National Parliamentary Debate League NPDL TOC
2025 — Oakland, CA/US
Rules, Conduct, and Enforcement
Topic strike rules
We will employ topic strikes per the NPDL rules:
Each round shall have three possible topics. Before the preparation period, teams shall strike topics as follows: The Opposition team shall strike one of the three topics, and then the Government team shall strike one of the remaining two.
Prep rules
During prep:
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Students MAY use computers and the internet
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Students MUST NOT use backfiles (pre-written notes on likely debate topics or topic areas)
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Students MUST NOT prep with anyone other than their own partner
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Students MUST write their cases on the colored paper distributed by the tournament, unless that student has received explicit permission from the TOC Director to use a laptop.
Round rules
This tournament will follow the NPDL round rules.
There is no grace period.
Students MUST NOT use computers during their rounds, unless that student has received explicit permission from the TOC Director to use a laptop.
Students may flow on any blank paper or blank flowing template.
Equity
If you believe someone involved in the tournament has violated the NPDL code of conduct, you may report it to the Equity Committee. Any tournament participant may file an equity complaint.
Equity complaints are confidential. This confidentiality extends to all parties involved in a complaint, not just the Equity Committee members. Complaints may be shared with the NPDL board.
Here is the equity complaint form.
Protests
Select NPDL round rules are enforceable by the protest committee. Only coaches may file protests. If a student believes a protestable rule violation occurred in their debate, they contact their coach to file a protest immediately after the round. If necessary, skip oral feedback to ensure the protest is filed in a timely fashion. All protests must be filed prior to the posting of topics for the next subsequent round.
Most concerns should be referred to the equity committee, not the protest committee. If you are not sure, speak to a member of either committee, or the tournament director, for guidance.