Put me on the email chain: bastianethan3@gmail.com

Criminal Justice 2020-2021: Limited lab assistance. I helped write the Abolition K aff, so that's what I'm most familiar with. Assume I don't know acronyms for the time being. I'll vote for who wins, but it should be noted that I don't find "cops good" to be inherently persuasive.

Experience: At the time of writing, I have competed in four years of policy debate, and now compete as a Junior with KU. I have run ridiculous politics arguments that win rounds, but I have also run a performative Irigaray aff, followed by a performative Trans People of Color Rage aff, so I am down for all kinds of arguments. I will admit that currently I am debating more on the policy side (check my aff for this year).

General: I default to an offense/defense paradigm. I am sympathetic to tech over truth in the context of dropped arguments, but I think that the claim that an arg is "dropped" is overused. I'll protect the 2N. 2AR lies can be justified, but it's a steep battle. I rely heavily on the flow as a judge, so please tell me where you are and what arguments you are answering. Please tell me what I should vote on and why, because I too hate judge intervention. I am very expressive with my face so you will likely know what I am liking or not liking. Flashing/email is not prep, unless it is excessive. Keep chatter between speeches to a minimum, we're on the clock. Don't be over-powering or dick-ish in CX. Let your partner talk.

Speed: Go for it, just please be clear on tags and slow down on analytics - especially theory. I can flow pretty well, but nothing feels worse than knowing I need to give a competent RFD on T when I can't be sure I got all of your arguments.

T: I view T debates as two competing models for debate. Reasonability isn't really persuasive to me unless it is dropped/undercovered. Fairness is an impact unless you win otherwise. Impact work please, why do I vote for limits? Why is precision an impact?

FW/T against aff: Fairness is an impact until proven otherwise. Be aware of the terminal level when doing impact calc, IE how does collapse of the activity/fairness compare to the impacts of their aff. Debate is at its core a competitive activity, but I think that it also offers unique educational opportunities. If you go for only one of those aspects as an impact, explain it's interaction with the other aspects of the debate. In these debates I generally let the aff weigh their case as offense unless otherwise persuaded and will also default to competing interpretations as mechanisms for both teams to resolve their offense. Please have a TVA, though in some cases it may not be needed.

FW(aff) against K's(neg): If your framework is "K's bad for debate", I will not grant you much ground. "Let us weigh the aff" is usually a better route in my opinion. "Only links to the plan" is acceptable, but you have to debate still. Defend your method, IE policy debate education good, predictions good, role-playing good, Etc. My personal idea of what framework ought to look like is that the aff needs to defend its reps, but the aff can also weigh the impacts of the case against the impact of each link. More leaning over time to assumptions-based links being bad.

Theory: My threshold is pretty high on theory, higher than T. I err neg on conditionality, dispositionality, and perfcon arguments. I think perfcon is best deployed as link non-uniqueness for reps or rhetoric args. I can be persuaded by condo if the aff can prove the pertinence of the abuse (IE Two Cps and a K with T and one or more DAs is definitely enough for me to begin considering in round abuse), but rarely as just another piece of offense because you could fit it in the frontline. Show me what strategic options you've lost as a 2A. ASPEC is generally pretty ridiculous, but in round abuse is persuasive. If you read from the troll a-z spec file or anything in the troll vein of theory I will likely not be voting for you. I dislike most PICs, but particularly condition CPs and Delay CPs. Fifty-State Fiat: as this has become a contended issue on this topic, I will say that while I generally err neg on theory I can be convinced fifty-state fiat is unrealistic or bad scholarship.

DA's: I love ptx DA's. Explain and defend the internal link scenario clearly. I am willing to vote for a DA without a counterplan with sufficient defense and turns case arguments.

CP's: The counterplan should solve some part of case. I likely won't judge kick unless you tell me to and/or it's dropped. I personally dislike CP's that use multiple planks to FIAT out of solvency deficits, and think there may be a theory debate to be had on that question. If you use a sufficiency framing explain what that means in terms of the aff and how that changes how I evaluate the debate. See above for where I stand on theory debates.

K's: Impact out each link. Explain in depth why links are DAs to the perm -making a blippy assertion has never seemed like enough to me. Explain your alt. I will default to it as a frame to evaluate the debate rather than a CP unless told otherwise. If you win offense against the alt, explain why it matters. I find this direct response to the theory combined with weighing case to be quite persuasive. Explain in depth and minimize jargon, I have a decent knowledge of most literature bases but much less so of jargon associated with a given theory. Side note: Death good is a pretty bad arg so at best you could get a low-point win with a very irritated rfd out of me afterwards when reading it.

K's on the aff: I personally think this is just part of debate and that "K's bad" generic framework is pretty outdated. Cross-apply the above. My specific comments would be that I prefer you to affirm the resolution and prove relevancy to the topic. Explain what your aff does and how it relates to your harms, and on what level I should evaluate it (IE in round, exportable method, hypothetical imaginary, etc.) Explain to me what you think debate should look like v FW, as I will weigh two interpretations at the end of the round. I am willing to weigh your aff in that decision. You get a perm unless you get whooped on theory. I like method debates.

High School Debate/Forensics – Shawnee Heights (2014-2018)

College Policy Debate (NDT/CEDA) – Wichita State (2018-2022)

Previous Assistant Debate and Forensics Coach at W. East and W. Southeast

Current Head Debate/Forensics Coach at Wichita Southeast High School

Email: kaylab222@gmail.com

I like clean, organized, and well thought out debates that focus more on the depth of the arguments. I also value and reward teams that engage in high levels of clash and attack the warrants of the evidence. I am a policy centric judge, that has coached all types of debate styles. That being said, do what you are comfortable with. However, I am best in debates that revolve around some sort of policy or plan. The best way to win my ballot is doing clean line-by-line and explain why the weight of your arguments matter more than that of the opposing team.

When debating on the affirmative, what I look for is a team that can articulate a story about what the plan is, how the plan solves, and what the advantage of the plan is. I am noticing more and more in debate rounds that teams are not extending each part of the AFF, with explanations of all the moving parts. Even if the neg does not respond to a part of the aff, your job as the aff is to still extend that argument if you want to keep it viable.

If you are going to read topicality, there are a few things to consider. First, I am a judge that is a sucker for in round abuse. Even if you have to bait them into giving you the link on your ground/limit’s arguments, it is something that I am willing to vote on.

I love a good CP/Net Ben/DA Debate. This is the debate I am probably the most comfortable in, and the best judge for. The only thing I ask for in this type of debate is for the negative to explain how the CP solves the link on the DA/Net Ben, I am not going to be this gracious and do the work for you.

I don’t have a preference on whether teams go for theory or topicality. The biggest thing I look for in these types of debates are 3 things: 1. Proven in-round abuse, I don’t really care for the hypotheticals of “well this could happen” I want to know why the other team violated the rules so egregiously that it made this debate impossible for you to win. 2. Voters, this is something that is being overlooked and I am not sure why. Tell me how and why I should evaluate this argument in the context of the debate. 3. On topicality, I am more apt to vote for T if there is some version of a TVA – especially if you make an argument as to how the tva solves the advantages.

I don’t have much thought on K Debate, well-articulated links and solvency is what I look for in a K debate. I am not the most familiar with K literature, so please make sure to articulate any complex components of solvency or any buzz words.

Other niche thoughts, be nice to people, don’t steal prep, please signpost, analytics is not a part of a roadmap (what are the analytics about?), and have fun.

Questions? Ask me before the round.

Coach @ Asian Debate League

Debated 4 years at Kapaun** Mount Carmel in Wichita, Kansas, 2017

Debated 4 years NDT/CEDA/D3 at University of Kansas, 2021

Email chain: gaboesquivel@gmail.com

I treat judging debate with the same love and care that I treat my job. I love what we do.

My biases:

I lean aff for condo. Some might say too much. I might expect a lot from you if you do go for it.

I didn't go for K's much but I really like debating them vs my policy aff. More than policy v policy debates. Links are the most important thing for me. Impacts are a close second. I value consistency between the scale of the links and impacts i.e. in round impacts should have in round links.

I strongly bias toward "The K gets links and impacts vs the aff's fiated impacts" unless someone delivers a very persuasive speech. I can be persuaded that making a personal ethical choice is more important than preventing a nuclear war.

I lean toward affs with plans. Fairness concerns me less than usual nowadays. I like research/clash impacts.

I will read evidence and vote for evidence in debates where things are not settled by the debater's words. This happens frequently in T debates and impact turn debates.

Status quo is always an option=judge kick

How I judge:

I work hard to listen and read your evidence. I am honest about what I don't understand. I am patient with novices.

Be clear or go slower (7 or 8/10) for online debate otherwise I'll miss the nuance in your arguments. I clear twice before I stop flowing.

I flow and use everything I hear in my decision, and overemphasize what is said in the rebuttals. I'll reference the 1AR speech to protect the 2NR on a 2AR that "sounds new" and I'll reference the block on a 2NR that claims the 1AR dropped something. I'll reference a 2AC on a 1AR that claims the block dropped something, etc.

For a dropped argument to be a true argument it must have been a complete claim and warrant from the beginning. I am not a fan of being "sneaky" or "tricky". Unless you are going for condo ;)

I am persuaded by ethos and pathos more than logos. I find myself wanting to vote for a debater who tries to connect with me more than a debater who reads a wall of blocks even if they are technically behind. When both teams are great speakers I rely more on tech and evidence.

I try to craft my decision based on language used by the debaters. I reference evidence when I cannot resolve an argument by flow alone. PhD's, peer reviewed journals, and adequate highlighting will help you here. If I can't resolve it that way I'll look for potential cross applications or CX arguments and might end up doing work for you. If I do work for one team I will try to do the same amount for the other team. It might get messy if its close, that's what the panel is for, but please challenge my decision if you strongly disagree and I'll tell you where my biases kicked in.

**Pronounced (Kay-pen)

Debated at Blue Valley Northwest for 4 years, 2014-2018

Duke University ‘22

Debated mostly as a 1A/2N but also have experience being a 2A/1N

Email: garimellavandita [at] gmail [dot] com – please add me to the email chain

Pronouns: she/her/hers

If anything needs to be clarified before the round, don’t hesitate to ask.

Top Level:

1. Tech over truth

2. High threshold for voting aff on condo, but I’ll vote on it if it’s dropped especially if the neg reads more than 3 conditional advocacies

3. Clipping will automatically lose you the round

4. I’ll reward your speaks if you make ununderlined evidence indicts/recut 1ac ev

5. Speed is fine, please be clear

6. I’ll vote on presumption

Case:

Clash is super important. Analytics are good arguments, make evidence indicts, and please be organized. Line by line is good.

I think affs should be in the direction of the topic. I usually find affs that defend topical government action more persuasive.

SV and extinction are both impacts and your framing analysis determines how I evaluate the round.

DA:

These are great. Impact calc is critical and spend your time explaining why the disad impacts are more probable/outweigh specific 1ac internal link chains. Focus your time on the link debate; a persuasive no link argument is more compelling than reading a lot of cards for the sake of it. Making turns case arguments is important too.

CPs:

I usually default to sufficiency framing. The block should have a clear articulation of how the CP functions, why it competes, and what the net benefit is. I won’t judge kick the CP for you unless the 2NR tells me to, and I default to rejecting the argument not the team on any other theory arguments except condo.

K’s:

I’m not too familiar with K literature but I will vote on them if you articulate specific links to the aff and clearly explain how the alt functions. Going for the perm is a good idea especially if you have compelling institutions good arguments.

I find links of omission and role of the ballot arguments unpersuasive. Framing is important, weigh the aff against the K, and use your 1ac to show why your epistemology is good.

Literature I am familiar with:

- Neolib

- Cap

- Biopower

- Security

You can read other K’s in front of me, but my link threshold is substantially higher.

Floating PIKs are bad.

T:

I default to competing interpretations, but a good aff explanation can persuade me otherwise. T is never a RVI. Reasonability is a question of your counter interp and not the aff being reasonable. I find precise interpretations compelling so evidence quality is important. For me, T debates usually come down to a question of limits.

I am the Director of Forensics and an Assistant Professor of Speech Communication in the Department of Writing & Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi. I have a PhD and MA in Communication Studies from the University of Kansas.

I currently coach British Parliamentary debate but my background is in policy debate.

From 2014 to 2021 I was an assistant coach at the University of Kansas.

I competed at Wayne State University from 2009 to 2014.

I debated in high school for Dexter High School in Michigan.

Put me on the email chain, please. jacob.justice.debate at gmail.

Regardless of format (policy, PF, LD, BP, etc.) or style (policy, critique, etc.) I want to see complete and supported arguments, engagement with the arguments of your opponent, and judge instruction about how to prioritize and weigh various arguments.

The following stuff still applies.

*October 2020 Update*

This past Spring I finished up my PhD at the University of Kansas. I am now a public speaking instructor at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. I will be judging sporadically for Kansas during the 2020-2021 season.

What does this mean?

Don't assume I have high familiarity with the nitty-gritty of the current topic. I coached/judged on the high school military presence topic (2010-2011) and coached/judged extensively on the college military presence topic (2015-2016), so I am familiar with the broad strokes of the current college topic, but the latest and spiciest arguments and acronyms might be unfamiliar to me.

The Wayne State tournament will also be my first time judging an online tournament; although I did judge many online debates at the 2020 Jayhawk Debate Institute and have taught online many times as well. I just wanted to provide a fair warning that you can't rule out a "boomer technology moment" with me in the back of the room as I learn the ropes of this strange new world of online debating.

With these updates out of the way, I think everything below applies.

I always do my best to judge the debate in front of me without letting my own biases creep in. But I (or any other judge) would be lying if I told you I don't have certain preferences: these preferences are spelled out pretty well below.

One additional comment: I find that the most difficult rounds to resolve often involve debates that are occurring on two different registers. A 1AC with massive extinction impacts versus K links about knowledge production or ontology. Or a 1AC about anti-blackness or psychic violence versus a T argument about fairness/education. When debaters' impacts operate on such different levels, it can be difficult to resolve the debate without debaters explicitly telling me what types of impacts to prioritize.

*Previous Philosophy*

First things first:

1) Do what you're best at. As a judge, I should adapt to you and not the other way around.

2) Arguments should have a claim, warrant, and implication. Any argument that contains a claim, data (this doesn't mean carded), warrant and implication is fair game for my ballot.

3) A dropped argument is almost always a true argument. The most common exception is if the original argument did not include the requirements in #2, in which case I might give the team that dropped the arg some leeway in hedging against an entirely new warrant or implication. Tech creates "truth". What is "truth" is contingent on arguments made (and won). I often find myself voting for arguments that I disagree with or find silly when one side executes better.

4) This is a communication activity, so clarity is important to me. I like being able to hear the text of evidence as it is being read. Enunciate! Don't talk into your laptop or read like a robot.

General Notes:

Context always matters. Controlling the contextual framing almost always requires hard pre-round work, and usually wins the round. I value teams that demonstrate robust knowledge of their arguments and the topic.

Clash matters a lot to me. I'm not a good judge for teams whose strategy is built around avoiding a debate. This is true regardless of which side of the K/policy spectrum any given argument falls on.

Impact comparisons are critical, no matter what flavor of debate you engage in. Does negative flexibility outweigh 2AC strategy skew? Are the 1AC’s methodological assumptions a prior question to its pragmatic implications? Does a long term warming impact outweigh a quick nuclear war scenario? In a close round, the team that provides the clearest and most well-explained answer to questions like those usually wins my ballot.

In general, it is better to a develop a small number of arguments in an in-depth manner than to develop a large number of arguments in a shallow manner, although there are certainly exceptions to this rule. Selective rebuttals are typically the most effective. That being said, I recognize the strategic benefit of the 1AR pursuing a handful of lines of argument to give the 2AR flexibility to pick-and-choose.

After judging a year of college debates, I think my biggest pet peeve is vagueness -- be that a vague plan, vague CP, or vague alt. Being clear and detailed is helpful to me as a judge.

Framework:

See: my previous thoughts about clash.

Teams should defend an example of the resolution. I don't think being topical is an unreasonable expectation when the resolution does not force you to take a conservative or repugnant action (i.e., when legalizing pot or closing military bases is topical). I think fairness is an impact and will vote on it if articulated and debated well.

When answering T with a "K Aff," I think it is important for the AFF team to advance a limiting counter-interpretation of some kind. I am more likely to be persuaded by "we don't make the topic unworkably large" than "destroying debate good."

It is important for affirmatives to demonstrate that their advocacy is germane to the controversy of the resolution and contestable. Affirmatives should explain what type of ground they make available to the negative, and not just by referring to random author names. In other words, it's much more helpful when the affirmative frames the ground debate in terms of: "our affirmative relies on *X* assumption, which *Y* literature base writes evidence refuting" rather than just saying "you can read Baudrillard, Bataille, etc."

Teams should articulate a clear vision of what debate would look like under their interpretation. Ideally, teams should present a clear answer to questions like: "what is the purpose of debate?" Is it a game? A site for activism? Somewhere in between?

I don't think reading topicality is a means to evade clash with the substance of an affirmative -- in many instances it calls core assumptions of the affirmative into question.

Interacting with your opponents' argument is critical. It's important to isolate a clear impact to your argument and explain how it accesses/turns your opponents. Often times I find these debates to be irreconcilable because the arguments advanced by either side have disparate premises. It can be helpful to not conflate procedural justifications for topicality with normative ones, though the internal links to these things often become messy.

I am disinclined to view debate as a role-playing exercise.

Topicality:

I will definitely vote on it, and I have done so often. I am not a good judge for "should = past tense of shall", "reduce =/= eliminate" and other contrived interpretations negatives read against obviously topical affs. For instance, it will be difficult to convince me that an affirmative which removes the Cuban embargo is untopical, absent a massive technical error. That being said I am willing to vote on T, given that an interpretation, violation, standards, and voters are well articulated. Affirmatives should always make and extend a counter-interpretation.

Theory –

It will be tough to persuade me that two conditional advocacies is egregious and unmanageable for the 2AC. Beyond two conditional advocacies is pushing your luck if you are the negative team, especially with multiple "kickable" planks involved.

Basically every other theoretical objection is a reason to reject the argument, not the team.

I haven't formed a solid opinion on "judge kicking" CPs, but since the aff has the burden of proof in most theory debates, I think I am comfortable putting the burden on the aff to prove why the 2NR can't simultaneously go for a CP and the SQ.

-Consult/Condition/Delay CPs – I tend to consider these types of CPs uncompetitive, and am thus receptive to perm arguments. That being said, there is a big difference in my mind between “Consult Japan on the plan” and well-evidenced CP’s that are comparative between doing the plan unconditionally, and using the plan as leverage. The latter brand of condition CP’s are few and far between.

Critiques:

Given my disposition to view things within a cost-benefit paradigm, I am likely to frame the critique as a disad / counterplan. This basic calculus will be different based upon the framework arguments advanced by the negative regarding ontology, epistemology, method, etc.

When indicting an affirmative's knowledge production or epistemology is imperative that you reference quotes or phrases from the 1AC which you think are flawed. It is also imperative that affirmatives defend the truth value of their 1AC's claims from these types of epistemological attacks.

I feel most comfortable in K rounds that involve a lot of interaction with the plan, the advantages, or explicit 1AC claims. There should be a coherent link, impact, and alternative. Don't assume I know what you are talking about.

Affs are best answering the K at the alt and impact level as the neg will almost certainly win a link. Articulating why the alt doesn't solve the case and why the case outweighs the K impacts is usually the best strategy. I am also a fan of the impact turn.

K links should ideally establish that the 1AC/plan is undesirable, not merely that it doesn't account for every foreseeable harm. I.E. links that say: "the plan makes racism worse" are more persuasive than "the plan does not address other instances of racism."

Debated @ UNT 2009-2014

Coach @ St Marks since 2017

Coach @ UTDallas since 2018

If you have questions, feel free to email me at mccullough.hunter@gmail.com

For me, the idea that the judge should remain impartial is very important. I've had long discussions about the general acceptability/desirability of specific debate arguments and practices (as has everybody, I'm sure), but I've found that those rarely influence my decisions. I've probably voted for teams without plans in framework debates more often than I've voted neg, and I've voted for the worst arguments I can imagine, even in close debates, if I thought framing arguments were won. While nobody can claim to be completely unbiased, I try very hard to let good debating speak for itself. That being said, I do have some general predispositions, which are listed below.

T-Theory

-I tend to err aff on T and neg on most theory arguments. By that, I mean that I think that the neg should win a good standard on T in order to win that the aff should lose, and I also believe that theory is usually a reason to reject the argument and not the team.

- Conditional advocacies are good, but making contradictory truth claims is different. However, I generally think these claims are less damaging to the aff than the "they made us debate against ourselves" claim would make it seem. The best 2ACs will find ways of exploiting bad 1NC strategy, which will undoubtedly yield better speaker points than a theory debate, even if the aff wins.

- I kind of feel like "reasonability" and "competing interpretations" have become meaningless terms that, while everybody knows how they conceptualize it, there are wildly different understandings. In my mind, the negative should have to prove that the affirmative interpretation is bad, not simply that the negative has a superior interpretation. I also don't think that's a very high standard for the negative to be held to, as many interpretations (especially on this space topic) will be hot fiery garbage.

- My view of debates outside of/critical of the resolution is also complicated. While my philosophy has always been very pro-plan reading in the past, I've found that aff teams are often better at explaining their impact turns than the neg is at winning an impact that makes sense. That being said, I think that it's hard for the aff to win these debates if the neg can either win that there is a topical version of the affirmative that minimizes the risk of the aff's impact turns, or a compelling reason why the aff is better read as a kritik on the negative. Obviously there are arguments that are solved by neither, and those are likely the best 2AC impact turns to read in front of me.

- "The aff was unpredictable so we couldn't prepare for it so you should assume it's false" isn't a good argument for framework and I don't think I've ever voted for it.

CPs

- I'm certainly a better judge for CP/DA debates than K v K debates. I particularly like strategic PICs and good 1NC strategies with a lot of options. I'd be willing to vote on consult/conditions, but I find permutation arguments about immediacy/plan-plus persuasive.

- I think the neg gets away with terrible CP solvency all the time. Affs should do a better job establishing what counts as a solvency card, or at least a solvency warrant. This is more difficult, however, when your aff's solvency evidence is really bad. - Absent a debate about what I should do, I will kick a counterplan for the neg and evaluate the aff v. the squo if the CP is bad/not competitive

- I don't think the 2NC needs to explain why severence/intrinsicness are bad, just win a link. They're bad.

- I don't think perms are ever a reason to reject the aff.

- I don't think illegitimate CPs are a reason to vote aff.

Disads

- Run them. Win them. There's not a whole lot to say.

- I'd probably vote on some sort of "fiat solves" argument on politics, but only if it was explained well.

- Teams that invest time in good, comparative impact calculus will be rewarded with more speaker points, and likely, will win the debate. "Disad/Case outweighs" isn't a warrant. Talk about your impacts, but also make sure you talk about your opponents impacts. "Economic collapse is real bad" isn't as persuasive as "economic collapse is faster and controls uniqueness for the aff's heg advantage".

Ks

- My general line has always been that "I get the K but am not well read in every literature". I've started to realize that that statement is A) true for just about everybody and B) entirely useless. It turns out that I've read, coached, and voted for Ks too often for me to say that. What I will say, however, is that I certainly focus my research and personal reading more on the policy side, but will generally make it pretty obvious if I have no idea what you're saying.

- Make sure you're doing link analysis to the plan. I find "their ev is about the status quo" arguments pretty persuasive with a permutation.

- Don't think that just because your impacts "occur on a different level" means you don't need to do impact calculus. A good way to get traction here is case defense. Most advantages are pretty silly and false, point that out with specific arguments about their internal links. It will always make the 2NR easier if you win that the aff is lying/wrong.

- I think the alt is the weakest part of the K, so make sure to answer solvency arguments and perms very well.

- If you're aff, and read a policy aff, don't mistake this as a sign that I'm just going to vote for you because I read mostly policy arguments. If you lose on the K, I'll vote neg. Remember, I already said I think your advantage is a lie. Prove me wrong.

Case

-Don't ignore it. Conceding an advantage on the neg is no different than conceding a disad on the aff. You should go to case in the 1NC, even if you just play defense. It will make the rest of the debate so much easier.

- If you plan to extend a K in the 2NR and use that to answer the case, be sure you're winning either a compelling epistemology argument or some sort of different ethical calculus. General indicts will lose to specific explanations of the aff absent either good 2NR analysis or extensions of case defense.

- 2As... I've become increasingly annoyed with 2ACs that pay lip service to the case without responding to specific arguments or extending evidence/warrants. Just reexplaining the advantage and moving on isn't sufficient to answer multiple levels of neg argumentation.

Paperless debate

I don't think you need to take prep time to flash your speech to your opponent, but it's also pretty obvious when you're stealing prep, so don't do it. If you want to use viewing computers, that's fine, but only having one is unacceptable. The neg needs to be able to split up your evidence for the block. It's especially bad if you want to view their speeches on your viewing computer too. Seriously, people need access to your evidence.

Clipping

I've decided enough debates on clipping in the last couple of years that I think it's worth putting a notice in my philosophy. If a tournament has reliable internet, I will insist on an email chain and will want to be on that email chain. I will, at times, follow along with the speech document and, as a result, am likely to catch clipping if it occurs. I'm a pretty non-confrontational person, so I'm unlikely to say anything about a missed short word at some point, but if I am confident that clipping has occurred, I will absolutely stop the debate and decide on it. I'll always give debaters the benefit of the doubt, and provide an opportunity to say where a card was marked, but I'm pretty confident of my ability to distinguish forgetting to say "mark the card" and clipping. I know that there is some difference of opinion on who's responsibility it is to bring about a clipping challenge, but I strongly feel that, if I know for certain that debaters are not reading all of their evidence, I have not only the ability but an obligation to call it out.

Other notes

- Really generic backfile arguments (Ashtar, wipeout, etc) won't lose you the round, but don't expect great speaks. I just think those arguments are really terrible, (I can't describe how much I hate wipeout debates) and bad for debate.

- Impact turn debates are awesome, but can get very messy. If you make the debate impossible to flow, I will not like you. Don't just read cards in the block, make comparisons about evidence quality and uniqueness claims. Impact turn debates are almost always won by the team that controls uniqueness and framing arguments, and that's a debate that should start in the 2AC.

Finally, here is a short list of general biases.

• The status quo should always be an option in the 2NR (Which doesn't necessarily mean that the neg get's infinite flex. If they read 3 contradictory positions, I can be persuaded that it was bad despite my predisposition towards conditionality. It does mean that I will, absent arguments against it, judge kick a counterplan and evaluate the case v the squo if the aff wins the cp is bad/not competitive)
• Warming is real and science is good (same argument, really)
• The aff gets to defend the implementation of the plan as offense against the K, and the neg gets to read the K
• Timeframe and probability are more important than magnitude 
• Predictable limits are key to both fairness and education
• Consult counterplans aren't competitive. Conditions is arguable.
• Rider DA links are not intrinsic
• Utilitarianism is a good way to evaluate impacts
• The aff should defend a topical plan
• Death and extinction are bad
• Uncooperative federalism is one of the worst counterplans I've ever seen

I debated for four years at Andover Central high school, four years at Wichita State University (career was 2010-2018) and am an assistant coaching for Derby high school. As a debater, I have gone for K and policy arguments both. I spent my first and fourth years in college debating mostly policy stuff but my 2nd and 3rd year debating mostly K stuff.

Email: dsaunders406@gmail.com

General things - Talk as fast as you feel comfortable, I will say ‘clear’ if I can't understand you. The less clear you are, the more difficult it is for me to hear the warrants of your evidence which means I will give it less relative weight as the debate proceeds.

I really appreciate it when teams will front load their arguments by putting neat labels at the front of the explanation. Also, I'm really bad at catching author names so try to extend your evidence with some reference to the tag or warrants. Having a last name doesn't hurt but isn't really necessary. I am annoyed when a rebuttal sound more like a bibliography than a persuasive speech.

I try to review the minimal amount of evidence necessary to make my decision and won't give much credibility to warrants within evidence that weren't also extended in the rebuttals. The gist of what I'm saying here is I'm more interested in what you have to say than what your cards have say.

Charts have gotten really big recently which is good but if you think your evidence is awesome because it has a lot of charts, you should be prepared to explain what they mean and why they are good. Just having a chart in a card is not necessarily self-explanatory. Just like you have to explain your cards, you should have to explain your charts.

I believe the minimal threshold for the extension of an argument is a claim and warrant. I don't care if you think your opponent dropped something, a blip of the tagline doesn't count as extending it.

My body language isn't a reliable indicator of how I feel about your argument.

Prep time - Cross-ex is three minutes long. As soon as the timer goes off, you're entitled to stop answering the question. Please be cooperative and courteous in cross-ex. I absolutely hate it when it takes a whole minute to answer a simple question because someone is trying to show off how cool they are. If a team wants to take prep to ask more questions, the other team isn't obligated to answer those questions but can if they want to. I may stop listening after the prep time starts though.

Disadvantages and counterplans - There isn't really much to be said here. DAs and CPs are an essential component of negative strategy. Counterplan theory stuff is below.

I believe that if the negative wins a conditionality argument, I have the option of judge kicking a counterplan even if the negative doesn't make an argument. The status quo is always an option.

Framework vs Critical affs - my personal preference is that the affirmative team reads a topical plan.

I think policy teams that treat framework like T and go almost exclusively for procedural fairness are making a strategic mistake. Even if you are right that framework makes the game work, you also gotta tell me why playing that game is good. My preference is that you just have a defense of why policy debate is good because it produces some skills/subjectivities/education/etc which outweigh k offense.

However, if you have a very strong topical version of the aff, I tend to me more inclined to the purely procedural fairness version. In all other cases, you are advised to go for some type of education offense.

When executing a topical version of the aff, it is the negative's burden to show how it resolves the aff's offense rather than the aff's burden to show it doesn't. Just like when the neg introduces a counterplan, they have to show how the counterplan resolves each of the aff's advantages. The neg block is advised to have a fairly lengthy discussion of the TVA where they discuss what parts of the 1ac and 2ac they resolve and why. People act like its game-over unless the 1AR has 5 or 6 good responses. T version will probably solve some of the aff's offense but it is not a round-winner by itself. You should generally focus more on winning your education offense outweighs their business.

Theory/T - I hold the team being accused of a theory violation to a higher standard than your average judge. I feel like too often teams get away with extremely lazy or non-sensical defenses of conditionality or pics or whatever. Topicality is a question of competing interpretations. Obviously people can make arguments about but I think every argument in favor of reasonability is incoherent and falls apart under the least amount of pressure. Don't tell me about whether potential or actual abuse really occurred or not. It's not very persuasive. The better strategy is to tell me why your interpretation is better. The absolute most important argument in topicality debates is proving your intepret limits outs a certain kind of aff and those affs are bad or includes a certain kind of aff and those affs are good. Everything else are pretty trivial. The magnitude of abuse needed to justify a ballot for theory is relative and not absolute. Those thoughts apply to both topicality and counterplan theory. All that said, you have to be very thorough when going for a theory argument. Simply saying 'delay counterplans are cheating because time skew' is not enough.

Kritiks - framework - The most important move you can make in a K debate is have a clearly defined, well-defended framework argument that tells me what we are doing when we are debating. Are we comparing policy actions or are we comparing sociological theories of violence or are we comparing the effectiveness of political performances? If both teams win that their thing should be included (i.e. we should weigh plans and ontologies) it often results in impossible comparisons. How do I compare the benefits of a plan to the benefits of an ontology? Personally, I don't think that can be done. You should make sure your framework describes some role for the other teams stuff but a role that that allows for comparisons. Simply put, a neg framework argument that just says I should include ontology in my decision is useless. A neg framework that says I should exclude considerations of the plan in favor of exclusive ontological analysis is preferable. I have seen a lot of talented K debaters loss in front of me because they had an incoherent or non-existent framework argument. Don't let it happen to you.

Literature - I read the cap K a lot and not much else.

Perm - It is the aff's burden to explain why the perm solves the links rather than the neg burden to explain why it doesn't. I don't mean to say that the neg doesn't have to answer perms. You obviously should. But if the 2ac only says "perm do both" and the 1ar repeats the phase, I think of that as the same as a claim without a warrant. A better approach is to say "the perm solves link #1 [blah blah blah], the perm solves link #2," etc. Meanwhile, the neg is best served by explaining why their links are resilient to the perm rather than reading a list of generic perm DAs.

I debated 4 years in high school from 2011-2015 at Blue Valley Southwest (KS) and 3 years in college from 2015-2018 at the University of Kansas. During college debate I also coached/judged at high school tournaments in the KC area. Currently I am a community coach at Chicago Bulls College Prep.

I read policy arguments, but am not opposed to k debate. Do whatever style you are most comfortable with. If you can convince me of an argument, then I'll vote for it (within reason).

General:
Do whatever you're good at, I don't care.
-Speed: Yes.
-Disclosure: Yes
-Open Cross-X: Yes

Policy Debate:
This is the style I am most familiar with.
-Topicality: I think team's should be topical, but I also believe that it's up to the other team to prove why.
-Counterplans: I enjoy counterplans a lot. Open to hearing theory on 'cheating' CPs, however I think CP theory is usually a reason to reject the arg and not the team.
-Disads: Remember to have impact calculus on both sides. Explain why your disadvantage outweighs the advantages of the 1ac.

K Debate:
I will listen to kritiks on both sides.
Top leveling framing is important (how do I evaluate the debate?).
Affirmative- I am a policy debater so I evaluate the K similar to how I would evaluate any other policy argument. Win your impacts/framing.
Negative- I think that kritik should try to have a specific link to the affirmative and do their best to engage it. Links of omission do not persuade me. Teams should explain how the alt interacts with the impacts of the 1ac otherwise the K just becomes a non-unq da.

Theory:
I'll vote on condo if that's what it comes down to.
For most other theory args, I am more likely to reject the argument instead of the team.

My Dog:

ericjohnshort@gmail.com please add me to an email chain.

previous coaching: Niles West (2016-present), Walter Payton (2014-2016), Wayzata (2009-2013), Moorhead (2007-2009), University of Minnesota (2011-2015, plus various tournaments since), Concordia College (2006-2009).

I generally judge 75+ debates on the high school topic.

updated September 2019

I'm updating my philosophy not because of a meaningful change in how I evaluate debates, but because I think the process of how I decide debates is more important than how I feel about individual arguments.

I judge debates in the way they are presented to me. This means you control the substance of the debate, not me. As such, the team that will win is the team that is best able to explain why their arguments are better than their opponent's arguments.

I start deciding a debate by determining if I need to read evidence. I often read very few cards at the end of a debate. In many debates, the quality of evidence, its qualifications and even warrants or conclusions go uncontested. I'm not the judge to reconstruct the debate for you. Then, I assign "risk" to the positions forwarded in the last rebuttals. The type of "risk" is determined by the debate--anywhere from "does the DA outweigh the aff" to "do the representations lead to a unique impact" to "does the performance actively resist forms of oppression". Link and impact analysis is therefore extremely important. You probably won’t like the decision if I decide what is most important.

Most of my topic research revolves around critiques. I have also worked at a summer institute almost every year since 2005. Chances are I am familiar with your literature base, no matter which side of the library it's housed in. However, you still need to explain your arguments for me to consider voting for them.

If you want me to consider the status quo as an option, you should tell me in the 2NR: I will not default for you. Outside of conditionality, I default to rejecting the argument, not the team unless instructed otherwise.

Note on decision times: the longer it takes to finish the debate, the less time I have to adjudicate, so it is in your best interest to be efficient.

Speaker points are influenced by a variety of factors. While I do not have a specific formula for integrating all the variables, your points are reflected by (in no particular order): argument choice, clarity, execution, participation in the debate, respect for others, strategy, and time management. I tend to reward debaters for specific strategies, humor, personality and speeches free of disposable arguments.

*Iowa Caucus Note*

I'm not incredibly deep in immigration lit yet but have done some research so be careful with acronyms etc.

TLDR---

Speed: Yes

Condo: Good

Counterplans: tech counterplans are cheaty but fun, convince me otherwise

DAs: Yes

Ks: Outside of Neolib, Security, Afropess, and Bataille, you'll have to do a lot more work

T: Competing interps, limits are good

K Affs: I like T-USFG a lot, don't lose hope though

Framing: Meh, internal link defense matters

Top Level---

Rounds judged on immigration topic: 15

Put me on the email chain: animeshshrouti@yahoo.com

I debated policy 4 years, 2014-2018, at BVW

I will not be debating in college

I was primarily a 2A/1N but debated a few rounds vice versa

Speed is fine — being unclear after being cleared however will affect speaks or I won’t be able to flow cause I simply don’t know what you’re saying

Tech over truth

Condo is a good thing I won’t vote on it unless dropped

Debate your best, have fun, and a lot of this stuff won’t matter!

Case---

1. I will always reward a team that does research and preps out an aff — I won’t get mad at you for going 8 off but spending 6 minutes ripping apart case is cool

2. Impact turns are fun but also silly — these definitely interact with the rest of the debate

3. Presumption IS a thing I will vote on and if you can accurately convince me of it then you did a good thing

Framing Aff’s---

Going to be really honest that I don’t like these BUT I will listen to them and have voted for them

1. I think no war arguments make no sense and are the equivalent of being too lazy to read impact D

2. Svio can outweigh extinction and vice versa — to win this you have to win internal link defense

3. Cohn is probably true but doesn’t necessarily make for fun debate

4. Winning a CP that sufficiently solves the aff in combination with a DA winning turns case argument probably means framing goes away

T---

1. T is a voter and never a reverse voter

2. Discussion of the aff does not outweigh T

3. I default to competing interpretations over reasonability

4. Reasonability should not be articulated as the aff is reasonable but rather the aff’s counter interp is reasonable

5. Limits are good but teams can make the debate easier for them by contextualizing quantity vs quality under their interp and why a certain one matters

T — USFG---

1. I default to viewing debate as a game as opposed to portable skills — HOWEVER I can be convinced otherwise

2. I think affirmatives should defend the resolution

3. I will lean towards interpretations that establish a topic limit for the basis of debate being a game

4. The neg should read a TVA and the aff should answer this

5. I think most DA’s to the neg’s interp have impacts that aren’t articulated clearly enough

6. I primarily read plan aff's however I do have experience reading planless

DA---

This will always be the GOAT strat to me

1. I do not frown upon topic generic DA’s because of the proliferation of tiny aff’s, however the more contextual the link is the easier the ballot is — good spin goes a long way

2. The politics DA was my best friend — that being said I also realize how silly it is

3. Logical arguments>spamming cards — many DA’s can severely be mitigated by smart thinking

4. The top of the block should make turns case and outweighs arguments — the more contextualized a turns case argument is the more weight I’m willing to give it — eg. Econ collapse wrecks the green tech sector that prevents solving warming > econ collapse=war=nukes=co2

5. The 1AR should answer turns case arguments

6. Extinction and Svio are both impacts — good impact calc and a solid internal link will have me leaning one way or the other

7. The block shouldn’t read a bunch of new ev if the 2ac didn’t answer a part of the DA

8. I don't need a story overview just put it on the line by line

CP---

I love them, read them almost every round

1. The cheatier a CP the more fun it is — HOWEVER I will reward a team that takes the challenge and finds a nuanced way to beat them eg. Strategic aff’s, impact turning net benefits, etc.

2. Outside of Condo, theory is almost always a reason to reject the argument

3. Links to net benefits arguments significantly boost your chances of winning a perm

4. I will default to not judge kicking unless told otherwise

5. My base line for “it competes” is same agent, solvency advocate, and competition based of a mandate

6. In reality I don’t think any counterplan solves 100% of the aff but I think they’re great arguments

K---

Literature I am familiar with and/or have read

- - Neolib

- - Security

- - Afro-pessimism

- - Bataille

- - K’s regarding presumption

1. In general I think the philosophy and literature any kritik is derived from is always really interesting

2. I appreciate when a team doesn’t have a paragraph long tag — 7-10 words for a tag make me your friend

3. Alt debating and explanation is crucial both sides can really miss or hit the mark here and significantly sway my vote — the block should make arguments about why the alt solves the case otherwise I am much more willing to assign a higher risk of the aff as a DA to the alt

4. I think the perm double bind can be devastating

5. The aff MUST answer K tricks

6. I will default to weight the aff unless convinced otherwise — I think if the neg get’s some form of offense based on the aff’s reps then so should the aff

Extra/Speaker Points---

Good line by lines make me happy

The more disclosure the better, if you tell me you open sourced your side during the debate for the whole year I will give you +0.2 speaks (I'll check)

Good jokes are good, bad jokes are bad

Caught clipping is an auto loss

Discrimination is an auto loss

Aesthetically appealing speech docs make me happy

Updated 1/7/23 for clipping/ethics challenge policy (at bottom)

4 years in Kansas in high school, 4 years at Baylor University, now a grad student and coach at KU and Barstow.

Add me to the email chain please: aewalberg@gmail.com and rockchalkdebate@gmail.com (college only)

Top Level

Do what you do best, I will do my best to be unbiased when evaluating arguments. I tend to take a long time making decisions regardless of the round, so don't read into it.

Judge instruction/telling me how to write my ballot is really important, points will be higher and you'll be more likely to win if you put the pieces together in the 2NR/2AR, are honest about the parts of the debate you're winning and losing, actually make decisions about what to go for, etc.

As I continue to judge, I find myself prioritizing tech over truth more and more, exception being when arguments/debates are violent, unsafe, etc. This means that you might think an argument is totally nonsensical, nonresponsive, etc. and I might agree, but you have to make those arguments in a speech in order for me to consider them when making my decision. If you want me to evaluate the debate through a lens other than tech, you should say that and explain what that means/why that mode of evaluation is better.

I think you should probably have to read re-highlighted ev, not just insert it. Open to persuasion but debates where both teams are inserting re-highlightings without analysis or explanation are negative persuasive to me.

I am generally open to whatever arguments you want to run, the substantive exception is wipeout. More critical arguments about death are fine, but I am not particularly interested in listening to or voting on suffering outweighs any potential for pleasure/we are primed to be afraid afraid of death but should die anyway.

I will read along with you in the doc while you are reading cards but I will not read along with the analytics you send, that's not a substitute for clarity or slowing down to give pen time. I also don't generally re-read a ton of evidence at the end of the debate unless told to, your analysis/explanation in round is much more important to me. If I'm in a position at the end of the debate where I have to put things together myself by sorting through a lot of evidence that received very little explanation, neither of us will probably be particularly happy with the decision.

Pet peeves: talking over each other in CX excessively---I cannot hear or understand anyone when this happens especially online, asking what cards were/weren't read in a speech if it's not prep time or cx, not having the email chain ready or sent when round start time hits, stealing prep (if it's not speech, cx, or prep time you shouldn't be typing/talking), calling me by my first name when we don't know each other. They're small things and old grumpy judge complaints, but they'll give you a sizable speaker point boost.

Online Debate

Slow down, be clearer. Make sure you can hear judges/other people in the round so you don't miss people telling you to pause or repeat an order.

Theory

I will vote on it if you win it, but that probably means you need more than one sentence on it in the 2AC. Slow down on these debates. I lean condo being the only reason to reject the team.

T

Slow down some. Impact it out in the 2NR. Don't forget to explain what winning competing interps or reasonability actually means for you.

DAs and CPs

I don't do a lot of topic research, so it'll be helpful for both of us if you do a little more explanation on topic specific things like link stories/solvency mechanisms/etc.

Good analytics can definitely beat a crappy DA. Winning terminal defense/zero percent risk is possible.

Ks

Explain why winning framework matters for you and how you still win the debate even if you lose framework.

You don't necessarily need a material alt to win if you go for framework.

2ACs should explicitly answer each of the link arguments even if it's just by explaining that it's a link to the status quo, a block that can impact out a dropped link argument well is likely to get my ballot as long as they are somewhat ahead on the framework or impact framing debate.

K Affs

Good. I do think it is possible to vote neg on presumption, so specific analysis about aff solvency or method is important. I find myself voting overwhelmingly aff in debates where the negative concedes the aff in the 2NR, so I strongly recommend extending your best 1 or 2 case arguments regardless of what else you're going for.

Framework

Neg: Best neg args are usually about models but can be persuaded it's about this round. Explain why fairness, clash, etc. is an impact and how your model accesses the aff's impacts. A well-developed TVA is great. These debates are pretty hard to win in front of me if you fully concede case.

Aff: Explain what debate looks like under your counter interp or counter model of debate or explain why you don't need a counter model. I am not a huge fan of the 2AC strategy of saying as many disads to framework as possible without explaining or warranting any of them out, two well-developed disads are more powerful than seven one-line ones.

Debate Ethics

If I cannot follow along in the evidence as you're reading it due to clarity issues or I can see you're skipping words as I'm following along, I will clear you once. If you continue skipping words or clipping and the other team does not call it out, I will let the debate continue and give feedback for educational purposes but will drop the team clipping. If you're clipping and the other team does call it out and issues an ethics challenge or otherwise ends the debate, I will end the debate, drop the team clipping, and give feedback based on the debate thus far.

If there is an ethics challenge issued and the debate is stopped, the team who is correct (about the clipping, miscut evidence, citation problem, etc.) wins the debate. Arguments about evidence ethics can be made absent an ethics challenge and without stopping the debate; for example, when connected to a citational politics argument. However, if one team says to stop the round because something is an ethics challenge, the round will stop and the team who is correct about the issue will win.

Arguments that are racist, transphobic or queerphobic, sexist, or that otherwise make the debate violent or unsafe will result in contacting your adults/coaches and a response proportional to/appropriate given what is said.

kaeli.wefald@gmail.com

Put Mikaela.Wefald@duffandphelps.com on the email chain as well please!

**Covid Updates

I don't care about having your screen on or not - just try to verbalize when you take prep - let's just all try and be as transparent as possible about tech problems and delays.

General Information

I debated for 4 years in high school at Manhattan HS in Kansas

I debated on and off for KU in college

I was a 1A/2N which probably biases my thoughts on debate more than I am self reflexively aware

General Opinions

There are very few things that I will not tolerate or listen to in a debate, in terms of arguments. In terms of being a person in a debate, be a good one.

I don’t judge or research on this topic frequently – if you’re reading critical arguments don’t assume link arguments are a foregone conclusion, likewise I don’t have particularly strong prejudices about whether certain affs are topical or untopical.

Here are some things I’ve noticed about the way I judge debates –

Affs that do not defend the topic and Framework – I think affs that do not talk about the topic in a “traditional” manner are always acceptable and consistently interesting. I think framework debates are also important. A framework debate will need to be contextual to the affirmative - I'm interested in what the topic looks like under each interpretation.

Counterplans – I love counterplan debates. Whether the counterplan solves is generally not a yes or no question for me – I’m willing to consider degrees of solvency, but these arguments must be impacted out by both teams. If the CP doesn’t solve all of the aff, which parts are disads? Similarly what amount of defense vs the aff does this give the neg? I think the wordings of counterplans are important.

Theory – I lean heavily towards rejecting the argument on everything except conditionality but can certainly be persuaded otherwise. The more specific theory is to the debate at hand, the more I tune in. If a counterplan is cheating, I won’t make that decision on my own, the aff needs to read and win theoretical debates.

Topicality – I am concerned about what type of topic each interpretation generates. In terms of reasonability vs competing interpretations – I think each are persuasive in different contexts – this is certainly not a settled debate for me.

Kritiks – I’m much less picky about the arguments and authors you read as long as the aff is the core focus of the debate. Meaning: I’m less familiar with a lot of critical literature but I will listen to anything you want to read. I also think link arguments should talk about what the aff does rather than general links, etc. I’m lenient towards a 1AR that does not answer the block links individually due to time constraints, but a 2AR going for a permutation needs to do all of that legwork. A 2NR that wants to win should talk about the aff. The alternative should be explained, I don’t care for debates that ask me to assume the alt resolves things without a discussion and defense of that alt.

In terms of case and disad debates – I like them. I don’t think I have particularly new or different opinions about them, hence the lack of discussion.