Constitution of the Northwest Intercollegiate Debate League
 

Founded Fall 2006
 

Article I:  The Organization

 

Section 1.  This Organization shall be known as the Northwest Intercollegiate Debate League
 

Article II:  Purpose of the League

 

Section 1:  The purpose of the organization is to promote debate competitions intended to prepare students for the challenges of public speaking in the real world.

 

Section 2:  This organization is designed to promote the following ideals and practices: 

  • Intercollegiate debate should promote the same speaking styles which are effective in civic or professional settings. 

  • Intercollegiate debate should be both an educational and a competitive activity. 

  • Intercollegiate debate should be able to be judged by a well informed audience—no special debating expertise is required to be a judge. 

  • Intercollegiate debaters should be able to argue all types of topics—fact value or policy. 

  • Intercollegiate debate should be open to and accessible to all college students even if they have not had previous debate experience.

  • Intercollegiate debate tournaments will seek to maintain a professional decorum as would be expected in real world civic or professional settings.

Section 3:  The association will provide appropriate sweepstakes awards and other awards to recognize member schools outstanding participation at league sanctioned tournaments.

 

Article III:      Membership in the League

 

Section 1.  Institutional membership in the Northwest Intercollegiate Debate League 

is open to any institution of higher education, acting through its director of forensics or other appropriate authority, which agrees to support and promote the purposes of the League as outlined in Article 1, section 2. 

 

Section 2.  Annual membership fee shall be determined by a vote of the members held before October 1st.

 

Article IV:  Governance and elections

 

Section 1.  The Governing body of the Northwest Intercollegiate Debate League shall be an executive council consisting of Three members.

 

Section 2.  Executive duties shall be shared by the executive council as they deem appropriate. 

 

Section 3.  Except in cases of emergency, all policy decisions shall be made by an electronic vote of the membership.

 

Section 4.  Each institution shall have one vote.  Each institution shall keep the executive council informed as to who will cast that vote.

 

Section 5.  The members of the executive council shall be elected by May 15th each year.  Members of the executive council shall serve three year staggered terms. 

 

Article V    Tournaments and Sweepstakes

 

Section 1.  The Northwest Intercollegiate Debate League shall sanction tournaments.  Only points earned at sanctioned tournaments shall count toward sweepstakes awards. 

 

Section 2.  Tournament administrators will apply to the executive board for sanctioning.  By applying to the board, the tournament administration confirms their belief in the principles of the Association as outlined in Article 2, Section 2 and agrees to encourage those principles be followed at their tournament.

 

Section 3.  For a tournament to be sanctioned in must receive a 66% favorable vote from the membership voting. 

 

Section 4.  National Sweepstakes points will be accumulated according to the By Laws of the League.

 

Article VI  Bylaws

 

Section 1. The association may establish by laws in areas the membership deems appropriate.

 

Section 2.  By laws may be proposed to the executive council by any member school. Proposed by laws require a second by another member school

 

Section 3.  The executive council must submit proposed and seconded by laws to the membership for vote within 30 days of receiving the proposed by law.

 

Section 4.  By laws must receive a majority vote of the membership to take effect.

 

Section 5.  By laws will take effect 30 days after approval unless the proposal includes a different time for the bylaw to take effect. 

 

 

Article VI Amendments to the Constitution

 

Section 1.  An amendment to the constitution can be initiated by any member school

 

Section 2.  Proposed amendments must be submitted prior to May 15 annually.

 

Section 3.  Proposed amendments must be voted before October 1st annually.

 

Section 4.  Proposed amendments require a 2/3rd vote of approval in order to be adopted.

 

Section 5.  Amendments take effect as of October 1st annually. 

 

By Laws  

1.  Dues: Annual dues shall be 30.00 per year

 

2.  Sanctioning:   All tournament hosts applicants must be able to answer affirmatively to the following questions as they relate to their entire tournament or a specific debate divisions within their tournament.

 

Do you agree that debate is a public speaking event that should be accessible to a general, well educated audience?

Do you agree with the basic principles of the NIDL Charter that debate should be non technical and strive to mimic argumentation in the public sphere?


When possible will you attempt to hire judges that agree with the NIDL Charter?


Will you welcome the video taping of final rounds with the intention that such videos will be made available to administrators of participating institutions?

 

3.  Sweepstakes:

a. Sweepstakes points can only be accumulated at NIDL sanctioned tournaments or sanctioned event divisions.

b. Sweepstakes points will be counted for the four highest points gaining tournaments attended by each member institution.

c. Sweepstakes points can be accumulated in any style of debate offered at a sanctioned tournament.
 

4.  Sweepstakes Point Calculations

 

a. Two points for each team debate win (including win by a bye or a forfeit) in up to 6 preliminary rounds. 

b. One point for each Lincoln-Douglas format debate win (including a bye or forfeit) in up to 6 preliminary rounds. 

c. Four points for each win by a team in an appropriate outround.

d. Two points for each win by an L-D debater in an appropriate outround. 

e.  Appropriate outrounds are: 

            Semi-finals will count if there are 8 or more contestants are in the event.

            Quarter-finals will count if there are 15 or more contestants in the event.

            Octa-Finals will count if there are 29 or more contestants in the event

            Double octa finals will count if there are 58 or more contestants in the event

            Double-Double octa finals will count if there are 115 or more contestants in the

            Event.

            A team or contestant must be present and available to debate in more than ½ of the preliminary rounds to be counted as in the event.

 

f.  The records of the top 4 debate teams or contestants from each school in each sanctioned tournament will be counted toward sweepstakes.

 

g.  There must be at least 6 teams in a division from 3 different schools to count that division for sweepstakes points.

 i.  Sweepstakes awards will be given in at least two categories:  4 year colleges and two year colleges. 


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 Intercollegiate Debate League
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