Max Archer 
Director of Debate - Augustana College 

Here's the deal - I think debate is a competitive communication activity. I think both teams present views of the topic, and by extension debate itself, that seek to encourage the judge to adopt their view of what is valuable in debate. As such, I think both teams are equally responsible for the arguments they make in the debate and I find it very difficult to assume you can separate the issues of policy and rhetoric in the round. 

I think the affirmative should be responsible for defending a topical example of the resolution. I don't necessarily think this means the affirmative must have a "plan text" (whatever that is) but do think it is important to address the topic in some form or fashion. Generally speaking, I adopt a liberal view of how the affirmative should do this/ I usually don't find framework arguments centered around fiat or switch side debate the least bit persuasive without a very high level of sophistication. If you A-strat or gut check against anyone who talks about ethics or philosophy is framework, you are going to have a very difficult time winning my ballot on this particular issue. I truly believe there is no single way of debating or affirming the resolution, and thus seek to balance the content of the debate with issues of form, rhetoric, ethics, etc. I love a good T debate, but rarely get to see it. I loath framework debates, but always seem to see them. 

This may come as no surprise to many - and I don't think its too terribly radical to say that if you make an argument in the debate and the other side engages you on that argument in some form or fashion, you should be responsible for defending the way you chose to do it rather than running away under the pretense your opponent has ruined the activity. 

Beyond that I think I'm pretty receptive to most forms of arguments and content of discussion. In the time I was involved as a participant, I did many different forms of debate along all points on the continuum from policy to critique. I try not to inject my opinions of how the debate should be into the round. I generally see PICs as a good thing, dispositionality preferable to conditionality, and textual and functional competition as important issues for discussion. Disadvantages and counterplans are still very much in vogue - I actually enjoy these debates more than some of the fecal politics some know as the K. 

But don't assume just because I have feelings about framework, you don't have to answer it. On the contrary, I also have a high threshold for appreciating most critique debates these days because of general lack of application of the argument to opponents' arguments. If you want to run a framework argument about limiting the debate to a particular view, by all means go for it - but please, please, PLEASE explain an impact beyond aff choice, switch-side debate and everyone will quit. 

My policy on paperless debate is this - until I see you physically hand the flash drive to your opponent, the prep clock is still running. Prep will run while you find your flash drive, save it to your computer, etc. in the same way that the clock would run if you were organizing / cross-hatching your flows and evidence under the paper model. Prep will continue to run if you are flashing your speech to your partner, in the same way that you would take prep to backflow for your partner. Be an organized paperless debater practice this between tournaments, model other teams, get proficient - organization is an important skill of debate, so your speaker points will be assessed accordingly. 

I don't tend to read a lot of evidence at the end of debates. This is usually the case because I have a threshold for considering evidence as a piece of argument. If you want me to read your cards, you should make a clear extension of the citation and the warrant and make comparisons to the other team's evidence. Don't be surprised if I don't call for any cards at all. 

Finally, I think the debate is best when both teams are passionate about what they do and entertaining in the process. Funny analogies and alluding to pop culture and music will certainly help in this regard. I reward competitors beyond the base 27.5 for going above and beyond. I may penalize you if you don't ask or answer CX questions, if you prompt your partner too much or if you are unclear, offensive or otherwise idiotic in the round. Have fun, do what you do and I think we should all be hunky-dory. 

Go Mavs - Go Stros <- These Issues are NOT up for debate 

I am a graduating senior at Augustana College. I've been in debate for 7 years, four of those college policy. While I have limited experience on this topic, I have been involved this year and know a decent amount. I'm pretty familiar with most K literature. I am not the fastest or most technical, and I do flow by hand so if you give me an order, that's how I'm putting my pages and that's how I'm flowing. If you switch pages without noting it, I will become annoyed. If you do it more than once without telling me to cross apply, I will not cross-apply things for you. I don't necessarily believe in tabula rosa, but I try my hardest to keep an open mind to any argument read in round.

That being said, here are a few of my predispositions/ pet peeves:

Topicality

I tend to lean aff on T, but I have and will vote on T if I can clearly trace the link to the actual arguments read in the round. Therefore, please make your definitions and violation as clear as possible. Give me actual examples of real ground lost in the round, not abstract examples like "We could have read Politics but didn't because they weren't T enough to link." Aff- If your response to T is basically "We're T" without reading counter definitions or adequate answers, I still put the burden on the Neg to bring that to my attention and defend their initial violations. At that point, though, I will probably listen to them much harder. However, I would much prefer a substantial debate over one based on definitions. A good, skilled debate on a non-topical case will win more in front of me than even a decent T debate.

Counterplans

I have no problems with counterplans of any kind, as long as they are clearly linked and beneficial. Net benefits are a strong asset to any CP, whether they're pre- or post-plan. I've run several CPs and lots (LOTS) of PICs in my day, and I'm always interested to hear a good alternative to the aff. While I am a K debater, I won't hesitate to vote on a good CP/NB debate.

Kritiks

As said above, I've been mostly a K debater. I am most familiar with Fem and Cap, but I have a decent knowledge base. To keep things simple:

-Floating PICs or Alts frustrate me. I want a good idea of what I'm voting for before I sign my ballot.

-I have difficulty voting against an aff without a solid link to the K UNLESS the Aff does not dispute the link. If the link is undisputed and the K clearly outweighs, I'm going Neg.

-If you read a lot of K cards very fast in the 1NC, I expect a decent explanation in either CX or the block. Ks are going to help you the most if you not only can read them, but understand and apply them.

-Framework is an answer, and deserves to be addressed. If it's possible, keep it on the same flow. If not, clearly note when you're moving.

DAs

If you have a good DA with a good link to the aff and a solid NB, read it. If you don't and are using it to burn time, be careful to kick it correctly- I tend to give Aff the benefit of the doubt on turns.

Performance Arguments

The only thing I want to address here is performance/project/fuck the topic args. As with any arg, please read it. Defend it. Give me a really good reason to ignore debate structure and vote for you, and I will. I've done some performance and nontopical work, and I've seen a lot of it. However, please be warned that directly attacking your opponents' personal identities will not win points in front of me. If you are going to stand up and fight for your right to use your identity and experiences in debate, you need to understand that your opponent also has that right. Everyone accesses debate from a different point, and a true discussion of that access is infinitely more beneficial than one team having a closed-minded approach that all others who don't also read their theorists are horrible and oppressive and should never ever gain the ability to speak in a round. 

Other comments

Making another debater cry will never give you speaker points. This activity is meant to be fun. It is meant to be a challenging, competitive experience that educates and expands one's mind. Bringing someone else to tears defeats the point of the activity. Be kind, be courteous, and be polite.

Appearance can matter. I will always be more impressed by someone in sneakers and a suit than someone in pajama bottoms. While I will not necessarily dock speaker points for it, please be conscious that you are representing your institution in this round.

I am a very loud person. I appreciate a good pun once in a while. I like jokes. If you manage to work Broadway lyrics into CX, more power to you. Be warned, though, that my laugh is very noticeable. It is not meant to interrupt your speech. I will try very hard to continue flowing, but it may take me a second to get back on track.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I look forward to seeing you in rounds! Good luck :)

I am a graduating senior at Augustana College. I've been in debate for 7 years, four of those college policy. While I have limited experience on this topic, I have been involved this year and know a decent amount. I'm pretty familiar with most K literature. I am not the fastest or most technical, and I do flow by hand so if you give me an order, that's how I'm putting my pages and that's how I'm flowing. If you switch pages without noting it, I will become annoyed. If you do it more than once without telling me to cross apply, I will not cross-apply things for you. I don't necessarily believe in tabula rosa, but I try my hardest to keep an open mind to any argument read in round.

That being said, here are a few of my predispositions/ pet peeves:

Topicality

I tend to lean aff on T, but I have and will vote on T if I can clearly trace the link to the actual arguments read in the round. Therefore, please make your definitions and violation as clear as possible. Give me actual examples of real ground lost in the round, not abstract examples like "We could have read Politics but didn't because they weren't T enough to link." Aff- If your response to T is basically "We're T" without reading counter definitions or adequate answers, I still put the burden on the Neg to bring that to my attention and defend their initial violations. At that point, though, I will probably listen to them much harder. However, I would much prefer a substantial debate over one based on definitions. A good, skilled debate on a non-topical case will win more in front of me than even a decent T debate.

Counterplans

I have no problems with counterplans of any kind, as long as they are clearly linked and beneficial. Net benefits are a strong asset to any CP, whether they're pre- or post-plan. I've run several CPs and lots (LOTS) of PICs in my day, and I'm always interested to hear a good alternative to the aff. While I am a K debater, I won't hesitate to vote on a good CP/NB debate.

Kritiks

As said above, I've been mostly a K debater. I am most familiar with Fem and Cap, but I have a decent knowledge base. To keep things simple:

-Floating PICs or Alts frustrate me. I want a good idea of what I'm voting for before I sign my ballot.

-I have difficulty voting against an aff without a solid link to the K UNLESS the Aff does not dispute the link. If the link is undisputed and the K clearly outweighs, I'm going Neg.

-If you read a lot of K cards very fast in the 1NC, I expect a decent explanation in either CX or the block. Ks are going to help you the most if you not only can read them, but understand and apply them.

-Framework is an answer, and deserves to be addressed. If it's possible, keep it on the same flow. If not, clearly note when you're moving.

DAs

If you have a good DA with a good link to the aff and a solid NB, read it. If you don't and are using it to burn time, be careful to kick it correctly- I tend to give Aff the benefit of the doubt on turns.

Performance Arguments

The only thing I want to address here is performance/project/fuck the topic args. As with any arg, please read it. Defend it. Give me a really good reason to ignore debate structure and vote for you, and I will. I've done some performance and nontopical work, and I've seen a lot of it. However, please be warned that directly attacking your opponents' personal identities will not win points in front of me. If you are going to stand up and fight for your right to use your identity and experiences in debate, you need to understand that your opponent also has that right. Everyone accesses debate from a different point, and a true discussion of that access is infinitely more beneficial than one team having a closed-minded approach that all others who don't also read their theorists are horrible and oppressive and should never ever gain the ability to speak in a round. 

Other comments

Making another debater cry will never give you speaker points. This activity is meant to be fun. It is meant to be a challenging, competitive experience that educates and expands one's mind. Bringing someone else to tears defeats the point of the activity. Be kind, be courteous, and be polite.

Appearance can matter. I will always be more impressed by someone in sneakers and a suit than someone in pajama bottoms. While I will not necessarily dock speaker points for it, please be conscious that you are representing your institution in this round.

I am a very loud person. I appreciate a good pun once in a while. I like jokes. If you manage to work Broadway lyrics into CX, more power to you. Be warned, though, that my laugh is very noticeable. It is not meant to interrupt your speech. I will try very hard to continue flowing, but it may take me a second to get back on track.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I look forward to seeing you in rounds! Good luck :)

Associate Director of Debate @ Greenhill

Still helping KU in my free time

Please add me to the email chain: a.rae.chase@gmail.com

I love debate and I will do my absolute best to make a decision that makes sense and give a helpful RFD.

Topicality

Competing interpretations are easier to evaluate than reasonability. You need to explain to me how we determine what is reasonable if you are going for reasonability.

Having said that if your intep is so obscure that there isn't a logical CI to it, perhaps it is not a good interpretation.

T debates this year (water topic) have gotten too impact heavy for their own good. I've judged a number of rounds with long overviews about how hard it is to be negative that never get to explaining what affirmatives would be topical under their interp or why the aff interp links to a limits DA and that's hard for me because I think much more about the latter when I think about topicality.

T-USFG/FW

Affirmatives should be about the topic. I will be fairly sympathetic to topicality arguments if I do not know what the aff means re: the topic after the 1AC.

I think teams are meming a bit on both sides of this debate. Phrases like "third and fourth level testing" and "rev v rev debates are better" are kind of meaningless absent robust explanation. Fairness is an impact that I will vote on. Like any other impact, it needs to be explained and compared to the other team's impact. I have also voted on arguments about ethics, education, and pedagogy. I will try my best to decide who wins an impact and which impact matters more based on the debate that happens.

I do not think the neg has to win a TVA to win topicality; it can be helpful if it happens to make a lot of sense but a forced TVA is generally a waste of time.

If the aff is going for an impact turn about debate, it would be helpful to have a CI that solves that impact.

DA’s

I would love to see you go for a disad and case in the 2NR. I do not find it persuasive when an affirmative team's only answer to a DA is impact framing. Impact framing can be important but it is one of a number of arguments that should be made.

I am aware the DA's aren't all great lately. I don't think that's a reason to give up on them. It just means you need a CP or really good case arguments.

K's

I really enjoy an old-fashioned k vs the aff debate. I think there are lots of interesting nuances available for the neg and the aff in this type of debate. Here are some specific thoughts that might be helpful when constructing your strategy:

1. Links of omission are not links. Links of “commission” will take a lot of explaining.

2. Debating the case matters unless there is a compelling framework argument for why I should not evaluate the case.

3. If you are reading a critique that pulls from a variety of literature bases, make sure I understand how they all tie to together. I am persuaded by aff arguments about how it's very difficult to answer the foundation of multiple bodies of critical literature because they often have different ontological, epistemological, psychoanalytic, etc assumptions. Also, how does one alt solve all of that??

4. Aff v. K: I have noticed affirmative teams saying "it's bad to die twice" on k's and I have no idea what that means. Aff framework arguments tend to be a statement that is said in the 2AC and repeated in the 1AR and 2AR - if you want fw to influence how I vote, you need to do more than this. Explain how it implicates how I assess the link and/or alternative solvency.

5. When ontology is relevant - I feel like these debates have devolved into lists of things (both sides do this) and that's tough because what if the things on the list don't resonate?

CP's

Generic counterplans are necessary and good. I think specific counterplans are even better. Counterplans that read evidence from the 1AC or an aff author - excellent! I don't have patience for overly convoluted counterplans supported by barely highlighted ev.

I do not subscribe to (often camp-driven) groupthink about which cp's "definitely solve" which aff's. I strongly disagree with this approach to debate and will think through the arguments on both sides of the debate because that is what debate is about.

Solvency deficits are a thing and will be accounted for and weighed along with the risk of a DA, the size of the DA impact, the size of the solvency deficit, and other relevant factors. If you are fiating through solvency deficits you should come prepared with a theoretical justification for that.

Other notes!

Some people think it is auto-true that politics disads and certain cp's are terrible for debate. I don't agree with that. I think there are benefits/drawbacks to most arguments. This matters for framework debates. A plan-less aff saying "their model results in politics DA's which is obviously the worst" will not persuade absent a warrant for that claim.

Love a good case debate. It's super under-utilized. I think it's really impressive when a 2N knows more about the aff evidence than the aff does.

Please don't be nasty to each other; don't be surprised if I interrupt you if you are.

I don't flow the 1AC and 1NC because I am reading your evidence. I have to do this because if I don't I won't get to read the evidence before decision time in a close debate.

If the debate is happening later than 9PM you might consider slowing down and avoiding especially complicated arguments.

If you make a frivolous or convoluted ethics challenge in a debate that I judge I will ask you to move on and be annoyed for the rest of the round. Legitimate ethics challenges exist and should/will be taken seriously but ethics challenges are not something we should play fast and loose with.

For debating online:

-If you think clarity could even possibly be an issue, slow down a ton. More than ever clarity and quality are more important than quantity.

-If my camera is off, I am not there, I am not flowing your speech, I probably can't even hear you. If you give the 1AR and I'm not there, there is not a whole lot I can do for you.

Darren Elliott "Chief" --Director of Debate and Forensics Kansas City KS Community College

delliott@kckcc.edu

Probably the least interventionist judge you will encounter. Will listen to and fairly consider any argument presented. (Avoid obvious racist and sexist arguments and ad Homs). For an argument to be a round winner you need to win the impact the argument has in relation to the impacts your opponent might be winning and how all of those affect/are afffected by the ballot or decision (think framework for the debate). No predispositions against any strategy be it a Disad/CP/Case or K or T/Framework on the Neg or a straight up policy or K Aff. Win what it is you do and win why that matters. I actually appreciate a good Disad/CP/Case Offense debate as much as anything (even though the arguments a number of recent KCKCC debaters might lead one to think otherwise). The beauty of debate is its innovation.

I appreciate in-depth arguments and hard work and reward that with speaker points. A debate that begins in the first couple of speeches at a depth that most debates aspire to be by the last two speeches is a work of art and shows dedication and foresight that should be rewarded. Cross-X as well, in this regard, that shows as good or better of an understanding of your opponents arguments as they do will also be rewarded. Cross-X is a lost art.

Most of all--Have Fun and Good Luck!!

Scott Elliott, Ph.D. J.D.

Asst Director of Forensics, KCKCC

Years Judging: 35+

Judging Philosophy:

What you need to know 10 minutes before your round starts:

I believe the affirmative should affirm the resolution chosen by the organization. I have been persuaded to vote otherwise. But, it is tough.

That argument you always wanted to run, but were afraid to run it….this may be your day to throw the Hail Mary. I prefer impact turns and arguments that most judges dislike.

Affirmatives still have to win basic stock issues. I prefer counterplans and disads. But I also believe that the affirmative has a burden to defend the ontological, epistemological, pedagogical and ethical assumptions of the affirmative arguments they have chosen.

I have probably written, cut cards for and against, and coached teams about, the “cutting edge” argument you are thinking of running. I have also voted for it and against it depending upon how that argument is deployed in the round.

I am not intimidated nor persuaded by team reputation, verbal abuse, physical assaults or threats. If you won, I am willing to take the heat and I do not care about the community’s reaction. I have friends outside the debate community and I have my dogs. I don’t need to be your buddy and I certainly do not care about my social standing within this so-called “community.”

Memorable examples of ways teams have unexpectedly picked up my ballot:
1) Voted for Baylor one time because Emory misspelled their plan text;
2) Voted for Emporia once because their plan wiped-out the universe, destroying all life (you had to be there);
3) Voted numerous times on anthro kritiks, De-Dev, Cap K's, anarchy, malthus, space, aliens A-Life, etc.;
4) voted for a counter-performance because it made me feel more emotional than the 1AC narrative;
5) voted for porn good turns;
6) voted for genocide reduces overpopulation turns;
7) did not vote, but the team won, because they took my ballot filled it out, gave themselves the win and double 30's;
8) voted once on a triple turn--link turned, impact turned, and turned back the impact turn (had to be there);
9) voted on inherency;
10) voted on foul language in a round--both ways--foul language bad and "yeah, we said F***, but that's good" turns;
11) voted for veganism K while eating a cheeseburger.

One last point: All of you need to flow the round. The speech document they flash over to you is not the debater's actual speech. Look. Listen. You may be surprised what the other team is actually saying.

Background

I did policy debate for 8 years, four of which were at Augie, represent! I graduated in 2013 and since I've been out of debate I've focused on my work as a web developer. Translation, I'm not totally up and up on this resolution, but I can probably pick up what your saying about cyber security.

General advice

I had a hard time deciphering the mush coming out of people's mouths when I was a debater.  If you would like me to understand the words you are saying please slow down, just a bit, and seperate the words you usually say allatonce. 

Other than that, just forget I'm in the room and do your thing.  I was an okay debator, my final win/loss percentage was a bit under .500 If you don't agree with my RFD.. statistically the chances are you're right and I'm wrong.  

Being nice and cracking jokes will make me more receptive to your point of view, being arragont will make me less receptive to your point of view. Being unquestionably correct will make me most receptive to your point of view. 

Mike Girouard

Years involved in debate: 20+ (policy 20+years, PF 7yrs, LD 7yrs)

Coached at Baylor, Kansas State, U of Rochester, The New School, Augustana College, The Asian Debate League and several High Schools - Debated at Univ of North Texas

I hate people who try to pigeon-hole judges into fitting a particular mold or label them as hacks that only vote for certain args or certain types of arguments. That being said I would say that I feel as though I can judge and evaluate any kind of debate that you want to have. I have some feeling about args and I will discuss those more in detail below, but it’s important to keep in mind that when you debate in front of me you should be comfortable in yourself and your arg and you should be fine. Have the debate that you want to have, because in the end that will make it more enjoyable and educational for everyone involved.

One last caveat, as this year has progressed and with the transition to paperless debate I find myself calling for less and less evidence after the round. I feel as though you should be doing the debating in the round. If it is a question of what the card says or doesn’t say I will probably call for the evidence, but don’t expect me to piece together your argument by reading all of your evidence after the round. I feel as though this does a disservice to a team that is at least attempting to do the argumentation on the line-by-line.

Prep Time – my default is that prep time should stop when the other team is flashing their evid. That being said if there is blatant disregard for this or abusing of this I will revert to prep-time not ending till after the speech has been flashed and given to the opponents. Before this does occur I will say something in the round.

CP’s – I love a good PIC. I think it should be the burden of the Aff to defend every aspect of the plan and should have some defense of including it in the plan. I really don’t like to vote on theory, but I will if that is what you want the debate to be about. As far as perms go, use them as you like. Just justify your theory and your fine. If you are going for a CP in front of me keep a few things in mind: it must have a net benefit and some sort of DA to the perm, it doesn’t necessarily have to solve for all of the Aff, but you need to have something to answer the portions that you don’t solve for, you can have a critical net benefit if you like, just explain how it functions in relationship to the Aff and the advocacy of the CP.

DA’s – Not really a whole lot to say here. I like U cards to have some sort of a warrant. Debate the warrants in the round and don’t make me have to evaluate 15+ U cards to help settle that debate. I would prefer fewer cards with more warrants to help settle this problem. Make sure you are giving me some sort of impact calc in the last few speeches and weighing all the potential outcomes of the impacts (i.e. – even, if statements). If the aff reads a K of your impacts you have to justify them or you will probably lose that argument. I prefer scenarios with fewer and more warranted internal links as to avoid the proliferation of outlandish impact scenarios. Make sure there is a solid link and you are weighing everything in the last few speeches and you should be fine.

The K – I am open to most K’s. I don’t believe that Realism/Framework is the end all answer to the K. Try engaging in the arguments that are being run and you have a better chance of picking up the ballot in front of me. Arguments that question your representations or epistemological starting point are best answered by providing an offensive justification for your reps or your starting point. Just make sure you are explaining how you want me to evaluate your K in relationship to the Aff. What are the impacts, what are the implications, do you have an alt, and what is the link. Make sure all of these things are in the debate and you will be fine. I do find that most people don’t answer one fundamental question in these types of rounds: What is the role of the critic? Just answer or at least recognize that these questions exist and you should be alright.

Topicality – My default is that this debate should be about competing interpretations. You should attempt to answer the question: which interpretation is better for both this debate round and the community as a whole. This being said, if you don’t want me to evaluate it based on competing interpretations just make the arg and justify it with warranted args and you should be fine. If you are going for T in front of me you probably need to spend a little bit of time on it in the 2NR. I’m not saying that you have to go for T and nothing else, but I think it’s an arg that requires a little bit of time for you to adequately go for it. Things I look for in a T debate: Clear distinction between interpretations, warranted reasons for why your interp is better as well as why the other interp is bad, and the impact these have on not only the round but the community at large.

Theory – Not a big theory hack, but will vote on it from time to time, especially in instances of clear articulated in round abuse. Just make sure you are giving warranted reasons why your theory is legit, the specific abuse that has occurred and the impact of them being allowed to do what they did. That being said, theory should be more than just a whine, engage their args and make sure that you are at least answering their args. If you expect for me to vote on theory you should devote some time to it in the last couple of speeches.

Performance – I’m fine with different styles of debate. There are instances where you can ask me to not flow or be so “flogo-centric” and assuming there is a warranted reason why this is legit I will be alright. A few things to keep in mind if you do chose to do this in front of me: why is your method better than what exists now? why should it be preferred and what are the larger implications on the debate community? Just make sure you are attempting to at least perceptually engage the other teams args and you will be fine.

Updated for IPDA and Policy judging

Craig Hennigan
University of Nevada Las Vegas

TL/DR - I'm fine on the K. Need in round abuse for T. I'm fine with speed. K Alts that do something more than naval-gazing is preferred. Avoid running away from arguments. Actual dropped arguments will win you the round. I vote a lot on good CP/DA combinations.

I debated high school policy in the early 90’s and then college policy in 1994. I also competed in NFA-LD for 4 or 5 years, I don't recall, I know my last season was 1999? I then coached at Utica High School and West Bloomfield High school in Michigan for their policy programs for an additional 8 years. I coached for 5 years at Wayne State University. I was the Director of Forensics at Truman State University for 7 years and now am the Director of Debate at UNLV and started in 2022.

Dropped arguments can carry a lot of weight with me if you make an issue of them early. This being said, I have been more truth over tech lately. Some arguments are so bad I'm inclined to do work against it. If its cold conceded I will go with it, but if its a truly bad interpretation/argument, it won't take a lot to mitigate risk of it happening. I have responded well to sensible 'gut check' arguments before.

I enjoy debaters who can keep my flow neat. You need to have clear tags on your cards. I REQUIRE a differentiation in how you say the tag/citation and the evidence.

With regard to specific arguments – I will vote seldom on theory arguments that do not show significant in-round abuse. Potential abuse is a non-starter for me, and time skew to me is a legit strategy unless it’s really really bad. My threshold for theory then is pretty high if you cannot show a decent abuse story. Showing an abuse story should come well before the last rebuttal. If it is dropped though, I will most likely drop the argument before the team. Reminders in round about my disposition toward theory is persuasive such as "You don't want to pull the trigger on condo bad," or "I know you don't care for theory, here is why this is a uniquely bad situation where I don't get X link and why that is critical to this debate." Intrinsic and severance perms I think are bad if you can show why they are intrinsic or severance. Again, I'd drop argument before team.

I don't judge kick. If the CP is in the NR, the SQ isn't an option anymore.

I don’t like round bullys. If you run an obscure K philosophy don't expect everyone in the room to know who/what it is saying. It is the duty of those that want to run the K to be a ‘good’ person who wants to enhance the education of all present. I have voted for a lot of K's though so it's not like I'm opposed to them. K alternatives should be able to be explained well in the cross-x. I will have a preference for K alts that actually "do" something. The influence of my ballot on the discourse of the world at large is default minimal, on the debate community default is probably even less than minimal. Repeating jargon of the card is a poor strategy, if you can explain what the world looks like post alternative, that's awesome. I have found clarity to be a premium need in LD debate since there is much less time to develop a K. Failing to explain what the K does in the 1AC/NC then revealing it in the 1AR/NR is bad. If the K alt mutates into something else in the NR, this is a pretty compelling reason to vote against the K.

Never run from a debate. I'll respect someone that goes all-in for the heg good/heg bad argument and gets into a debate more than someone who attempts to be tricksy in case/plan writing or C-X in order to avoid potential arguments. Ideal C-X would be:

"Does your case increase spending?"

"Darn right, what are you gonna do about it? Catch me outside."

I will vote on T. Again, there should be an in-round abuse story to garner a ballot for T. This naturally would reinforce the previous statement under theory that says potential abuse is a non-starter for me. Developing T as an impact based argument rather than a rules based argument is more persuasive. As potential abuse is not typically a voter for me and I'll strike down speaker points toward RVI's based on bad theory. Regarding K's of T, it is a high bar and you probably shouldn't do it.

Anything that you intend to win on I need to have more than 15 seconds spent on it. I won't vote for a blip that isn't properly impacted. Rebuttals should not be a laundry list of answers without a comparative analysis of why one argument is clearly superior and a round winner.

Performance: Give me a reason to vote. Make an argument still with the performance. I don't typically want to do extra work for a debater so you need to apply your performance to arguments your opponent makes. I don't place arguments on the flow for you through embedded clash.

Small note: If you're totally outmatching your opponent, you're going to earn speaker points not by smashing your opponent, but rather through making debate a welcoming and educational experience for everyone.

Policy:Most of this is the same. Know that I'm getting older. I used to be around an 8 on the scale of speed and its probably dropped down to a 7. This means don't spread analyticals if you want me to vote on them. If you group 4-5 perms at once very quickly I may not get them all. I'm only in the game 2-3 times a year so some of the newer terminology or tricks I may not be as up to speed on. I won't vote on short blip arguments. Not the biggest fan of too many conditional worlds, 1 K and 1 CP is my default. I don't do judge kick either. I'm probably a bit of a dinosaur in this area now.

IPDA: IPDA is not policy nor should it resemble policy. I'm much less flow oriented. I'm of the belief that IPDA is far more of a speech activity and judge it accordingly. Dropped arguments carry weight, but less weight for me if they aren't really quality arguments. I'm of the opinion that a debater can win even if they aren't winning "on the flow" by being persuasive and speaking well. This is a publicly oriented event, so being cordial and good natured is important. This is a showcase to what debate ought to look like for the public, so treat it that way. I aim to be a judge that tries to leave behind my Policy/LD experience to substitute my speech experience and quality argumentation knowledge.

Card Clipping addendum:

Don't cheat. I typically ask to be included on email chains or ideally a speechdrop so that I can try to follow along at certain points of the speech to ensure that there isn't card clipping, however if you bring it up I in round I will also listen. You probably ought to record the part with clipping if I don't bring it up myself. Also, if I catch clipping (and if I catch it, it's blatant) then that's it, round over, other team doesn't have to bring it up if I noticed it. If its obviously unintentional then I'll warn you about it. (like you're a novice or you skipped a non-strategic line by mistake).

Debate Background: I am currently the Director of Forensics at Florida State University. My educational training is in rhetoric and my debate background is heavily influenced by policy debate. The past six years I have coached and judged BP, civic, IPDA, Lincoln-Douglass, NEDA (traditional and crossfire), NPDA, and policy debate. Prior to that, I competed, coached, and judged in policy debate. Participating in all of these formats has shaped my general views on debate.

My general view of debate:

I think that affirmatives should defend the resolution and that the negative should engage and refute the affirmatives. I am interested in arguments not argument types. I am thrilled to listen to good arguments, bring out your best research be it competing policy options, critiquing the form of debate, challenging the team's discourse, ideology, or methods, topicality, or theory. If you have me as your judge bring your best argument rather than try to adapt to what you think I might like.

Flowing info:

I flow debates with paper and pen. I only look at the speech doc during the round to clarify information for my flow or if something is being referenced in cross-ex. Additionally, I will not use the speech doc to fill in arguments that I could not clearly hear.

Things to know when debating in front of me (I'll update this as I figure out more):

Permutations need a full explanation. "Perm: Do Both" is not an argument. You do not get to say three words in one speech and then elaborate on it in a later speech. If you are trying to make a permutation then you need to develop your full argument and explain how the arguments are being done together and how they are not mutually exclusive in the speech.

I am open to form arguments on debate. For example, a negative team has 2 counterplans, 2 disads, and 2 kritiks that all contradict each other, the affirmative reads evidence about how speech acts must be viewed as a totality, conditionality does not exist, and argues that this means that judges cannot separate arguments. Then the negative can't simply say the arguments are conditional and kick out of the arguments that they want. To win the neg would have to win that speech acts are separable, conditionality does exist, and therefore they are kicking out of arguments.

Last updated: September 2022

Background:

• 4 years policy debate in high school (Churchill HS, San Antonio, TX, 2005-2009)
• 4 years policy debate in college (USC, 2009-2013)
• 3 years coaching at Highland Park HS (St. Paul, MN, 2013-2016)
• 3 years coaching at University of Minnesota (2013-2016)

TL;DR: Do what you want, I'll flow the debate and do my best to render a decision without allowing any biases to affect it.

I'm not an active debate coach any more, and I haven't judged very much over the last few years, so: 1) my flowing ability has probably deteriorated; and 2) I haven't thought about how I lean on particular types of arguments in a long time (my old thoughts are below, if you're interested).

I tend to make decisions based on what I've flowed rather than what I think the logical extension of an argument is, or what a card says absent in-round explanation. So, make sure you actually explain what you think is important–and why–and don't assume I'll give you credit just because your evidence is really good or because it's a logical leap from what you did say in-round.

I've got a PhD in political science and research/teach about race & representation in Congress and Latinx politics for a living, if that matters.

Specific arguments

Performance, Identity, similar arguments: I am not opposed to these arguments and think that including them in debate is beneficial. When debating these arguments, teams will be better off in front of me if they attempt to engage the aff/neg substantively, rather than reading their entire framework file. That doesn't mean I won't vote on framework - my preferences for how teams answer these arguments will not influence my willingness to vote on the arguments teams choose to make.

Topicality: I tend to think of topicality as a question of competing interpretations. I'm typically most persuaded by limits type impacts. RVIs are silly. I can be persuaded by a k of topicality, but the argument should be more nuanced than "t is genocidal".

Disads: Uniqueness doesn't determine the direction of the link or vice versa. I prefer links to be as specific to the aff as possible. Quality of evidence > quantity of evidence - one really good card is better than five terrible one-line cards. There can be zero risk of the disad.

CPs: Counterplans are best when they have good solvency advocates and are functionally competitive with the aff. I really only lean aff on the theoretical legitimacy of consult and conditions CPs. Other than those, i don't have strong predispositions and think that the legitimacy of the CP is up for debate. I will NOT kick the counterplan for the 2NR unless this option is explicitly explained in the 2nr.

Theory: I probably lean neg on conditionality, even if there are contradictory positions (I was a 2n, so yeah). But I'll vote on conditionality if the aff out-debates the neg on it, my own predispositions be damned. I don't really have strong predispositions on other theory arguments.

Ks: These are the arguments and the literature that I'm most familiar with, but don't assume that i've read all of the stuff you're talking about - the burden is on the debaters to explain their argument. Specific links are always better than generic ones; specific links that allow for specific "turns case" analysis are even better. The aff needs to make sure to answer the stock k tricks - if they don't and the neg is able to execute, then I'm fairly likely to vote neg. I don't think that the k necessarily needs to have an alternative, but there needs to be some other way of generating uniqueness for your arguments.

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.

Updated Feb 2017

Yes, I want to be on the email chain, tewsie1@gmail.com.

If you are a team that has been judged by me in the past there aren’t many changes. This is mostly an update b/c I haven’t looked at this thing in like 7 years.

I don’t really have strong argumentative preferences. Do what you do best and I will give you my best attempt to understand what you are arguing. Complete arguments have a claim, warrant and impact (reason it matters in the debate). Incomplete arguments rarely make it into my decision.

I flow and I don’t really read speech doc until I need a specific piece of evidence at the end. I value line-by-line refutation and get irritated when arguments don’t line. Overview proliferation is annoying. Most of those args can just be made on the lbl. I also flow on paper so undeclared overviews destroy my flow.

Good impact analysis helps my decision. Spend a little time talking about timeframes and probabilities instead of just magnitude. Often times mag is a tie, so I need something to clarify the extinction v extinction debate, obviously.

I look mad all the time. I’m not actually mad. It has no bearing on how I feel about the debate or you as debaters.  If I am mad at you, you will know it.

Pet Peeves:

Links are links not Disads to XYZ. If you win a link that means the argument competes, it isn’t a DA to anything on its own.

Debaters should handle their own CXs. If they need help that is fine, but they should at least be given the chance to answer questions in their own CX.

You are 18-25 year olds, figure out how email works. Excessive time sending email will result in prep time restarting.

I find it kind of sad that debaters aren’t funny anymore. I reward humor with points. Obviously, you should consider audience and appropriateness but don’t take everything so seriously all the time.

CP/Disads

I don’t really have anything substantive to say here. You can outweigh the aff with a good disad you don’t always have to have a counter-plan but you do have to win case defense. It also helps if you explain the warrants of the case defense in relation to the aff impact claims (instead of just reading cards and letting me sort it out). In DA outweighs the aff rounds, you must have internals between your DA and the case impacts OR some really good defense. You also need to spend a lot of time on internals and TF/Prob differentials.  

Kritiks

I pretty much adjudicate K debates like I do disads, did you prove a link and does the impact outweigh. Also typically in K rounds I will ask myself at the end of the round if I can explain in plain English why I voted on this argument (to the losing team). In other words if you can’t explain a K in simple English it becomes more difficult (not impossible) for me to vote for you. Alternatives don’t have to solve the aff if they solve the K and it outweighs the aff.

Self-serving roles of the ballot are annoying. My ballot typically indicates who did the better debating. Sometimes that better debating means that you convinced your opponents that the ballot means something different, but for real that ballot doesn’t change just b/c you said so. Go ahead and play the game but like all other arguments you are going to have to win this. A simple assertion of a new role is not enough. If you want to change the role of the ballot you are going to have to have a rationale for why your role is good for debate/the round/has some justification that goes beyond “you want to win the round”.

Topicality:

It is a voter. I usually evaluate on competing interps. I can be persuaded by reasonability however I think that these args are deployed weakly these days. Reasonability is a value claim and as such you need to assert the value (i.e. we are reasonable) and then explain how to evaluate reasonableness (how do I recognize if something is reasonable). The aim of this should be to take the onus off of my moral system of what is reasonable/fair to me and put it more on an objective system for recognizing reasonability in relation to community norms. It helps if you have a vision for debate and can defend it and don’t just treat T/FW as an analytic disad.

Theory

I often struggle with theory debates because people blaze through them with no regard for pen time. If you want to win theory debate you have to have a clear link and impact and explain why the impact should merit the ballot. I won’t read your blocks, if I can’t understand it from the speech and my flow then it doesn’t count. 

I used to do policy debate and extemp speaking in high school at, what was then, Henry Sibley. I debated on the Concordia debate team in college and I now have coached speech and debate for almost 10 years.

I don't think a paradigm should impact too much of what you do in a classic debate round given the somewhat rigid nature of the arguments that are allowed. However, I would love to take this opportunity to remind you what's important (to me).

Tell me how to vote. Use impact calculus to compare the two sides of the debate. At the end of the day, who has the bigger reason for taking action or not taking action? How am I supposed to know which impact is bigger? If you are clear, kind, and confident, you'll be great.

I also tend to value what is said more so than how it is said. At times, your opponents may come off as less confident or polished than you. While that does influence speaker points, ultimately it would be a mistake to think I will give it less weight simply because it wasn't stated in an elegant fashion.

I look forward to being your judge!