Parli Essentials

DETAILED PARLI SCHEDULE HERE. MASTER SCHEDULE LISTS WHEN YOU START DEBATING, NOT WHEN PREP TIME STARTS.

STUDENTS: Prep Areas-->Outside Newman Auditorium & Bertollini Student Center.Student lounge, lunch, & awards-->Bertollini Student Center

COACHES/JUDGES/TABBERS: Report to the Judges Lounge-->Newman Auditorium 1564

Click HERE for the master schedule of all events.

Other Parli Essentials (Wifi, Campus Map, Helpline, Equity Complaint/Protest, Judging, Announcements, Topics, etc.)->LINK. This doc will be dated throughout the tournament day, so check it often.

*Important Parli Notes:

1) GGSA Parli Round Rules are the same as NPDL Round Rules. Know how and when to use POCs, POIs, & POOs. Focus on logic & reasoning. Citations/Sources should not be counted in the decision.

2) Mavericking and three-person teams are permissible only in Novice or JV, but it is an exception rather than a general practice. They are usually used to solve a problem, such as a partner getting ill at the last minute. Schools should not have more than one such instance in the permitted division. Neither option is allowed for Varsity because they lead to an unclear, unfair path to state qualifiers.

3) While JV and V teams have 20 minutes of prep, Novice GGSA teams have 30 minutes of prep, with 5 minute constructive speeches and 3 minute rebuttals (5-5-5-5-3-3) instead of the JV/V times of 7-8-8-8-4-5.

4) During prep time, debaters may use the internet, take notes by hand, and use those paper notes during the debate. No computer access during debate UNLESS students have disabilities requiring additional computer accommodation that their coach has already cleared with the director(s) in advance. Judges will also see said accommodation noted on their ballot. Phones, however, can be used by all as timers. Although JV and Varsity debaters CANNOT receive real-time assistance with their arguments from persons other than their partner, Novices may consult with teammates or other HS debaters, competing or not, at the tournament. Prep with a coach is NOT allowed for any division.

5) Debaters: “Prep” times reflect when debaters should be present in the prep area and ready to go. Please arrive ten minutes before the "topic" time. They should already be in their round room at the listed start time; forfeit is ten minutes later. E.g.. For Novice Round 1, novices should be in the prep area at 8:20 when pairings will be blasted. Topic is read at 8:30, debaters should be in their room at 9:00, and forfeit is at 9:10 for a no-show.

6) Judges: Note the difference between prep time and round start time; the debaters will not arrive in the room until the time scheduled for the debate itself. Please be in your assigned room five minutes before the round. Press “ACCEPT BALLOT” on your Tabroom e-ballot right when you receive it. Those without ballots should use this time to grab refreshments, check their devices, and finish prior round comments. Immediately alert Tab using the Helpline if anyone is missing from the room. No oral RFD and speaker scores, but do input your Win/Loss decision right away to make possible pairings for the next round.

7) While generative A.I. sources like ChatGPT may be used to guide students to articles, ideas, and sources, students are prohibited from quoting or paraphrasing text directly from such sources.

8) Equity Complaints & Protests: All equity complaints and protests should be brought immediately to the attention of event co-directors in the Parli Tab Room. All wishing to protest must bring an adult, ideally the coach. The burden of proof is on the complainant; the team/coach filing needs to supply evidence and specify the violation. Here is the Equity Intake Form.

9) Don't be alarmed if you come to your assigned room, and there is another ongoing debate in the process of wrapping up. Just wait until it is done. Note that each round is double flighted, alternating between one Novice/JV debate and one Varsity debate.

10) All times are approximate. Whenever possible, we will move rounds up in order to expedite the tournament. Sometimes delays occur—please remember that our volunteer-run organization does its best!