Nfa Bylaws Approved at 2014 Nfa

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.*


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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.*


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.


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.*


10. PoetryInterpretation

PURPOSE:Aninterpretiveperformancedesignedtoengagetheaudiencethroughthedevelopmentoflinguisticimagery. DESCRIPTION:Studentschoose,excerptand/orcut(withduerespectpaidtoissuesofliteraryintegrity),andperformaselectionorselectionsoforiginaland/orpublishedpoetryofliterarymerit.RULES: a. Poetrycanincludepoems,slampoetry,andlyricsanymaterialwithpoeticelements.b. Useofmanuscriptisrequired.c. Maximumtimeis10minutes,includinganyintroductoryand/ortransitionalcomments.*


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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.

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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.

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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

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