FAQ's

Getting Started—the basics

How do I join the team?

Joining the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is easy. There are no try-outs or auditions for the team. It is open to all students interested in competitive policy debate. The first step to join the team to email Dr. Jake Thompson, the Director of Debate at UNLV. Alternatively, if you are already a student at UNLV you could stop by Dr. Thompson’s office. As of Fall 2008 his office will be located in the new Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Building. The second step to join the team is to fill out the student interest form and send it to Dr. Thompson. Other than that, members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum are expected to show up to squad meetings, complete research assignments, participate in practice, travel to competitions, and assist with other team duties.

Where and when are regular team meetings?

The debate team meets three times weekly. First, we will meet regularly as a team in the squad room on Wednesday evenings from 5:00 p.m.-7:00p.m. This will be the “official” team work meeting time. These meetings will be primarily dedicated “work”—we will strategize, have practice debates, deliver practice speeches and speech re-dos, read files, etc.

In addition, we will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-3:45. These Tuesday/Thursday meetings are scheduled as part of the Communication Studies class Intercollegiate Forensics. The Tuesday/Thursday meetings we also will conduct normal team work after we discuss travel plans, team business, give out research assignments, etc.

What speech and debate activities can I participate in at UNLV?

UNLV competes solely in NDT/CEDA policy debate. The UNLV coaching staff is convinced that policy debate is most pedagogically sound forensic activity. Policy debate is unrivaled in its ability to optimize a student’s research and argumentation skills, critical thinking skills, and policy analysis skills. Individual Events, Lincoln-Douglas debate, Parliamentary Debate, Model United Nations, and Congress, are NOT offered or supported through the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum. However, the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will eventually support a “public debate team” which will host and participate in occasional public forum style debates on the UNLV campus. This public debate team will not travel or participate in intercollegiate competition.

If I participated in speech or debate activities other than policy debate in high school, can I easily transition to policy debate?

It is possible, although difficult to effectively transition from speech, Lincoln-Douglas debate, or parliamentary debate to collegiate policy debate. There are a few examples of students who have done so successfully, but their ability to transition to collegiate policy debate was largely a function of their intense personal motivation, work ethic, and intelligence. In fact, a few current members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum have no previous experience with policy debate in high school. College policy debate is much different then alternative forms of high school debate such as Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and parliamentary debate. The transition to policy debate will be tough, but with a lot of hard work and determination, Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas and parliamentary debaters can become great NDT debaters. As for students who only have speech experience (no debate experience at all), the transition to college policy debate will be even more difficult. The UNLV debate team is primarily set up to take students who have previously participated in debate and hone the skills that they learned debating in high school.

Is high school debate experience a requirement for participation?

High school debate experience is not required for participating in debate at UNLV, but it is highly recommended. Most students on the UNLV debate team have participated in high school debate, but their level of experience varies. As a side note, one of the best debate partners that Dr. Thompson ever had (Angela Cowan—participant in the elimination rounds of the 1997 NDT) never debated in high school. It is possible to debate in college, never having done so in high school, but it is difficult, it requires serious motivation, and it involves a great deal of hard work. It would be the equivalent of never having played a sport in high school and then trying to join the UNLV football or basketball team. This would be possible to do if you love the activity, work incredibly hard, and are seriously motivated to improve, but it also would be very difficult to accomplish. As we said before, the UNLV debate team is primarily set up to take students who have previously participated in debate and hone the skills that they learned debating in high school.

Should I participate in debate my freshman year, or is it better to put it off until I have acclimated to UNLV for a year?

Students who are interested in debate should absolutely participate during their freshman year. If you love debate, why waste an entire year not debating? Any student who aspires to the highest levels of success should definitely debate during their first year of college.

I participated in policy debate for four years in high school, but I never competed on the “national circuit,” could I still debate at UNLV?

Absolutely—although UNLV actively recruits debaters who have competed on the national circuit, we also recognize that many of the best collegiate debaters in the nation competed largely on the regional or state level in high school.

What are the differences between high school and collegiate debate?

There are quite a few differences between college and high school debate, but they are not really unexpected or mind-boggling. There are probably several differences in addition to the six that are outlined below, but these are the differences that strike the UNLV coaching staff as truly important.

First, the judging pool is much better in college than it is in high school. To be sure, there are highly qualified judges with extensive prior debate experience—especially on the national high school debate circuit, but most of the “best” high school judges are college debaters. Generally speaking, the worst college judge would be considered an amazing high school judge. You will never be judged by a random mom, dad, or bus driver in college. All college judges have participated in high school and college debate.

A sports analogy illustrates the second key difference. If you played football in high school, and then went on to play it in college, the differences that you'd notice are that the game is faster, you have to work harder to be good, some teams you compete against have a variety of different strategies that you may not be overly familiar with, and you have to be more diligent about balancing school and your participation in the activity. The exact same differences exist between high school and college debate. In college debate, people speak faster (which you can adapt to, and generally faster talking leads to debaters thinking faster and learning more—which is a good thing). You have to work harder. An in depth understanding of the amount of work required will naturally come with time, but college debate definitely requires more work than high school debate does. One factor that offsets the increased work load is the fact that everyone on the UNLV debate team will work collectively. We will share all of our evidence and will all work for the benefit of the entire team. Some of the work done in college debate involves going back and re-doing work that you may have already done—rewriting blocks, updating uniqueness evidence, and adjusting your arguments to ensure that you never lose to the same argument twice. In terms of different strategies, you may hear some pretty ground breaking arguments in college. Many of your college debates will sound a lot like debates that you have had in high school. But in some debates, people may employ alternative strategies that you have never encountered before. A small sample of these strategies range from freestyle rapping to dressing up like pirates and trying to steal the ballot. The UNLV coaching staff will help you adapt to and beat those strategies. In any case, these alternative arguments are frequently interesting and can give you a new perspective on argumentation or debate.

Third, in college you have to be much more diligent about balancing school and your participation in the activity. Because of the increased work-load, debate will take up more of your time in college. The extra amount that it takes up depends on your level of commitment, your personal goals, and your school schedule. In college you will have to become more efficient in the way you use your time--that applies whether or not you debate.

Fourth, in college debate there is more coach input, research, and strategizing. Coaches will work with you to help you improve. We will help you refine strategies, we will do research assignments, and we will listen to you debate and deliver re-do speeches so that you are constantly growing, learning, and improving as a debater.

Fifth, college debate is more about depth of knowledge and understanding arguments... That's not to say that high school debaters don't become experts on certain arguments, but in college debate you have to really understand a multitude of arguments and the arguments made by most of the other teams in the activity. There is a lot more nuance in college debate. You'll not often win a debate by simply extending a few dropped arguments.

Finally, and most importantly, the rewards for debating in college are bigger. You learn more, you have better competition and judging, and you network with smart, interesting, and influential people. The travel is better, the competition is cost-free for students, and the coaching is more active. I can personally attest that competing in college debate was the greatest thing that I ever did.

What topics does the debate team actually debate about?

Each academic year, the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum debates a different resolution which is chosen by a vote of the NDT/CEDA debate community. The college policy debate community discusses these potential topics online at http://blog.cedatopic.com/ The resolution is the ultimate product of an initial topic area vote. The results of the topic area vote are announced around the end of April. Once a topic area has been chosen, the NDT/CEDA topic committee meets and determines wording for several different possible resolutions directly related to the topic area. The NDT/CEDA debate community votes for their most preferred resolution. The results of the vote for the precise resolution that we debate for the entire year are typically announced on the last Friday in July.

The 2007-2008 NDT/CEDA resolution was:

Resolved: that the United States Federal Government should increase its constructive engagement with the government of one or more of: Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and Syria, and it should include offering them a security guarantee(s) and/or a substantial increase in foreign assistance.

A few NDT/CEDA resolutions from the recent past include:

2004-2005 RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should establish an energy policy requiring a substantial reduction in the consumption in the total non-governmental consumption of fossil fuels in the United States.

2005-2006 RESOLVED: That the United States Federal government should substantially increase diplomatic and economic pressure on the People's Republic of China in one or more of the following areas: trade, human rights, weapons nonproliferation, Taiwan.

2006-2007 Resolved: The United States Supreme Court should overrule one or more of the following decisions: Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 1992); Ex parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942); U.S. v. Morrison, 529 U.S.598 (2000); Milliken v. Bradley, 418 U.S. 717 (1974).

If I have never debated before does UNLV offer a debate class so I can learn more?

Yes, that class is COMS 217 Argumentation and Debate. It every is taught fall semester by Dr. Thompson. For more information on the feasibility of joining the debate team without the benefit of having debated in high school please see the question “Is high school debate experience a requirement for participation?” above.

What is the timeline for the new team members? When can I expect to hear details about getting started?

The Director of Debate will stay in regular contact with recruits over the entire summer. The best way to allow him to do so is to email him and to request to join our “UNLV Debate Team” Facebook page. After the topic area is announced in April, the Director will discuss very general pre-season research assignments with each student. As high school classes draw to a close and as the summer progresses and the topic gets closer to being finalized, research assignments will narrow and become more specific. Finally, the team will work collectively at our pre-season workshop for several weeks before school starts to prepare for the upcoming season. If you decide to join the debate team later that April or May, you must, at the very latest, contact the Director of Debate by August 1, so that paperwork can be finalized and so that you can participate in the pre-season workshop.

Scholarships, budget, and other monetary issues

Does UNLV offer debate scholarships?

Absolutely—the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is pleased to be able to offer financial assistance to a number of its student members. For more information on debate scholarships at UNLV, please see our scholarship information page. It contains very detailed information on how to apply for a scholarship, and the criteria that we use to award scholarships.

One of the benefits of accepting a debate scholarship from UNLV is that we will provide you with a written scholarship offer that serves as a contractual guarantee by the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum. As long as your commitment to debate remains at the same level, and you meet the general requirements for scholarship renewal, your scholarship is guaranteed to remain the same or increase, but to never decrease, each semester that you debate at UNLV.

UNLV also provides an excellent education at a very affordable price. The cost of obtaining an education at UNLV is decreased even further by general and merit-based financial assistance. One particularly lucrative financial aid program is the Western States Undergraduate exchange. Any students from the states of Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, North Dakota, California, Oregon, Colorado, South Dakota, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Montana, or Wyoming, may be eligible for the Western States Undergraduate exchange (as long as they meet the scholarship criteria), which drastically cuts the cost of out of state tuition. We are pleased to have an excellent working relationship with the Office of Student Financial Services at UNLV. Students wishing to apply for a debate scholarship should also take the time to fill out UNLV’s general online scholarship application. After our recruits fill out the general online scholarship application for UNLV, we work closely with Student Financial Services to offer them the best possible complete financial aid package.

Are there any costs associated with tournament travel or participating on the team?

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum functionally covers all costs for students associated with travel to and from and competitions. We cover the costs of transportation, lodging, tournament entry fees, and purchase all meals. Students may wish to bring a small amount of personal money with them to tournaments to cover incidental personal expenses (such as the occasional snack, soda, etc.). The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum covers almost every expense associated with participation. From office supplies to team laptops, and the costs of room and board while at our summer college debate workshop, the Forum subsidizes most participation-related costs.

Who pays for all this stuff?

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum has been generously endowed by our benefactor, Dr. Sanford I Berman. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Berman for his continued support. For more information on Dr. Berman’s gift, please see the article at this link.

The Team—it’s participants, philosophy and the atmosphere

How many students participate in debate at UNLV?

The number of students who compete for UNLV will vary from year-to-year. In the 2007-2008 school year, we traveled approximately six teams to debate tournaments around the country. There is no upper limit to the number of students who may participate in the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum. For more information on individual members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum please visit our “Meet The UNLV Debaters” page.

How are debate partners selected at UNLV?

Debate partners are selected via mutual agreement between the coaching staff and debaters. The selection process is rather informal and typically consists of a private conversation between each debater and the Director of Debate. Debaters will be asked to “rank” those students with whom they would most like to debate, and those with whom they do not wish to debate. Serious consideration will be given to two debaters who express a strong mutual preference for debating with each other. If there is substantial disagreement, the coaching staff will decide upon partner pairings making every effort to maximize mutual preference based on individual partner preference rankings. In the end, partner pairings will most likely be based on the overall potential success that a team may have, and similarities in skill level, experience, work ethic, and motivation.

Is debate at UNLV a squad or an individual team effort? Do students share research?

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is a squad effort. We consistently stress the value of teamwork, synergy cohesion, and collaboration. One of the foundational principles of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is that as a team, we are collectively stronger than the sum of our individual parts. The research done by individual members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is shared with every other member of the team. If a team happens to not clear to the elimination rounds of a tournament, they should stay up and work for the teams that did clear, and they should scout and flow the elimination debates the following morning. Individuals who happen to not be traveling to a specific tournament should still do a weekly assignment to help those teams who are traveling. One of our team’s core beliefs is that teamwork builds and enables individual success. More importantly, teamwork makes the hard work and time commitment that is an integral part of debate, more fun, fulfilling, and rewarding. In addition, a squad attitude that favors teamwork gives the UNLV debate team a family-like atmosphere. Ultimately, this means that a victory by one team on the squad is a victory for every team on the squad.

Do first year students begin in the novice or junior varsity (JV) divisions at their first tournaments?

Students will begin debating in the varsity division unless they have no previous policy debate experience. If an incoming student even has a moderate level of high school policy debate experience, they will almost always begin debating in the varsity division. The UNLV coaching staff strongly believes that students will debate to the level of their competition—meaning that if you debate in the novice division, you’ll likely only debate as well as other novices. This “baptism by fire” strategy means that our debaters may lose more debates early in their career. However, consistent varsity competition will certainly help our students grow to be better and more successful debaters in the long run.

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Time commitment and the work load

How much time does it take to participate in debate at UNLV?

The simple answer to this question is “it depends on what you want to get out of debate.” The coaching staff is primarily interested in recruiting debaters who are highly motivated to learn, improve, work hard, and win. For those students who want to achieve success at the top levels of NDT/CEDA competition, debate will obviously take up quite a lot of your time. There is room on the team, however for individuals with varying levels of commitment to debate—as long as you are a team player and fulfill your work expectations, you do not have to give your life over to debate.

How much work is involved if I choose to participate?

As stated above, collegiate debate requires a great deal of work. However, if every member of the squad contributes and does the research that is expected of them, then no single person or team will be completely overwhelmed by their work load. Aside from traveling to compete at tournaments, there are five core areas of “work” that each member of the squad is expected to do.
1) Attend and participate in squad meetings (see above).
2) Assisting the team with its regular tournament hosting and other duties (see below).
3) Turning in research assignments on a regular basis (see below).
4) Do weekly speaking drills, filing, and file reading/highlighting.
5) Participate in at lease one practice debate and deliver at least one speech re-work before each tournament to which a student travels.

Are there “card quotas” or some other research-related requirements for UNLV debate participants?

There are not card quotas per se… We would prefer that you turn in 10 pages of high quality research, with every card being one that our debaters could stake a round on, rather than turning in 100 pages of mediocre work. We would be even happier, however if you turn in 100 pages of high quality research, with every card being one that our debaters could stake a round on. The bottom line is that quality research always trumps a ton of mediocre research. In the end, the best college debaters typically have the best evidence, AND a lot of it. Each member of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will be given one “update” research assignment and one “major” research assignment at a time. Students are expected to turn in at least one update research assignment every week. Each major research assignments can be much larger and require more time and effort (such as a core topic disadvantage, a critical position, or a new affirmative). Therefore, the due dates for major assignments will be determined on an individual basis by the Director of Debate. Additionally, all research assignments completed for the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will be in electronic form, so that they can be saved on our server, and updated and accessed electronically.

For more specific information on the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum’s research standards and expectations, please click this link.

For more specific information on creating electronic research assignments, please click this link (thanks to Naveen Ramachandrappa for this document).

How are research assignments determined?

Research assignments are determines and distributed by the coaching staff. If a debater volunteers to take a specific assignment, his or her request will almost universally be honored.

Will I have any commitments to the team other than debate and research?

Members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will spend most of their “squad” time focusing on debate work such as strategizing, research, writing blocks, etc. and improving their debating skills by participating in practice debates, rewriting and delivering speeches from tournaments. However, there are a few non-negotiable times that debaters must give their time for other duties. Every member of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will assist in hosting our annual high school debate tournament, and our annual college debate tournament (typically held the first weekend in October). Debaters also are expected to occasionally attend official alumni development functions. Basically, on the week of our high school and college tournaments, you should be prepared to spend a lot of time assisting the coaching staff with the preparations for hosting these events. The tournaments that we host provide an important service to the high school and collegiate debate communities. In addition, the job that we do hosting these tournaments is a reflection of the work ethic, quality, and commitment of the squad, the coaching staff, and the university. We take pride in hosting two of the highest quality and most hospitable tournaments in the country. In relation to a four-year college career, or even a college semester, the total amount of time spent by debaters hosting our two annual tournaments and attending the occasional alumni development event will be incredibly small.

Academics

How do academics and debate at UNLV fit together?

Academics and debate have always been complimentary. At UNLV we strongly believe that success in a student’s classes and success in competitive debate are complimentary and mutually reinforcing. It’s no exaggeration to say that debate is the best education that a student can receive. UNLV debate inherently teaches one skills that are critical to success the classroom. Effective organization and drawing complete lines of argumentation, critical thinking and analysis skills, the ability to break an argument down into its constituent parts, to the ability to ask incisive questions, and the ability to quickly comprehend, and more importantly to understand complex readings are but a few of the key skills that UNLV debate will reinforce in members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum. It is no coincidence that the best debaters are also often the best students. The potential drawback to debate is that it becomes so all-consuming that debaters may begin to neglect their classes. To hedge against that risk, the Director and coaching staff of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will continually reinforce the message that academics should come before debate, and we will monitor student grades and attendance to ensure that our debaters are making satisfactory academic progress (see below).

Is there a grade requirement to participate on the UNLV debate team?

Academics should always come before debate. Given the complimentary nature of success in policy debate and success in a student’s classes, it is seldom necessary to enforce a minimum grade requirement. However, the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is dedicated to the value of education and academic success. There is no such thing as becoming a “professional debater,” therefore we expect every member of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum to make satisfactory academic progress in all of their classes and to graduate. Therefore, we expect that debaters maintain a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. In the rare instance that a debater fails to maintain a 2.5 GPA, he or she will have to meet with the Director of Debate. That debater may face curtailment of their travel schedule and revocation of their scholarship, until such time as their grades improve to an acceptable level. Most members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum maintain a GPA well above 3.5.

Will I miss classes for debate, and how will participation affect my grades?

Most college debate tournaments have preliminary rounds on Saturday and Sunday and elimination rounds on Monday. This means that we typically travel on Friday and compete Saturday through Monday. In most cases, we will be able to return from tournaments by late Monday (or very early Tuesday). In most cases, you will only miss classes that you have on Fridays and Mondays.

UNLV classes are scheduled in three different blocks: 1) on Mondays and Wednesdays, 2) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3) and on Fridays. It is important that you minimize the overall number of classes that you miss. This can be accomplished by primarily scheduling your classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and by avoiding Friday classes altogether (if at all possible). Fortunately, the UNLV Undergraduate Catalog of Academic Policies specifies that students missing class for university sponsored activities (like debate) are to be allowed to make up missed work, if they give their instructors adequate notice—the pertinent section of the catalog dealing with missed work is copied below.

UNLV Undergraduate Catalog—Academic Policies
http://www.unlv.edu/pubs/catalogs/undergraduate/pdf/main/acadpol.pdf

Policy for Missed Work: Students who represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at any official extracurricular activity shall have the opportunity to make up any assignments or examinations missed as a result of this event. It is the responsibility of the student to provide official written notification to the instructor of the course(s) at the earliest time possible of his or her intention to participate in a university sponsored event, but no less than one week prior to the date of the missed class(es). This policy shall not apply in the event that completing the assignment or administering the examination at an alternate time would impose an undue hardship on the instructor or the university that could reasonably have been avoided. There should be good faith effort by both faculty and student to come to a reasonable resolution. When disagreements regarding this policy arise, they can be appealed to the department chair, dean of the college, and the Faculty Senate Academic Standards Committee. For purposes of definition, extracurricular activities may include, but are not limited to, intercollegiate athletics, band, drama, forensics, recruitment, or any other activity sanctioned by the college dean and/or the provost.

Finally, whenever you are not traveling with the team, we expect that you faithfully attend all of your classes. The grades and attendance of all members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will be monitored by the Director of Debate. Missing classes when you are not traveling jeopardizes your grades, your standing in the class, and the reputation of the entire Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum. Debaters found to be skipping classes will be subject to sanctions from the Director of Debate.

Can I receive college credit for participation in debate at UNLV?

Yes—the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is set up to allow students to receive up to sixteen total credits for participating in debate at UNLV over 4 years/8 semesters. Each semester members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum are expected to register in the Communication Studies class “Intercollegiate Forensics.” Students interested in debating should definitely sign up for these classes (after contacting Dr. Jake Thompson—the Director of Debate). Doing so reserves time in your class schedule to attend squad meetings (see above). In addition, signing up for the Intercollegiate Forensics class allows students to receive graded credit for the time and effort that they put into debate.

Do I have to major in Communication Studies in order to be a member of the UNLV debate team?

No—members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum may major in any discipline/ department that they choose. Some UNLV debaters do major in Communication Studies, but others major in disciplines ranging from Political Science to Accounting. If you are open to the possibility, we would encourage you to consider majoring in Communication Studies. For more information on the major or the department see the Communication Studies website, or contact Dr. Jake Thompson, or Dr. Tom Burkholder, Chair of the Department of Communication Studies. Dr. Burkholder is also a former debate coach at The University of Kansas, Iowa State University, and Emporia State University.

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is classified as a “departmental organization” by the University, and is housed in the Department of Communication Studies. The Department of Communication Studies generously provides many forms of support for the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum. The department is responsible for the re-birth of the team; it also houses the team’s squad room, provides a great deal of administrative and technical support to the team, financially supports the Director of Debate’s faculty position, and supports graduate assistantships for the assistant debate coaches.

How well does UNLV debate prepare me for graduate school, law school, or another future career?

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is dedicated to seeing its debaters succeed in competition, in undergraduate academics, and beyond. Policy debate, especially at UNLV, prepares undergraduate students for incredible success in graduate school, law school, and other future careers. The sheer number of former debaters who are successful in hundreds of careers, but especially as attorneys, government officials, and business persons, demonstrates the ways that debate prepares students for the future.

Travel

What is the UNLV travel schedule like (how many and to which tournaments does UNLV travel)?

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is blessed with a large travel budget that will allow our team to travel to every major national tournament and a variety of large regional tournaments (“mid-major tournaments”) across the country. The tentative schedule for 2008-2009 includes travel to a variety of major national tournaments including: Georgia State University, Harvard University, Wake Forest University, University of Southern California, and Northwestern University. The “regional” tournaments to which we may travel include: Gonzaga University, University of Wyoming, Idaho State, Baylor University, University of California-Berkley, Whitman College, Wayne State University, University of Texas-Dallas, and others.

How many tournaments can the typical first year debater expect to attend?

As previously stated, the coaching staff at UNLV strongly believes in a “baptism by fire” approach to coaching. We strongly encourage beginning debaters to attend as many tournaments as they are able to. First year debaters can expect to travel to between three and seven tournaments per semester. This depth of experience and competition builds a strong foundation for success. That being said, we also adhere to the mantra that “school comes before debate.” Therefore if any debater’s academic performance begins to slip, or he or she is not able to maintain acceptable grades, their travel schedule will be curtailed.

How do you decide who travels and where we travel?

Travel determinations are made by the coaching with input from individual debate teams. Your travel schedule largely depends on your level of experience/skill, work ethic, and motivation, as well as your personal goals as a debater.

How do you travel to tournaments?

We generally fly to tournaments more than twelve hours (driving time) from Las Vegas. We fly out of McCerran International Airport, which is a large (the third largest in America) modern airport.

What if I can’t/don’t want to travel?

Frankly, then, competitive policy debate is not the activity for you. However the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will also support a public debate team that will not travel or “compete.” The public debate team will host one public debate per semester on issues of local, regional, national, or international concern. These debates typically will be hosted on the UNLV campus, and will serve as a platform to educate the university community and the general public, and will also enhance the reputation of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum as an organization devoted to service and expanding the public sphere.

What schools do you compete against?

Given our extensive national and mid-major regional travel schedule, we basically compete against everyone. Our travel schedule is specifically designed to expose members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum to the best competition that NDT/CEDA debate has to offer. The coaching staff believes that a debater can only ever be as good as the competition to which he/she is exposed. Therefore, it is our wish to debate against all of the best teams in our district, region, and the nation.

How long is the debate season—when does it start and end?

The competitive debate season begins in early September with the season opener tournaments at Gonzaga University or Georgia State University (possibly both). The season ends in late March or early April as the National Debate Tournament or the CEDA National Championship Tournament conclude. The dates of these tournaments are predetermined approximately a year in advance and the “order” of the two national championship tournaments is not necessarily fixed, meaning that one year the NDT may be held before CEDA and the next year CEDA may be held before the NDT.

That being said, our preparations for the season definitely begin much earlier in the year. After the final national championship tournament, we will take a month or so to decompress, catch up on school, etc. Then, after the topic area is announced we will distribute research assignments to each member of the team and begin preparations for the coming year. As a team, our collective preparations for the season begin in earnest three weeks before the first day of school at our pre-season college workshop.

How long do tournaments run?

We typically compete at regular season tournaments starting early Saturday and ending (hopefully) late Monday. This means that we typically travel on Fridays and return to Las Vegas very late on Monday or very early on Tuesday. The two national championship tournaments (NDT and CEDA Nationals) last much longer than regular season tournaments. Typically we will leave for these tournaments on Wednesday and return to Las Vegas on Tuesday. It may appear that students will miss quite a bit of school by traveling to these national championship tournaments, but they only occur once per year and are the culmination of an entire season of work, practice, and competition… Essentially, it’s definitely worth missing almost a week of school to attend either of these tournaments.

Life outside of debate

Can I participate in other co-curricular activities while debating?

Yes, members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum are allowed to participate in other co-curricular activities while debating. In fact, we believe that one key purpose of a college education is to take a student and forge him or her into a well-rounded adult. That being said, we certainly believe that debate should be the primary co-curricular commitment for members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum. This is especially true if a student wishes to be consistently successful in college debate, advancing to the deep elimination rounds of National Tournaments. Students who hope to achieve a great deal of success in collegiate debate must recognize the fact that the activity will take up a great deal of their time.

How much free time will I have outside of debate?

Every student certainly will have free time outside of debate. However, the amount of free time available depends on several factors unique to each individual student. These factors include the difficulty and size of a student’s course load, their personal goals for debate, their level of commitment to the team, and how efficiently they are able to work.

Do debaters ever have any fun/have a life?

Yes—first of all, students will have free time, can participate in other extra-curricular activities, and have time for a social life. Everyone needs a bit of time away from debate to gain perspective, let off a little steam, and generally to live life as a college student. Second, debate is fun. Winning is fun, learning new things is fun, participating in intellectual competition is fun, and most of us even think that research is fun. If you don’t enjoy debate, then the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is probably not the program for you.

In addition, the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum is not a squad of insular competitive individuals. The time that we spend together, our cooperative work ethic, and a collective squad goal allows us to develop family-like bonds. The enjoyment associated with debate and the family like atmosphere more than compensates for the effort that a student puts into debate.

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Coaching and Strategy

Who are the coaches at UNLV?

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum has an excellent coaching staff. The team is directed by Dr. Jake Thompson, a full-time faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies. Dr. Thompson is supported by several assistant coaches, most of whom are graduate students earning their master’s degree in the Communication Studies. For more in depth information on the coaching staff, please visit our meet the coaching staff page.

What role does the coaching staff play in preparing students for competition?

The coaching staff plays an extensive role in preparing students for competition. Generally speaking there are five key ways that coaches assist debaters in preparing for competition.

First, the coaching staff enables students to compete by dealing with administrative issues, making travel arrangements, recruiting new debaters, raising funds for scholarships and travel, and running the high school camp and pre-season college workshop.

Second, the coaching staff plays an oversight and directorial role. Using our nearly many years of combined debate experience, we develop a holistic view of the topic, strategize, and direct research assignments.

Third, we help students with tournament preparation. Not only do coaches teach students how to research effectively and how to turn out high quality files, but they also cut cards and prepare files and strategies for the team. Another aspect of this role that coaches play involves helping debaters refine and perfect their assignments and files. Coaches will check, edit and offer suggestions for improvement on all assignments that are turned in by beginning debaters. Students also are encouraged to develop, research, and design their own strategies. But these strategies and research assignments (especially early in a debater’s career) need to be checked by a member of the coaching staff.

Fourth, coaches constantly seek to help debaters improve their argumentation and debating skills. The coaching staff watches practice debates and then offers constructive criticism following those debates. At the end of each practice debate also will assign debaters a re-do speech with specific improvements that should be implemented in the re-do speech.

Fifth, vigorous coaching at tournaments also is an integral role that the coaching staff plays at UNLV. Before tournament rounds a coach will spend every available minute with a team strategizing, preparing that team for their coming debate, and aiding them in adapting to the judge (or panel of judges). In addition, when they are not busy judging other debates, UNLV coaches will frequently watch their teams compete, observing carefully so that they can offer constructive criticism for improvement after the debate as well as help debaters come up with additional answers to arguments with which they may have struggled in the debate. If a coach is not available to observe your debate, there is a good chance that we may set up a digital video camera in your round so that the coaching staff and the team that was recorded can review the debate, make necessary changes and even prepare re-do speeches from a tournament. This allows debaters to constantly improve, to practice against “virtual” opponents, and hopefully, to never lose to the same argument twice.

Do students have access to the entire coaching staff, or are specific coaches assigned to specific teams?

Members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum almost always have access to the entire coaching staff. With regard to pre-tournament preparation, judging practice debates, and at-tournament coaching, debaters are encouraged to seek out advice and instruction from as many members of the coaching staff as possible.

That being said, the areas of expertise vary for each individual coach, and consequently, it may be more beneficial for a debater to discuss a topic with one coach instead of another. For instance, one coach may be an expert at the nuances of plan-inclusive counter plans, while another coach may be an expert at answering performance affirmatives. In addition, the areas of knowledge on critical arguments among the coaching staff will vary. One coach may have read the entire corpus of Žižek’s writings, and another may have read a great deal of writing by the philosophical school of American pragmatism. Finally, areas of topic knowledge and research on a given resolution will vary between coaches. In the end all UNLV coaches have a great deal of experience and knowledge, but it’s best to seek out an expert if one is available.

Do coaches “cut cards” that debaters use in competition?

Yes, one of the greatest benefits to debating at UNLV is that the entire coaching staff cuts cards that debaters use in competition. We will work hard to consistently turn out a large quantity of high quality evidence. We expect that every member of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum do the same.

Some college debate teams are strictly “policy” teams and some are “kritik” or “performance” teams. Do UNLV teams rely primarily or exclusively on one type of strategy?

The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum prides itself on being a team that fully embraces strategic flexibility on both the affirmative and negative. The arguments that we refuse to run are those that we find morally reprehensible and those that can’t win debates. The coaching staff is dedicated to coaching debaters to win any type of arguments that is intelligent, defensible, and most importantly that wins debate rounds.

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Pre-season UNLV debate team workshop

What is the pre-season UNLV debate team workshop?

The pre-season UNLV debate team workshop is a two week work session that allows members of the Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum to prepare for the upcoming competitive season.

When does the workshop begin and conclude?

The workshop begins two weeks before the first day of classes (always on a Monday). Given that the first day of classes for the 2007-2008 school year is Monday August 27, 2007, the pre-season workshop begins on Monday August 13, 2007. The workshop will conclude at the end of the day on Saturday August 25. Students will be free on Sunday August 26 in order to prepare for classes on Monday. Incoming freshpersons also will be excused from the workshop for New Student Orientation on August 23 and 24.

What will a typical day at the workshop look like?

The workshop will begin at the humane hour of 10:00 a.m. each day. We will have a one hour break for lunch and a one hour break for dinner. During the first week of the workshop, we will spend a bit of time getting to know each other and doing brief assessments of the skill level of each student. Most of our time, however will be spent on gathering research, and creating team files. By Monday August 20 we will have completed at least one pre-season affirmative file and several negative files.

Where do students live during the workshop?

Students who live in the dorms during the school year will be housed in the dorms. The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will pay for student housing and meals for those students living on campus. Students who live off campus (either at home with your parents or in an off-campus apartment), will simply live there. The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will only subsidize on-campus student housing costs.

What do I need to bring with me to the workshop?

Students living on-campus should bring all of their belongings with them and move into their dorm rooms by Monday August 13, 2007. Students commuting to campus simply need to bring materials that they need to do debate work (laptops, any work that you have been completing, research materials, pens/sharpies, etc.).

Are there any costs associated with the workshop?

There are minimal costs associated with attending the workshop. Students will be expected to pay for their own food and incidentals. The Sanford I. Berman Debate Forum will pay for occasional meals, occasional team-building entertainment options, all necessary office supplies, and room and board for all students living in the dormitories.

Do I have to attend the workshop in order to be a member of the Sanford I.Berman Debate Forum?

While we do not technically require students to attend the pre-season workshop, it would be practically impossible for them to catch-up on research, practice debates, and general topic knowledge if they missed any substantial portion of the workshop. In addition, the workshop is an important opportunity for team members to bond and get to know one another. This opportunity can not easily be “made-up.”

UNLV Summer High School Debate Institute

For more information on the summer high school debate institute, please see our webpage dedicated to the camp.

The UNLV Summer High School Policy Debate Institute is tentatively slated to begin in the summer of 2009. We plan on hosting an affordable camp with two and three week open sessions available to any students interested in attending. We also plan on hosting a four week “super-session” for students with a great deal of debate experience. Students hoping to attend the four week super session will have to apply for admission. These various sessions will provide instruction to students with a variety of experience levels ranging from pure novices to those debaters striving to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. The UNLV Summer High School Debate Institute will employ a world class staff including coaches from prestigious high school and college debate programs around the country. In addition, the UNLV Debate Team coaching staff is actively pursuing various methods to procure funding for scholarships for debaters who may not traditionally have been able to attend debate camp because of the financial burden. Specifically, these scholarships seek to increase the camp’s level of diversity (including, but not limited to race, gender, ethnicity, disability, orientation, and/or socio-economic status).

FAQ's

Getting Started—the basics

Scholarships, budget, and other monetary issues

The Team—it’s participants, philosophy and the atmosphere

Time commitment and the work load

Academics

Travel

Life outside of debate

Coaching and Strategy

Pre-Season UNLV debate team workshop

High School Summer Debate Institute

Getting Started—the basics

Scholarships, budget, and other monetary issues

The Team—it’s participants, philosophy and the atmosphere

Time commitment and the work load

Academics

Travel

Life outside of debate

Coaching and Strategy

Pre-season UNLV debate team workshop

UNLV Summer High School Debate Institute