NDA December 4th 2021 EMS Tournament 2
2021 — NSDA Campus, NJ/US
Hired judges Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideCollege Junior, Former Policy Debater for Newark Science '19 and debated about 4 years on the state, regional, and national level.
Yes, I would like to be apart of the email chain. Ask in round.
Yes, you can spread, but it needs to be clear. If I say clear more than THREE times I will start to deduct from your speaker points by 0.1 points. And whatever I can hear is what I will flow. If I don't flow it because I can't hear you please do not come to me after around and ask "Did you not flow this x argument?" I will ask you how many times did I say clear and the proceed to walk away.
Yes, it can be open cx.
I do not like SPIKES or TRICKS there is no benefit for it in debate in my opinions, so I will not vote on it.
DO NOT card clip if I find you clipping depending on the tournament or bracket you will lose speaker points AND/OR lose the round.
DO NOT say anything racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic/xenophobic/tbh any of the -isms. Even if the other team doesn't make it a voting issue in the round (which they should ... cough cough) I will deduct speaker points and maybe the round will be affected.
TL;DR- DO YOU. I do not need you to conform to my paradigm to win the round because most times I will be able to tell. I will vote for anything as long as you win. Please have a road map, I flow straight down by the way. OFFENSE wins rounds DEFENSE only tells me why I shouldn't vote for (AFF/NEG) not why I should vote for your side. Please explain all acronyms.
Note: 1) If you are doing a Performance AFF/NEG please do not get all up in my face, I value personal space and you may not like my reaction if you do so. 2) Ignore my facial expressions in the round if I have any because I have no way of controlling it and is not an accurate indication of who is winning losing the round.
AFFs- I am fine with both K and policy Affs and topical and untopical Affs. My only request is that you meet these tenants of an Aff. There needs to be an explicit problem, some sort of solvency ie plan, advocacy, outline to address the problem, and there needs to be advantages to doing the Aff. Also, include a framework/ROB/ROJ there needs to be one. You always need to go back to case outweighs.
CPs- are fine, just prove mutual exclusivity (b/c I am likely to buy a perm with a good net benefit). If a CP is being ran with a DA and the DA is a net benefit to the Aff please let me know and also say that the CP solves 100% of the Aff and doesn't link to the DA(s) A clever PIC is always good but be ready to defend why you get to steal most or certain parts of the aff plan.
DAs- are good too, but generic links are ineffective, and if the aff proves that to be true I am less likely to vote on it.- I am also not as persuaded by existential scenarios ie nuclear war impacts I get that people have them and love it but it doesn't make sense to me. You can try to win this, I need a very GOOD internal link story. Please also say that the DA turns case.
Ks-are my favorite! BUT this DOES NOT include white POMO, I am not a fan, those are my least favorite. You can read them if you like but I will not pretend to understand "gobbledygook", so you will HAVE to explain this. Do not take this to mean that I will vote up a queer anarchy k, anti-blackness k etc. just because it's read it needs to be read good and still needs to interact with the AFF. Have specific links to the AFF, point out specific warrants and give analysis on how the world of the alt vs. the world of the aff functions. A K without an alt will automatically be seen as a DA.
FW- shells are interesting and I kind of like them, so do whatever you want. Just prove why I should adopt your FW shell and compare it to the aff's FW. There NEEDS to be a TVA to the framework.
T/Theory- This will be an uphill battle for you. I have an extremely high threshold for winning T, but I can be persuaded to vote for it. Fairness is not an impact ESPECIALLY- Procedural fairness. To win a T-shell I need a case list of Affs that are topical under your interpretation. There NEEDS to be voters, debaters for some reason will have standards and voters as one but know there needs to be a specific voter. If there is no voter the other team (......needs to tell me there are no voters so this shouldn't be a voting issue.---HINT HINT) it will save both of us time.
I will vote on CONDO BAD. If the Neg runs more than 6 off case positions, condo bad is a thing and a voting issue.
Rebuttals- NEED to summarize why I should be voting for your side in the last 30 sec- 1 min, this should literally write my ballot. I also like overviews starting from the 2AC and on it can be long or short but please have one.
That's all! GOOD LUCK! DON'T SUCK! HAVE FUN!
Impact Calc.
Show me why your argument is better
I will vote for anything as long as it is explained
I like ethos inside of the debate
please say "next" in-between cards
do some kind of impact interaction
explain why I should vote
if all is done u should win
Have good document organization and sign posting
Jordanbranch91@gmail.com for email chains
include me on email chain: newschoolbl@gmail.com
they/them/she/her
graduate of The New School, debated all four years, mostly a kritikal/performance debater, it has been said that my partnership's specialty was Marxism, started as a college novice, broke to elims at 2021 & 2022 CEDA Nationals + 2022 NDT qualifier, 1st team from TNS to qualify for the NDT, current first year law student at Rutgers Law (Nwk)
majored in politics & economics with a minor in philosophy, which is to say that i read a lot of books in these areas and understand the basics of most theory. but never assume i know exactly what you're talking about if you haven't explained technical terms you're using. if you're isolating education as an impact, do some educating.
TL;DR
- do your thing. don't stress too hard about adapting everything to me, this activity is for you so i'll come along on whatever journey you'd like me on.
- i do not care whether you sit or stand or how you're dressed, please do whatever feels comfortable for you. as long as i can hear you, i'll judge only on the words you say.
- tech > truth, but only by a little. i'll vote on the flow.
- i tend to lean K over policy, but that's mostly because i don't automatically default policy/extinction impacts.
- i don't flow cross-x.
- give me a roadmap—this should tell me exactly what order my pages should be in for your speech so i'm not flipping back and forth
- give me all the good impacts in your final speech- write the ballot for me. AFF, how do y'all resolve your impacts and why am i prioritizing them? NEG, where's the link and how should i be comparing your impacts with your opponents? give me an easy decision and spell it out for me, i'll probably take it!
- prioritize accessibility every round, please take measures to ensure everyone is able to participate in debate. this means sending evidence if you're spreading and respecting the needs of your opponents. check your speed— make sure taglines and analytics are clear enough for me to flow.
- ONLINE DEBATERS—with the way computer audio works, you cannot spread at top speed/volume without being cut off. i will try to interject with 'clear' if i can't understand, but if you're not adjusting after three 'clear's, i will default to what i understand. if you have audio elements in a performance, it will have to be adapted for online.
i have zero tolerance for racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, or any sort of discriminatory language or action in the debate space. the content of your arguments matter, don't run harmful or discriminatory things because you think it could get the ballot (it definitely will not). what we say in this space matters and the language we use matters. please make an effort to be respectful of your opponents, especially during cross x. i understand debate is stressful and adversarial in nature but do not belittle or be outright rude to one another, it's just not cool. be outright discriminatory or disrespectful to your opponent or partner, then be prepared for your speaks to suffer.
K DEBATERS HERE'S THE SENTENCE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR: i'm probably your guy for weird stuff— i love the kritikal and experimental so bring it on. love some performance in debate! this doesn't mean i can't be convinced by policy args or fw, but i naturally lean on the side that critique and subversiveness good/discourse matters type stuff.
T/FW: not my favorite of all time, but if you fully impact it out and cover the whole flow, i'll vote on it. i'm going to need more than procedural fairness as a voter on T, it's not an impact on its own. i'm also just not a huge fan of voting on T (because of my K debater sensibilities), but if you clearly win it i'll vote on it. + winning framework won't win you the round, it only gives me a lens to view the round through. if you win framework, i'll vote on whatever wins under that interp.
rule of thumb is that i'll vote for whoever is giving me the easiest time doing so. tell me what to do (y'know, nicely) and i will follow those instructions unless the other team gives me a compelling reason not to. pretty simple and i vow to do my best at not intervening as much as possible. above all, i want you to do YOUR thing more than i want you to adapt to me.
honestly, if you have time, just read Vik Keenan's (my former coach's) paradigm. pretty much all of my foundational knowledge about what debate can be came from Vik and this is just starting to sound a lot like her.
LD
i'm a policy debater so most of my debate sensibilities come from policy debate. however, i'll keep my weird policy expectations out and i'm voting on the flow.
i try to be as common-sense as possible, just explain your args and win them and i'll vote for you. if there's some super technical LD-specific stuff you want to try, it probably goes without saying but i'm definitely not going to appreciate it as much as an LD person would.
i'm used to policy spreading speeds so i'm down to clown as long as the other side is cool with it as well (spreading can become an accessibility problem real quick and real easy). make sure you are CLEAR, i really want to be able to understand you! speed without enunciation is just straight-up impossible to evaluate. if you're looking for a K judge, same as policy, i'm totally your guy. i read books and stuff so if you want to go down a philosophy rabbit hole together, i'm totally down as long as you're still doing the explanation work you need to do throughout the round.
LD theory gets a little out of hand for my tastes. not to say i won't vote on theory or you shouldn't go for it, but try to go for substance first and don't blow up a tiny little theory thing. theory that's well-covered and well-explained throughout the round is cool and good, though.
PF
set up the email chain before the round starts please! yes, i would like to be on it, my email's at the top.
if you're doing evidence comparisons, send me the evidence you're referencing! i know this isn't policy so it's not standard to send all evidence, but i would prefer having the evidence in front of me so i can actually read/compare it. in my opinion, just saying that an author says something doesn't really constitute strong evidence for me. i won't penalize you for not sending evidence à la policy debate, but don't expect me to weigh evidence without any of it in front of me.
i'm okay with speed as long as the other side is (please send a speech doc if you're about to spread). i do not care if you sit or stand or where in the room you want to set up, just do what's comfortable for you and i'll adjust myself if necessary.
just give me some good weighing and framing and i'll vote on the flow. make sure you're extending your impacts throughout the round and doing comparative work between you/your opponents impacts through the whole round, not just the final focus. give me the actual internal link story for your impacts—don't just repeat your statistics and impacts over and over again, tell me HOW your impact stories happen.
final focus should be my RFD—make sure you’re doing the work here to weigh both sides and write my decision for me. make sure there's no new arguments here and you're giving me a summary of what i should focus on in the round and why that means you win. you should be telling me 1. your impacts, 2. why i am prioritizing them over your opponents', 3. links to the case (on the CON), and 4. how you resolve your impacts.
good luck, have fun, make friends :)
MPLS South '21
Dartmouth '25 (If you are considering Dartmouth, please talk to me in person or send an email. I would love to talk to you. Go Trees!!)
- If there is an email chain, please add gabemkc@gmail.com and southdebatecoaches@gmail.com (policy only)
Stanford 23 Update: Assume no familiarity with the LD topic. I will judge this like 1 person policy except with LD resolutions I don't think a lot of arguments from policy make sense i.e if the resolution doesn't require a plan I don't get why there should be one.
Answer arguments in the order presented. This is not a suggestion nor a recommendation. It is a rule and if you refuse to follow it, I will be looking for reasons to vote against you.
I have many preferences about debate, but I will try very hard for them not to influence my adjudication of the round. There are a few that I find true:
1. Students spend incredible amounts of time preparing for debate tournaments and I have an obligation to put just as much effort into the round - this means I will try to fairly evaluate each argument as presented and seek to limit my biases.
2. Debate is a research based communicative activity - this means that both how you prepared to speak and what you say matter. I care about evidence quality and correct evidence practices. This means I find arguments that are divorced from external scholarship (academia, pundits, public intellectuals) less convincing. I will be impressed by innovative research, which will make me more likely to err for the well-evidenced team on close questions.
3. My favorite debates are small, evidence heavy and specific to the resolutional controversy - they are intellectually exciting and bring me great joy. The policy or K binary does not determine this - rather, teams that are able to choose points of disagreement early in the debate, go deep on those and outframe their opponent will be more successful in front of me than teams that win by brute force of speed. This is not based on any conviction about the value of arguments - rather, I am not good at adjudicating large debates and am likely to think about what Edmund Zagorin taught me are the "meta questions" in close debates.
4. Debate is good because we get to try new things and change our minds - dogmatic 1ACs/1NCs that don't change from topic to topic are terminally unpersuasive. Arguments based on past ethical failure will not be considered. Behavior that causes immediate harm to other debaters will culminate in an L and a 26.
5. Speaker points should be given based on the judges' discretion - I will intervene against people who ask me to give 30s. I will give you speaker points based on my regular discretion minus 2. I find the modern 29-30 speaker point scale hard to use and expect to give around a 28.7 if you have debated as if you are a member of the top 32 teams in a given pool.
Specific Arguments:
Most arguments are very similar and will be filtered through the above biases. Some are hard to understand from above so I will explain below.
I find well articulated theory arguments about the detrimental effects of specific practices more persuasive than most - articulating the importance of unconditional counterplans, solvency advocates and affirmative specification may be more persuasive to me than most.
Topicality arguments about the most desirable construction of the resolution for debating rather than a single side are most persuasive to me - articulating your impacts in the language of iteration, the game structure of debate and testing rather than AFF/NEG ground has always made the most sense to me.
The K v Policy divide is detrimental to debate - read the arguments you think are best supported and respond to your opponents position. I have no major preference if that results in a Afropessimist critique of democratic theory or a defense of the liberal international order, but I would prefer a planless affirmative that discusses water politics to a plan based affirmative that has more terminal impacts than topic specific cards.
I have been heavily influenced by Oskar Tauring-Traxler, Izak Gallini-Matyas, John Turner, Brett Bricker, Raam Tambe, Holland Bald.
Some judges who I aspire to judge similar to: Anirudh Prabhu, Shunta Jordan, Sean Kennedy, Shree Awsare, Chris Callahan, Brianna Aaron, Ansh Khullar, Kevin McCaffery, Yao Yao Chen and Kevin Hirn.
Ethics
- I will follow docs for evidence of clipping. If I see it, the round will end and the offending team will get L 25. Evidence of clipping or cross reading, along with an accusation, will be evaluated. If correct, L 25 for offender. If incorrect, L for the accusing team.
- agree with Truf -- Being racist, sexist, violent, etc. in a way that is immediately and obviously hazardous to someone in the debate = L and 0. My role as educator > my role as any form of disciplinarian, so I will err on the side of letting stuff play out - i.e. if someone used gendered language and that gets brought up I will probably let the round happen and correct any ignorance after the fact. This ends when it begins to threaten the safety of round participants. Where that line is is entirely up to me.
14 years of experience in the policy debate space H.S. College & Coaching
I did traditional policy debate and performance so I'm cool with the entire spectrum of arguments
I'm familiar with most K literature but don't assume I'm in love with your scholar. Explanations and clarity will help me help you. I ended up spending most my time in race/gender scholarship
Idk if its helpful but I also work in the public policy space now (Campaigns, Political Management etc.)
Impacts are GOD'S GIFT
I'm down to answer any question about my Reason For Decision at anytime.
deon.davidson1995@gmail.com
Have Fun
Kritiks/Performance
- The World of the alt matters if the alt doesn't solve you must prove why presuming neg is better than the AFF
- Ballot Framing arguments are ones that should be extended throughout the entire debate
- Impact Calculus and Link analysis is mandatory
- I feel like I seen/heard most things under the sun. You give me a kritik or analysis I find profound and your speaker points will reflect
- Rhetoric Kritiks - I love these so watch ya mouths when debating. The one thing we're accountable for in debate is what we say.
Non-Topical AFFs I just have two questions before I judge the contents of the 1AC
- Why is the topic inherently bad?
- Impact of topic debate vs AFF?
Topicality
T is a voting issue and I enjoy an in-depth nuanced T debate.
Disadvantage
I can't believe I'm saying this but a DA has four components labeling every turn as a DA is wild
I have debaed in Lincoln-Douglas Debate for 4 years in Science park high school. I recently graduated and I am now on the Rutgers Newark debate team. I've qualified to the TOC in both Lincoln-Douglas and Policy debate my senior Year.
I am ok with speed. I love k's and critical arguments when they are ran corretly.
Theory is fine with me as well as topicality but I need a realy good analysis on the violation and impacts back to standards.
Im really ok with any argument that isnt racist, sexist, or offensive in anyway.
I give high speaks if you are clear and really good in the big pictuee debate. I like a good story.
retire teacher
over 15 years experience as policy coach in JUDL/NDA
prefer line by line argument, will listen to K when properly introduced by outlining the presumed mindset of the opponent or society.
Note prep time ends when speech begins
If I request to see a card I need to see the whole card as "cut and read"
You do you, I’m gonna do me.
I feel the need to fix this huge communication issue in the debate community it will start with my judging philosophy. If you are a debater who say any of the following "Obama is president solves for racism" or "we are moving towards less racism cause of Obama or LBS" and the opposing team reading a racism arg/advantage or colorblindness I will instantly vote you down with 25 points for the debater who said it.
Jumping: Novice please don't but if you must which you all will you have 20 seconds after you call for prep to be stop till I consider it stealing prep and instead of restarting prep I will just measure it by the ticker timer in my head (which you do not want). I suggest that you carry a debate jump drive, viewing computer or the cloud system. For Open debaters I get even more angry with the lack of competence you guys have with being responsible when it comes to jumping files and card. I have a soft warmness for debaters who are mostly paper and may involve me smiling like a boy with a crush don't be alarmed it is just me remembering my old days.
Speaking: I believe that clarity comes before all other ideals of what we often fantasize a good speaker to be, a debater has to be clear so that I spend more time analyzing and processing what is said then trying to comprehend what the hell is being said. This helps in the rebuttals when there is more cross applying of arguments instead of me sitting there trying to ponder what argument reference is being made. Speed is something I can adjust to not my general forte yet if you are clear I can primarily make easier adjustments (look I sound like a damn metronome). I tend to give hints towards the wrongs and rights in the round so I won’t be put off if you stare at me every now and then. Debates should be a game of wit and word that upholds morals of dignity and respect do not be rude and or abrasive please respect me, the other team, your partner and of course yourself
The Flow: My hand writing is atrocious just incredibly horrible for others at least I generally flow tags, authors and major warrants in the world of traditional debate. Outside of that with all the other formats poetry, performance, rap, theatricals and so forth I just try to grasp the majority of the speech incorporating the main idea
The K: yeah I so love the K being from a UDL background and having running the K for a majority of my debate career, yet don't let that be the reason you run the K I believe that a great K debate consist of a in-depth link explanation as well as control of the clash. There should be Impact calculus that does more then tell me what the impact is but a justification for how it functionally shapes the round which draws me to have a complete understanding of the Alt versus the plan and there must be some idea of a solvency mechanism so that the k is just simply not a linear disad forcing me to rethink or reform in the status quo (K= reshape the Squo)
The T debate: First I find it extremely hard to remember in my entire debate career where I cast a ballot for topicality alone yet it is possible to get a T ballot you must have a clear abuse story I will not evaluate T if there is not a clear abuse story. Voters are my best friend and will become a prior if well explained and impacted, yet I do believe education and fairness have extreme value just want to know why.
The D/A: Well I actually find myself voting more on the Disad then the K I just think that the disad debate offers more tools for the neg then the K yet it is the debater who optimize these tools that gain my ballot, link debates should contain at least a specific link as well as a an established Brink generic links are not good enough to win a D/A ballot and any good aff team will destroy a a generic link unless there is some support through a link wall. Impact debates must be more than just nuke war kills all you have to place comparative value to the status quo now and after plan passage. Yet a disad is an easier win with the advantages of solvency deficits and the option of competitive counter plans.
The Counter Plan: Competition is key if there is no proof that the end result is not uniquely different from the aff plan it is less likely to capture my ballot. So C/P solvency and competition is where my voter lies on the C/P flow this involves establishing and controlling the clash on the net benefit. PIC's usually rely on proving that the theoretical value of competition is worth my jurisdiction.
Theory: cross apply T only thing with a theory debate that is different is you must be able to show in where the violation actually happens yet I find theory to be easy outs to traditional clash.
Framework: this is where my jurisdiction truly falls and it is the teams’ job to not only introduce the functioning framework but to uphold and defend that their framework is worth singing my ballot towards. I have no set idea of a framework coming into the round your job is to sell me to one and by any means my job is not to look at what framework sounds good but which is presented in a manner that avoids judges intervention (really just the team that prevents me from doing the bulk of the work if any).
In general: I love a good old debate round with tons of clash and where there is an understanding and display of your own intellect I find it hard to judge a round where there is just a display of how well a team can read and make reference to evidence, usually I hope that ends or is done less coming out of the 1AR. I'm a man who finds pleasure in the arts and execution of organic intellect and can better give my decision and opinion based mainly on how one relates back to competitive debate, if debate for you is a card game then it forces me to have to make decision based off my comprehension of the evidence and trust me that is never a good thing, yet a round where the discussion is what guides my ballot I can vote on who upholds the best discursive actions.
'24 Spring Note: Being at nationals is a huge achievement (and privilege) and I hope you are all incredibly proud of yourselves for having made it through a year of debate as the world falls apart over and over. I take my role as a judge especially seriously now because I know that this competition is incredibly important to the debaters. I also see now as a more critical time than ever to ensure that our research projects in debate are based in facts, not fascism. On a personal level, please remember that this is one weekend out of your whole life, and I hope sincerely that you are taking care of yourself, your mental, and your physical wellbeing during the tournament and after.
Who I am
I (she/her) debated college policy (CEDA/NDT) at The New School, where I started as a college novice. I read Ks that were research projects about things I cared about. I value debate for its educational value, the research skills it builds, and the community it fosters. I have no issue dropping speaks or ballots for people who undermine the educational value of the activity by making people defend their personhood.
**I will be wearing a mask. I don't know y'all or where you've been and I don't want you to breathe on me. It's not personal. Please ask me for any other accessibility accommodations you need before the round and I will do my best to make the round comfortable for you!
For all formats (specifics below)
Email for the chain: newschoolBL@gmail.com
I vote on the flow. Do what you're good at and I will evaluate it: what is below are the biases I will default to without judge instruction, but if I am given instruction, I will take it. If provided them, I follow ROBs and ROJs seriously in framing my decision. I have voted both on the big picture and on technicalities.
I am excited to be in your debate, especially so if you are a novice, and I would love to chat post RFD if you have questions! :)
Policy:
DAs, CPs: Fine, no strong opinions here.
Ks: Yes, fine, good. Explain your links and your impact framing.
T: Hate when blippy, like when thorough & well-explained and have voted on T when it has won the debate many times. I am unlikely to vote on an education impact vs a K aff, though.
High theory for all of the above: Explain yourself. I don't vote on arguments I don't understand.
Likes: Clear spreading, smart debating, impact calculus, well-warranted arguments, case debate, thorough research, debaters from small schools.
Dislikes: Unnecessary hostility, bad evidence, blippy T blocks, strategies that rely on clowning your opponents, mumbling when spreading.
I am by far most comfortable in clash and KvK debates. I don't really care about policy v policy, but will give it the proper attention if put in them.
Public Forum:
If you don't share evidence, strike me. And also re-evaluate your ethical orientations.
Non-negotiables:
1) Email chain. The first speakers should set up the email chain BEFORE the round start time, include everyone debating and me, and share their full cases with evidence in a verbatim or Word document (if you have a chromebook, and in no other instances, a google doc is fine).
2) Evidence. Your evidence must be read and presented in alignment with the intent of whatever source you are citing. I care about evidence quality, and I care about evidence ethics. If you are paraphrasing or clipping, I will vote you down without hesitation. It's cheating and it's unethical.
Debate is a communication activity, but it is also a research activity, and I think that the single most important portable skill we gain from it is our ability to ethically produce argumentation and present it to an audience. I believe that PF has egregious evidence-sharing practices, and I will not participate in them.
I like smart debating, clear impact calculus, and well-warranted arguments.Do what you're good at and I'm with you! This includes your funky arguments.
I am fine with speed, but going fast does not make you a smarter or better debater and will not make me like you more.Debate is above all else a communication activity that is at its best when it's used for education. I can't stand it when more experienced or more resourced teams use a speed strategy to be incomprehensible to the other team so they drop things. It's bad debating and it perpetuates the worst parts of this activity.
Please be as physically comfortable as possible!! I do not care what you are wearing or whether you sit or stand. It will have literally zero impact on my decision.
I am far less grumpy and much more friendly than the PF section of my paradigm might make me seem. I love debate and go to tournaments voluntarily. See you in round!
I have debated policy on the Rutgers Newark debate team for three years and have been judging middle school and high school debate since 2015. I have recently graduated Rutgers Newark with a bachelors in sociology making me qualified to judge up to college debate.
I like a good K and critical arguments when they are being presented, argued, & defended properly.
Theory is fine as long as a clear analysis is made.
Go off on your cross X. Do not bore me please. Make it intentional. Don't fill space just to fill space.
I do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, and really any prejudice being argued in a debate round.
Speed is fine with me, but in the beginning please make sure I can hear your voice and your arguments. I would like you to significantly slow down when reading tags/card names so I can flow properly. I am not the best at flowing, so I might ask to pull cards if I miss anything or need clarification.
I give high speaks if you are clear, interesting, and/or entertaining when you speak. Also I am a fan of creativity in a debate round. Snatch my wig off, I'm ready to hear your compelling arguments.
If you have any questions, you can email me at matthewsmariah@gmail.com with the subject line DEBATE JUDGING.
I've debated policy debate 4 years in high school and 3 years in college as a part of the Rutgers Newark Debate Team. I have used all kinds of arguments; I am familiar with both traditional and critical forms of debate. I willing to vote for any argument provided that it is warranted. I really value responsiveness, if an argument is dropped a team could spin that into a victory, but there needs to be a clear explanation of all the steps to impact and explain why said impact is something I should vote on. I willing to vote on T or Theory but if you want to win on those arguments, there has to be a bigger emphasis on clear-cut definitions, examples, and overall impact of violations. I'm comfortable with both traditional and k affs.
This is a new tabroom account so please excuse the lack of judging history.
I have participated in PF, LD and Policy within the 8 years of me being in the debate community.
Please email me if you have any questions as I continue to update my paradigm thank you.
OR - If you have any immediate question for PREFS you can always find me on facebook Heaven Montague
UNDER CONSTRICTION:
Tech or Truth?
I am a technical judge BUT I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY ARGUMENTS THAT MAKE STATEMENTS SUCH AS RACISM GOOD AND ETC.
Nic D Murphy
The N in Rutgers MN
2017 Crowns United!
First, Energy is essential to me. Everyone must be respectful of the speaker and the participants in the round.
Background-I debated for the St.Louis Urban debate league in high school in college. After that, I debated for Rutgers University Newark. I'm the first Black Woman to win the NDT and Unite the Crowns. I debated primarily in the D3, which means I know the actual structure of argumentation.
Traditional Policy Debate Proper
Speed-Do you, I'm here to support all styles and genres!
T- This is probably one of my favorite arguments in debate, the idea that I can be so petty to review a word or process makes me so happy! The pettier, the better!
DA's-Literally the first negative argument i learned in debate I love Enviorments and Climate change impacts anything with EV and mobility is also interesting to me. Politics obviously should be unique and have solid impacts!
CP's-I believe in condo also the states arent terrible...
K's,K Affs- I love learning new things! Teach me something i DON'T KNOW! I would love to hear the latest authors and see some creativity I find myself bored by some of the K debate thats been happening and think the style is declining and policy is just as entertaining at this point but thats just my take... Who am I ?
K Aff's VS Framework
Beat the procedural and win your impacts, I believe framework is one of the easiest arguments a K Aff can answer but also one of the hardest if your aff doesnt actually do anthing. Make it make sense
LD,PF,Big Questions
I know what's going on and the rules/format of your styles of debate; I have coached students in these formats as well. Remember, you are not in a policy debate. Do not adapt to me... Follow the norms of your event.
CURRENT THINGS WITH JAYE:
I am currently working as an assistant coach to the Newark Science debate team. I am very much indebted to debate for the person that I am today. I find debate (and especially debate rounds) to be very much a part of life. This means that I would encourage everyone to understand that the things you say in a debate round have real implications even outside of the debate round. Fellow debaters and opponents in the past, present, and future are not just obstacles, but are other people whether that is outside or inside civil society. Debate does not allow the things you say to exist in a vacuum, so as a judge, coach, educator, and a petty black man I will not tolerate or evaluate the following ideas (LIKE EVER):
RACISM GOOD/ RACISM DOES NOT EXIST
SOCIAL DEATH GOOD
STOPPING WARMING WILL SOLVE RACISM
(These are the only things that come to mind at the moment, I know and will try and add more, but understand I put these first for a reason.)
BACKGROUND THINGS WITH JAYE:
I’m a proud member of the Eastside debate team senor class of 2014. I am the closest friend with Daniel Mendes (who all of sudden became a celebrity in HS debate) and Chaz Wyche (if you don’t know about him you shouldn’t worry about it to affect my judging.). From my time on the Eastside debate team (Eastside BR) I am a member of the few teams from Newark to ever get a TOC bid (Scranton 2013) in over a decade. All my time in policy debate has been devoted to traveling, and debating in national tournaments all over the country (Scranton, Yale, Georgetown, Emory, U-Penn, NAUDL, etc). During my travels I have had Elijah Smith (CEDA AND NDT 2012 CHAMPION), Chris Randall (CEDA AND NDT NATIONAL 2013 DEBATER, and also Elijah’s partner), and Willie Johnson (CEDA 2013 FINAL ROUND JUDGE) as my coaches and most influential to my success as a debater. I am luck enough to have even judged at the college level of policy debates at tournaments such as Vermont, and West point and look forward to judging the HS level.
DEBATE THINGS WITH JAYE:
GENERIC THING WITH JAYE:
I’ll try and be quick and painless for the people who are waiting to know how they should pref me. Now I have judged policy, critical, and performance, but I find performance to be the debates I’m truly most comfortable with. If you could not tell by the three coaches I have stated above, I am very familiar with performance rounds and by coincidence I am also a performance debater. I ran an Afro-pessimist critiques in all my national tournaments my senior year (exception Yale and Georgetown: I ran Decolonaility, there is a difference btw). At all the other the tournaments I have read at least 2 Wilderson cards in every speech I’ve given. There are other authors that I read that talk about anti-blackness, but the point is that if you are talking about black people I have probably read the books/articles they came from. Now policy is by no means something I can’t judge. No performance debaters I know have started out running performance arguments, the same is true for me that I had to learn policy debate in order to be the debater I am today so I’ll talk about the specifics of policy first.
POLICY THINGS WITH JAYE:
TOPICALLY
- AFF
You should pick up on whether the negative will truly go for the argument, and let that choose how you will answer in the 2ac and 1ar. Reasonability is a really strong argument in front of me, but that does not excuse you for dropping any arguments that can be used to make topically important.
- NEG
I do evaluate topically. If you are going for topically you need to go hard people. I will not vote for topically if you don’t hard for me in the block. I need in round abuse, topical versions of the Aff, and voters that are going to be impacted in the round in order for me to take topically as more than a time crew you thought of for the round. If you actually do go for topically in the 2nr (which I would be beyond shock and a little impressed if you do it well) to make me vote on topically you need to go for this argument for the whole five minutes. Topically is a prior question in the round it would only make sense to just go for topically in the 2nr. The way I see topically used now as a time screw for a very minimal infraction of the Affirmative that is probably resolved through reasonability.
THEORY
- AFF
The best thing you could do for me would to try and set up theory in cross x. A simple “What is the status of the off case position?” would help me to at least prepare for a theory debate. I also like theory on a separate flow so that needs to be in the order at the beginning of the speech. That helps me evaluate the separate offense and defense on that debate. Theory like topically needs to have same time spent on it in order for me to vote for this argument. Your tagline will not be enough for me.
- NEG
It is of the utmost importance for you to set this argument up in cross x for me if you can. Theory should also be on a separate flow, and similar to what I said on the Aff. You need to spend time on his to have me vote on this.
FRAMEWORK
- AFF
For the Affirmative the framework is really helpful to how I should evaluate. I can guest that a utilitarian framework is the way to evaluate your impacts or you can tell that utilitarianism is the framework, and give some comparative analysis if the negative has their own framework. A role of the ballot and judge is something you also want in any 2ac because it makes sense.
- NEG
I’m talking about the “Resolved means a USFG topical policy action”. This type of frame is the scorn of my life. You don’t know how many times I’ve heard this argument. I WILL CRINGE EVERY TIME I HEAR THIS ARGUEMNT. I will unfortunately listen to the argument, but no one will like this debate. I believe that you should probably just run the topical version of the plan against whatever Aff you didn’t care to engage with. You can still weight all the education and ground arguments, but we now have a better debate, and I’ll be a lot happier.
AFFFIRMATIVE
All Policy affirmatives NEED TO HAVE A CLEAR LINE BETWEEN THE INTERNAL LINK AND THE IMPACT OF EACH ADVANTAGE. I also need a clear line to the SOLVENCY AND HOW THAT WORKS FOR EACH ADVANTAGE. The Aff should tell a story and have a good flow to it. This means the Aff should not be you trying to read as many cards as you can in the 1ac. The 1ac should be slow on tags to contribute to the idea of telling a story. Even policy Affs can be creative. Don’t be afraid to something other than nuclear war/extinction and have some cool advantage with a framework behind how I should evaluate the advantage. The best example of this I can tell you is probably structural violence advantage that stops something like police brutally, but this will require work. I will be happy to see that effort in a debate round and be sure to recognize you in some way for that work. (Probably a speaker higher)
DISADVANTAGES
They are ok, but make sure think is a clear link to the Aff. You also need to tell me how to evaluate this impact in round. The answer is YES! I would like a specific impact calculus for the round that compares all the impacts in the round.
COUNTER PLANS
If the counter plan doesn’t make any sense after the permutation then I will probably not vote for the counter plan. It needs to complete. That means a net benefit and a reason why the Aff is a bad idea. I believe that even if the counter plan solves the Aff it does not mean game over. The negative still needs a reason why the Aff is a bad idea on top of the net benefit or I will just vote Aff on the permutation.
CRITICAL THINGS WITH JAYE:
- AFFIRMATIVE
This for the Affirmative that have a plan text, but have a very philosophical background:
YOUR AWSOME
- CRITQUE
I LOVE CRITQUES, BUT IF YOU DON”T KNOW THE LITERATURE I WILL NOT LIKE YOU. This simply means if you read a critique you should have picked a book and read. Not just the introduction, but have read the book. You can easily tell an experience K debater from someone who is just beginning. I find that people can earn high speaks here, but with all high speaks they come to those who have a working knowledge of the hell they are talking about. Know Your Stuff. Links need to be as clear as possible. The better the link story, the better the speaker points. The alternative needs to solve the Aff or resolve the essential question posed in the debate. Make sure I know what the world of the alternative looks like. If you say that you end the work I need to know what the process looks like because my ballot will final end the world and I’ll take great pride in that.
PREFORMANCE THINGS WITH JAYE:
- AFFIRMATIVE
As stated above I’m very comfortable with this argument. Be sure to have some clear connection to the topic. IF YOU RUN THIS ARGUMENT YOU ARE THE REASON WHY THE SUN SHINES (not really tho)
- NEGATIVE
I do believe that the negative can also have performances. These are really trick to deploy in a round sometime, but when done correctly they are one the most powerful arguments in debate. I prefer these debates to happen when the Aff gives there performance, and he neg provides a counter performance/methodology. These argument hold a special place in my heart as this was the only I ran on the negative of my senior. There is nothing special you get from me by reading this argument but that shouldn’t hinder you from reading this argument in front on me anyway.
END OF THNGS WITH JAYE
I'm not very fancy with my language, so put simply, here's some general things I look for across the multiple debate styles:
-Clear articulation of arguments with evidence
-I not only like to see how you substantiate your claims and ideas, but also I like to see how you make them interact with those of other members of the round (this just really engages me).
-I was not a debate competitor when I was in high school, so I don't know all the terminology, but I'm familiar with most. Therefore, it's not really the terminology that impresses me, but rather your knowledge and comprehension of the topic.
-I like for you to give context to your arguments. I like to know that you fully comprehend what you're presenting. I love a deep level of analysis to the topic, especially during cross ex (although I'm guilty of getting lost with the unfamiliar- so what). If you know what you're talking about, then you know.
-I like to see competitors advance the debate; don't stick around to the same points unless you have something new to offer.
-Lastly, I'm not a brainiac (although sometimes I try to be), so I always feel like it's the competitor's job to help me understand the topic as much as possible, without watering down the content. Relating the topic as much as possible to someone who doesn't necessarily keep up with all the current events is key.
2023 NDT Champion; 2023 CEDA Champion - Wake Forest
Iyanarobyndebate@gmail.com (Add me to the email chain)
"I am not a judge, but if you introduce these arguments (and by these I mean white mediocrity) I will be your executioner" - MWAH NO BARS.
**And so the chorus sings. I believe that all debates are performances and you are responsible for what you say and do in round. Because that is true, you should be prepared to debate the justifications and epistemologies of your arguments as well as the way you have performed in this debate. I have grown increasingly concerned with the language of “adhoms” and “violent arguments” in relationship to black debate and kritik arguments as ways to devoid accountability for instances of antiblackness, misogynoir, transphobia, classism etc. The phrasing of adhom attacks and the punitive measures adjudicators are taking (in the form of assigning losses, docking speaker points etc) is an indicator of the physical manifestations of antiblackness in the debate space. It is the “wrong forum” Framework argument being acted out. But, if debate is about compeititve incentives, where is the argument development from the plan side?? What are the other ways to address the antiblackness when yall run from and do not engage black debate in any way?Instead of taking the concerns people are raising about the activity and the students and programs in it that have caused actual antiblack misogynoirst violence - the decision has been made to frame performance and black debate as anti-educational and bad for the activity. This is an age old tactic that we’re used to. Calling out antiblackness is not violent. Calling out misogynoir is not violent. Calling out the ways the debate arguments that are “just for the game” spill into their personal lives and actions is not violent. What IS violent, however, is the reduction of Black debate to adhom attacks and violence. What IS violent is the sudden authority and clarity white people have developed about what constitutes as a violent act all because they haven’t won a debate; all the while, justifying and staying silent on the legacy of this activity and it’s theft and pathologization of black debate. In the words of Rashad Evans, “eat, pray, love, and cut some better cards”. GET GOOD! Happy Debating! **
I answer respectful questions, do not post round me rudely or I will respond accordingly.
I do not flow docs - I flow what you are saying in the speech. Be clear.
Do what you want! I've done Black Feminism, Pessimism, Afro-Futurism, Framework, Racial Capitalism, Eroticism, RSPEC, Counter Performances, Body Politics, Critical IR Theory, Academy K etc.
I stop listening after 5 off.
Email: mercywah28@gmail.com
Hi, my name is Mercy, and I am a junior in college. I debated for six years, so I understand how debate operates and debate lingo. I have been judging for 3 years now, and my favorite arguments to vote on are critiques and identity politics. I mostly ran black arguments in high school pertaining to black women, and I understand the difficulties of debating your identity. So if you are a black woman who centers black women, I will give you a 30.
I will flow tricky arguments, confusing frameworks, and frivolous theory arguments, but if not explained thoroughly, I will not vote on it.
I lean more towards truth over tech, but I understand the importance of being technical in debate. If impacted out correctly, I will evaluate tech first.
I am very familiar with LD and policy, I did not do PF in high school but- however, I can still clearly judge, follow and understand a public forum round. Don't be afraid to break a norm in a public forum if I am judging you- like reading a critique.
Lastly, don't say anything that actively makes the space exclusive for people. In other words, do not be anti-black and all of the other phobics- homophobic, xenophobic, fatphobic etc.
Have fun and respect one another. I also never have paper or a pen so please bring extra.
I've debated in Lincoln-Douglas for Newark Science, and since graduating I judge local and national tournaments. I am NOT very familiar with Policy debate so please keep that in mind. As long as you are clear and concise in your speech I will be ok with moderate spreading. Theory arguments are cool, but I'm not a big fan of K's and critical arguments if it can be avoided. Please be aware of your judge and don't be offensive or disrespectful during your arguments. Be sure to focus on the big picture argument and tell a story or paint a picture to win me over I like to be walked through your points I won't do any work for you when voting.