Lincoln-Douglas

Topic: 

Resolved: States ought to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.

Judging:
In Varsity LD we require that judges are experienced with "TOC-style" debate. When we say "TOC-style" we mean you should not enter judges who are parents, or have no formal debate experience. The bottom line is that you should only bring judges who you would feel comfortable having in the back of the room. Jasmine Stidham will be reviewing each school's judges and may contact you with questions. If you have questions about your judge(s), please reach out to her at jstidham@hw.com. Every judge covering an obligation must be available for the Octafinal round on Monday morning. 

Disclosure:
Our tournament will continue with the tradition of mandating Opensource disclosure in the VLD division. This is non-negotiable. ALL debaters must post their speech documents to the Wiki in a timely manner after each round. Jasmine will be monitoring the Wiki throughout the tournament to ensure teams are following our policy. To be clear, you must Opensource your speech documents. If we determine that a student is violating or evading this policy for whatever reason, they may be disqualified from the tournament. Judges should feel empowered to uphold this policy. After the first offense, you will be contacted by Tabroom in hopes of fixing the error. If the problem persists, then the Tabroom will intervene. Additionally, if a student tries to evade this policy by misdisclosing, not specifying which affirmative they will be reading, or other similar antics, the disqualification rule still applies. We firmly believe that debate is ultimately better for everyone when we tell our opponents which affirmative we will be reading. Misdisclosure is considered a form of cheating. If you are someone who is against Opensource generally, you can always delete your speech documents after the tournament. During the HW tournament, however, you must post all speech documents to the NDCA Wiki. If you have questions, please reach out to Jasmine. 

FAQ for the disclosure policy:
Q: What is Opensource?

A: Opensource refers to posting the speech documents you read in the debate. Yes, this is different than just posting the full text. Please Opensource your documents. 

Q: What needs to be included in those documents?
A: The cards you read. You do not need to disclose personal narratives or analytics. You should include evidence and the tags for the evidence. 

Q: Do the cards need to be highlighted?
A: If you are truly concerned about your opponents viewing your highlighted cards, you do not need to send the cards highlighted. The cards should still be sent in a speech document along with the tags.

Q: What if I don't read any cards at all?
A: If you truly do not read any carded evidence in the AC or NC, then you would not have any evidence to send to your opponents and there is nothing to upload. However, we still ask that you disclose your affirmative by telling your opponent what your affirmative is. Giving your opponent a summary explanation of your affirmative would meet our disclosure policy if your affirmative does not include any evidence.

Q: When should I disclose my affirmative?
A: At least 30 minutes before the round. You may also disclose earlier, but it is not required. This does not apply to new affirmatives. 

Q: Do I need to Opensource my 1AR or 2NR cards?
A: No, this is not required. We only require that you Opensource your AC and NC. 

Q: What if I decide to flood the Wiki with affirmatives I've never actually read to evade the disclosure policy, or I misdisclose to my opponent?
A: The Tabroom will intervene if a student decides to do this. 

Q: What happens if I am in a debate round and I believe my opponent is violating the disclosure policy?
A: You should make your judge and the Tabroom aware. 

Q: Does this apply to novices in the NLD division?
A: We are not as concerned about Opensource in the novice division. We still encourage Opensource in novice, but we recognize that there is a much larger Wiki learning curve for novice debaters.

Prep time:

LD will have 4 minutes of prep time. 

Fees:

Payments should be made to Harvard-Westlake School. 

Please send to:

Harvard-Westlake School
c/o Mike Bietz - Debate
700 N Faring Road
Los Angeles, CA 90077

Fee Schedule:

The debateLA Challenge (RR): $155.00
(judge requirement is 1 judge per entry. Hired judging is available for $400.00 to cover 2 days of judging)

Varsity LD: $125
(judge requirement is 3 rounds per entry. Hired judging is available for $100 per missing round)

Novice LD: $80
(judge requirement is 3 rounds per entry. Hired judging is available for $50 per missing round)

World Schools: $95
(judge requirement is 1 judge per 2 entries. Hired judging is available for $200 per uncovered entry)

MSPDP: $45
(judge requirement is 1 judge per 2 entries. Hired judging is available for $150 per uncovered entry)