Equity and Belonging

Equity and Belonging

At Collegiate School, we strive to build and sustain an equitable environment, in which all community members feel a deep sense of belonging - being seen, heard, and valued. We honor that responsibility and, with community, we co-create a culture that supports and promotes our equity and belonging initiatives.

In alignment with these goals, competitions at Collegiate School utilize procedures that are consistent with our school’s values of inclusion as well as the speech and debate community’s contemporary best practices for inclusive competitions. Therefore we will utilize the National Speech and Debate Association’s Belonging and Inclusion Station process to address appropriate concerns that may arise. There will be a Belonging and Inclusion Advocate that has completed relevant training present throughout the competition to address any issues.

From the NSDA webpage regarding the BIS:

NSDA Belonging and Inclusion Station

The NSDA is committed to fostering a tournament environment where all members feel heard, included, and safe. The Belonging and Inclusion Station (BIS) provides interpersonal support to those who feel excluded and helps uphold the NSDA Harassment and Discrimination Policy. Rooted in the principles of teaching, learning, and healing, the BIS addresses concerns through dialogue and education, reserving corrective measures for situations where education alone cannot resolve an issue.

Reasons to visit the BIS include (but are not limited to)

• An individual makes an inappropriate joke.

• A really powerful speech (that violates no rules) triggers emotions in a contestant or judge, and they need space to process their feelings.

• An individual feels overwhelmed or alone and needs a listening ear or encouragement.

• A contestant is rude or unkind to another contestant.

Our Vision of Belonging and Inclusion

At Collegiate, our vision of inclusive practices ranges from things like designating gender neutral restrooms, designating a prayer room, lactation room, quiet room, having inclusive meal options, and addressing needs that we have not anticipated when they are brought to our attention.

The BIS process exists to provide a dedicated resource for any other misunderstandings, friction, or possible violations of the honor code that may take place when we bring different school communities together. It serves a similar purpose to a school counselor–someone to help process thoughts, feelings, or emotions.

Our Belonging and Inclusion Advocate is WK (they/she), who can be found in the tabroom throughout the tournament for help with any equity and belonging concerns. WK is a former forensics competitor and Director of Speech and Debate at Berkeley-Carroll School in Brooklyn. WK also serves as a BIA at the NSDA National Tournament. We will also introduce them and announce the Belonging and Inclusion policy at the opening meeting on Saturday.

How to engage the BIS

To connect with the BIS, there will be an intake form to submit, which will be published to the tabroom webpage, along with contact information for the BIA and the link to the intake form, on Saturday morning. Any concerned person can also find WK in the tabroom to connect with the BIS in person. This section of the invitation will also be updated with the intake form after it is available. The location of the intake form and process will also be announced at the opening meeting on Saturday morning.

Please use this link to access the BIS Intake Form