On behalf of the University of Miami Debate Team and the UM School of Communication, we are pleased to invitestudent debaters of all experience and skill levels to participate in a debate tournament and civic debate event on our campus on Saturday, March 23 – Sunday, March 24, 2024. We will offer four preliminary rounds of debate and appropriate elimination rounds up to quarterfinals.
Topic Area: Marine geoengineering.
We will share a topic statement with the specific wording and limited bibliography with you by February
16. It is our hope that the topic will encourage research, thought, and discourse about the vital and urgent needto preserve ocean health and resources while attempting to adapt and prevent climate change.
Format
The debates will be public in style with a goal of attracting media attention and local participation. The format and approach, therefore, is designed to be suitable for a public audience and accessible to student debaters regardless of experience. Persuasive delivery style and appropriate argument selection for non-expert audiences will be rewarded. To this end, we will use the format originated by the Lafayette Debates and adopted by the Social JusticeDebates, a hybrid between intercollegiate policy and parliamentary formats, and very accessible for audience debates.
Students will compete in teams of two or three debaters each. Teams will be assigned to affirm or negate the topic,with each team representing the affirmative in two debates and the negative in two debates.
Each speaker will give one 6-minute speech, be cross examined for 4 minutes, and cross examine an opposingdebater for 4 minutes. In addition, one speaker for each team will also give a 6-minute closing rebuttal:
1st Affirmative 6 Minutes
Cross examination by 2nd Negative Speaker, 4 minutes 1st Negative 6 minutes
Cross examination by 1st Affirmative Speaker, 4 minutes 2nd Affirmative 6 minutes
Cross examination by 1st Negative Speaker, 4 minutes 2nd Negative 6 minutes
Cross examination by 2nd Affirmative Speaker, 4 minutes 2 minutes of preparation time
Affirmative Rebuttal 6 minutes 2 minutes of preparation time Negative Rebuttal 6 minutes
Judging
While the judges supplied by the tournament, participants will serve as the judges for the preliminary debates. We plan to recruit content area experts, ocean and environmental educators, activists andprofessionals, and others interested in the issues of ocean health and/or public advocacy and public speaking to serve as the judges for the semifinal and final rounds.
You must provide judging to cover your teams @ 2 rounds of judging provided for each team entered. All judges will be obligated through Quarterfinals. Teams may not participate if they cannot supply judging. University of Miami students will be allowed to participate and will be eligible to receive awards. If the fees and/or judging requirements create a hardship for you, please communicate with David Steinberg (dave@miami.edu) about your situation asap. We want you to be able to participate and will work with you. A credit card portal will be available for payment.
Registration & Fees
Fees will be $50 per person (for all debaters, coaches, judges and observers) to defray the cost of awards, rooms, breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, lunch on Saturday, and snacks. Please register for the tournament at Tabroom.com. The deadline for registration is EOD March 15, however, please enter as early as possible even if your entry is tentative to help us in planning. Or just let Dave know you are thinking about attending.
Lodging
We will not be arranging a block, however, you may secure UM rates at local hotels through the UniversityTravel Site. You must select “Leisure Hotel Rates” and create a Deem login if you do not have one already (it is free). The rates we saw were cheaper than booking directly with the hotels. Please make your reservations as soon as possible, this is Miami. For convenience, we recommend these hotels:
AC Hotel Dadeland Aloft Miami Dadeland
Courtyard Marriott Dadeland
Miami Marriott Dadeland
Four Points by Sheraton Coral Gables Hampton Inn by Hilton Coconut Grove
Location, Maps, Directions, & Parking
The School of Communication is located at 5100 Brunson Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33124-2105. For directions to The University of Miami, and campus maps, visit Directions and Maps. You will be required to pay for on-campus parking through PayByPhone or a Pay Station. The PayByPhone code for the School of Communication is 303209. See University of Miami Visitor Parking for more detailed information and maps.
Tournament Operation
All participants debate at the invitation of the University of Miami according to its tournament rules and the rules the University holds generally for conduct of guests while on campus. The tournament will in general, attempt to follow the guidelines of the American Forensic Association Code of Standards related to tournament operation and contestant, judge, and coach conduct. Students must have the approval of their institution to compete. Please forward your questions about format, tournament operation, etc. to David Steinberg at dave@miami.edu or 786-351-3813.
The University of Miami is a tobacco free campus.
Equity/ Title IX: The University of Miami Debate Team seeks to foster an environment where all competitors, judges and guests feel welcome and safe. We encourage you to help us in this endeavor. The University of Miami’s Title IXOffice, guidelines, and complaint procedures can be located at Title IX.
Accessibility: If you need accommodations, please contact David Steinberg. All our classrooms are wheelchair accessible. We will designate a Quiet Room to allow participants to relax and regain composure. Upon request, we will provide a breastfeeding room. There are gender neutral bathrooms on campus. We can provide a list of rental car and car services that accommodate wheelchairs. The University of Miami’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) isin the Camner Center for Academic Resources in The Whitten University Center N201. ODS staff can be reached at 305-284-2374 (Voice), 305-284- 3401 (TDD).
Eligibility: The tournament is open to any undergraduate student seeking a degree from an accredited academicinstitution. Students must have the approval of their institution to compete and have a faculty advisor/official coach available for questions or concerns.
Videos: A semifinal round and the final round of the 2023 Oceans Debates on the aquaculture topic are available at the UM Debate YouTube page.
Tentative Schedule (times approximate)
Saturday, March 23, 2024
9:00 Registration, Breakfast, Mandatory Judge and Competitor Briefing 9:30 Round I
11:15 Round II
Lunch (provided by UM)
1:30 Round III
3:30 Round IV
5:30 Quarterfinals
Sunday, March 24, 2024
10:00 Breakfast
10:30 Semifinals
12:00 Finals
1:30 Presentation of Awards
We sincerely hope you will join us in Miami for the Miami Oceans Debates. Do not hesitate to contact us if we can answer questions or help in any way. Sincerely,
David L Steinberg Director of Debatedave@miami.edu
Patrick Waldinger
Assistant Director of Debate waldinger@miami.edu
Emily Danzinger
President UM Debate Team emilydanzinger@miami.edu