2018 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 2018 NPTE to be held at Lewis & Clark College, March 28-31, 2018.

The NPTE Board and Lewis & Clark College are ready to host a great tournament of outstanding competition. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Kathryn Starkey
Tournament Director
NPTE President
kathryn.starkey@csupueblo.edu

Joe Gantt
Site Host
NPTE At-large Board Member
jgantt@lclark.edu

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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://www.forensicstournament.net/NPTE/18. Be sure to enter your judge’s judging philosophy as you register your teams.

Enrollment certification forms for each student attending the NPTE are due on March 12. 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 12. 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 Kathryn Starkey (kathryn.starkey@csupueblo.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 JR Howard building at Lewis and Clark College (labeled with a red star):

Topic announce: JR Howard Lobby

Food Served: Breakfast JR Howard Lobby; Lunch location is TBA

Tab Room: JR Howard 302

Participants with disabilities: Please notify Kathryn Starkey for any necessary accommodations.

Parking Location: Parking is open because it is spring break, but the closest lots to the building are lots D & E (labeled with blue icons on the map above).

Campus Map: https://www.lclark.edu/live/files/7676-campus-map

Wireless: Instructions for accessing the wireless network can be found here.

Smoking: Please only use the Designated Smoking Areas on campus - one is located to the south of JR Howard

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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 Lewis & Clark'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 26, 2018. Teams may pay their fees by credit card 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.

Fee waivers: Because of the work that has been done on the Parli Prepbook, there is a pool of funds available for teams with financial hardships. To apply for such funds, please email Kathryn Starkey with your request.

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Hotel Accommodations

This year, we are using the Crowne Plaza Lake Oswego:

Address: 14811 Kruse Oaks Drive, Lake Oswego, OR 97035

Phone: 503-624-8400

Link to reservations: https://aws.passkey.com/go/NPTE

Rate: $113/night for a double or $103/night for a king/sleeper sofa

Cutoff date: Room reservations must be made by March 7th

The block is available March 28 - March 31.

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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