2019 National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence

INVITATION

Dear Colleagues,

The annual National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence recognizes the finest competition in American parliamentary debate, and it is with great pleasure that we invite you to the 2019 NPTE to be held at the University of Nevada, Reno, March 20-23, 2019.

The NPTE Board and the University of Nevada, Reno are ready to host a great tournament of outstanding competition. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Sietman
NPTE President
rebecca.sietman@wheaton.edu

Phil Sharp
Site Host
psharp@unr.edu

Joe Blasdel
NPTE Tournament Director
jeblasdel@mckendree.edu

Kathryn Starkey
NPTE Tab Director
kathrynstarkey@gmail.com

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Tournament Administration

Participants agree to abide by the NPTE guidelines while at the tournament. Rules for qualifying and the rules for the tournament can be found here:

• NPTE Tournament Rules can be found here
• NPTE Qualifying Rules can be found here

Tournament entry will be at: http://npte.tabroom.com. Be sure to enter your judge’s judging philosophy as you register your teams. If you have any difficulty entering the tournament, please contact Kathryn Starkey (kathrynstarkey@gmail.com).

Enrollment certification forms for each student attending the NPTE are due on March 4. The form can be found here. Note: If a student attended a different school during the fall and wishes to receive points for the fall semester, you will need to complete and fax a separate form from that school.

Each program must also submit the Program Responsibility Form. That form is also due on March 4. That form can be found here.

Note: The NPTE expects excellence in the behavior of our participants during the tournament. As part of your responsibility, you are expected to receive and maintain written notice from each debater, coach, judge, and observer associated with your program that they understand and will follow the NPTE Expectations noted in the PowerPoints posted at: NPTE Everyone Participates Page

Please email Rebecca Sietman (rebecca.sietman@wheaton.edu) for any accommodations or dietary restrictions you may have. We want to make the tournament the best for you and your squads as possible!

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Tournament Location and Details

The entire tournament will run out of the Ansari and Mack Social Sciences buildings at the University of Nevada, Reno (labeled with red stars):

Topic announce: AB 106

Food Served: Breakfast - AB 106; Lunch - in front of Ansari.

Tab Room: AB 105

Participants with disabilities: Please notify Rebecca Sietman regarding any necessary accommodations.

Parking Location: Brian Whalen Garage (labeled with a blue icon on the map above). Friday will require a permit. These will be available at Registration for a fee.

Campus Map: https://www.unr.edu/Documents/around-campus/map_horizontal.pdf

Wireless: The UNR Guest Network can be easily accessed from any computer. A cell phone capable of receiving SMS messages, or the ability to access email without needing to connect to a wifi signal is required.

Smoking: UNR is a smoke-free campus. We ask that you walk out to the street (about 100 yards) and that you dispose of your cigarette filters thoughtfully.

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Anti-Harassment & Violence Policy

The NPTE worked closely with NPDA over the last couple of years to ensure a comprehensive harassment policy to protect students and coaches alike and promote a safe space for competition. The NPTE policy can be found here.

Since we will be on the University of Nevada, Reno's campus, be aware that you'll be abiding by their code of conduct, which can be found here.

This year, I'm happy to announce that Lauran Schaefer will be serving as the NPTE's Sexual Harassment Officer. She will be on location during the entire tournament. Her contact information will be disseminated during the tournament.

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Entry Fees

The following fees will be assessed as of Monday, March 18, 2018. Teams may pay their fees by credit card on the NPTE website in advance, or by check during registration on March 28.

Each team is responsible for:

• NPTE Membership Fee: $50 per school
• Team Registration Fee: $250 per team (includes food for both debaters and your judge)
• Additional observers or judges Fee: $40 per person
• Hired Judging Fee: $500 per uncovered team.

We would rather have your judges than your money! Please avoid hiring judges. Our high fee is charged so that we can avoid shortages of judges and so that, if needed, we can fly in quality critics for judging as our local supply of judges is very limited.

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Hotel Accommodations

This year, we are using the Nugget Casino Resort:

Address: 1100 Nugget Avenue, Sparks, Nevada 89431

Phone: 1-800-648-1177 (ask for Group Code: GNPDA19)

Link to reservations: http://bookings.ihotelier.com/bookings.jsp?groupID=2463510&hotelID=96145

Rate: $59 per room + taxes/$20 resort fee (doubles and singles available), Sun-Wed. $69 per room + taxes/$20 resort fee (doubles and singles available), Thurs-Sat.

Cutoff date: Room reservations must be made by March 1, 2019.

The block is available March 18 – March 24, 2019.

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Judging Requirements

Each school must bring one qualified judge for each team that qualifies to and attends the NPTE. Judges must submit judging philosophies. As stated in the fees section, you may hire a judge from the NPTE for $500, but we would rather have your judges than your money!

Just as with students, judges are also required to adhere to the guidelines under the NPTE Everyone Participates Page, found here.

Further details, judging qualifications, and tournament guidelines can be found here and here.

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Tournament Schedule