Post on 28-Sep-2015
description
NationalForensicAssociation ByLaws
(UpdatedandApprovedSpring2014)
I. GENERAL:AllamendmentstotheConstitutionapplytothefollowing: II. EVENTSATTHENATIONALCHAMPIONSHIPTOURNAMENT: A. TheeventsattheNationalChampionshipTournamentare: 1.ExtemporaneousSpeaking
PURPOSE:Aspeechdesignedtomotivateaudienceconsiderationofasignificantargumentrelatedtoacurrentdomesticorinternationalissueorevent. DESCRIPTION:Extemporaneousspeechesarecharacterizedbycontentthatisdirectlyandspecificallytopical,clearlystatedandwellsupportedarguments,demonstrationofaknowledgeofcurrentevents,crediblesources,timeliness,andvocalandnonverbaldeliverychoicesthatreflectthespeechspurpose. RULES: a. Studentswillconstructanddelivera5to7minutespeech*,afterchoosingfromamong
threequestions,with30minutesofpreparation.Theuseoflimitednotesisallowed. b. Extemporaneousspeechesmustbetheoriginalworkofthespeaker.Consultationwithcoaches,
teammates,otherspeakers,oranyoneelseafterthedrawhasbegunisstrictlyprohibited. c. Extemporaneousspeechesshouldbepreparedaftertopicshavebeendrawn.Whilespeakersare
encouragedtodrawfromtheirownknowledgeofcurrentevents,nostudentisallowedtospeakfromoutlines,briefs,orothermaterialspreparedbeforetheround.Studentsareencouragedtoconsultandreferenceresearchfromavarietyofsourcesincludingnewspapers,magazines,journals,books,websitesandblogsprovidingtheseresourceslackexcessivenotationandalteration.
d. Electronicmethodsofresourcematerialstorageandretrievalmaybeusedwithinthepreviouslyprescribedparameters.Studentsshouldbeabletoretrievecitedmaterialuponjudgerequest.Studentsmaynotobtainnewresearchduringtheirpreparationtimethroughtheuseofelectronicdevicessuchasbutnotlimitedtocomputers,cellphones,andpersonaldataassistants.*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
PROCEDURES: a. TheNationalChampionshipTournamenthostandNationalForensicAssociationarenot
responsibleforsupplyingsupportofanykindforelectronicstorageorretrievalmethods. b. TheNationalChampionshipTournamenthostandNationalForensicAssociationarenot
responsibleforthesecurityofcomputersorotherdevicesstoredintheextemporaneouspreparationroom.
c. Standardtimesignalsshouldbegivennotingthetimeremainingforthespeakerbeginningatfiveminutesremainingandindicatingeachminutethereafter,thefinal30secondsandtheclosingfivesecondsnonverbally.
2. ImpromptuSpeaking PURPOSE:Aspeechdesignedtomotivateaudienceengagementofasignificantargument. DESCRIPTION:Impromptuspeechesarecharacterizedbyaclearlyarticulatedargumentcomprisingaspecific,directresponsetothegivenprompt,wellsupportedclaims,clearstructure,uniqueness,andvocalandnonverbaldeliverychoicesthatreflectthespeechspurpose.
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RULES:a. Studentswillconstructanddeliveranoriginalargumentinresponsetoaprompt.Limitednotesare
allowed. b. Impromptuprescribesalimitof7minutes,withspeecheslastingatleast5minutes.
*Promptsincludeideasthatcanbecomprehendedandinterpretedquicklysuchasquotations,bothactual(fromhistoryorcontemporaryculture)andfictional(frommovies,plays,novelsetc.),singleframecartoons,songlyrics,proverbs,rhetoricalsituationsetc. *Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
PROCEDURES: a. Standardtimesignalsshouldbegivennotingtheexpirationofpreparationtimeverballyin30
secondintervals,andtheremainderofspeakingtimebeginningatfiveminutesremainingandindicatingeachminutethereafter,thefinal30secondsandtheclosingfivesecondsnonverbally.
b. Contestantswhohavenotspokenshouldnotwatchtheperformanceoftheircompetitors. c. Onejudgepersectionwillreceiveapromptwiththeirballot,andisresponsiblefordeliveringthe
providedprompttoeachcontestantintheround. 3. RhetoricalCriticism
PURPOSE:Aspeechdesignedtodescribe,analyzeandevaluatetherhetoricaldynamicsrelatedtoasignificantrhetoricalartifactorevent. DESCRIPTION:RhetoricalCriticismsarecharacterizedbyenlighteningcriticalinsight,indepthanalysis,descriptionandapplicationofrhetoricalprinciplesoratheoreticalframework,topicsignificance,crediblesources,andvocalandnonverbaldeliverychoicesthatreflectthespeechspurpose. RULES: a. Allspeechesshouldbeoriginal,constructedanddeliveredbythestudent. b. SpeechesshouldadheretotheNFACodeofEthics,RulesandProcedures. c. Plagiarisminanyformisprohibited.d. Sourcecitationshouldbespecific,accurateandhonest. e. Althoughlimitednotesarepermitted,speechesshouldbedeliveredfrommemory. f. Audiovisualaidsarepermitted. g. Maximumtimelimitof10minutes.*
*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
4. PersuasiveSpeaking
PURPOSE:Aspeechdesignedtoinfluenceaudienceattitudesand/oractions. DESCRIPTION:Persuasivespeechesarecharacterizedbysoundrhetoricalstrategy,wellsupportedarguments,crediblesources,effectiveorganization,timeliness,significance,andvocalandnonverbaldeliverychoicesthatreflectthespeechspurpose. RULES: a. Allspeechesshouldbeoriginal,constructedanddeliveredbythestudent.b. SpeechesshouldadheretotheNFACodeofEthics,RulesandProcedures.c. Plagiarisminanyformisprohibited.d. Sourcecitationshouldbespecific,accurateandhonest.e. Althoughlimitednotesarepermitted,speechesshouldbedeliveredfrommemory.f. Audiovisualaidsarepermitted. g. Maximumtimelimitof10minutes.*
*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
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5. InformativeSpeaking PURPOSE:Aspeechdesignedtoclarifyand/orexplainasignificantdevelopment,process,concept,person,placeortopic. DESCRIPTION:Informativespeechesarecharacterizedbyindepthcontentdevelopmentthatlikelyenhancesaudienceunderstandingbeyondwhatwaspreviouslyknown,wellestablishedtopicrelevance,clearorganization,crediblesources,timeliness,andvocalandnonverbaldeliverychoicesthatreflectthespeechspurpose. RULES: a. Allspeechesshouldbeoriginal,constructedanddeliveredbythestudent. b. SpeechesshouldadheretotheNFACodeofEthics,RulesandProcedures. c. Plagiarisminanyformisprohibited. d. Sourcecitationshouldbespecific,accurateandhonest. e. Althoughlimitednotesarepermitted,speechesshouldbedeliveredfrommemory. f. Audiovisualaidsarepermitted. g. Maximumtimelimitof10minutes.*
*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
6. AfterDinnerSpeaking PURPOSE:Aspeechdesignedtoentertainbyadvancingarelevantpointthroughtheuseofhumor. DESCRIPTION:AfterDinnerspeechesarecharacterizedbyhumorouscontentdevelopment,creativity,uniqueness,timeliness,clearorganization,significance,crediblesources,andvocalandnonverbaldeliverychoicesthatreflectthespeechspurpose. RULES: a. Allspeechesshouldbeoriginal,constructedanddeliveredbythestudent. b. SpeechesshouldadheretotheNFACodeofEthics,RulesandProcedures. c. Plagiarisminanyformisprohibited. d. Sourcecitationshouldbespecific,accurateandhonest. e. Althoughlimitednotesarepermitted,speechesshouldbedeliveredfrommemory. f. Audiovisualaidsarepermitted. g. Maximumtimelimitof10minutes.*
*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsare enforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
7. ProseInterpretation PURPOSE:Aninterpretiveperformancedesignedtoengagetheaudiencethroughthedevelopmentofastory. DESCRIPTION:Studentschoose,excerptand/orcut(withduerespectpaidtoissuesofliteraryintegrity),andperformaselectionorselectionsoforiginaland/orpublishedprosematerialofliterarymerit. RULES: a. Prosematerialincludes:shortstories,novels,essays,andstorycenterednewmedia.Prose
materialfromnewmediashouldfirstbereferencedagainsttheoriginalsourcetoensureitisnotdrama.Iftheoriginalsourceisnongenrespecificthenmaterialwheretheperformancefocusesonthedevelopmentofstorywouldbeacceptable.Focusofnongenrespecificmaterialasdescribedabovewillbecritiquedbythepreferenceofthejudgingpool,notcausefordisqualification.
b. Useofmanuscriptisrequired. c. Maximumtimeis10minutes,includinganyintroductoryand/ortransitionalcomments. *Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
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8. DramaticInterpretation PURPOSE:Aninterpretiveperformancedesignedtoengagetheaudiencethroughthedevelopmentofcharacter(s)withinadramaticcontext. DESCRIPTION:Studentschoose,excerptand/orcut(withduerespectpaidtoissuesofliteraryintegrity),andperformaselectionorselectionsoforiginaland/orpublisheddramaticmaterialofliterarymerit. RULES: a. Dramaticmaterialincludes:plays,materialwrittenforstage/screen/radio,documentaries,and
character(s)-centerednewmedia.DramaticmaterialfromnewmediashouldfirstbereferencedagainsttheoriginalsourcetoensureitisnotProse.Iftheoriginalsourceisnongenrespecificthenmaterialwheretheperformancefocusesonthedevelopmentofcharacter(s)wouldbeacceptable.Focusofnongenrespecificmaterialasdescribedabovewillbecritiquedbythepreferenceofthejudgingpool,notcausefordisqualification.
b. Useofmanuscriptisrequired. c. Maximumtimeis10minutes,includinganyintroductoryand/ortransitionalcomments.
*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
9. DuoInterpretation
PURPOSE:Aninterpretiveperformancebytwoindividualsdesignedtoengagetheaudiencethroughtheinteractionofmultiplecharacters. DESCRIPTION:Studentschoose,excerptand/orcut(withduerespectpaidtoissuesofliteraryintegrity),andperformaselectionorselectionsoforiginaland/orpublishedmaterialofliterarymerit.Thisisnotanactingevent.Selectedliteraturemustpresenttheperspectivesofmultiplecharacters,representingthosedifferentcharactersusingvoiceand/orbody.Thefocusofthiseventistheinteractionofmultipleandrelatedvoices RULES: a. Anytypeofmaterial(s)ofliterarymeritmaybeusedaslongastheperformancehighlights
interaction. b. Useofmanuscriptisrequired,whichprohibitsphysicalcontactbetweenperformersc. Offstagefocusisrequiredd. Nocostumes,props,etc.aretobeused.e. Maximumtimeis10minutes,includinganyintroductoryand/ortransitionalcomments.*
*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
10. PoetryInterpretation
PURPOSE:Aninterpretiveperformancedesignedtoengagetheaudiencethroughthedevelopmentoflinguisticimagery. DESCRIPTION:Studentschoose,excerptand/orcut(withduerespectpaidtoissuesofliteraryintegrity),andperformaselectionorselectionsoforiginaland/orpublishedpoetryofliterarymerit.RULES: a. Poetrycanincludepoems,slampoetry,andlyricsanymaterialwithpoeticelements.b. Useofmanuscriptisrequired.c. Maximumtimeis10minutes,includinganyintroductoryand/ortransitionalcomments.*
*Unlikeothereventrules,minimumandmaximumtimelimitsprovidedforALLeventsareenforcedatthediscretionoftheindividualjudgeratherthantheassociation.
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11. LincolnDouglasDebate: PURPOSE:Adebateeventdesignedtoengagetheaudiencethroughapolicyorienteddialogue. DESCRIPTION:NFALincolnDouglasDebateisaoneperson,persuasive,policydebateonthetraditionalstockissuesofpolicydebate(harms,inherency,solvency,andtopicality).Itisacommunicationevent,inwhichcompetitorswillbeevaluatedontheiranalysis,useofevidence,andabilitytoeffectivelyandpersuasivelyorganize,deliverandrefutearguments.Rapidfiredelivery,commonlycalledspreaddelivery,isconsideredantitheticaltothepurposeandintentofthisevent. RULES: a. ParadigmforJudgingLincolnDouglasDebateTheofficialdecisionmakingparadigmofNFA
LDisthatofStockIssues:Harm(AdvantageorGoals),Inherency,Solvency,andTopicality.Theaffirmativeisrequiredtoproposeaplanthatmeetsfourinitialburdens.Theplanneednotbedetailed,butshouldbesufficienttoprovetheplanspropensitytosolvetheproblemarea. 1.Theaffirmativemustprove:
a). Theharmofthepresentsystemorthatacomparativeadvantageorgoalcanbeachievedoverthepresentsystem
b).Theinherencywhichpreventssolvingthoseharmsorachievingthoseadvantagesorgoals c).Theproposedplanspropensitytosolvetheharmorachievetheadvantageorgoalclaimed
bytheaffirmativeand d).Thetopicalnatureoftheproposedplanasaninductiveproofoftheresolution.If,attheend
ofthedebate,thenegativehasconvincedthejudgethattheaffirmativeproposalhasviolatedtheparameterssetbytheresolution,thenthedecisioninthedebateshouldbeawardedtothenegative.However,theplandoesnotneedtodealwithallthepossibleproblemareassuggestedbytheresolution.Topicalityisavotingissue.
2. Thenegativemayattackanyoftheseissues,butneedonlywinonetowinthedebate.Additionally,thenegativemayarguethatoneormoredisadvantagestotheproposedplanoutweighitsbenefits.Thenegativemayalsopresentonecompetitivecounterproposal specifictotheaffirmativeproblemareaandnotdealingwiththeformofgovernment,economicsystem,orneedforfurtherstudy(unlessspecificallyidentifiedasakeyissueintheresolution).
3. Counterproposalsshouldbelogicallyconsistentwithallothernegativeargumentsconstructedduringthedebate.Ifinconsistenciesariseandtheaffirmativepointsthemout,thejudgeshouldrejecttheargumentsinconsistentwiththecounterproposal.Counterproposalsaresubjecttothesameburdenofsolvencyasarerequiredofaffirmativeplans.
4. Rebuttalsaretobeusedtorespondtotheoppositionslinesofargumentandtoextendargumentsmadeinconstructivespeeches.Nonewlinesofargumentmaybepresentedinrebuttals.Bynewlinesofargument,wemeanthosewhicharenotclarificationsorresponsesmadetoargumentsmadeinconstructive,butthosewhicharecompletelynewandunrelatedtopreviousargumentation.Newevidencetoextendorclarifyconstructiveargumentsispermittedinrebuttal.
5. Speechesshouldbepleasant,comprehensible,andpersuasiveintone,especiallysincenotall judgeswillhavetraditionaldebateexperience.Speechdeliveryandquantityofevidenceshould
notbeexcessive.SinceLDdebateadherestothecommunicationprinciplesofindividualevents,judgesareencouragedtogiveaverbalwarningtodebatersspeakingtoorapidlyinaround.Ifthespeakerdoesnotheedthewarninginthatparticularround,thejudgeisstronglyencouragedtogivethatspeakeralossforthatroundevenifthestudenthasotherwisewonthedebateonthebasisofthestockissues.Ontheotherhand,judgeswhoencouragestudentstospeakrapidlyshouldbereportedtothetournamentdirector.Atthenationaltournament,thesejudgeswillbepulledfromthejudgingpoolandtheirschoolsassessedjudgingfeesfortheroundsnotcovered.Localtournamentdirectorsareencouragedtodeveloptheirownresponsestosuchjudges.
b. UseofEvidenceinLincolnDouglasDebate:Studentsshouldonlyuseevidencethatisaccurateandthoroughlyreferencedintheirspeeches.Inbothpreparedspeechesandspeechescomposedwithlimitedpreparationtime,debatersshoulduseevidencethatis
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accuratelyanddirectlyquoted.Theevidenceshouldbequotedwithproperrespecttothecontextoftheoriginalsource.Studentsmayuseevidencefromnonwrittensourcesaslongastheveracityoftheevidencemaybeverified.Informationgatheredfrompersonaland/orphoneinterviews,aswellasinformationfromelectronicsources,maybeused,providedthestudentdoesthefollowing
1. Indicatesduringtheperformancethenameofthesource,datetheinformationwas collected,andmethodusedtocollecttheinformationand, 2.Possessesameanstoverifytheaccuracyoftheevidenceshoulditbeformallychallenged. Verificationmayincludeatranscriptoftheinterview,broadcast,etc.,anotarizedletterof
authenticityfromthesourceidentifyingspecificpassagesfromtheperformanceasaccurate,and/orphonenumbersatwhichthesourcemaybereachedtoverifytheveracityoftheinformation.(Thislastoptionisnotrecommendedasthesoleoptionsincethesourcemaynotbereachableatthetimeanethicalchargeismade.)
3. Thefirsttimeasourceispresented,thedebatershouldreadthefullsourcealoudwhenintroducingtheevidence.Afullsourceisassumedtoincludeauthorsname,authorsqualifications(whenapparentintheoriginal),fulldate,andtitleofsource.Pagenumbersneednotbereadduringthedebate,butshouldbeavailableuponrequest.Onceasourcehasbeencited,evidencesubsequentlycitedfromthesourceneedonlyincludetheauthorsand/orpublicationsnameaswellasaphrasealongthelinesofpreviouslycited.
4. Bothspeakersinadebatearerequiredtomakeavailabletotheiropponentcopiesofanyevidenceusedintheround,includingtheaffirmativeconstructivespeech.Theevidencemustbereturnedtothespeakerattheendofthedebate.Iftheevidenceisonlyavailableinadigitalformat,thedebaterisrequiredtomakeadigitalversionoftheevidenceavailablefortheentiretyofthedebateattheopponentsdiscretion.Forexample,ifanaffirmativecaseisonlyavailableonlaptop,thenegativeshouldbeallowedtokeepthelaptopforreferenceuntilthedebateisover.Attheconclusionofthedebate,competitorsandjudgesmayreviewevidence
readintheroundandrecordsources.Competitorsmustprovideaccesstoawrittenversionofthesourcecitation,ineitherphysicalordigitalformat,uponrequestbythejudgeorothercompetitorintheround.Timetorecordsourcesmaybelimitedbasedontournamentscheduleconstraints.Whentimerestrictionspreventrecordingofsourcesduringtheround,roundparticipantsmayasktoreviewsourcesatalaterpointduringthetournament.Competitorswishingtophotograph,film,orotherwisecopypiecesofopponentsevidenceintheirentiretymustfirstrequestpermission.Competitorsarenotrequiredtograntpermissionforphotographingoftheevidence.Judgesmaynotphotographevidenceduringaround,normayjudgesaskdebatersforpermissiontodoso.Aftertheballothasbeenreturnedjudgesmay
approachacoachforpermissiontophotographtheevidence. c. ViolationsoftheCodeofEthics:Ifadebater,duringthecourseofthedebate,chargeshis/her
opponentwithviolatinganethicalstandard,asestablishedbytheNationalForensicsAssociationCodeofEthics,thedebateshallimmediatelycease.Thejudgewillbringthestudentstoamemberofthetournamentcommitteeandthedebatermakingthechargewillfilloutaformalcomplaintaccordingtotheprovisionsunder(1)inthesectionViolationoftheCodeofEthics.Thecomplaintwillthenbeadjudicatedasinanyothercomplaint.Ifthedebatermakingthechargeduringtheroundrefusestofileaformalcomplaint,thatdebaterwillreceivealossforthedebate.ComplaintsmadeafteraroundwillfollowthestandardprocedurelistedintheviolationsectionoftheCodeofEthics.
d. Electronicdevicesmaybeusedintheround(e.g.cellphonesastimers,laptopswithevidenceorfornotes),butcompetitorsmustagreetoNOTcommunicatewithanyoneelse,eitherinsideoroutsidetheroom,duringthecourseofthedebateviatheirelectronicdevices.
e. TimeLimitsforLincolnDouglasDebate AffirmativeConstructive6minutes CrossExamination3minutes
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NegativeConstructive7minutes CrossExamination3minutes AffirmativeRebuttal6minutes NegativeRebuttal6minutes AffirmativeRebuttal3minutes Preptimeperdebater4minutes
B.Thefollowingrulesapplytoallevents:
1. AllmustbepresentedintheEnglishlanguage. 2. Nospeechorprogramusedbythecontestantincompetitionshouldhavebeenusedpriorto
September1,precedingtheNationalChampionshipTournament. 3. NostudentmayperformtwocuttingsfromthesameliteraryworkattheNationalChampionship
tournamentinthesameyear. C.ExperimentaleventattheNationalChampionshipTournament:
1. AllproposalsforanyexperimentaleventattheNationalChampionshipTournamentmustbesubmittedforconsiderationtotheNationalCouncilbyApril1.Proposalsmustincludeeventname,rules,rationale,andnamesandaffiliationsofauthors.
2. TheNationalCouncilwillselectworthyproposalstosubmittotheStudentAssemblyattheNationalChampionshipTournament.
3. TheStudentAssembly,ifitchoosestodoso,willpickfromNationalCouncilsubmissionsanExperimentalEventforimplementationatthefollowingyear'sNationalChampionshipTournament. a). Amaximumofone(1)experimentaleventmaybeimplementedinanytournamentyear. b). TheexperimentaleventswillnotbepartofsweepstakesorpentathlonattheNational
ChampionshipTournament. c). OtherappropriateelementsoftheassociationsConstitution,Bylaws,andCodeofEthicswill
applytotheexperimentalevent.Animplementedexperimentaleventcannotbeaddedtotheslateofregulareventsunlessitconstitutionallyreplacesanotherevent.
d). Executionoftheexperimentaleventiscontingentuponavailablespace.
III. QUALIFICATIONPROCEDURESANDREQUIREMENTS A. InorderforastudenttoqualifyanyoftheeventsinSectionII(exceptLD)oftheByLawsfor competitionattheNationalTournament,thefollowingcriteriamustbemet:
1. Thestudentmustbeanundergraduatestudentenrolledattheinstitutionwhichtheyrepresentedatthequalificationtournament.
2. Atleast7schoolsenteredinthequalificationtournament. 3. Atleast11entrantsintheevent.* 4. Atleast3performances.** 5. Atleast3ballots. 6. Reachingthefinalroundwhichisdefinedbythetop6competitorsafterpreliminaryrounds.Ties
deemedunbreakablemayallowformorethan6toadvance,inwhichcaseallfinalistswillqualify. 7. Qualificationtournamentsmaynotsystematicallyemploycurrentcompetingundergraduatestudents
inthejudgingpool. 8. Intheeventthatastatetournamentdoesnotmeetthe7schoolrequirementexpectedofopen
invitationaltournaments,qualificationswillbegrantedprovidedthataminimumof3schoolsareinattendance.Nostatemayrequestanexemptionformorethanonetournamentinanygivenacademicyear.Therequestforawaiverofthe7schoolsrequirementmustbesubmittedtotheTournamentDirectoroftheNFAsNationalChampionshipTournamentwithintwoweeksofthedateofthestatetournamentbythestatetournamentdirectororotherstateorganizationofficer.
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9. Whenatournamenthassixschoolscompetingatthestartofthetournament,theTournamentDirectormayapplyforawaiverofthe"sevenschools"requirementif(1)atleastsevenschoolshadofficiallyenteredthetournamentand(2)the"seventhschool"failedtogive24hoursnoticeoftheirwithdrawalbeforethestartofcompetition.ThetournamentdirectormustapplyforthewaiverwithintwoweeksbycontactingtheTournamentDirectorfortheNFAsNationalChampionshipTournament.TheNFAsTournamentDirectormayrequestsupportingmaterialssuchasaletterfromthewithdrawingschoolorregistrationmaterialsforthewithdrawingschool.
*Intheeventthattherearelessthan11entrants,criteria2,4and5muststillbemet,andifso,thetopfiftypercentoftheentrantswillqualify.
**Intheeventthattherearelessthan8entrantswhoallcompeteinthesamesection,criteria2and5muststillbemet,andifso,thetopfiftypercentoftheentrantswillqualify.
Intheeventthattherearemorethan60entrants,thetoptenpercentwillqualify.
Incaseswherebothnoviceandopendivisionsofthesameeventareoffered,thefinalistsinbothdivisionswillqualify,aslongastheystillmeettheabovecriteria.
B. InorderforastudenttoqualifyLincolnDouglasDebateforcompetitionattheNationalTournament,the
followingcriteriamustbemet: 1. Thestudentmustbeanundergraduatestudentenrolledattheinstitutionthattheyrepresented
atthequalificationtournament. 2.Atleast3schoolsenteredinLD. 3.Atotalofatleast5studentsenteredinLD. 4.ThedebatetournamentmustemploytheNFALincolnDouglastopicandrules. 5.Atleast4preliminaryroundsofcompetition(eliminationroundsareencouragedbutareoptionalas
qualificationtotheNationalChampionshipTournamentisdeterminedbasedonpreliminaryroundseeding).
6.Thenumberofqualificationsisbasedonthefollowingformula: 58entrants=2qualifiers 916entrants=4qualifiers 1732entrants=8qualifiers 33+entrants=16qualifiers
7.IncaseswherebothopenandnovicedivisionsofLincolnDouglasdebateareoffered,studentsmayqualifyfromeitherdivisionsolongastheabovecriteriaaremetineachdivision.
C. EachqualificationapplicationmustbesubmittedtotheNationalTournamentDirectorwithwrittenproof
ofmeetingtherequirementsstatedabove. D.Regardlessofeventsize,onlyonesetofcompetitorspereventmayqualifyfortheNationalChampionship
Tournament.Incaseswherebothnoviceandopendivisionsofthesameeventareoffered,theywillbeconsideredseparateevents.
E.TournamentsthatrestrictentrytoonlythosewhohavenotyetqualifiedfortheNationalChampionship
Tournamentshallnotbeacceptedasqualifyingtournaments.
F. StudentswhograduateduringtheacademicyearmaycompeteattheNationalChampionshipTournamentinthoseeventsinwhichtheyqualifiedbetweenSeptemberandthedateoftheirgraduation.
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G. ThethirdMondaypriortothebeginningoftheNationalChampionshipTournamentshallbethe tournamentqualificationandtournamententrydeadline.
IV.ELIGIBILITYOFCONTESTANTS
A.ContestantsmustbeenrolledundergraduatesattheschooltheyrepresentattheNationalChampionshipTournament.Exceptionswillbemadeforthosestudentswhograduateinmidyear.Contestantsneednotbefulltimestudentsbutmustbeenrolledattheirinstitutionformorethanacourseinforensics.
B. Contestantsmaynothavereceivedabaccalaureatedegreeoritsequivalent.Exceptionswillbemadefor
thosestudentswhograduateinmidyear.
C. Astudentisallowedtheequivalentofeightsemestersofcompetitiveeligibility.Competitionin3ormoretournamentsand/oranynationaltournament(asdefinedbelowinSectionD)withinasemesterconstitutesasemesterofeligibility.
D.Contestantsarelimitedtofouryearsofnationaltournamentcompetition.Theseyearsneednotbe
consecutive.ThesenationaltournamentsincludethosesponsoredbyNFA,PKD,DSRTKA,IOA,PRP,CEDA,NPDA,AFA,andNoviceNationalsoranyotherforensicnationalcompetitionaddedtothislistbytheNationalCouncil.
E. TransferStudents:Qualificationsgowiththestudent.
F. Anystudentwhojudgesanyoftheeventsdescribedinsection2,EventsattheNationalChampionshipTournamentatanintercollegiatequalificationtournamentduringtheNFAcompetitiveseasonforfeitsanyremainingcompetitiveeligibilityattheNationalChampionshipTournament.AstudentwhojudgesatatournamentbeforeotherwiseexhaustinghisorhercompetitiveeligibilitymaypetitiontheNFAExecutiveCounciltohaveeligibilityreinstated.
G. AllContestantsmustmeettheminimumstandardsofeligibilityforparticipationinintercollegiate
activitiesasdeterminedbytheirrespectiveinstitutions.
H. Finaldeterminationofastudent'seligibilitytocompeteinthetournamentwillbemadebythePresidentalongwiththeNationalCouncil.
V.INDIVIDUALEVENTSTOURNAMENTPROCEDURES Section1:Theschematicshouldincludethefollowingitemsandprocedures: A. Maximumrotationideally,contestantsshouldmeetnewcompetitioneachround.B. Sectionsshouldbenomorethansixandnotfewerthanfivecontestants. C. Fourpreliminaryroundsofcompetitionplusquarterfinal,semifinals,andfinalroundsineachevent. D. Eachcontestantinaneventshallhaveadifferentcodenumberforthatevent.Schematicswilluseonly
thosenumbers.Thecontestant'sschool(bynameorcode)shallnotbeidentifiedintheschematicorinanypostingand/orannouncementofeliminationrounds.
E. Contestantswillnotcompeteagainstcontestantsfromtheirownschoolifmathematicallypossible.Ifnot,thensuchconflictsshouldbekepttoaminimum.
Section2:TournamentSchedule A. Schedulenomorethanthreeeventspertimebracket.B. ScheduletimefortheNationalAssemblyandStudentAssemblymeetings.
pg. 9
Section3:AssignmentofJudges. A. JudgesarescheduledatthediscretionoftheNationalTournamentCommittee.
B. Nojudgewilljudgestudentsfromhis/hercurrentschoolorfromanyotherschoolhe/shedeclaresan
associationwithontheentryform.Suchdeclarationsmightinclude:recentcoachingatanyotherschoolenteredinthetournamentrecentcoachingofanyindividualstudententeredinthetournamentbyanotherteamoranyotherpotentiallysignificantconflictofinterest.
C. Twojudgeswillbeassignedtoeachsectioninpreliminaryrounds.Judgesshouldnotjudgethesame
contestantinpreliminaryroundsmorethanonceinthesameevent.Judgesshouldnotjudgewiththesamepartnermorethanonce.Eachpreliminaryroundsectionshouldnothavemorethanonehiredjudge.
D. Nojudgehiredbythehostschoolwilljudgecontestantsfromthatschool.Exceptionsmaybegrantedby
theNationalTournamentCommitteewhennecessaryduetoavailabilityofjudges,forjudgeshiredbythehostschoolsolelyforNationalTournamentjudging.
E. FivejudgesfromfivedifferentstateswillbeassignedbytheNationalTournamentCommitteeforeach
sectionofeliminationrounds.Judgesshouldnotjudgethesameeventmorethanonceinelimination rounds.
F. Lastnamesofjudgesassignedtoroundswillbeprintedinthetournamentschematic.
Section4:TournamentBallots.
Associationapprovedballotswillbeutilized.Theywillincluderanks,ratings,andspaceforwrittencomments.Allcontestantswillberankedfrom15inpreliminaryroundsandfrom16(orwhennecessary,17)inalleliminationrounds.Allcontestantswillbegivenratingpointsfrom10070inbothpreliminaryandeliminationrounds.Therecanbenotiesgiveninratingpoints.Inaddition,therecanbenotiesonranksotherthana5inpreliminaryrounds.
Section5:TabulationandResultsRecording
A. TheNationalTournamentDirectorshallbeinchargeofthetabulationroom.
B. Noonewithknowledgeofresultsatanytimeshalljudgeinafollowingroundexceptinanemergency.
C. SpecificProceduresforTabulation. 1. Recordrankandratingforeachentryattheendofeachroundfromthejudge'sballotswhichare
his/hersignedofficialdecision. 2. Recordsweepstakespointsforeachentryattheendofeachround. 3. Attheendofpreliminaryrounds,calculatetotalranksandtotalratings.Dropthelowestrankand
ratingforeachcontestant.Determinethetop24contestantsineachevent.Ranktop24inorderfrom1to24usingfirsttotalranksthantotalratings.Recordpentathlonandsweepstakespointsonappropriaterecordsheets.Repeatprocedureforsemifinalsandfinalrounds.Totalpentathlonandsweepstakes.
4.Alltabulationswillbedoublecheckedbythetabulationstaff.
D. Sweepstakespointsarebasedonallpreliminaryroundranks,includingthosethatweredroppedto determineadvancementintoeliminationrounds.
pg. 10
E. The24contestantsineacheventwiththelowestadjustedranksadvancetoquarterfinals.Thefollowing procedurewillbeusedincaseoftiesinranks:(1)totalratingspoints(2)greatestnumberoffirstsin preliminaryrounds.Ifatiestillexistsatthispoint,theadditionalperson(s)willadvancetoquarterfinals.
F. Quarterfinalssectionsshallbemadeupofthefollowingrankedcontestants:
SectionA1,8,9,16,17,24(25) SectionB2,7,10,15,18,23(26) SectionC3,6,11,14,19,22(27) SectionD4,5,12,13,20,21.(28) Therewillbenoexceptionstothissectionassignment(suchastwoormorecontestantsfromthesameschoolinthesamesection).Seedingtieswillbebrokenusingthesamecriterionoutlinedabove,except thatinquarterfinalrounds,ifatiestillexists,seedingwillbedeterminedbyasinglecoinflip.
G. Thetopthreecontestantsfromeachquarterfinalsectionwilladvancetothesemifinals.Thetopthree
contestantsfromsectionsAandDwillcompriseonesemifinalsectionandthetopthreecontestantsfromsectionsBandCwillcomprisetheothersemifinalsection.Thetopthreecontestantsfromeachsemifinalsectionwilladvancetothefinalround.Ifatieexistsinanyeliminationround,thetiebreakingprocedurewillbe: 1. Totalrank 2. Totalrate 3. Judgespreference.
H. Speakingorderinalleliminationroundswillbedeterminedbyrandomdraw.
I. Contestantsearn3sweepstakespointsforeachfirstplace2pointsforeachsecondplaceand1pointfor
eachthirdplacerankreceivedinthefourpreliminaryrounds.Thus,themaximumpointswouldoccurwhenacontestantreceivedeightfirstsequaling24points.Thetotalpreliminarypointsarehalvedforteamsweepstakesandpentathloncalculation.
J. Allstudentsinquarterfinalsandsemifinalswillbeawardedthreesweepstakespoints.Inthefinalround,
sweepstakespointsareallottedasfollows:lst122nd103rd84th75th56th3. K. Regardlessofthenumberofentries,eachschoolreceivesthesweepstakespointsforitstopthree
contestantsinpreliminaryroundsineachevent. VI: LINCOLNDOUGLASPROCEDURES. A. PreliminaryRounds:
1.TheNationalChampionshipTournamentshallconsistof6preliminaryroundsofcompetitioninLincolnDouglasdebate.
2.Thefirsttworoundsofthetournamentwillbepresetwithdebatersrandomlypaired. a.Thedebatersshallberandomlymatchedwithdebatersoutsidetheirowngeographicalregion
asdeterminedbythetabroomstaff. b. Sofaraspossible,ajudgeshouldnotjudgeadebaterfromaschoolwithintheirowngeographical
regioninallpreliminaryrounds.3.Powermatchingshouldbeginwiththethirdround.
a.Theoddnumberroundsshoulduseadirectpowermatchscheme(high/high)sincethereisnotaproblemwithsideconstraintsintheoddnumberrounds.
b.Theevennumberroundsshoulduseahigh/lowpowermatchschemewithinwin/lossbracketstoallowforsideconstraints.
pg. 11
4.Ifthefieldconsistsofanoddnumberofentriesthebyeshouldberandomlyassignedinroundsoneandtwo.Inroundsthreethroughsixthebyeshouldbeassignedtothelowestseedthathasnotalreadyreceivedabye.
5.Undernocircumstancesshouldcontestantsfromthesameschoolmeetinpreliminaryrounds. 6.Asinglejudgewillbeassignedtoadjudicateeachpreliminaryround.Judgeswillassigneach
contestantintheroundawinorlosswithbetween130speakerpoints.Ajudgeshouldnotjudgethesamecontestantmorethanonceinpreliminaryrounds.
B.EliminationRounds:
1.Thetop2seedswilladvancetothesingleeliminationroundsunlesstherearemorethan32competitorswithawinningrecord.Awinningrecordisdefinedas42orbetter.Intheeventthatmorethan32competitorshaveawinningrecord,allcompetitorswithawinningrecordwilladvancetothesingleeliminationrounds.Theinitialseedingorderofdebatesadvancingtoeliminationroundswillbe
determinedbythefollowingcriteria: a.Numberofwins b.Adjustedspeakerpointsadjustedbydroppingthehighandlowscores c.Totalspeakerpoints d.Judgevariance/ZScoretheaveragenumberofpointsthateachjudgegavethedebaterrelativeto
thenumberofpointsthatjudgegavetoallotherdebatersthatheorsheadjudicated e.Strengthofopponentthenumberofwinsearnedbythedebatersopponentsinpreliminaryrounds f.Doubleadjustedspeakerpointsadjustedbydroppingthetwohighestandtwolowestscores g.Random
2.Assoonaspossibleaftertheendofround6,thetabroomwillreleasepubliclythenamesofthedebaterswhohavequalifiedfortheeliminationroundsandthetournamentwillmakeavailablethebracketforeliminationrounds.
3.Bracketswillnotbebrokentopreventdebatersfromthesameschoolmeetingineliminationrounds. 4.Sidesinalleliminationroundswillbedeterminedbyacointossunlessthetwodebatershavemetin
thepreliminaryrounds.Thedebaterlistedontheleftsideofthepairingwillcallsideinthecointoss. 5.Panelsofthreejudgeswilladjudicatealleliminationroundsthroughthequarterfinalround.Apanelof
fivejudgeswilladjudicatethesemifinalroundsandsevenjudgeswilladjudicatethefinalround.IntheeventthatthereareinsufficientjudgestofillthepanelstheTournamentDirectormayreducethesizeofthepanelsforanystageoftheeliminationroundstoensurethesmoothrunningofthetournament,althoughthenumberofjudgesshallbethesameineachindividualroundheldatthattime.
6.AlljudgeswhoarecommittedtojudgingLincolnDouglasdebatemustbeavailablethroughtheoctafinalsround,oroneroundbeyondtheeliminationoftheirlastcompetitoriftheyadvanceastudenttoeliminationrounds.Judgesmayvolunteertojudgebeyondtheircommitment.
7.Judgeswillhaveacleanslateoncetheeliminationroundsbegin.Theymayjudgeacontestantineliminationroundsthattheyjudgedinthepreliminaryrounds.Additionally,judgesmayjudgethesamecontestanttwiceineliminationroundsifnecessary.
C.Disclosure:Judgesarenotpermittedtodisclosetheirdecisioninanypreliminaryrounds.Decisions inalleliminationrounds,exceptforfinals,willbedisclosedimmediatelyfollowingtheround. D.TabulatingSpeakerAwards:Thetoptenspeakersatthetournamentwillreceiveanawardasdeterminedbythespeakerpoints assignedtotheminthepreliminaryrounds.Speakerordershallbedeterminedbythefollowingcriteria:
1. AdjustedPoints:Speakerpointsafterdroppinghighandlowscores 2. TotalPoints:Totalspeakerpoints 3.JudgeVariance/ZScore:Theaveragenumberofpointsgreaterorfewerthateachjudgegave the
speakerrelativetoallotherspeakerstowhichthejudgeassignedpoints
pg. 12
4.DoubleAdjustedPoints:Speakerpointsafterdroppingthetwohighestandthetwolowestscores 5.NumberofWins:Thespeakersnumberofwinsinthepreliminaryrounds 6.OppositionWins:Thestrengthofthespeakerscompetitionasdefinedbythenumberofpreliminary
roundwinsearnedbythespeakersopposition 7.Ifallthespeakersinvolvedinatieareindistinguishablebasedonalloftheabovecriteria,thenan
unbreakabletiewillbedeclared. E.LincolnDouglasTopic
1.TheLincolnDouglasdebatecommittee,chairedbytheLincolnDouglasRepresentativetotheNationalCouncil,willberesponsiblefortheoverseeingandfacilitatingthetopic selectionprocess.
2.ByFebruary1,topicareasaretobesubmittedtothechairoftheLDcommittee.ThecommunityisencouragedtosubmittheirtopicpaperstotheLDcommittee.Iflessthan10briefsaresubmitted,theywillallbedistributedtotheLDcommunityforavote.Ifmorethan10briefsaresubmitted,theLDcommitteewillnarrowthefielddownto10briefsusingaweightedpreferentialvotingsystem.Each1stplaceballotreceives10points,downto10thplace,whichreceives1point.TheLDcommitteewillbreaktiesfor10thplace.
3.ByFebruary8,thecommitteewilldistributethebriefstotheLDcommunityandthemembershipoftheNFA,fordiscussionandconsideration.ThismailingwillincludeaballotofwhichschoolsshouldrankalloftheirchoicesandreturntotheNFAPresidenttobereceivedbyMarch1.Again,thetopicareawillbeselectedusingaweightedpreferentialvotingsystem.
4.TheselectedtopicareawillbeannouncedonMarch8.5. TheLDcommitteewillbetaskedwithformulatingatleastfiveresolutionsbasedontheselectedtopic
area.TheLDcommitteewillsolicitcommunityvolunteerstoparticipateinresearchwithintheselectedtopicareatoguidetheresolutiondesignprocess.Thevolunteerswillbeassignedanareaofresearch,andtheywillbeexpectedtoidentifymajorissuesandthemeswithintheareaaswellasrelevanttermsofartinawrittenreport.TheLDcommitteewillhostanopenforumatNFANationalstogathercommunityinputandwillrefinetheresolutionsviaemailandconferencecalls.
6.ByMay1,aballotwillbesentoutwithfiveresolutionsforconsideration.Inorderforaballottobecounted,allfiveresolutionsmustberankordered.TheballotsmustbereturnedtotheNFAPresidentbyMay15.Aweightedpreferentialvotingsystemwillusedtodeterminethefinalresolution.1stplacereceives5 points,2ndplacereceives4points,downto5thplace,whichreceivesonepoint.TieswillbebrokenbythePresidentoftheNFA,whomayathis/herdiscretion,consultwiththeLDdebatecommittee.
7.TheresolutionannouncedbyJuly1.ThewinningresolutionwillbeknownonlytothePresidentoftheNFAuntilitisannounced.
VII.CATEGORIESOFSWEEPSTAKESAWARDS A.IndividualEvents
Therewillbefourcategoriesofsweepstakes.Thetop10percentofschoolswiththemostenteredslotsareeligibleonlyforopensweepsthenext20percentPresident'sOne(I),thenext25percentPresident'sTwo(II),andtheremainderPresident'sThree(III).CategoriesaredeterminedtheSundaybeforetheNationalChampionshipTournament.Allnumberswillberoundedupwhencategoriesarecalculated.SchoolswinninganawardinoneofthePresidentialcategoriesarealsoeligibletowinanawardintheOpenDivision.CategorieswillbeannouncedattheawardsceremonyonMonday.
B.LincolnDouglasDebate
ThereisoneopendivisioninLincolnDouglasDebate.
pg. 13
C.Pentathlon 1. StudentsenteredinfiveormoreeventsareeligibleforPentathlonawards(TwoduosdoNOTcountas
twoeventsindeterminingPentathloneligibility).Indeterminingtheseawards,onlythestudentsbest5slotsinpreliminaryand/oreliminationroundswillbeconsidered.
2. IntheeventofatieinPentathlon,thetiebreakingprocedurewillbe: a. Numberofeventsinfinalrounds b. Numberofeventsinsemifinalrounds c. Numberofeventsinquarterfinalrounds d. Ifatiestillexists,thetiewillbebrokenonplacementineliminationrounds,beginningwithfinals.
VIII.NFACODEOFETHICS,RULESANDPROCEDURES A. Directors,coachesandstudentsmustensurecompliancewiththeassociationsethics,rulesandprocedures.
Anydirector,coachorstudentwhoviolatestheseethics,rulesorproceduresissubjecttothesanctionsasindicatedintheCodeofEthicsandasappliedatthediscretionoftheNationalCouncil.
B.Thoseindoubtastocompliancewiththeseethics,rulesorproceduresshouldcorrespondwiththePresident
orNationalTournamentDirectorinadvanceoftheNationalChampionshipTournamenttoensuretheircompliance.Thosesuspectingviolationsofethics,rulesorproceduresshouldreportallegedviolation(s)toamemberoftheNationalTournamentCommitteeassoonaspracticalandifatallpossible,wellinadvanceoftheNationalChampionshipTournament.
CODEOFETHICS
1. RepetitionofMaterials(InPrepared&InterpretationEvents) Itisunethicalforstudentstoreusematerialsfromyeartoyear.
2. LiteraryDefinitionsforInterpretiveEvents
ContestantsmustuseliteraryselectionsintheappropriateeventcategoryandmustperformthoseselectionsprimarilyinEnglish.
3. AuthorshipofMaterialsUsedinCompetition Studentsshouldauthortheirownmaterialsinnoninterpretationeventsandshouldcitesourcesforany materialstheyemploywhicharenotoriginal. Violationsofthisruleincludeallformsofplagiarism.Studentsshallnotrepresentanother'swordsorideasastheirown.Examplesinclude,butarenotlimitedto,deliveringaspeechauthoredbyanotherstudentintheevent"PersuasiveSpeaking,"paraphrasingapersonalstoryfoundinamagazinewithoutcitingthesource,presentingaprofessionalcomedian'sjokeasifitwereyourown,orcuttingandpastingthedefinitionofatermfromWikipediaintotheintroductionofaPoetryprogramwithoutverballyattributingittothewebsite.Violationsalsoincludefabrication,theinventionorfalsificationofinformationorcitations.Examplesincludecitingthewrongsourceforthenation'sGDPinanextemporaneousspeechorupdatingacitationinaninformativespeechwithanewsourcethatdoesnotcontaintheinformationclaimed.Additionalguidelinesforthecitingofsourcesappearbelow.
4. Timing
Thejudge(s)ineachroundmustensureaccuratetimingofallperformancesandprovisionofaccurate timesignalsinlimitedpreparationevents.
pg. 14
5. StudentAffiliationwithanInstitution StudentswhoattendmorethanoneinstitutionmayonlyrepresentoneinstitutionattheNationalChampionshipTournament.StudentsmaycompeteattheNationalChampionshipTournamentonlyin thoseeventstheyqualified.Studentswhoofficiallytransferfromoneinstitutiontoanothermay competeinanyeventsforwhichtheyhavequalified.
6. StudentStatus
StudentswhocompeteattheNationalChampionshipTournamentmustbemakingprogresstowardan initialundergraduatedegree.
7. Evidence
Studentsshouldonlyuseevidencethatisaccurateandthoroughlyreferenced.Institutionsshouldbe preparedtoprovidesourceverificationofallmaterialsusedincompetitionattheNationalChampionshipTournament.Studentsmayuseevidencefromnonwrittensourcesaslongastheveracityoftheevidencemaybeconfirmed.
8.EthicalJudgingBehavior
Judgesshouldactprofessionallyanddemonstraterespectforacademicfreedomwhenengagedinthe critique,rankingandratingofstudents.
9. StudentsmustalsoabidebyArticleIIIoftheAmericanForensicAssociationsCompetitorPracticesin
IndividualEvents(16E),lastupdatedin2009.ThissectionoftheAFAsStudentCodeisappendedbelow.Inadditiontoourowncodeofethics,theserulesfromanaffiliateorganization,theAFA,willbeenforcedattheNFAsNationalChampionshipTournament.
CodeofForensicProgramandForensicTournamentStandardsforCollegesandUniversities TheAmericanForensicAssociation(2009) ARTICLEIII:COMPETITORPRACTICESININDIVIDUALEVENTS 1. Studentscompetinginindividualeventsareexpectedtoprovidesufficientsupportfortheir
claims.Theethicaluseofevidenceincludesappropriatecitations,accuraterepresentationofevidencecontent,andavoidanceofplagiarismandreflectionofautonomousstudentwork.
2.AppropriateCitationsofEvidence:Outsidesourcesshallbeverballycitedduringthespeech.Averbalcitationshallincludesufficientinformationforanaudiencemembertolocatethesource.TheAFANIETrecommendsthefollowing(additionalinformationmaybeincluded): A. Printperiodicalsshallbecitedwiththetitleoftheperiodicalanddateofthepublication
regardlessifthematerialwaselectronicallyretrieved.Thedateasourceisaccessedonlineisnotconsideredtheprimarypublicationdate.Forexample:AccordingtotheMay21,
2009,NewYorkTimes B. Materialsdistributedviaelectronicmeansonlyshouldbeindicatedassuch.Forexample:
AccordingtoaMay21,2009onlinereportbytheAssociatedPress C. Booksshallbecitedwiththetitle,dateandauthor.Essaysorarticlescollectedinan
anthologyshouldbecitedusingtheprimaryauthorsnamenottheeditorofthecollection.Whenapplicable,studentsshouldfindandcitetheoriginalpublicationoftheanthologizedwork.Forexample:AugustoBoalarguesinhis1979bookTheatreoftheOppressed
D. WebpagesshallbecitedusingeitherabriefURLorthenameofthesponsoringorganizationandthedateonwhichthepagewasposted.Inabsenceofapostedondate,studentsshouldusethedatethepagewaslastupdated.Thedateasourceisaccessedonlineisnotconsideredaprimarypublicationdate.Forexample:Asreportedonwww.ptoweb.orglastupdatedMay2009andTheAFANIETstatesonitswebsitelastupdatedApril10,2009.
pg. 15
E. Interviewsshallbecitedwiththenameoftheinterviewee,his/herqualificationsandthedateonwhichtheinterviewoccurred.Interviewsincludefacetoface,email,chat,Facebook,andotherformsofelectronicexchange.Forexample:InanemailcorrespondenceonJuly7,2009withJoeWhite,formerChairoftheTucson,AZHabitatforHumanityBoardofDirectors
3. AccurateRepresentationofEvidence:Whenincorporatingevidenceintoaspeech,studentsshallavoidthefollowing: A. Citingevidenceoutofcontext B. Misinterpretingevidencetoalterintentormeaning C. Cuttingwordsfromoraddingwordstoaquotationorparaphraseinsuchawaythattheintentor
meaningoftheevidenceisalteredAFACode 4. AvoidanceofPlagiarism:Inindividualeventswhichrequiretheconstructionofthespeechtobe
theoriginalworkofthestudent(persuasion,informative,afterdinner,communicationanalysis,impromptu,extemporaneous,orothersimilarspeakingevents)thespeakershallnotcommitplagiarism. A. Plagiarismisdefinedasclaiminganother'swrittenorspokenwordsasone'sown,orclaimingas
one'sownasignificantportionofthecreativeworkofanother. B.Aspeechinindividualeventscompetitionisconsideredplagiarizedwhenthestudent
presentingitwasnottheprincipalpersonresponsibleforresearching,drafting,organizing,composing,refining,andgenerallyconstructingthespeechinquestion
5.ReflectionofAutonomousStudentWork:Forensicscompetitorsareexpectedtodotheirownresearch. A.Personsotherthancompetitor(e.g.,undergraduatestudents,graduatestudents,instructors/
coaches)arenottobechargedwiththeresponsibilityofdoingaforensicscompetitor'sresearch. B. Thisprovisionshallnotbeconstruedtopreventcoachesorassistantsfromengagingin
limitedresearchdesignedto: i. Teachresearchtechniques, ii. Provideexamplesofhighqualityresearchor, iii. Identifyareasofresearchforstudents
6.EthicalUseofLiteratureinIndividualEvents(asiteratedintheAFANIETCharter/Bylaws) A. Contestantsmaynotrewriteaprose,apoem,oradramatictextsotheworkdiffersfrom
theoriginaltext. B. Contestantsmaynotaddorreassignscenesorlinestotheperformedcutting.Althoughan
occasionallinemightbeadded,especiallyifacharacterhasbeendeleted,thispracticeshouldbediscouraged.
C. Contestantsmaynotrewritetheendingofawork. D. Contestantsmaynotrewritelinestochangethegenderorpersonofacharacter. E. Contestantsmaynotperformatextinagenreforwhichithasnotbeenwritten.
10. ProtestofethicalviolationsshouldbefiledinwritingwiththetournamentdirectoroftheNationalChampionshipTournament
VIOLATION(S)OFETHICS,RULESandPROCEDURE 1. Challengesordisputesarisingfromtheprovisionsoftheassociationmustbesubmittedinwritingtoa
memberoftheNationalTournamentCommittee(thePresidentoftheassociation,theNationalTournamentDirectorortheVicePresidentforAdministration).Thewrittenchallengemustincludetheviolation,astatementofthenatureoftheviolation,thenameoftheallegedoffender,theschooltheyrepresent,and,ifpossible,anyevidenceinsupportoftheallegationofviolation.TheNationalTournamentCommitteewillmakeapreliminaryreviewofthewrittenchallengeassoonaspracticalandwithin24hoursiftheallegationoccursduringtheNationalChampionshipTournament.TheNationalTournamentCommitteewillutilizeanyandallmeansatitsdisposaltodeterminethevalidityoftheallegationsandthecircumstancesofthesituation(s)surroundingthem,includingvideoandaudiotapes,
pg. 16
studentmanuscripts,ballots,judges'comments,etc.AnypersoninattendanceattheNationalChampionshipTournamentmayfileachallengeforviolationofanyallegedviolation.
2. AfterthepreliminaryreviewoftheNationalTournamentCommitteeofawrittenchallenge,theNational
TournamentCommitteewillreportitsfindingstotheNationalCouncil.TheNationalCouncilwilleitherconductaformalhearingtoinvestigatetheallegation,dismisstheallegation,ordeferactionuntilfurtherevidencecanbemadeavailable.AllpartiesinvolvedwillbegivennoticeoftheNationalCouncil'sactions.PublicnoticeoftheNationalCouncilsrulingwillbegiventoallmemberinstitutions.
3. TheNationalCouncilmayrequestwrittenstatements,oraltestimonyorinterrogatoriesfromthose
involvedintheallegations.FailuretocooperateintheNationalCouncil'sinvestigationwillbeconsideredaviolationandsubjecttothepenaltiesnotedelsewhere.
4. NationalCouncilwillkeepaccuraterecordsofitsproceedingsandanytestimony receivedinconnection
withanallegationofviolation(s).Theserecordswillbeconfidentialandsubjecttodisclosureonlytothepersonorpersonsallegedtobeinviolation. IndividualsmaypetitiontheNationalCouncilinwritingtohavetheirtestimonyexemptedfromconfidentialityprovisions.
5. ThefindingsoftheNationalCouncilinanallegationofviolationaresubjecttoappealtotheNational
Assembly. SANCTIONSFORVIOLATIONS 1. TheNationalCouncil,afteritsdeliberationsandadeterminationby2/3voteofthemembers
presentandvoting,mayimposepenaltiesforviolationofethics,rules,and/orprocedures.Theimpositionofpenaltieswillbemadepublic,aswillthevotesoftheindividualCouncilmemberstoimposepenalties.StudentrepresentativesoftheNationalCouncilwillnottakepartintheinvestigationofviolationsnorwilltheybepermittedtovoteinsuchmattersifthechallengeispresentedduringthe NationalChampionshipTournament.
2. Forviolationsinvolvingaspecificevent,thepenaltieswillbeselectedfromthefollowing: A. Disqualificationfromtheeventinquestion B. Issuanceofletter(s)ofcensuretotheindividual(s)and/orinstitution(s)inviolation C. Issuanceofletter(s)ofreprimandtotheindividual(s)and/ortheinstitution(s)inviolation D. Disallowanceofsweepstakespointsorhonorsachievedintheeventinquestion. E. Prohibitionfromattendanceatfuturenationalcompetitions. 3. Forviolationsinvolvingeligibility,thepenaltieswillbeselectedfromthefollowing: A.DisqualificationfromtheNationalChampionshipTournament B.Issuanceofletter(s)ofcensuretotheindividual(s)and/ortheinstitution(s)inviolation C. Issuanceofletter(s)ofreprimandtotheindividual(s)and/ortheinstitution(s)inviolation D.DisallowanceofsweepstakespointsorhonorsachievedattheNationalTournament, E. Prohibitionfromattendanceatfuturenationalcompetitions. 4. Forviolationsinvolvingconductofacoachand/orajudge,thepenaltieswillbeselectedfromthe
following: A. Issuanceofletter(s)ofreprimandtotheindividual(s)and/ortheinstitution(s)inviolation B. Disallowanceofsweepstakespointsfortheinstitution(s)theindividual(s)represents C. Prohibitionfromattendanceatfuturenationalcompetitions.
pg. 17