).
8. Ensureproperspeechtimes:uptothreeminutesforspeakingandoneminuteforquestioningbyotherdelegates,withtheexceptionofspeechesintroducinglegislation,andthefirstnegative,whichallowfortwominutesofquestioning.
9. Ensuretheprecedence/recencychartisresetforeachnewsession.Contestantsshouldkeeparecordofhowmanyspeechestheyhavegiven,andmayconfirmwiththeparliamentarian.
10. Keeparecordofallamendments,proposedandpassed,usingamendmentforms.11. Keepalistofspeakersandthetotalnumberofspeecheseachgives,makingnotesofthestrengths
andweaknessesofeach,butwithoutconsultingscorers.Attheendofthepreliminarysession,parliamentarianswillpreferentiallyrankallofthestudents,withthetopeightrankstabulatedwiththeotherjudges’aspartofthecumulativeranktotal.
C. Twoscorersareassignedeachsessioninrotationbetweensessionstovariouschambers.Theywill:1. Awardthree(3)tonine(9)pointsperspeechwithoutconsultingeachanotherregardingtheir
evaluation.Aspeaker’sanswersduringthequestioningperiodshouldweighinthescorers’evaluation.
2. Awardthepresidingofficerthree(3)tonine(9)pointspercompletehourofservice.3. Ranktheireight(8)morepreferredstudentsineachsessiontheyevaluate.
D. ThereshouldbelittleconsultationbetweenCongressofficialsconcerningthechamberwhenitisinsession.Theparliamentarianshouldconsultwithscorerstoconfirmthenumberofspeechesactuallygivenbyeachstudent.
E. Debateonlegislationshallcommenceasfollows:1. Thedistrictcongresspersonshallhavetherighttoopendebateontheirdistrict’slegislation;
however,theymayrelinquishthisrighttothechamber.2. Anyamendmentmustbepresentedtothepresidingofficerinwritingontheappropriateform
beforebeingmovedandpresented.Inconsultationwiththeparliamentarian,theamendmentwillberuledeithergermaneordilatory.Anylegislatormayseekthefloortodefendoropposetheamendment,recognizedinorderaccordingtoprecedence/recency.
F. Aftereachpreliminarysession,thepresidingofficer(PO)willbepresentedagavel,andmusteitheragreeordeclinetoserveasaPOiftheyadvancetosemifinals.Thischoice,oncemadeinwritingontheofficialform,isbinding,andaPOwhohasagreedtofurtherservicemaynotwithdrawuntilthatroundofservicehasbeencompleted.
G. Attheendofthepreliminarysession,thetopstudentsineachchamberwilladvance.Eachchamberwilladvanceanequalnumberofstudentssuchthatthetotalnumberofsemifinalistsdoesnotexceed60.
1. Attheendofeachscorer’sandparliamentarian’sjudgingcommitment,theywillranktheireight(8)mostpreferredstudentsinthechamber;theparliamentarianalsowillcompleteaballotrankingallstudentsinthechamber.Studentswiththelowestcumulativeranktotalwilladvancetothenextlevelofcompetition.Tieswillbebrokeninorderofthefollowingpriorities:
a. Judges’preferenceb. Reciprocalfractionsc. Adjustedcumulativeranktotalafterdroppinghighestandlowestranksd. Judges’preferenceofadjustedcumulativeranktotal
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e. Reciprocalsofadjustedcumulativeranktotalf. Rankbytheparliamentarian
IV. SemifinalSession-Thesemifinalsessioniscomprisedofchambersof15-18contestantseach.A. Studentsareassignedtochambersintheprioritylisted:
1. Seed(mathematicalprogression;“snaking”)2. Avoiddistrictconflict3. Equaldistributionofpresidingofficernominees.4. Equalstatedistribution.
B. Threescorersandoneparliamentarianwillbeassignedtoeachchamber.C. Thesemifinalroundissplitintotwosessionsofthreehoursapiece;eachsession:
1. Beginswithelectingapresidingofficer.2. Featuresanewseatingchart,withnecessaryaccommodationsmadeforstudentswithspecial
needs.3. Resetsprecedenceandrecency.4. Beginswithdebateonnewlegislationnotdebatedinaprevioussession.
D. Onlypreliminarysessionpresidingofficersmaybeconsideredascandidatesforpresidingthesemifinalandfinalsessions.
1. Astudentmaydeclinenominationinwritingatanytime,butoncetheydoso,theymaynotbeconsideredforpresidingofficerinlatersessions.Onceastudentagreestonomination,theymustserveinthenextlevelofadvancement,ifdesignated.
2. Thetopfourpresidingofficercandidateswilladvanceinnominationforthenextlevelofpresiding,usingaprioritysystemasfollows:
a. Pointsawardedforpresidinginthepreliminarysession.b. Cumulativeranktotal.c. Adjustedcumulativeranktotal.d. Parliamentarian’sballot.
E. Atthebeginningofeachsemifinalsession,conductasingle-ballotelectionforpresidingofficerfromamongthecandidatessuppliedbytournamentstaff,followingthesameproceduresasinthepreliminarysession(II.B.2).Intheeventthereisnostudentinachamberwishingand/oreligibletopreside,anadultofficialwillbeassignedtopreside.Thewinnerreceivesanengravedgavel.Thereisnolongeranauditionperiodinthesemifinalsession.
F. Attheendofthesemifinalsessionthetopsixlegislatorsineachchamberadvancetothefinalsession:1. Attheendofeachscorer’sandparliamentarian’sjudgingcommitment,theywillranktheireight(8)
mostpreferredlegislatorsinthechamber;theparliamentarianalsowillcompleteaballotrankingalllegislatorsinthechamber.Legislatorswiththelowestcumulativeranktotalwilladvancetothenextlevelofcompetition.Tieswillbebrokeninorderofthefollowingpriorities:
a. Judges’preferenceb. Reciprocalfractionsc. Adjustedcumulativeranktotalafterdroppinghighestandlowestranksd. Judges’preferenceofadjustedcumulativeranktotale. Reciprocalsofadjustedcumulativeranktotalf. Rankbytheparliamentarian
2. StudentsnotadvancingtothefinalsessionmayclaimaSenatorKarlE.MundtMedallionduringBondCheckout.
V. FinalSessionA. Eight(8)scorersandoneparliamentarianwillbeassignedtoeachchamber.B. Studentswillberandomlyassignedseatsonaseatingchartrandomlygeneratedoncomputerbythetab
room,withnecessaryaccommodationsmadeforstudentswithspecialneeds.
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C. Presidingofficernomineeswillbeselectedfromthosethatservedasapresidingofficerinthesemifinalsession,withthesamecaveatsenumeratedinIII.D.1.Thetopfourwillbeplacedonthelistofnominees,basedonthefollowingcriteria:
1. Pointsawardedinthesemifinalsessionforpresiding.2. Pointsawardedinthepreliminarysessionforpresiding.3. Semifinalcumulativeranktotal.4. Adjustedsemifinalcumulativeranktotal.5. Parliamentarian’sballotinthesemifinalround.
D. Beforeelectingthepresidingofficer,anauditionperiodofapproximately30minuteswillbeused,andcandidates’namesshallbedrawnrandomlytodeterminetheorderofauditioning.Theauditionisnotscored,norwillitcountinprecedence(forrecognitionpurposes).Intheeventthereisnostudentinachamberwishingand/oreligibletopreside,anadultofficialwillbeassignedtopreside.
1. Followingauditions,theparliamentarianwillconductanelectionforthefinalsessionSpeakeroftheHouseandPresidentoftheSenate.Thesestudentswillberecognizedattheawardsassemblyandeachpresentedatwo-footpresentationgavel,engravedaccordingly.
2. Thefinalsessionpresidingofficeriseligibletoberankedamongthespeakersinthesession.3. Allspeechesgivenbythefourpresidingofficercandidateswillbescored,andmeritpointsshallbe
recorded,accordingly.Theelectedpresidingofficeralsowillreceivepointsforpresiding,perhour,followingtheelection.Auditioningtimeshallnotcounttowardmeritpoints.
E. FinalRanking:1. Attheendofeachsession,scorer’swillranktheirtopeight(8),andattheendofthesegment,
parliamentarian’swillrankallmembers,withtheirtop8countingtowardsinitialranking.Finalplacementwillbedeterminedbyaddingupalloftheranksanddeterminingtheorderbaseduponthelowestcumulativerank.Tieswillbebrokeninthefollowingpriorities:
a. Judges’preferenceb. Reciprocalfractionsc. Adjustedcumulativeranktotalafterdroppinghighestandlowestranksd. Reciprocalsofadjustedcumulativeranktotale. Rankbytheparliamentarian
2. AllfinalsessionparticipantsreceivetheSenatorJohnC.StennisMedallion.VI. LeadershipAward:Attheendofthepreliminarysession,thesemifinalsessionandthefinalsession,thestudentsin
eachchambershallpreferentiallyrankanumberofstudentsinthechamber.ThestudentwhoadvancestothefinalroundintheSenateandintheHousewiththelowestcumulativeranktotalwillearntheleadershipbowl,withtiesbroken:
A. DroppingthehighestandlowestranksB. ReciprocalfractionsC. MostfirstplaceranksD. Placementbythejudges,withanyapplicabletie-breakersfactored
VII. TrophiesandAwardsA. Eachpresidingofficerwillreceiveagavel.B. Non-advancingsemifinalistswillreceivetheSenatorKarlE.MundtMedallions.C. AllfinalsessioncontestantswillreceivetheSenatorJohnC.StennisMedallions.D. Contestantsfinishing7ththrough14thwillberecognizedwithatrophyfollowingtheconclusionofthe
PublicForumfinalround.E. Contestantsfinishing1stthrough6thwillberecognizedwithatrophyattheAwardsCeremony.F. KarlE.MundtNationalCongressTrophy–Thishonor(awardedsincethefirstNationalCongressinWooster,
Ohio,in1938)ispresentedeachyeartotheschoolrepresentedatthatyear’sNationalCongresswhosestudentshaveaccumulatedthemostparticipationpoints,awardedasfollows:
1. Onepointforeachsession(finalscountsastwosessions,sinceitissolong)2. Twopointsforadvancing,orforbeingelectedpresidingofficerinasession
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3. Threepointsforplacing4th,5th,or6th4. Fourpointsforplacing2ndor3rdplace5. FivepointsforthenationalchampionintheSenateandHouse6. Uponearningthisaward,aschool’stotalresetstozero
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SupplementalandConsolationEventProceduresSupplementalEvents1. Contestantseliminatedfromthemaineventsafterround8andCongressionalDebatepreliminarysessionsmay
participateinuptotwoofthespeecheventsORExtemporaneousDebateifpre-registeredineach.Assoonaseliminated,thestudentsshouldreportpromptlytosupplementalre-registrationduringthepostedtime.
a. ExpositorySpeakingb. ExtemporaneousCommentaryc. Prosed. Poetrye. ExtemporaneousDebate
2. Twodownseliminateacontestant.
ConsolationEvents3. EachstudenteliminatedinalleventspriortoThursdaymorningorCongressionalDebatecontestantswhodonot
advancetofinals—ifpreviouslyregistered—mayenterImpromptuorStorytelling.
4. Asingledowneliminatesacontestant.
SectioningandTabulation5. SectioningandPanels:sectionsof5,6,or7willbeevaluatedbyasinglejudge.
6. Elimination:alltieswillbebroken,anda“down”isdefinedintheseeventsas:a. Rankof3,4or5inasectionof5b. Rankof4,5or6inasectionof6c. Rankof4,5,6,or7inasectionof7
7. Semifinals:Whenthenumberofcontestantsinasupplementaryorconsolationeventreaches18orfewer,asemifinalroundmaybeheld.Eachsectionwillhave3judgesandthesectionswillbeapportioned:18(6,6,6);17(6,6,5);16(6,5,5);15(5,5,5);14(7,7);13(7,6);12(6,6);11(6,5);10(5,5);9(5,4);8(4,4).
8. Finals:Sevenjudgeswillevaluatethefinalround.Winnerswillbechosenbyaddingtheranksofallpreliminaryroundsinwhichallstudentsparticipatedtothesemifinalandfinaljudges’ranks.Ahighandlowrankfromfinalswillbedismissedinthecalculation.
9. BreakingTiesinFinalScoresofSupplementalSpeechEvents:Iftiesexist,thefollowingshallbeconsideredintheorderlistedtobreakties:
a. Lowtotalinthefinalroundonly,afterdroppinghighandlowranksforeachspeaker.b. Judges'preferenceinthefinalroundonly,afterdroppinghighandlowranksforeachspeaker.c. Lowtotalofallranksinthefinalround.d. Greatestnumberoffirstsinthefinalroundonly.e. Judgespreferenceorreciprocalsfromallfinalroundjudges.f. Iftiesstillexist,duplicateawardswillbegiven.
10. Determining3rdthrough14thplaceinExtemporaneousDebate:Iftiesexistindeterminingplacings,thefollowing
shallbeconsideredintheorderlistedtobreakties:a. Placementshallbedeterminedbythemostnumberofrounds.Byesandforfeitwinscountasrounds
debated.b. Whencontestantsareeliminatedinthesameround,placementshallbedeterminedbytotalballotcount
throughoutallrounds.Byesshallcountasmanyballotsasjudgesineachdebateintheroundwherethebyeoccurred.Forfeitsshallnotcounttowardballotcount.
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c. Ifstilltied,placementshallbedeterminedbytotalballotcountfromrounds6toroundeliminated.Byesshallcountasmanyballotsasjudgesineachdebateintheroundwherethebyeoccurred.Forfeitsshallnotcounttowardballotcount.
d. Ifstilltied,placementshallbedeterminedbythewinnerofapreviousmeetingbetweenthetwodebatersinanyround.
e. Ifstilltied,bothcontestantswillreceivethesameplacementandthesameaward.
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WorldSchoolsDebateProcedures:USWSDIBasicOverviewPleaseconsultthe2016-2017USAWorldSchoolsDebateInvitationalManualforofficialdebaterules,procedures,andprotocolsgoverningthisevent.
TheWorldSchoolseventwillconsistofsix(6)preliminaryroundsofcompetition.Afterprelims,thetop32teams(orportionthereof)withwinningrecordswillbeinvitedtoasingleeliminationbrackettodetermineachampion.
Alljudgesandcompetitorswillberequiredtoattendatwo-houreventtrainingonSunday(registrationday),alongwithapracticeimprompturoundthemorningofMondaybeforeregularcompetitionbegins.
Entries• WorldSchoolsteamsarecomprisedofthreetofivestudents.Thecostofentryis$50perstudent.• Thecostoftravelandlodgingistheresponsibilityoftheparticipants.• EachNationalSpeech&DebateAssociationdistrictmayenteruptotwoteamstotheNationalTournament,
providedtheyofferasecondjudgetocoverthecommitmentforthesecondteam.• Guestnationsmayenterteams,aswell.Seewww.speechanddebate.org/nationalsfordetails.
Judges• Eachteammustfurnishonejudge.ThejudgemaynotbeenteredintoanyotherjudgingpoolattheNational
Speech&DebateTournament.• Therearenohiredjudgesavailable.• JudgesmustattendjudgetrainingonSunday!
Motions• Therewillbeamixtureofpreparedandimpromptumotionsforthecompetition.• PreparedmotionswillbeannouncedbyMay1,2017.
ParticipationinSupplementalandConsolationEvents• Teamswhodonotadvancetothesingle-eliminationroundsareeligibletoenterinsupplementaleventsifpre-
registered.Teamsmustre-registerduringthestudentpostingpartyTuesdayevening.• TeamswhodonotadvancetoThursday’sroundsmayenterinconsolationeventsifpre-registered.Teamsmust
re-registerWednesdayevening.
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BigQuestionsCapstoneEventLogisticsForadditionalinformationaboutdebaterulesandaccesstoresourcesandjudgetraining,visittheBigQuestionswebsiteatwww.speechanddebate.org/big-questions.
Entries• Thetop-placingstudentateachdistrict’sBigQuestionsdivisionwillbeinvitedtoparticipateatNationals.(For
details,refertothe“DistrictQualificationProcessforBigQuestionsDebates”inthe“DistrictTournamentOperationsManual”sectionofthismanual.)
• “At-large”invitationswillalsobesenttoindividualstudentswhohaveperformedwellintheeventthroughouttheseasoniftheydidnotqualifyattheirdistricttournament.InvitationswillbesentstartingApril15,2017.
• OnlyentriescomposedofindividualdebatersmaycompeteatNationals.Thecostofentryis$50perstudent.
Judges• Eachdistrictmustprovideafull-timejudgeforeachentryavailablefortheentiretyofthecompetition.Thejudge
maynotbeenteredintoanyotherjudgingpoolattheNationalSpeech&DebateTournament.• Therearenohiredjudgesavailable.• JudgesmustattendjudgetrainingonMonday,June19,2017,at9:00a.m.
Topic• Studentswilldebatethe2016-2017topic,Resolved:Scienceleavesnoroomforfreewill.• StudentsmustattendthetopicdiscussiononMonday,June19,2017,at9:00a.m.
ParticipationinSupplementalandConsolationEvents• StudentswhoareeliminatedfromcompetitiononTuesdayareeligibletoenterinsupplementaleventsifpre-
registered.Studentsmustre-registerduringthestudentpostingpartyTuesdayevening.• TeamswhodonotadvancetoThursday’sroundsmayenterinconsolationeventsifpre-registered.Teamsmust
re-registerWednesdayevening.
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NationalTournamentAwardsTeamAwards
PiKappaDelta/BrunoE.JacobTrophyEachtimeastudentappearsinamaineventround,theirschoolshallreceiveonetrophypoint.TrophypointsshallaccumulatefromyeartoyearandtheparticipatingschoolwiththelargesttotalattheconclusionofeachtournamentshallreceivetheBrunoE.JacobAward,sponsoredbyPiKappaDelta.
SchoolAwardsCoacheswhobelievetheirteamhasqualifiedforoneofthefollowingSchoolAwards(seenextpage)mayvisitthebudroomonFridaytoviewalistofqualifiedschools.OnecoachfromeachqualifiedschoolshouldattendtheNationalAwardsAssemblyFridayeveningtoaccepttheawardonbehalfoftheirschool.FormulaforDeterminingSchoolAwardsSpeechRound7/8 6points Round9/10 +4points (Total10)Round11/12 +4points (Total14) Round13 +6points (Total20)DebateRound7/8 6pointsRounds9through12 +2pointsperround (Totalupto14)Top6PlaceWinner +6points (Total20)CongressSemifinalist 6pointsFinalist +4points (Total10)Top7-14 +4points (Total14)Top6PlaceWinner +6points (Total20)SchoolsofOutstandingDistinctionTop10schoolsaftercombiningbothdebateandspeechpoints(mustscorepointsinbothdivisions).SpeechSchoolsofExcellenceTop20schoolsintotalspeechpointsthatdidnotwinaSchoolofOutstandingDistinctionAward.DebateSchoolsofExcellenceTop20schoolsintotaldebatepointsthatdidnotwinaSchoolofOutstandingDistinctionaward.SpeechSchoolsofHonorTop21-40schoolsintotalspeechpointsthatdidnotwinaSchoolofOutstandingDistinctionaward.DebateSchoolsofHonorTop21-40schoolsintotaldebatepointsthatdidnotwinaSchoolofOutstandingDistinctionaward.OutstandingSchoolAchievementSchooladministratorsofthetopsixindividualsorteamsineachmaineventwillbesentanOutstandingSchoolAchievementplaquewithintwoweeksoftheendoftheNationalTournament.Theplaqueswillbepersonalizedwithstudents’names,school,event,place,andyear.
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IndividualAwards1. Mainspeecheventcontestantseliminatedafterrounds8and10(excludingTop14)mayclaimplaques.
2. Maindebateeventcontestantseliminatedafterround8(excludingTop14)mayclaimplaques.
3. CongressionalDebatecontestantsinthefinalsessionreceiveaStennisMedallionattheCongressionalBanquet;presidingofficersreceiveawardgavelsinchambers;CongresssemifinalistsmayclaimaSenatorKarlE.Mundtmedals.
4. Supplementalandconsolationeventcontestantseliminatedinthesemifinalround(non-advancingsemifinalists)mayclaimplaques.
5. ThestudentsearningthemostmeritpointsinDebateandinSpeechduringthecurrentyear’sNationalTournamentwillreceivenationalrecognition.
6. ThewinnersofthefinalUnitedStatesExtemporaneousSpeaking,InternationalExtemporaneousSpeaking,andOriginalOratoryroundwilleachreceiveaPresident’sBowl.ThewinnersofthefinalroundinHumorous,Dramatic,andDuoInterpretationwilleachreceiveanInterpBowl.ThefinalroundbowlforDuowillbenamedinhonorofSandraSilvers.
7. Thetop14maineventcontestantsandtop6supplementalandconsolationeventfinalistsareawardedtrophies.
8. InPolicyDebate,thetop14debatersbaseduponpreliminaryroundspeakerpoints(droppinghighandlow)willreceivespeakerawards.ThePhyllisFloryBartonTrophywillbepresentedtothetopspeaker.
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APPENDIXA:DebateEventTimeLimits
PolicyDebate CongressionalDebate–appliestoeachnewlegislationAffirmativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes SponsorSpeech 3Minutes
NegativeCrossExaminesAffirmative 3minutes QuestioningofSponsor 2Minutes
NegativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes FirstNegativeSpeech 3Minutes
AffirmativeCrossExaminesNegative 3minutes QuestioningofFirstNegative 2Minutes
AffirmativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes Allsubsequentspeeches 3Minutes/each
NegativeCrossExaminesAffirmative 3minutes Questioningofallsubsequentspeakers 1Minute/each
NegativeConstructiveSpeech 8minutes
AffirmativeCrossExaminesNegative 3minutes ExtemporaneousDebateNegativeRebuttal 5minutes PropositionConstructive 2Minutes
AffirmativeRebuttal 5minutes Cross-ExaminationofProposition 1Minute
NegativeRebuttal 5minutes OppositionConstructive 2Minutes
AffirmativeRebuttal 5minutes Cross-ExaminationofOpposition 1Minute
Preptime,perteam 5minutes MandatoryPrepTime 1Minute
PropositionRebuttal 2Minutes
Lincoln-DouglasDebate OppositionRebuttal 2Minutes
AffirmativeConstructive 6Minutes MandatoryPrepTime 1Minute
NegativeCrossExamination 3Minutes PropositionRebuttal 2Minutes
NegativeConstructive 7Minutes
AffirmativeCrossExamination 3Minutes WorldSchoolsDebateAffirmativeRebuttal 4Minutes PropositionTeamSpeaker1 8Minutes
NegativeRebuttal 6Minutes OppositionTeamSpeaker1 8Minutes
AffirmativeRebuttal 3Minutes PropositionTeamSpeaker2 8Minutes
PrepTime,perdebater 4Minutes OppositionTeamSpeaker2 8Minutes
PropositionTeamSpeaker3 8Minutes
PublicForumDebate OppositionTeamSpeaker3 8Minutes
FirstSpeaker-TeamA 4Minutes OppositionRebuttal 4Minutes
FirstSpeaker-TeamB 4Minutes PropositionRebuttal 4Minutes
Crossfire 3Minutes
SecondSpeaker-TeamA 4Minutes
SecondSpeaker-TeamB 4Minutes
Crossfire 3Minutes
Summary-FirstSpeaker-TeamA 2Minutes
Summary-FirstSpeaker-TeamB 2Minutes
GrandCrossfire 3Minutes
FinalFocus-SecondSpeaker-TeamA 2Minutes
FinalFocus-SecondSpeaker-TeamB 2Minutes PrepTime,perteam 2Minutes
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APPENDIXB:SpeechEventTimeLimits
Event PreparationPeriod MaximumTime “GracePeriod”
ExtemporaneousSpeaking 30minutes 7minutes 30seconds
OriginalOratory 10minutes 30seconds
DramaticInterpretation 10minutes 30seconds
HumorousInterpretation 10minutes 30seconds
DuoInterpretation 10minutes 30seconds
InformativeSpeaking 10minutes 30seconds
ProgramOralInterpretation 10minutes 30seconds
ExtempCommentary 20minutes 5minutes 30seconds
Expository 5minutes 30seconds
PoetryorProse 5minutes 30seconds
Impromptu 7minutestoprepareandspeak 30seconds
Storytelling 5minutes 30seconds
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APPENDIXC:CasebookQuestions Thefollowingcasebookquestionswereadoptedatthe2016SpringBoardMeetingtohelpclarifytheevidencerulesinLincoln-Douglas,PublicForum,andPolicyDebate. Question:Ateam/individualreadsevidenceinaroundthatcomesfroma)apurchasedhandbook,b)theOpenEvidenceProjectsponsoredbytheNDCA,orc)adebateinstituteevidencepacket.Theotherteamcallsfortheoriginalsourceoftheirevidence.Theteam/individuala)showstheoriginalpagefromthehandbook,b)showseithertheoriginalelectronicorprintedversionoftheOEPdownloadorshowsthewebpagefromwhichtheevidencewasprocured,orc)showstheelectronicorprintedversionoftheinstituteevidence.Isthissufficientprooffortheoriginalsource?
Answer:Yes.Theteam/individualhasmettheburdenofdemonstratingtheoriginalsourceoftheevidence.However,iftheteam/individualusesanyofthesesources,theyarestillresponsibleforthevalidityoftheevidence.Question:Ateamcallsfortheoriginalsourceofevidencereadbyateam/individual.Whatarethechoicesthatthechallengedindividual/teamhastoproducetheoriginalsource?Answer:Theteam/individualmayprovidetheoriginalsourceofevidenceinseveralacceptableways:
1. Theoriginalsourceinanelectronicorprintversion2. Printedphotocopiesoftheoriginalsource3. Onlineversionsoftheoriginalsourcethatcanbeaccessedattheconclusionoftheround4. Thefulltextoftheevidencefromtheoriginalsourcewithafullcitationthatcanthenbeusedtogettheoriginal
sourceQuestion:Ateam/individualreadsevidencefromabook.Theopposingteamaskstoseetheoriginalsourceofthebook.Musttheteam/individualproducetheactualbookastheoriginalsource?Answer:Ifevidenceisquotedfromabook,thedebaterisnotexpectedtocarrytheentirebookwiththem.Instead,theywouldberequiredtohaveeitheraprintedorelectroniccopyofthepageonwhichtheevidenceappears,thepagepreceding,andthepagefollowingtheevidenceinquestion.Question:Ateam/individualusesa“strawargument”(definedasahypotheticalstatementmadebyanauthorwhichislaterdisprovenbythesameauthorwhichisusedbytheteam/individualastherealpositionoftheauthor).Maythatteam/individualusesuchanargument?Answer:Debatersmayusea“strawargument”iftheyexplicitlycite,whentheargumentisfirstpresented,thatitisastrawargumentandtheauthordoesnotdrawthisconclusion.Question:Ateam/individualreadsaphilosophytext,agreeswithoneormoreargumentsadvancedbytheauthor,butdisagreeswiththeauthoronwhatconclusionsthoseargumentsbestjustify.Isthisanacceptableuseofthisevidence?Answer:Iftheteam/individualclearlyestablishesthatitistheiranalysis,theconclusionoftheauthorisnotbeingaltered,andtherefore,wouldbeanacceptableuseofevidence.
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Question:Ateam/individualreadsapieceofevidenceintheround.Theopposingteam/individualclaimsthattheteam/individualhasremovedtheword“not”fromtheevidenceandis,therefore,misrepresentingtheevidence.Theteam/individualmakingtheclaimdoesnothaveacopyoftheoriginalsourcetosubstantiatetheirclaim.Isthisalegitimateandsubstantivechallenge?Answer:Thechallengeisnotasubstantiveone.Theteammakingthechallengemusthaveevidencethattheteamtheyarechallenginghasmisrepresentedtheevidence.TheymustprovidetheoriginalsourceasdescribedinQuestion#2.Failuretodosowouldrenderthechallengeillegitimate.Question:Ateam/individualusesanarrativetodescribeaconditiononwhichargumentsarebased.Theopposingteam/individualclaimsthatnarrativesareaviolationoftheevidencerules.Isthisalegitimateviolationclaim?Answer:Thedefinitionofevidencedoesnotrestrictsourcesthatcanbecitedbydebaters.Nontraditionalornonacademicsourcesmaybeusedtosupportclaims.Thedefinitionisnotintendedtolimittherangeofmaterialdebaterscanrelyupontosupporttheirargumentsinrounds,nordoesitmerelydefinethetypesofmaterialtowhichtherulesapply.Itdoesnotfavortraditionalacademicsourcesattheexpenseoforganicintellectualismandothernontraditionalsources.Thejudge’sdiscretionmaybeusedtodeterminethevalidityoftheevidenceandclaim.Question:Theteam/individualreadsonlythenameandyearofthesourcewhenpresentingevidence.Isthisadequatetoallowforthefindingofasource?Answer:Readingonlythenameandyearofthesourceisacommonlyacceptedciteformat.Thisformatcanoftendeterminethemostbasiclevelofvalidity/credibilityfromaquotedcite.Thefullciteinformationhastobeavailableifthereisaquestion.Question:Ateam/individualreadsevidencebythesameauthorfromtwodifferentworksbythatauthor.Maytheteam/individualonlyusetheauthor’snameormusttheyagainciteauthornameandyearasrequiredfororalcitation?Answer:Sincetheteam/individualhasusedtwodifferentworks,bothwouldneedtobecitedseparately.Failuretodosowouldbeaviolationoftheoralcitationrequirement.Question:CommonacademicpracticesrequiretheuseoftheeitherMLAorAPAcitationwhendoingacademicwork.Whyaren’tourevidenceguidelinesfollowingthosesamerequirements?Answer:MLAand/orAPArequirementsarenotconsistentwithtraditionalexpectationsforvariousformsofdebate.Teams/individualsshouldadheretotherequirementslistedintheNSDAguidelines.Question:Ateam/individualparaphrasesanauthorinthefollowingmanner(s):1)Inreferringtotheauthor’swork/concept,theteam/individualusesthespecificauthor’sname;2)Inreferringtothegeneraltheory,theteam/individualreferstotheconcept/workingeneraltermswithoutspecificreferencetoaspecificauthororperson.Whataretheevidencecitationrequirements?Answer:Inthefirstinstance,theteam/individualshouldbeheldtothesameevidencecitationstandardsasiftheyhadactuallyreadevidencefromthatauthor/person.Inthesecondcircumstance,theyareusingthe“generalunderstanding”conceptandwouldnotberequiredtoofferafullsourcecitation.However,theyarestillaccountablefortheaccuracyandvalidityoftheclaimtheyaremaking.
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Question:Ateam/individualuses“ellipses”inevidencebydoingthefollowing:1)Theteam/individualusesevidencefromthesameparagraphofawork,butusesthefirstpartoftheparagraphasonepieceofevidenceandthelastpartoftheparagraphasasecondpiece,omittingthesentence(s)betweenthetwopartsoftheparagraph;2)Theteam/individualparaphrasestheevidencetheyareciting,omittingpartsoftheevidencetheyareparaphrasing.Aretheseviolationsoftheevidenceguidelines?Answer:Inbothinstances,theteam/individualmustbeabletoproducetheoriginalsourceoftheevidencethatwouldincludetheentirelanguageofthequotedmaterialbeingused.Failuretodosowouldbeaviolationoftheevidenceguidelines.Question:Ateam/individualischargedwithnothavingreadparticularpartsofevidencethattheyclaimedtohaveread.Howisthatdisputetoberesolved?Answer:Theteammustgivesomeclearoralcueastotheendofthepieceofevidencetheyhavereadandclearlyindicateinthewrittentexttheportionsoftheevidencethathavebeenread.Ifthejudgedeterminesthatthesestandardshavenotbeenmet,thentheymayrendertheirdecisionaccordingly.Iftheychoosetoignorethechallengeandfailtofollowprescribedprocedures,thenthatdecisionmaybeappealedtothetournamentcommittee.Question:Ateam/individualusesprivatecorrespondenceasevidenceinaround.Issuchcorrespondenceallowedtobeusedinthatmanner?Answer:Teams/individualsmaynotuseprivatecorrespondenceasevidence.Thereasonsaremany.First,otherteamsdonothavethesameaccesstotheevidencethattheteam/individualmighthave.Corroborationandverifyingtheauthenticityoftheevidence/correspondenceisdifficult,aswell.Foracademicreasons,teams/individualsmaybeencouragedtocontactsourcesofevidencedirectly.However,theyshoulddosoonlyfortheirowneducationandabilitytobetterexplainpublicallyaccessibleevidencebythatauthor/person.Question:Ateam/individualchallengestheevidenceusedorpresentedbytheiropponent.Thejudgedeterminesthatthechallengeislegitimateandanevidenceviolationhasoccurred.Whatshouldthejudgedoatthispoint?Answer:Inmostcasestherulesareveryclear.Inmostcases,theteam/individualisgivenalosswithnospeakerpointsawarded(ifapplicable).Thejudge(s)shouldthennoteontheballotthereasonforthelossandthelackofspeakerpoints.Judgeeducationmayneedtotakeplacetoassistjudgesinsuchsituations.Unlessthejudgehasmisinterpretedorfailedtofollowarule,theirdecisionisfinalandbinding.Itmaynotbeappealed.Question:Ateam/individualissuesanevidencechallengeby1)merelyquestioningthevalidityoftheevidencewithlittleornoexplanationorsupport;2)producingtheoriginalsourceindicatingthattheopposingteamhasviolatedoneormoreoftheevidencerequirements.Aretheselegitimateevidencechallenges?Answer:Thesecondchallengeisindeedlegitimateandshouldbeconsideredbythejudgeand/ortabulationcommittee.Thefirstisnotalegitimatechallenge.Ifsuchachallengeisoffered,thejudgehastwochoices.Theymaychoosetomerelyignorethechallengeandproceedwiththeround.Theymayalsochoosetopausetheround,andasktheteammakingthechallengeiftheywouldliketoissueaformalchallenge,withtheunderstandingbeingthattheroundwouldthenbeoveroncethechallengehadbeendecided.Theteamwouldthenchoosetoeitherproceedormaketheformalchallenge.Challengingteamsmustmeetparticularcriteria.Thechallengingofevidenceisaseriouschargeandshouldnotbetakenlightly.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 124
Question:Ateam/individualquestionsthelegitimacyofevidenceintheround,butdoesnotissueaformalevidencechallenge.Oncethedecisionismade,andtheteam/individualfindsoutthattheyhavelosttheround(orbelievesthattheyhavelosttheround),theychoosetofileaprotestwiththetabroom.Isthisconsideredtobealegitimateevidencechallenge?Answer:Anyteamorindividualmayprotestthelegitimacyofevidenceatthecompletionofaround.However,theallegationmustmeetthesameburdensasifthechallengeweremadeintheround.Failuretomeetanyoftheburdensrequiredwouldrenderthechallengemoot.Thetabulationcommitteewouldfollowthesameproceduresasajudgewouldintheroundtodetermineiftheallegationislegitimate.Thesameconsequenceswouldapplyasifthejudgewererenderingthesamedecision.Question:Ateam/individualmakesaformalallegationthatateam/individualhasdistortedevidence,whichcouldresultinalossforthatteam.Theteam/individualbeingchargednowmakesacounterallegationthattheteam/individualisusingnon-existentevidence.Howshouldthejudge(s)proceedinthissituation?Answer:Thejudge(s)shouldaddresseachallegationseparatelyandintheorderinwhichtheywerepresented.Inthiscase,thejudge(s)shouldaddresstheallegationofdistortedevidencefirst.Iftheallegationisfoundtobelegitimate,thejudge(s)wouldgivethelosstotheteamfoundtohaveviolatedtheevidencerules.Iftheallegationhadnomerit,thejudge(s)wouldgivethelosstotheteammakingtheallegation.Thejudge(s)wouldthenaddressthesecondallegation.Thesameprocedureswouldbefollowed.Iftheallegationhadnomerit,thejudge(s)wouldnowbeaffirmingthepreviouslyawardedwin.Iftheallegationhadmerit,thejudge(s)wouldthengiveeachteamalossintheround.Subsequentpenalties(7.3.B)wouldthenapplytobothteams.Question:Ateam/individualmakesaformalallegationthatateam/individualhasdistortedevidence.Theteambeingaccuseddoesnotrespond,butallowsthejudgetorenderadecision.Thejudgeupholdstheallegationandvotesagainsttheteam/individualaccusedofdistortingevidence.Oncetheballothasbeenturnedin,theteam/individualand/ortheircoachfileaprotestoftheround,allegingthattheiropponenthasviolatedtheevidencerules.Whatshouldthetabulationcommitteedoatthispoint?Answer:Theallegationmustbetreatedjustasanyotherpostroundprotestshouldbehandled.Thepersonsprotestingmustdosowithintheprescribedtimeframe,withthesamerequirementstobringtheprotest.Theteam/individualbeingprotestedhastherighttorespond.Thetabulationcommitteewouldthenruleinthesamemannertheywouldwithanyotherprotest.Iftheychoosetodenytheprotest,thedecisionintheroundwouldstand.Iftheydecidethataviolationhasoccurred,bothteams/individualswouldbegivenalossintheround,dependingontheviolationthathadoccurred.
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APPENDIXD:CongressEvidenceChallengeFormTobesubmittedtotheParliamentarianforconsiderationwithin20minutesofthecloseofthesession.(PleasePRINT.)
Student: Code:
School: State:
Pleasedetailthespecificpieceofevidencethatyouarechallenging,includinganycitedsourceinformationandwhereinthespeechtheevidencewasused.
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Pleaseexplainyourreasoningand/orproofforchallengingthispieceofevidence.Pleaseincludewhetheryouareinpossessionofthesourceandcanproduceituponrequest.
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Iunderstandthatallegingaviolationwithoutmeritortobefoundinaccuratecouldleadtoacensurebytheparliamentarian.
Student’sSignature:
State: Coach’sName:
SupervisingAdult’sName:
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 126
APPENDIXE:ChangeLogThissectionhighlightsrevisionsmadetothisdocument.Overarchingmodificationsareindicatedbyachangeintheseconddigit(e.g.,2.1.0),whileminoreditsorrevisionstothecurrentdocumentareindicatedbyachangeinthethirddigit(e.g.,2.0.1).Thefollowingareupdatestotheoriginalversions.
Editor’sNote:Forquickreferencethroughoutthisdocument,newchangesforthecurrentyeararehighlightedinyellow.Otherrecentchangesmadewithinthepastoneortwoyearsremainhighlightedingray.
SECTION1:HighSchoolChapterManualUpdates
Date Version ChangeDescription
01/31/2011 2.0.2 Pointrecordingchartfornon-rankedevaluationinspeecheventsadded;chartforservicepointrecordingadded;conversationofranksvs.pointsinCongressionalDebateadded.Addedgraphicstoclarifytheindividualapplication/enrollmentprocess.
09/15/2011 2.0.3 Releaseforthe2011-12schoolyear.Districtcommitteeinformationupdatedtoreflectabolishmentofthealternateposition,aswellasonlinevoting.Minordocumentformatting.
01/05/2012 2.0.4 Stipulationaddedthatcandidatesfordistrictcommitteemembersmustbeactivecoaches(affiliatedwithaschool)inthedistrict.
CongressionalDebatepointrecordingconversationtableaddedforwhen6-pt.scoringisnotused.
Referencetoautomaticpointrecordingadded.
02/24/2012 2.0.5 Clarifiedthatonlyonescorecanbeenteredperroundforinterscholasticcompetition(p.4-5).Speechranksareaveragedforpanels,exceptforfinalrounds,wheretheoveralltournamentplacementisused.Noteaddedonquickreference.
Addedruleprohibitingretroactivepointrecordingforservicespeakingprojectsbeyondoneyearprior.
Clarifiedthatchangestoonlinepointsdatabaserecordsmustbesubmittedbythechapteradvisorofrecord.
AddedinformationaboutthenewStudentServiceCitations.
01/07/2013 2.0.6 ClarifiedchangesinRecordingMeritPoints,includingnon-competitive/servicepoints.
12/10/2013 2.1.0 NotedchangetoquarterlyRostrumpublicationcycle.
AminimumoffourschoolsmustbepresentatatournamentforAssociationmeritpointstobeearnedinallevents.
AddednewproceduresforStudentWebsiteRegistration.
UpdatedtheNationalQualificationLevels,whichreplacethered,yellow,greenstatussystempreviouslyinplace.
8/22/2014 3.0.0 Updatedbrandingtoreflecttheorganization’snamechange(NationalForensicLeaguetoNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation).
Updatedwebsiteandemailcontactinformationthroughout:www.speechanddebate.org/[email protected].
UpdatedproceduresforStudentWebsiteRegistration.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 127
11/17/2015 2016.0.0 Releaseforthe2015-2016schoolyear:
Adaptedformattingtocreateunifiedmanual—contentcombinedwithHighSchoolEventRulesManual,DistrictTournamentOperationsManual,andNationalTournamentOperationsManual.
Addednoticeaboutschool-basedmembershipfor2016-2017.
Nodistrictwillbeallowedtosplitintotwodistrictsunlesstheyestablish40chaptersfortwoconsecutiveyears.
10/19/2016 2017.0.0 Releaseforthe2016-2017schoolyear:
ClarifiedstudentwebsiteregistrationprocedureswiththelaunchoftheAssociation’snewwebsite.
WiththepassingoftheConstitutionalReferenduminApril2016,eachactivememberschoolshallhaveonevoteindistrictandnationalmatters.
02/13/2017 2017.1.0 AddedtheCoachesCodeofEthics,adoptedinDecember2016.
SECTION2:HighSchoolEventRulesManualUpdates
Date Version ChangeDescription
11/17/2015 2016.0.0 Releaseforthe2015-2016schoolyear:
Adaptedformattingtocreateunifiedmanual—contentcombinedwithHighSchoolChapterManual,DistrictTournamentOperationsManual,andNationalTournamentOperationsManual.
AddedpiloteventrulesforInformativeSpeakingandProgramOralInterpretation.
10/19/2016 2017.0.0 Releaseforthe2016-2017schoolyear:
UpdatedtherulesforInformativeSpeakingandProgramOralInterpretation,whichwereadoptedasofficialmaineventsbeginningin2016-2017.
UpdatedtherulesforInterpretationeventsregardingonlinepublishingsources:PDFdownloads,e-books,andwebsiteswitheditorialreview.
ClarifiedthesourceverificationrulesinInterpretationevents.
ClarifiedthetransitionsruleinInterpretationevents.
ModifiedtheWebsiteApprovalSubmissionProcessforonlinepublishingsources.
UpdatedtherulesforProse/PoetrytoreflectuseofPDFs,e-books,andonlinematerial.
InOriginalOratory,thegeneralpurposeofthespeechistopersuade.Anyotherpurposesuchastoinformorentertainshallbesecondary.
Adoptedcasebookquestionsforclarifyingevidencerulesindebate(seeAppendixC).
AddedpilotevidencerulesforCongressionalDebate.
AddedprovisionsfordirectquestioninginCongressionalDebate.
AddedtheCongressEvidenceChallengeForm(seeAppendixD).
02/13/2017 2017.1.0 UpdatedtheInformativeSpeakingrulesforparitywithothereventrules:“Astudentmaynotuseaninformativespeechthestudentusedindistrictornationalcompetitioninanypreviouscontestyear.”
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 128
SECTION3:DistrictTournamentOperationsManualUpdates
Date Version ChangeDescription
12/01/2011 4.0.0 Ininterpretiveevents(DI,HI,Duo),thesameselectionofliteratureenteredaton-siteregistrationshouldbeusedforthedurationofthetournament.
CongressionalDebatejudgesaffiliatedwithaparticularschoolmustnotjudgeastudentfromthatschool.
01/16/2012 4.0.2 Addedremindertodistricttournamentofficialstocheckalljudge/parliamentarianballotsinCongressionalDebatebeforetabulationbeginstoensurethatnamesarecompletedcorrectly.
AddedclarificationofrulesfordiscardingstudentballotsthatarecompletedincorrectlyfortabulationofstudentranksinCongressionalDebate.
ClarifiedthatchairsusingJoyofTournamentssoftwaremuststillsendasignedcopyoftheQualifiersandAlternatesformfollowingthedistricttournament.
12/06/2012 5.0.0 Allreferencestotheformerwebsitehavebeenupdated.
Addednew,uniformdistrictstandardsforqualifyingtoNationals.
ReminderthatCongressjudgesmaynotpersonallyknowstudentsinthechamber.
Addednewrulethatspeakerrecognitionbystudentpresidingofficersmaynotbetiedtopreviousrecognitionofstudentsaskingquestions,movingmotions,orlongeststanding/standingtime.
NotedthatlegislationbyeachdistrictfortheNationalTournamentmustbesubmittedonlineviathePointsApplication.
Addednewrulespertainingtoonlinesourcesforliterarymaterialforinterpretation.Pleasenotethatmerelyfindingmaterialfromanapprovedsitedoesnotmakeitlegal;itmustalsomeetthecriteriaoutlinedinthatsection.
01/04/2012 5.0.1 RevisednameoftheDistrictCumulativeSweepsAwardtomoreaccuratelydescribeit,sincetheawardusedtobeatrophy,andisnowaplaque.Also,clarifiedtournamententryformrequirements.
02/28/2013 5.0.2 RevisedAbsolutePairingPrioritiesfordebatetoclarifythatentriesfromaschoolshouldnotbepairedagainsteachother,unlesstheyaretheonlytworemainingundefeatedentries,or3of4undefeatedentries,or4of5undefeatedentries.Previouslytherulesaidtwooramajorityofundefeatedentries,whichimpliedthatif2of3arefromthesameschool,theycouldbepairedagainstoneanother,whichwasnottheintentionofthatrule.
Addedatabletoclarifydistrictqualifyinglevels.
03/06/2013 5.0.3 ClarifiedrulesforpublishedinprintaswellasonlinesourcesforInterpmaterial.
12/02/2013 6.0.0 Addedminimumschoolentryrequirement.
Outlinedwebsiteregistrationrequirementfornewstudentmembers.
Clarifiedthe“PartnershipEventException”explanation.
Addedpilot“EvidenceinDebateRules,”whichwereoptionalin2013-2014.
ClarifiedproceduresregardingdistricttournamentInterpsourcematerialandOratorymanuscriptsubmissions.
Addeddisclaimeraboutfinalroundvideoperformances.
UpdatedthelistofApprovedWebsitesforonlinesourcesofliterarymaterial.
ClarifiedobservationofotherExtemporaneousSpeakingcompetitors.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 129
09/24/2014 7.0.0 Updatedbrandingtoreflecttheorganization’snamechange(NationalForensicLeaguetoNationalSpeech&DebateAssociation).
Updatedwebsiteandemailcontactinformationthroughout:www.speechanddebate.org/[email protected].
Addedrevisedstandardsforevidenceindebate,whichtournamentscouldchoosetopilotin2014-2015.Coachesareencouragedtocheckwithlocaltournamentofficialstoseewhichsetofruleswillbeusedintheirarea.
Clarifiedrulespertainingtothe“graceperiod”inspeechevents.
11/17/2015 2016.0.0 Releaseforthe2015-2016schoolyear:
Adaptedformattingtocreateunifiedmanual—contentcombinedwithHighSchoolChapterManual,DistrictTournamentOperationsManual,andNationalTournamentOperationsManual.
ClarifiedthatadistricttournamentmaynotbeheldafterMay1,2016.NopartofadistrictcontestmaybeginonorafterMay1,2016.
Addedpiloteventsfor2015-2016:InformativeSpeakingandProgramOralInterpretation.
Addedthesectionentitled“DistrictAuditProcedures.”
Clarifiedthatalistof14alternatesmustbedeterminedineventswith30entriesormore.Ineventswith29entriesorfewer,noentrythatfinishesinthebottomhalfofthefieldmaybelistedasanalternate.
02/03/2016 2016.1.0 InWorldSchoolsDebate,eachAssociationdistrictisallowedtoqualifyONEteamofthreetofivestudents.Districtswillnotbeallowedasecondteam.
10/19/2016 2017.0.0 Releaseforthe2016-2017schoolyear:
AdoptedrequiredcommunitystandardsstatementthatcoachesmustaffirmpriortoDistrictandNationalTournamentcompetition.
Asnewmainevents,ProgramOralInterpretationandInformativeSpeakingcounttowardtheSpeechSweepstakesAwardandCumulativeSweepstakesAward.
AdjustedthedistrictentryquotaformulainlightofPOIandINF.
WhenusingtheCaliforniaPlan,DistrictCommitteesinspeecheventswith14orfewerentriesmaydeterminetoholdtwopreliminaryroundsofcompetition.
WhenusingtheCaliforniaPlan,DistrictCommitteesinspeecheventswith14orfewerentriesarenotrequiredtoholdasemifinalroundandstudentsmayadvancedirectlytothefinalround.
InWorldSchoolsDebate,eachAssociationdistrictmayenteruptotwoteamstotheNationalTournament,providedtheyofferasecondjudgetocoverthecommitmentforthesecondteam.
12/02/2016 2017.0.1 Removedtheprincipalsignaturerequirementfordistricttournamentregistration.
02/13/2017 2017.1.0 OutlinedthedistrictqualificationproceduresforBigQuestionsDebates.
SECTION4:NationalTournamentOperationsManual
Date Version ChangeDescription05/24/2012 2012.0.0 Releaseforthe2012NationalTournament.Newfor2012:
Auto-qualificationextendedfromtop6totop14studentsineachmaineventfromthe
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 130
previousyear’sNationalTournament.
Regardingprotests,onlytheaccusedmayappealthedecisionoftheombudsperson.Thecomplainantmaynotappeal,butmayprotestsubsequentrounds.
Forinterpretationmaterial,thecuttingperformedinthefirstroundofcompetitionmustbeusedthroughouttheentiretyofthetournamentinthatevent.
Speecheventpointsunified(previously,pointsearnedinInterp.eventswerelessthaninspeechevents).
InCongressionalDebate,thefinalroundseatingchartwillbegeneratedbycomputer(ratherthandrawnbyrandomnumberatthebeginningofthesession).Also,speechesgivenbypresidingofficercandidateswillbescoredwithmeritpoints,butauditioningperiodsforpresidingwillnotbescored.
03/28/2013 2013.0.0 Releaseforthe2013NationalTournament.Newfor2013:
AddedCongressionalDebatetoDebateEvidenceRulesandpenalties.
NewCongressionalDebatespeakerrecognitionrule,disallowing“activity,”and“longeststanding”/“standingtime”added.
InCongressionalDebate,thesemifinalsessionpresidingofficerauditionperiodhasbeencuttoallowequivalentpresidingtimeduringthetwoseparatesessionsfortheseparatejudgepanels.
NewrulesforonlinesourcematerialandverificationinInterpretation.
NewrulesforImpromptuadded.Therenolongerwillbeaseparatepreproom;studentswillhaveacombinedsevenminutestobothprepareandspeakinthesameroomwiththejudge.
05/31/2013 2013.1.0 Clarifiedthenumberofjudgesinfinalrounds;andinspeech,droppingatleastonehighandonelowranktoensureeleven.
Clarifiedspeakingorderforfinalroundsofspeechevents.
06/06/2013 2013.1.1 Whenthepreviousupdatewasreleased,thesentencepertainingtocollege-agejudgeswaserroneouslyomitted.Ithasbeenplacedback,withadditionalclarification.
06/11/2013 2013.1.2 ClarifiedthenumberofRepresentativesthatbreakintheHouse.
06/19/2013 2013.1.3 CorrectedthereferencebulletpointonImpromptutimelimit,referencingtimetoprepareandspeak.
05/01/2014 2014.0.0 Releaseforthe2014NationalTournament.Newfor2014:
Updated“InstructionsforRegistering.”CoachesmustUPLOADdigitalfilesofInterpandOratoryscriptsduringonlineregistrationratherthanmailinghardcopiestothenationaloffice.
Clarifiedtie-breakingproceduresforSupplementalSpeechandExtemporaneousDebate.
UpdatedweblinktolistofApprovedWebsitesforDigital(Online)PublishingSources.
NewrulesforExtemporaneousDebateadded.Duetotheextemporaneousnatureofthissupplementaldebateevent,debatetopicswillnotbereleasedinadvance,insteadrequiringa30-minuteprepperiod.
06/10/2014 2014.1.0 ClarifiedthenumberofcontestantsineachCongresssemifinalchamber.Thisadjustmentallowsthetournamentdirectortoadjustforavailablespaceandvaryingcontestantfields.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 131
UpdatedtheformulaanddescriptionoftheSchoolAwardsgivenoutattheNationalTournament.
09/24/2014 2015.0.0 Releaseforthe2015NationalTournament.Newfor2015:
AdjustedtheNationalTournamententryfees.
Changedthejudgingrequirementowedpersupplementaleventpre-registration.
Changedthejudgingrequirementowedperconsolationeventpre-registration.
Adjustedtheperround-hiredjudgefee.
Clarifiedrulespertainingtothe“graceperiod”inspeechevents.
11/17/2015 2016.0.0 Releaseforthe2016NationalTournament.Newfor2016:
Adaptedformattingtocreateunifiedmanual—contentcombinedwithHighSchoolChapterManual,DistrictTournamentOperationsManual,andNationalTournamentOperationsManual.
Addedpiloteventsfor2015-2016:InformativeSpeakingandProgramOralInterpretation.
EntrantsinINFandPOImustUPLOADacopyoftheirspeechduringonlineregistration.
ClarifiedfinalrankingintheFinalSessionofCongressionalDebate.
ClarifiedthenumberoffinalroundjudgestobeusedinSupplementalandConsolationEvents.
02/03/2016 2016.1.0 InWorldSchoolsDebate,eachAssociationdistrictisallowedtoqualifyONEteamofthreetofivestudents.Districtswillnotbeallowedasecondteam.
06/04/2016 2016.1.1 Updatedthenamesofmaineventspeechfinalroundbowlstoreflectcurrentsponsorship.
10/19/2016 2017.0.0 Releaseforthe2016-2017schoolyear:
AdoptedrequiredcommunitystandardsstatementthatcoachesmustaffirmpriortoDistrictandNationalTournamentregistration.
Addednewmaineventsfor2016-2017:InformativeSpeakingandProgramOralInterpretation.
InWorldSchoolsDebate,eachAssociationdistrictmayenteruptotwoteamstotheNationalTournament,providedtheyofferasecondjudgetocoverthecommitmentforthesecondteam.
OutlinedNationalTournamentAuditProcedures.
02/13/2017 2017.1.0 Updatedthemailingaddressforthenationaloffice:401RailroadPlace,WestDesMoines,IA50265-4730.
Advisorsnowhavetheoptiontoindicatehowtheywouldliketheirjudgebondappliedduringonlineregistration.AlljudgebondsmustbeclaimedbyJuly31,2017.IfyoudonotclaimyourbondatthetournamentorbyJuly31,itwillbeappliedasschoolcredit.ClarifiedthatallPOIentriesmustincludeaworkscitedpagewiththeirscriptuploadduringonlinetournamentregistration.
AddedanoverviewoflogisticsfortheBigQuestionsCapstoneEvent,whichwillbeheldinconjunctionwiththeNationalTournament.
Signed“ParticipantReleaseForms”shouldbeuploadedduringonlinetournamentregistration,NOTmailed.
NationalSpeech&DebateAssociation•©2016-2017 HighSchoolUnifiedManualAppendices 132
OutlinedprescribedpenaltiesforSpeechRulesViolations,adoptedinDecember2016.
Questions?We’[email protected](920)748-6206.Youmayalsofindmoreinformationonlineatwww.speechanddebate.org.