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25 December 2010

DLSU Worlds 2012: Announcement of DCA's


Dear International Debating Community,

We write to announce the selected DCA panel for WUDC 2012. We have already written to all the applicants, selected and otherwise, to thank them for their participation in such a strong process. We would like to take this opportunity to thank also, however, everyone who contributed feedback to this process. A huge amount of feedback was received, but it was its subtlety and nuance (rather than merely its scale) that stood out. Rather than just giving us information, the quality of feedback made us feel more like we were participants in a far more communal process of analysis; as an alternative to having such a weighty and complex decision on our shoulders alone, this model was more than welcome. In many instances this feedback made the decisions we had to make tougher, but we are certain that it also made them better, and helped ensure the legitimacy of the selection process. Feedback was, and at all times will be, kept strictly confidential.

Equally, we were highly impressed with the quality of applications candidates put in. In selecting someone whose immensely-complex job extends far beyond judging individual debates, these application forms were absolutely vital, and were absolutely central to our decisions. More than that, insights from the applications of many candidates, successful and otherwise, have changed the way we think about debating, and about tournament organisation, for the better.

While our decision was difficult, it was also a huge privilege. We are immensely proud to announce that the following are selected as DCAs for WUDC 2012:

Cormac Early
Tim Mooney
Masako Suzuki
Art Ward

We hope you will agree that among this team are excellent motion-setters, fine debate theorists, strong communicators, possessors of important insights into the debate experiences of those from a variety of backgrounds, rigorous organisers and a huge amount of knowledge about various debating communities. As well as being talented individuals, we hope this will be an excellent team, all of whom bring something unique and important; it will be a privilege to work with them.

Naturally, there were many other strong candidates. The strength of this field, in fact, is one key driver in our determination to ensure that the expertise WUDC 2012 draws on is not limited to those selected as DCAs. We hope, for instance, to collaborate extensively regarding training materials we are committed to creating, and to attract a group of senior adjudicators beyond the Adjudication Team itself to advise on this. In short, we want this to be a ‘WUDC of all the talents’. The quality of DCA applicants this year has reaffirmed the importance of this. More details thereof will follow early in 2011.

Congratulations to those selected, and commiserations to those not. Many thanks to all for making this process so fruitful, and we look forward to seeing many of you in Botswana.

Many thanks,

Sam Block & Lucinda David
lucinda.david@dlsuworlds.com
Chief Adjudicators
DLSU WUDC 2012

A little christmas humour from Ireland.

24 December 2010

Four attempt rule at Worlds.

Here is a communication from the Zagreb debating community regarding Petar Bezjak who is organising the Zagreb bid for Worlds 2013.  There are some serious questions about the viability of the bid and the actual involvement of Zagreb in the bid. Now it appears that Petar has been a competitor at 5 Worlds and is looking to make this his sixth.  It may be that there are two Petar Bezjaks and all this will surely be discussed at council but the people from Zagreb seem fairly certain this is the same Petar.

However it is worrying if competitors are ignoring the 4 attempt limit.  This has been in place for many years.  In the past I maintained a database of names to make sure that this rule was followed.  Every year there would be one or two people who would try to compete in a 5th Worlds either because they did not know the rule or because they hoped we did not know who they were.  I handed responsibility for this over to council at the meeting in Dublin.  I would call call on council to appoint someone to return to maintaining this database.  I can give them the one I maintained up to Dublin and will help to get it up to date.

To the entire debating community,

It has come to our attention that Petar Bezjak the convenor - hopeful of Zagreb 2013. bid debated for the 5th time when he broke in the EFL semi-finals at Koc WUDC 2010. as a team member of the University of Split thus breaking the art. 22.1 of the WUDC Constitution.


Therefore, he took the place rightfully belonging to the next eligible team.


Peter is registered as a debater for the University of Split, again this year for Botswana WUDC 2011.. This will be his 6th time debating.


We have warned him of this fact repeatedly and begged him to withdraw. He ignored our pleas. Unfortunately we are left without choice in this matter.


His entire manner shows disrespect of the rules and regulations of the world debating community.


By doing this, there is also a new possibility of his taking the spot of another team in the break.

We cannot allow this.


Given that the full tab from Sydney Worlds is now available, which up until now wasn’t the case, there is written proof of Petar Bezjak debating for the 5th time when he broke in the EFL semi finals in KoƧ, thus breaking art.22.1 of the WUDC Constitution


Article 22
1. Competitors who satisfy the requirements of this Article may compete in ateam eligible to make the finals series a maximum of four Championships.


This provision shall take effect from 6th January 1990. )




The tabs which prove this are as following:


Sydney 00
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0As9JZygmWa50dDM1SG0zbUZXRmNHcGtwVWlJXzVvYWc&hl=en&gid=17


Toronto 02
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0As9JZygmWa50dDM1SG0zbUZXRmNHcGtwVWlJXzVvYWc&hl=en&gid=19


Stellenbosch 03
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0As9JZygmWa50dDM1SG0zbUZXRmNHcGtwVWlJXzVvYWc&hl=en&gid=16


Thailand 08
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0As9JZygmWa50dDM1SG0zbUZXRmNHcGtwVWlJXzVvYWc&hl=en&gid=10


Koc 10
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0As9JZygmWa50dDM1SG0zbUZXRmNHcGtwVWlJXzVvYWc&hl=en&gid=1

We wish everyone a all the best for the holidays

Laura Horvat, Lea Tafra, Branka Marusic

Visa info for those travelling to Botswana

Reports are coming from early arrivals at Worlds that there is some confusion about the Visa situation.  Specifically you need a transit visa to pass through South Africa to get to Botswana. It doesn't seem to be something that is stopping people getting to Worlds just is causing some confusion at Johannesburg Airport.  The Botswana org comm have sent someone to South Africa to help smooth things over. 

So if you are going to Worlds be aware of this.  Fix it if you can before you leave but if you can't don't panic.  It can be sorted at the Airport.

National University of Singapore win WUPID 2010

The National University of Singapore (NUS) have won the 2010 WUPID.  In the final they defeated University of Cambridge Monash University and the University of Sydney.

Keep an eye on here or on http://wupidmania.wordpress.com/ for the tab once it is released.

23 December 2010

Happy Christmas

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all visitors to this site a happy Christmas. Of course if you celebrate a different festival at this time or even if this time of year is of no special significance for you I hope you will still accept my wish for happiness, peace and prosperity at this time and into 2011.

And in particular I would like to wish best of luck to all those travelling to worlds in Botswana. I'm sure it will be a great tournament and be sure to come back here for regular updates over the next few days.

Nollaig shona dhaoibh.

Colm

US Universities Debating Championship 2011 Registration

http://debate.uvm.edu/debateblog/usu2011

We look forward to hosting you at the University of Vermont 1-2-3 April 2011.

Registration opens on 1 January 2011. At that time you may indicate the number of teams (up to 6) you would bring as well as the number of judges. On March 1 2011 we will open up spaces to schools who have asked for more than 6 teams.

Non-USA teams are welcome to attend. They can break and receive awards, but only a USA team can win the US National Championship.

Judging requirements = Number of teams - 2. If entering 2 teams, must supply 1 judge. Teams=judges: 1=0, 2=1, 3=1, 4=2, 5=3, 6=4.

Fees are $120 per team and $60 per adjudicator. Sorry for the higher fees, but the grants and awards we received last time have now dried up. Schools desperately seeking fee reduction or waiver can ask for assistance. Teams from outside the USA can receive fee reductions.

All checks should be payable to Lawrence Debate Union/University of Vermont. Cash refunds cannot be given for overpayment, but we will send you a check.

Housing is not included, but limited crash is available and our hotel is very inexpensive.

On 1 January 2011 you may email this information to alfred.snider@uvm.edu for your preliminary entry. You will receive a confirmation.
Name of school:
Name of contact person and email:
Number of teams:
Number of adjudicators:

On 1 February 2011 a list of entered teams will be posted on this website.

On 1 March 2011 we will ask for names of all debaters and adjudicators.
At that time we will allow entry of additional teams from the same institution if space allows.

Cancellations after 15 March 2011 will still have to pay entry fees.

SUMMARY OF DATES:

1 January 2011
Enter number of teams (up to 6) and judges by email.
1 February 2011
List of entered teams posted on this website.
1 March 2011
Finalize names of debaters and adjudicators.
Request teams beyond 6 if slots are available.
15 March 2011
If you drop after this date you still owe us the fees.

Questions? Just ask us.

--
Alfred C. Snider aka Tuna
Edwin Lawrence Professor of Forensics, University of Vermont
Huber House, 475 Main Street, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405 USA

22 December 2010

So how does World’s Council Work at WUDC?

Everyone knows it exists but how does Worlds Council work and who makes it up. Well at its core is a simple idea. Each country gets to send one delegate to the meeting to vote on the issues being discussed. However like most international committees things tend to be a bit more complicated in practice.

Make up of World's Council
 Each country sends one delegate. They will often have observers to keep them company but in effect it is one country one delegate. How that delegate is selected can vary from country to country. Often it is the head of the national association (e.g. Canada). Where no national association exists the delegate can be selected by an election prior to the championships (e.g. England often elect their delegate at the weekend of the English Mace). Where there is no national association and no suitable opportunity to elect a delegate then the participants at Worlds from that nation will meet and select their delegate (e.g. this is how Ireland often select their delegate). Where there is a dispute on who the delegate is it is not the role of the council to decide who the delegate is. At the meeting in Glasgow two delegates turned up from one country and started bickering about which of them was the delegate. I threw them out and told them to come back with one agreed delegate which they did within 2 minutes.

Each country gets a number of votes (from 4 down to 1) depending on the number of institutions they have sent to previous Worlds. In my time as chair of council I have seen countries misunderstand the rules and turn up with a delegate for each vote. I have also heard of delegates wishing to split their vote (i.e. one for bid A and one for bid C). That isn’t the way it works. One delegate casts one vote and that one vote is then weighted 4, 3, 2 or 1.

The national delegates are the only voting members of council. But there are a number of other members of council who can attend and address the meeting but cannot vote.

The outgoing Chair of the Committee. Each council elects a committee to work on council issues over the year between meetings. The committee chair elected at the previous meeting is expected to chair the next council meeting. They don’t have a vote but are there to control proceedings. They also should issue an agenda in advance. Where the Chair of Committee cannot attend they normally step down and appoint a successor (generally another member of the committee) to chair the meeting.

The outgoing committee. As mentioned previously each council elects a committee to deal with issues over the year. This committee comprises Chair, Registrar, Secretary, Women’s officer, Equity officer and Regional Delegates. Again these members can attend and speak at council. They often have reports to present and proposals to put to a vote. There can also be sub-committees that work on a specific issue separate to the main committee. Again representatives of that sub-committee can attend and speak at council to present their findings.

Emeritus Members. The Emeritus members are life members of council. They have been voted to that position at previous council meetings. They are there to provide a sort of institutional memory. They have many, many years of experience at running Worlds and have seen most of the challenges that an org comm or council are likely to experience. They don’t have a vote and may not even play a very active role unless called upon but their experience and expertise is there if required. The Emeritus members are Colm Flynn, Ian Lising, Omar Sallahudin and Ray D’Cruz.  Not every council will add members to the list of Emeritus delegates.  It is seen as an acknowledgement of years of outstanding work for Worlds and someone who has a depth of knowledge and experience that would be a loss to the council were they to simply drift away.

The Organisation committee of the current Worlds. They are expected to present a report on how the championships are progressing. Topics they normally cover are registration, operational issues, finance, etc. Running Worlds is a complicated process (seem the article on bidding for and hosting Worlds). Even the best championships will have questions to answer.

The Adjudication team:  The Chief Adjudicator and Deputy Chief Adjudicators are expected to be at the meeting to answer any questions about the adjudication of the tournament and the tab system. They are part of the current Org Comm but are also expected to be somewhat independent from it (especially the DCAs) so they will be expected to address issues separate from the Org comm.

The organising committee of the previous Worlds. They are expected to present a report on how the last championship ran. They will discuss what issues arose and what was done to overcome them. Hopefully the learnings from each championships should help improve future ones. Finance is often a key element of this segment of the meeting.

The organising committee of the next Worlds. Each worlds is awarded two years in advance. However at each council meeting the next hosts are expected to turn up and explain their progress. This is an important step as it will give council a clear idea of how well prepared they are. If a host does not take this seriously or does not have sufficient work done to reassure council that Worlds will happen then they can be stripped of the right to host. This happened to Zagreb at the Council meeting in 2004 and MMU were given the right to host Worlds in 2005 instead. Since then hosts are expected to issue status updates on e-mail roughly every 6 months so if there are serious issues then hopefully they will be corrected before the council meeting.

The bidding committees looking to host Worlds in two years. As mentioned above the right to host Worlds is awarded two years in advance. This is the most important element of the council meeting. Rival bidders will present their proposal for hosting Worlds. See the article on bidding for Worlds for more details on this. If there is only one bidder then the vote will be a simple yes/no to accept the bid. If there are two then it is a straight runoff. If there are three or more then a series of votes eliminating the bidder with the lowest votes each time. This will continue until one bid gets a majority of votes cast.

Of course other than that you can have observers calling in to watch proceedings. However the above are the only people who can speak at the meeting and the national delegates are the only ones that can vote.

There will be two meetings. One held on December 28th (the day before competitive debates start). The main meeting happens on New Year’s Day. The hosts are required to provide facilities for the meeting and Lunch for the delegates. World’s Council has no money itself and therefore relies on the host to accommodate the meeting. When council seriously overruns (as it did in 2004 due to the crisis over the next year’s host and the need to reopen bids) then a third meeting can be held another day before the end of the tournament.

Here is a typical agenda for World’s Council (it is based on the agenda Ian Lising sent out for Council in 2008).

Preliminary Council Meeting 28th December


• Distribution of Meeting Minutes from previous Council meeting


• Roll Call
Delegate Names (one per country)
Voting status (What weight a country gets 1,2,3,or 4 based on prior participation)


• Institution review
N-1 Review (each institution must send N-1 judges where N is the number of teams they are sending)


• Speaker Review
4 year rule (speakers can only compete at 4 world Championships)
ESL participants (as assessed by an ESL/EFL committee)
EFL participants (as assessed by an ESL/EFL committee)


• Distribution of Bid Materials for two year’s time


=============================


Council Meeting 1st January


• Roll Call
Delegate Names
Voting status


• Previous Worlds Council Minutes
Vote to accept minutes


• Last year’s host Report & Accounts
Last Year’s Rep to report on Tournament
Last Year’s Rep to present final set of financial accounts


• Current year’s host Report & Accounts
Current host rep to report on Tournament
Current host rep to present initial accounts


• Next year’s Worlds Bid Defense
Bid Defense Presentation
Questions from council members
Vote to Confirm next year’s hosts


• Bids for Worlds in two years
Bidders present bids (order to be determined by random draw)
Questions from Council Members
Vote on hosts for Worlds in two years time


• Lunch Break


• Constitution Review


• Committee Reports
Chair
Registrar
Secretary
Women’s Officer
Equity Officer
Regional Reports


• Other Business


• World Executive Committee Elections


• END



So that’s roughly how council works. I hope it gives you some guidance on the political machine that runs away in the background.

21 December 2010

Monash Debating Review 2010 now available

The 8th edition of Monash Debating Review has recently been made available at http://www.monashdebaters.com/mdr-order.php. Editions 4-7 are also available on the same site. 

This is the only peer reviewed journal on debating and is an excellent read for someone looking to delve further into the theory and strategies of debating. 

This year's featured article is "There is no spoon: Beginner, intermediate and advanced first principles debating" by Tim Sonnreich.  This is an excellent guide to using first principles to become a better debater on topics where you do not have a detailed background knowledge which is quite a common situation at Worlds.

Questions raised about the Zagreb Bid.

Alfred over at Global debate has an article questioning the legitimacy of the bid from Zagreb.

http://globaldebateblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/questions-about-legitimacy-of-zagreb.html

I haven't got the original e-mail nor have I been part of any discussion about the bid so I'll just post the link. 

Message from Chair of World's Council

Dear Council,

I'm writing this email to let everyone know that, due to some unavoidable and very pressing personal issues, I won't be able to attend Worlds in Botswana.

As you can imagine, this has not been an easy decision to take. I am very aware of the commitment that I made to the Worlds community last year when I took on the role of chairing the Council, and I feel extremely disappointed that I will not be able to be with you in Botswana. Please trust me when I say that I have explored every possible means of getting past the obstacles and attending, even if only for the Council meeting on 1st January, but the reality is that I haven't been able to find a way to make that happen.

I have been blessed, though, with the support over the past year of two fantastically able and devoted people in Duncan and Joe, and I know that they will be able to carry forward the necessary work over the next ten days to ensure that Council operates effectively and fulfils its mandate - particularly in the light of the important discussions that are scheduled to take place this year. This year more than ever the three of us have acted as a cooperative Secretariat rather than as three individual officers with separate roles, so I am sure that there will be 100% continuity taking things forward. I have also asked Steve Johnson, who has held executive roles on Council in the past, to assist Duncan and Joe with the running of meetings, and I am delighted and very grateful that he has agreed to do so.

Meanwhile, I will be pretty much 100% offline (both specifically and metaphorically) for the next few weeks while I attend to these personal matters. Hopefully all will be resolved - and rest assured that I'm not ill! - and I will be back towards the end of January. While that happens, though, I will have to leave things to Duncan, Joe, Steve and to all of you to carry forward through Worlds and out the other side. I wish them - and you - every success in sorting out the issues that face us as a community, and in ensuring that everything is in place for DLSU and beyond.

Once again, I am terribly, terribly sorry for not being able to come to Botswana. I am sure that it will be a fantastic event, and I look forward to catching up with all the news, results and outcomes when I get back.

All the very best,

Sam

20 December 2010

Zagreb Worlds 2013 Bid - Adjudication Update

To the World Debating Community,
 
Many of you will already have read the open letter from me released on www.zagrebworlds.com several weeks ago, either way, this e-mail summarises and elaborates our plans for Zagreb Worlds 2013 regarding adjudication. First, we have one exciting piece of news to announce. In our initial communications we stated our intention to appoint, before Botswana Worlds, an Assistant Chief Adjudicator - a post used at several international tournaments including Cork Worlds 2009 to help meet the increasing administrative burdens placed on Worlds Adjudication Teams. We are delighted to announce that Joe Roussos, Chief Adjudicator of Pan-Africans 2010, South African National Champion and Best Speaker, and Secretary to the World Universities Debating Council, has agreed to be the Assistant Chief Adjudicator for Zagreb Worlds 2013. The inclusion of Joe's role on the Adjudication Team will enable us to incorporate into our bid some of our ambitious plans for adjudication at Zagreb Worlds 2013.
 
What are these 'ambitious' plans? As Worlds has expanded in size in recent years, and been hosted by a series of remarkably capable OrgComms and Adjudication Teams, the standards expected of the World Championships have rightly become high. The whole debating community expects and deserves many things from your adjudication team, and I am confident that both bids being presented to Worlds Council this year will be able to provide the following:
  • A regionally representative adjudication team, including a dedicated DCA with a background in ESL or EFL debating.
  • Motions rigorously tested for fairness and accessibility (both in terms of varying levels of debating experience, and across language categories), and which are original, highly interesting, and capable of being debated in a wide range of styles and from a variety of perspectives.
  • Absolutely no neglect of motions for the ESL and EFL Outrounds. These are just as integral a part of the World Championships as any other, and a huge number of those attending Worlds want to watch, appear in, or judge these rounds. Anyone who thinks it is acceptable to set less serious, interesting or publicly absorbing motions for them, is simply wrong.
  • A high quality and deep judging pool, guaranteed as such by subsidising the world's best judges from all over the globe.
  • Quality judging in all rooms, but in particular in all rooms eligible for any of the breaks.
  • A full feedback system for debaters and judges to give feedback on adjudication.
  • Workshops for less experienced debaters and judges, to make the introduction to World Championship debating as enjoyable as possible.
  • Incorporation of any reforms to the championships ruled on by Worlds Council.
We have already announced our plans to meet these expectations. We will have four DCAs appointed by application including 1 from the Americas, 1 from Oceania, 1 from Asia and 1 from Europe, Africa or the Middle East. Our DCAs will include at least 1 DCA with an ESL/EFL debating background. We intend to have the most extensive training workshops of any Worlds to date. We will invite and subsidise at least 50 top judges from around the world. We will meet all the expected standards for World Championship adjudication.
 
But as I have hinted, we want to do more than just meet expected standards, we want to push the standard higher; the best Worlds in recent years have been those that have marshalled the innnovation and energy to add to what past championships have done. As such, I have been determined from the start to outline plans for the unique, extra advantages we want you to look forward to at Zagreb Worlds 2013:
 
  • A new, dedicated computer program for tracking judge rotation to ensure that all chair judges at the tournament should see multiple good debates, and hopefully all wing judges too. This is not difficult to design and will be independent from the tabbing program - so no risks involved. We will track a running score for judges based on the rooms they have judged, managed by a dedicated member of the Tab Room team. Why? No judge capable of chairing a room at the World Championships deserves to be consigned only to judging what are perceived as 'low' rooms, and debaters of all levels of experience deserve quality feedback and adjudication. Rotation need not come at the cost of quality judging - high quality panels can be preserved with forward planning on the part of the Adjudication Team. We want judges to remember Zagreb Worlds as one of the most enjoyable to adjudicate ever, and we believe that you will all benefit from this effort and organisation on our part.
  • A redesigned Worlds Masters Competition, with all top judes and former greats of debating who are attending the tournament encouraged to take part. We want to guarantee that Worlds Masters at Zagreb is as prestigious, exciting, and universally impressive a public spectacle as it has been at the very best Worlds Masters of the past.
  • A complete Guide to World Championship Debating that we will release well in advance of the tournament, to assist anyone that finds it useful, particularly new societies and debaters. We will, as always, have the standard online judging briefing and debating guidelines. But we want to go further - this will be a full, free, 20+ pages guide. We would like to get contributions to it from the best debaters in the world to produce something useful, definitive, and hopefully lasting. You can use it how you wish.
  • A more extensive system of panel construction than ever before. No debaters deserve to be penalised, in a potentially crucial debate, by happening to be judged exclusively by adjudicators from a different debating background or perspective than them. We firmly believe this benefits everyone and we have ideas as to how to do it without any noticeable increase in tabbing time between rounds.
  • We will not only have more extensive debating and judging workshops at the tournament than ever before, but are happy to organise workshops in advance of the tournament, attended by Adjudication Team members or other top coaches, for societies able to help us fund the associated travel costs.
  • We reserve the option for a further DCA appointment for the best application in the world that we receive. It is absolutely right that the DCA appointments include reserved spots for different regions, ensuring global input into what should be a global adjudication team. However, if there are two truly outstanding candidates from a region, it is to nobody's benefit that one of them be excluded. We reserve the right to appoint one further DCA, regardless of the region they are from, who produces the best application from the pool of remaining contenders.
  • We will instruct all chairs of 'out-round' debates, in all breaks, on a basic minimum time they should spend in adjudication. We do not believe that debates of such importance, however clear, should be adjudicated with basically no discussion amongst adjudicators. Judges need at least to clarify why they are in agreement, and ensure that the teams they think have not progressed get due attention and consideration. It hurts judges, teams that advance, and teams that don't, when a panel is noticed to have emerged barely 30 seconds after the debate has finished.
  • We will publish a public Adjudication Report, post tournament, on all that happened regarding adjudication and motions. We will lay out both mistakes and successes for the benefit of future adjudication teams.
  •  
    These are not our only plans. And above all we will consult. Are there other niggling problems with Worlds you would like us to try and solve? Do you think there are obstacles to these plans we may not have considered? Your participation will ensure the most enjoyable experience for everyone involved in the World Championships.
     
    I hope you find these plans exciting. I, Joe, and the whole of the Zagreb Worlds Team would be delighted to have your support at Worlds Council.
     
    Many best wishes,
     
    Jonathan Leader Maynard
    Chief Adjudicator, Zagreb Worlds 2013 Bid

    Message from the Berlin Bid adjudicators

    Greetings! We’re both incredibly excited to serving as co-Chief Adjudicators for Berlin WUDC 2013.


    Of course, we can’t reveal our favourite motions to you or name our DCA panel before applications have even opened, but we’d like to set out the principles by which we propose to manage the adjudication of the World Championships:

    1) We believe that motions should be serious, challenging, and fair.
    Perhaps the most important aspect of serving as part of the adjudication team is setting motions that will offer debaters a chance to engage with interesting issues.
    To that end, we will:
    · ‘Fairness test’ all of our motions, debating them in secret amongst the adjudication team to ensure that there are a wide range of arguments available to both sides.
    · Publish full statistics following the tournament regarding the performance of teams from each position on the table.
    · Ensure that all of our motions would be accessible to a well-informed global citizen. There should be no requirement to have specialist knowledge in order to have a good debate.

    2) We believe in due respect for ESL and EFL debating.
    We don’t regard the ESL or EFL breaks as trivialities, but as integral components of the experience that is the World Championships.

    To that end, we will:
    · Manage the tab to ensure that teams with a strong chance of breaking in any division (including ESL and EFL) receive the highest-quality adjudicators and the best opportunities for thorough and constructive feedback.
    · Set aside at least one DCA space for an ESL or EFL candidate.
    · Ensure that motions selected for break rounds in all divisions reflect the importance of these public debates and offer the advancing teams the best possible opportunity to display their talents.
    · Severely punish teams that ‘throw’ debates. In the past, certain teams have judged themselves out of contention for the open break and have treated their third-day debates flippantly, causing chaos in their rooms and disadvantaging teams who were in contention for other break categories.

    3) We believe that top-quality adjudication is indispensable.
    Every speaker’s ambitions depend upon having a team of experienced adjudicators to dispense judgment and feedback. Our priority over the coming months will be assembling the best judging pool that money can subsidise.

    To that end, we will:
    · Set aside the registration fees and defray travel expenses for top adjudicators from around the world.
    · Work with our DCAs to build adjudication skills in developing societies.
    · Announce, within the next several weeks, a list of top adjudicators who have tentatively agreed to judge at Berlin Worlds 2013.
    · As at Koc, manage a full feedback system for chairs on wings, wings on chairs, and teams on chairs, taking the results very seriously when managing judging allocations in the preliminary rounds and the break.

    Thanks for taking the time to read through our adjudication policy. If you have any comments or queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

    We look forward in hope to seeing you in Berlin!

    All the Best,

    Sharmila and Doug

    WUPID updates and break

    As mentioned yesterday WUPID is running at the moment in Kuala Lumpar.  For those who are interested Yunus is blogging updates from each round on http://thedebatingnews.wordpress.com/.  They have just reached the break and here are the breaking teams.

    1)ANU 1
    2)MONASH 3
    3)USYD 1
    4)MONASH 1
    5)CAMBRIDGE 1
    6)ADMU 1
    7)NUS 1
    8)NUS 2
    9)MONASH 4
    10)UPD 1
    11)MONASH 2
    12)IIUM 1
    13)NUS 3
    14)HKU 1
    15)UTMARA 1
    16)CHULA 1

    Visit http://thedebatingnews.wordpress.com/ for regular updates and watch live a live video feed through http://www.live.upm.edu.my/ (bear in mind the time difference to KL from where you are so don't expect a live debate at 3am their time).

    19 December 2010

    BW2011 : Sample Adjudication and Adjudication Test

    Greetings from Sunny Botswana!

    The Adjudication team of Botswana Worlds have put up two videos for
    your viewing pleasure.

    A) Sample Adjudication (This House Support Organ Trading for Profit)
    http://www.botswanaworlds.com/sample-adjudication

    Follow the link above to find a video and written adjudication. The
    adjudication of the debate is modelled after the adjudication test. We
    strongly advise judges who have questions about adjudication to watch
    this video and read the adjudication review. If you are concerned
    about what we expect from judges from the adjudication test, watch the
    video and read the sample adjudication

    B) Adjudication Test
    http://www.botswanaworlds.com/adjudication-test

    There are 3 sections to the test
    Section A - Personal details. Please state all your conflict information here.
    Section B - General questions about WUDC debating. Answers all 16 True or False
    Section C - Judgment and reasoning of Video Test Debate. Please adhere
    to the Word limits for every question. If may be a good idea to write
    your answers in a word document then cut and paste them into the
    online form (in case you lose the connection).

    (you shouldn't need a password to watch the video. If you do, the
    password is "debating")

    We want adjudicators to complete this test sooner rather than later.
    If you can do it today, please do. The last day you have to complete
    the test is the 23rd of December. If you do not provide us with a
    reason why you cannot do it by then, and do not complete the test that
    most likely means you are an unreliable judge.

    If you are Not Judging at Botswana Worlds, DO NOT take this test! If
    you are judging, you MUST take this test.

    Important
    • Tests should also do be done by yourself, alone. There should be NO
    collusion / discussion with anyone else. Judges who cheat are not
    trustworthy or professional judges.
    • Do not talk about the tests. Do publicize / share / discuss your
    thoughts about the debate / test with anyone.

    Have fun!

    The Adjudication Team
    World Universities Debating Championships 2011
    www.botswanaworlds.com

    WUDC Berlin 2013 bid update‏

    Dear Debaters of the World,

    As many of you know, the Berlin Debating Union (BDU) is bidding to host for the World Universities Debating Championships in 2013. In this letter, I would like to inform you of recent developments relating to our bid and our roadmap for the coming two years.

    If you have any questions, please to not hesitate to contact me at p.ehmann@wudcberlin.com

    Why have we decided to launch the WUDC Berlin 2013 bid?
    For almost a decade, we have profited massively from well-judged and excellently organized tournaments around the world. Now, the Berlin Debating Union believes it is time to give something back to the international debating community. At a time in which few institutions in the world are capable of meeting the challenges of hosting this unique event, which has continued to grow in breath and complexity, as well as in the logistical challenges it presents to organizers, we would be delighted to place our resources at the disposal of the world debating community in hosting Worlds 2013. From the size and layout of our universities and their facilities, to the vast landscape of private and public foundations, corporate sponsors and government agencies available and willing to fund such an endeavor, to the individuals active in local and national umbrella organizations, we believe that Berlin offers optimal conditions to host the best Worlds ever.

    As the most diverse and internationally active debating society in Germany, we also understand the structural challenges facing world debating. We are committed to actively working together with the international debating community in developing innovative methods to ensure that each national debating culture is not only fairly represented, but also receives due respect and that each participant is able to take a positive experience away from Berlin Worlds, even if that experience doesn’t include a trophy from the grand final.

    Our strategy
    The experience of hosting the EUDC in 2006 certainly helps us to understand what it means to host an event of this magnitude, but we also realize that hosting worlds has to be a collaborative effort. That is why it was imperative for us to speak to as many people as possible, both in Germany and abroad to find out what their wishes are for the WUDC Berlin 2013. Our announcement of two Co-CAs who reflect the diversity of international debating was a direct result of these discussions.

    Since announcing our bid, we have continuously sought the input of European, Asian, Australasian, North-American and African debaters and will continue to seek feedback and constructive input from all potential participants throughout the process of organizing and hosting Worlds.

    Who is supporting us?
    In Germany, where major universities are federally funded and do not charge tuition, debate in general and other events of a similar scope and budget as the WUDC are typically funded by a mixture private and federally funded foundations, corporate sponsors and government agencies. Our bid is generously supported by Germany’s leading weekly newspaper “DIE ZEIT”.

    Despite the fact that negotiations may take a little bit longer to finalize here than elsewhere, we have excellent relationships with a number of foundations and have had extremely positive discussions with institutions that regularly provide a level of support to endeavors such as the WUDC that would cover our expected budget. In addition, we have also had productive discussions with a large national logistics company concerning their participation in the WUDC as our main corporate sponsor. Unfortunately, we cannot release details of our negotiations as they are still ongoing.

    Recently, Dr. Annette Schavan, the Federal Minister for Education and Research, has agreed to act as our honorary figurehead and signaled willingness to provide financial support through the ministry.

    Past partnerships have allowed us to host high quality tournaments at a low cost to participants. This past year, we were able to fund the participation of 13 world class adjudicators in our IV (Among others: Yoni Cohen-Idov, Chris Croke, Leela Koenig, Lucinda David) to adjudicate 12 debate rooms, provide comfortable hostel accommodation and all meals to participants for only 25 Euros. For the WUDC 2013, we will make sure that quality adjudication and the funding of adjudicators from all corners of the world remains our number one priority.

    Our Chief Adjudicators
    Sharmila Parmanand (Philippines) and Doug Cochran (England) have kindly accepted our offer to serve as Co-CAs of the WUDC Berlin 2013. We believe that a tournament of this size and scope profits substantially from having two CAs. Different perspectives and experiences will lead to a more diverse panel of DCAs, reflecting regional and ESL/EFL interests.

    Sharmila is DCA of Auckland Australs 2010 and Seoul Australs 2011. She has judged the Grand Final at Koc Worlds 2010 and a semi-final at Dublin Worlds 2009. As a speaker she broke to Worlds Octofinals and was a Grand Final speaker at Australs.

    Doug is one of the most successful speakers in Europe, having won more IVs than any other currently active speaker. He was a Euros Grand Finalist in 2007. He judged the Grand Final at Koc Worlds 2010 together with Sharmila and was DCA of Euros 2010 in Amsterdam.

    What can Berlin offer?
    In addition to valuable experience and strong support, we decided to host worlds in part because we believe that so many of the prerequisites for a successful WUDC were given before we even lifted a finger. Berlin isn’t just a major capitol city in the heart of Europe, it’s two major cities rolled into one. Berlin’s unique history means that we have two of just about everything and when it comes to cultural institutions, often many times more. For decades, Berlin has served melting pot of immigrants, artists, West German draft dodgers, punks, students, Eastern German dissidents, ravers, diplomats, celebrities and refugees from parts of Germany where lederhosen and brass bands still pass as culture. Not least because of abundant housing and the unique nature of an economy largely supported by service and creative industries, federal subsidies for the arts and culture and of course tourism, Berlin is cheap, young and, in turn, quite hip. A recent comparison showed that Berlin was 14% less expensive than Munich and 51% less expensive than London.

    Berlin is home to over 40 institutions of higher education and over 160,000 students, more than 22,000 of whom come from abroad. Despite attempts to internationalize German universities, the tradition of perennial student-hood lives on. As recently as 2007, the average college graduate in Berlin was nearly 28 years of age upon receiving their first degree. While this may be a testament to how good life is here for students, for us, this means that we not only have members who remember hosting the EUDC 2006, but also that debaters both young and old who are involved in our bid are certain to remain involved through 2013, and likely long after.

    The Technical University of Berlin, which has agreed to be our partner for the WUDC 2013, is centrally located in center of the “City West”. The TU is a campus university with state of the art, debater friendly facilities including central auditorium capable of seating 1200+ with an existing Audio/Video link to a neighboring auditorium that seats an additional 600+ and abundant classrooms directly nearby. Thanks to the tourist infrastructure of this area and massive new development projects targeted at West Berlin, we are able to offer hotels within walking distance of the TU campus and many of the most famous tourist attractions in the West.

    Berlin is located in the heart of Europe and is serviced by two major international airports and one of the finest high speed rail networks in the world. We understand that costs are a major factor for debaters joining us from the other side of the world. While travel costs will certainly be lower for teams flying from parts of the world serviced by one of the many low cost carriers that fly to Berlin, a comparison of travel costs from Asia, Australia, North America and just about everywhere else shows that travel costs are typically much lower for trips to Berlin than they are for trips to certain other European capitol cities. Additionally, we are negotiating with a major airline in the hopes of getting a special WUDC rate for participants from distant countries.

    Our roadmap:
    In October, an extraordinary general meeting of the BDU unanimously passed the resolution to bid for WUDC 2013. Immediately afterward, we established a structure that will ensure our ability to harness the experience gathered by hosting the EUDC in 2006 and also the energy and vision of younger members of the club willing and able to carry the project in the coming two years.
    · We expect all sponsoring partnerships and funding to be secured by the middle of 2011, giving us enough time to speak to partners in logistics and catering.
    · At the end of 2011, we will open up the application process for our DCAs and announce our registration policy.
    · We will open up registration early in 2012, making it easy for everyone to register and ensuring that no debater has to book an expensive last minute flight.

    Why should you vote for Berlin?
    · State of the art facilities and well developed support structures.
    · Experience in successfully organizing large debate tournaments.
    · Minister level support for our bid and an excellent track record in acquiring funding.
    · An excellent chief adjudication panel reflecting the full diversity of international debating.
    · A commitment to funding a vast number and variety of quality adjudicators.
    · (Relatively) inexpensive travel costs.
    · 3 square meals a day and respect for dietary requirements of any and every kind. (Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal, Kosher, Gluten Free, etc.)
    · The full support of the German debating community.
    · A thoughtful strategy incorporating the interests of the entire international debating community.
    · Accommodation within walking distance of the debating venues.
    · Cheap or free alcohol at every social (we might even get a brewery as a sponsor).
    · Socials in some of the hottest locations in Europe.

    Thank you very much for supporting our endeavor to host the best Worlds ever.

    Yours sincerely

    Patrick Ehmann
    Head of WUDC Berlin 2013 OrgComm

    Patrick Ehmann
    WUDC Berlin 2013
    Bornemannstr. 6
    13357 Berlin
    Germany/Deutschland
    Tel: +49 (0)30 42025550
    @: p.ehmann@wudcberlin.com

    WUPID updates and live video

    Yunus is blogging live motions, pairings and results from WUPID.  Also they are broadcasting the top room live from each round.

    If you want to watch the video visit http://live.upm.edu.my/ (it seems to be permanently on so in between rounds you will just see an empty room or a view outside but check back for the live debates)

    For the motions results etc visit http://wupidmania.wordpress.com/

    Promotional video from Berlin 2013 bid

    The bid team for Berlin 2013 have released a promotional video. It doesn't give a lot of detail about the bid but here it is anyway.  I expect there will be more (both from Berlin and Zagreb) and I'll post them as I come across them or have them sent to me.