Schedule:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cvAInmwswEubdc9sQtIRYfRsKja_80jatLwfmjsnHXI/edit?usp=sharing

Dates

Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9

Time Zone

Tournament times are listed in Central Standard Time (CST).

Modality

We hope folks will join us in-person. We will accept online entries. We plan on using Zoom for online rounds.

Deadlines

The entry deadline is Tuesday, March 5 at 5 pm CST.

Format

Cross-examination style debate format will be used, with two-person teams. There will be four nine-minute constructive speeches, beginning with the affirmative. After each constructive, there will be a three-minute cross-examination by a member of the opposition. There will be four six-minute rebuttals, beginning with the negative. Each team will be allocated ten minutes of preparation time to be used in between speeches and cross-examination periods. Each debater must give one constructive speech and one rebuttal.

Divisions

We will accept entries in all three divisions (novice, junior varsity, varsity).

Hybrid Entries

Hybrid entries are welcome and are eligible to advance to the showcase round..

Tournament Structure

Each division will have five preliminary rounds of debate competition, followed by a showcase debate between the two mostly highly-rated teams in that division.

Topic

The topic for debates will be the Spring 2025 resolution, available here:
https://www.westerndebateunion.org/topics

Fees

Online: $50 / team

Please pay here: https://learning.umn.edu/portal/events/reg/participantTypeSelection.do?method=load&entityId=54771415

One you pay your fees, please contact DCH--we do not have easy access to the registrant list.

Judging

1—Judge philosophies, as a precondition of entry, must be posted to judges’ Tabroom.com accounts no later than March 6, 2025.

2—Judges are expected to have significant prior experience with evidence-based debate. If a judge does not have significant prior experience with evidence-based debaet they are not eligible to judge without prior permission from the tournament director

3—Each school must provide 3 rounds of prelim judging per team.

4—Each judge should be entered for a minimum obligation of 2 preliminary rounds. We also very much appreciate additional contributions, particularly if you have judges with significant team or time constraints.

5—Judges are expected to judge debates assigned to them by the tournament tab room.

6—Judges must vote for one and only one team in each debate.

7—Judges have an affirmative obligation to identify conflicts prior to the start of the tournament. Failure to do so may result in removal of preferences for the teams from the schools involved, adjustment of the judge’s schools judging obligations, and/or financial penalties.

Conflicts of interest in which a judge should preclude themselves from judging a particular team or school, and for which a team should constrain a judge, include:

a) Previous significant coaching relationship with a debater,

b) Current or previous romantic relationship with a debater,

c) Current romantic relationship with a member of the coaching staff of a school,

d) Familial relationship with a debater or member of the coaching staff of a school,

e) Recent (within the last four academic years) coaching position with a school,

f) Recent (within the last four academic years) undergraduate competitor for a school.

Conduct, Access, Recording

1—All participants debate at the invitation of the University of Minnesota according to its policies and tournament rules, as well as any rules of their sponsoring institutions.

2—The tournament abides by the rules and norms of the American Forensics Association and Collegiate Advocacy Research and Debate.

3—Debate rounds are open to registered tournament participants.

4—Debates may be recorded for private educational use by tournament participants (registered coaches, debaters, and UMN tournament staff). In such instances, participants should request consent. Public distribution of such recordings is expressly prohibited unless prior written consent of all individuals on the recording is obtained and unless prior written consent of the University of Minnesota is obtained.

5- Private sharing for educational use is permitted but should not include publication or posting online.

6—Debates may be recorded by the UMN tournament for tournament administration purposes. The tournament will not publish, distribute, or retain the recordings, except as needed for tournament administration or as required by applicable law.

7—Coaches and program directors are encouraged to discuss these policies with their participants prior to the tournament and are expected to take any reasonable and necessary actions to ensure compliance by participants who are affiliated with their respective schools.