2020 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 2020 NPTE to be held at McKendree University, March 7-9, 2020.

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

Sincerely,

Adam Testerman
NPTE President and Tournament Director
adam.testerman@gmail.com

Joe Blasdel
Site Host
jeblasdel@mckendree.edu

Konrad Hack
NPTE Tab Director
konrad.hack@cui.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 on Forensics Tournament. Be sure to enter your judge’s judging philosophy as you register your teams. If you have any difficulty entering the tournament, please contact Konrad Hack.

Enrollment certification forms for each student attending the NPTE are due on February 25, 2020. 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 February 25, 2020. 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 Adam Testerman (adam.testerman@gmail.com) 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 tournament will take place largely in Piper Academic Center (labeled with a purple star):

Topic announce: Piper Academic Center

Food Served: Ames Dining Hall

Tab Room: Piper Academic Center

Participants with disabilities: Please notify Adam Testerman regarding any necessary accommodations.

Parking Location: Parking lots are available near competition buildings, labeled with a blue icon on the map above.

Campus Map: https://www.mckendree.edu/about/visitor/campus-map.php

Wireless: The McKendree 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: McKendree allows smoking 20 ft. away from buildings. Please clean up after yourself.

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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.

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 2, 2020. Teams may pay their fees by credit card on the NPTE website in advance, or by check during registration on March 6.

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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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