South Oregon District Qualifier

for the 2019 National Tournament

Congress

Location: North Valley High School, Grants Pass

Date: March 2, 2019

Register by: Monday, February 25 at 5:00 p.m.

Qualifiers: Top 2 in the Senate, and top 4 in the house (6 if we have 59 or more entered).

Temporary Chairs:  Please email me requests by the date of registration, February 25.

Pilot Rules:

We will use the pilot procedures for Congressional Debate this year. It will operate more or less the same as we have done in the past except for the House. The House will have a preliminary session in the morning (2 or 3 chambers are likely), breaking to a final chamber in the afternoon from which the national qualifiers will be determined.

Legislation: CLICK HERE FOR THE PACKET

Each school should e-mail me upload up to 2 pieces of legislation by February 18 Noon on February 20.  When you send legislation, please indicate if you would like it to be used for prelims or finals (which only really matters in the House). That legislation will be posted on this website, and then placed on the docket in each chamber (I'll have copies available for everyone competing). Any speaker from your school may present the authorship speech in the chamber.  One of those bills will be selected to represent South Oregon at the National Tournament. Any legislation I receive after February 18 20 at Noon will not be considered a school bill and will not be posted, though individual speakers may submit legislation from the floor (it will be eligible for debate after the school bills). Please carefully write and format school bills (templates available at congressionaldebate.org). Bills should be the original work of the school. The committee reserves the right to reject improper legislation.

Judging: 

1.    Congress: We will need a total of 3 people to judge in each chamber (9 total).  If you have no speaker in a chamber, you may be asked to be a scorer or parliamentarian.  If you think you can bring a scorer or parliamentarian, please notify Rob Moeny.  Judges are paid per session. As per the NSDA, we must use unaffiliated judges in each chamber.

2.    General Notes:

1.      Students will qualify in Congress based on Judge Ranking.

2.       As we are finishing this tournament before Speech and Debate qualifiers, please note that speakers who have already qualified in Congress will be allowed to compete, and perhaps even qualify, in the Speech and Debate qualifiers.

3.       I will set the chambers Friday night before Congress. Please let me know if you need to change your entries by 5 p.m.

4.       If you have students who choose to compete in the Congress and a speech or debate event, you need to have a completed Single Entry Letter of Intent for each (yes, even if they have no real chance of going).

5.       During the congress, we will have coaches create our World School qualifier rankings.

6.   We will not have concessions at the Congress. Lunch will be provided for judges.

7.   North Valley will be presenting their play Fools in the commons Saturday night. Be aware that actors will be arriving at 5:00 and will be preparing to go on. Please be respectful of their space (though feel free to stick around and enjoy the production).