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Section 1001: CROSS-EXAMINATION TEAM DEBATE (2008-2009 Constitution)
(a) PURPOSE OF THE CONTEST. The purpose of this contest is to train the student to analyze a problem, conduct thorough and relevant research, and utilize principles of argumentation and advocacy in orally presenting the most effective case for or against a given proposition. Debate provides invaluable training in critical thinking, quick responses, defending worthy ideas and attacking invalid ideas. It teaches the student to tolerate other points of view. Debate exists only in democratic societies, and no democratic society can exist without debate.
(b) ENTRIES.
(1) Representation. The debates shall be conducted in one division in each conference. In all conferences a school may enter in its district meet three, two-member teams. In districts where fewer than a total of eight teams are competing, each school with a full entry may enter a fourth team.
(2) Eligibility. Each debater entered must be eligible under Subchapter M. Furthermore, only students in high school are eligible for this contest. Students who graduate during the year are eligible for UIL post-district competition if they have qualified for that competition on or before the date they graduate. Team debaters may not enter Lincoln-Douglas debate.
(3) Substitutions.
(A) Prior to the District Competition. An eligible student may be substituted for any name on the official district debate online entry form by providing the contest director with a letter or official substitution form signed by the superintendent or designated administrator certifying the student’s eligibility. The letter must be presented to the contest director before the contest begins. At the conclusion of the meet, the contest director must submit the letter to the spring meet district director to be filed with the school’s original entry form. See Section 902.
(B) Prior to the State Meet. A debate team must consist of two members. If one team member cannot compete at the State Meet, one academically eligible student may be substituted for one of the team members. The substitute must be certified as eligible under Subchapter M and Section 1000 by the school administrator and must present the contest director with a letter or official substitution form certifying eligibility. If a team member is substituted at the State Meet, the remaining debater must be a member of the original team that qualified at the district meet to advance to the State Meet.
(C) Limit on Substitutions. After a given tournament has begun, no substitutions will be allowed. The contest director is empowered to disqualify a team for substituting after a tournament has begun.
(4) Failure to Compete at District. Disqualification from the Cross-Examination Debate Contest for the current academic year may result if an academic coach fails to notify the district contest director, in a timely manner prior to the meet, that a team will not compete and such may be grounds for suspension from team debate for the following year.
(5) Alternates. In the event that neither member of the team can compete or in the event that at least one member of the original team that qualified to advance cannot compete, then the alternate team shall be notified and permitted to advance. Alternates in districts with fewer than 8 teams competing or in districts with only one school competing are subject to the certification requirements detailed in (k) (1) (B). An academic coach who fails to notify the state contest director that a team will not compete is in violation of the Academic Spring Meet Code and the school shall be disqualified from team debate for the current academic competition and such violations may be grounds for suspension from team debate for the following year.
(c) THE PROPOSITION.
The proposition for debate during the current school year is:
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase alternative energy incentives in the United States.
OR
as altered by the League office.
(d) FORMAT AND TIME LIMITATIONS.
Continuous speaking time and order of speeches shall be as follows:
(1) Constructive:
Affirmative, 8 minutes
Cross-Examination by Negative, 3 minutes
Negative, 8 minutes
Cross-Examination by Affirmative, 3 minutes
Affirmative, 8 minutes
Cross-Examination by Negative, 3 minutes
Negative, 8 minutes
Cross-Examination by Affirmative, 3 minutes
(2) Rebuttal:
Negative, 5 minutes
Affirmative, 5 minutes
Negative, 5 minutes
Affirmative, 5 minutes
Each member of a team shall deliver a constructive speech and a rebuttal speech. Failure to do so will result in the team receiving a loss in the round. In rebuttal, either team may present its speakers in reverse order without penalty.
(3) Preparation Time. A team shall take no more than eight minutes total elapsed preparation time during a round of debate.
(4) Overtime. Overtime may count against a team at the discretion of the judge(s).
(5) Abuse of Time. Excessive abuse of the time allotments may result in loss of the round at the discretion of the contest director.
(e) CROSS-EXAMINATION PERIOD.
During the questioning period, both opponents stand and face the judge. Each debater shall question one opponent and only that one opponent may respond. A debater may waive the cross-examination privilege but will lose the time waived. The questioner should control the use of time during the period and may only ask questions and may not comment on the answers or make any statement of his/her own views. Rudeness, sarcasm, and condescension shall not be tolerated during the cross-examination period, and the judge may choose to assign speaker points accordingly. The purpose of the questioning period is to:
(1) Ask for information to gain clarification and understanding.
(2) Set up strategies to use in developing further argumentation.
(3) Discover fallacies or inconsistencies in opponent’s argumentation.
(f) RAPID DELIVERY.
Debaters whose use of rapid delivery interferes with their communication with the audience and debate colleagues have forgotten that debate is a form of public speaking. To help restore the fundamental purpose of training debaters to communicate with their audience, all UIL guidebooks and ballots will carry the instructions that rapid delivery which interferes with effective communication is to be severely penalized.
(g) EVIDENCE.
(1) Quotes. Whenever a debater quotes at any length the words of another, the fact the evidence is quoted material must be plainly stated.
(2) Availability of Materials. Speakers may use notes if they wish. If charts, maps, books, or other materials are used by any debater, they shall be left before the audience and shall be available for use by the opposing debaters in refutation. Debaters may use laptop computers in the round in accordance with the rules published in the UIL Cross-Examination Debate Handbook and other official UIL publications available through the League office, and on the UIL web site. Coaches are responsible for reviewing these rules in advance of the contest.
(3) Available in Writing on Demand. All participants submitting evidence in competition shall possess and present upon demand of debater such evidence in published print form. The evidence must display full bibliographic source citation, even if the full citation is not orally delivered. Full citation should include the following elements: author’s name, author’s qualifications, complete source information, complete date, and page number. Citations of online publications or from online data bases also require the publication medium (online), the Internet URL, or the name of the computer service, and the date of access. Failure to meet this requirement can result, at the discretion of the judge, in:
(A) loss of round;
(B) the evidence not being counted in the round; or
(C) the evidence not being given as much weight in the decision of the round.
(4) The contest director shall be empowered with the final decision in questions concerning falsification of evidence. See (k) (6) (A).
(h) SCOUTING.
(1) Debates Shall Be Public. Debate, by its very nature, is public. Therefore, all debates in League district and state competition shall be open to the public, with the exception of debate teams competing in that tournament. Competing debaters shall not observe preliminary rounds of district or state competition in which they are not debating.
(2) Notes. With the exception of the final debate in district and state competition, only the judge and the four student participants shall take notes. For example, anyone may take notes in the debates which determine first and second place, and third and fourth place. See Section 1001 (m) regarding taping and filming.
(3) Sharing of Notes. During a tournament, participants or judges may not give or accept notes taken during that tournament. For example, a judge or a debater participating in the district contest is neither allowed to give nor accept notes regarding any rounds in that tournament from anyone else during that tournament.
(4) Penalty for Debaters. Violation by debaters of the scouting rule is grounds for disqualification of the debate team from the current competition. The contest director shall be empowered with the final decision in questions concerning scouting. Such violations may be grounds for suspension of the school from team debate for the following year.
(5) Penalty for Coaches. Violation by coaches of the scouting rule is grounds for disqualification of their teams from the current competition. Coaches who violate scouting rules will also be subject to the full range of penalties as outlined in Sections 27 and 29, and such violations may be grounds for suspension of the school from team debate for the following year.
(i) COACHING FOR DEBATE.
(1) Coaching Before the Meet. Aside from the bulletins furnished by the League office and other reading matter, the assistance furnished contestants in preparing debates should not exceed the following:
(A) aid in outlining the arguments;
(B) citing sources of information; and
(C) suggestions as to delivery.
(2) Coaching During a Debate. In all contests, the debaters shall be separated from the audience and shall receive no coaching while the debate is in progress. Viva voce or other prompting either by the speaker’s colleague or by any other person while the debater has the floor is prohibited. Debaters may, however, refer to their notes and materials and may consult with their teammates while they do not have the floor.
(3) Penalty for Prompting. If prompting occurs during a round, the team in violation of the prompting rule shall be assigned a loss in the round in which the prompting took place. Time signals are not considered prompting.
(j) PLANNING THE CROSS-EXAMINATION DISTRICT COMPETITION.
(1) District Planning Meeting. The district cross-examination debate contest is administered under the authority of the district executive committee. The League office urges the spring meet district director or organizing chair of each spring meet district to name a chair for the district cross-examination debate planning meeting. This planning meeting should be held prior to October 1. The chair should schedule a meeting and notify all cross-examination debate coaches in the district of the time and place of the meeting. Recommendations resulting from this meeting concerning contest procedures may be made to the spring meet district director.
(2) Agenda for District Planning Meeting. Refer to the current Academic Coordinator’s Manual or web site for complete agenda. Some of the subjects which should be addressed at the planning meeting include:
(A) Agree on a knowledgeable contest director for the cross-examination debate contest and submit the name to the district executive committee for approval. The spring meet district director should provide the League office with the name of the contest director as soon as the appointment is made and no later than November 1. If this person is a cross-examination debate coach of teams competing in the district, special attention should be given to what procedures will be used for pairing debates and making judging assignments. Determine whether the Spring Meet Director or the contest director is responsible for setting up cross-examination district meet online. Online set-up deadline is December 1.
(B) Set the date(s) and location(s) for the cross-examination debate competition. District cross-examination competition may be held between the first school day in January and February 14. Confirmation of the district winners and alternates must be entered online no later than 10 calendar days after the conclusion of the district competition, or February 16, whichever is sooner. Certification of first place teams in districts with only one school participating and second place teams in districts with fewer than eight participating teams is due no later than February 19. State judging forms must be entered online no later than 10 calendar days after the conclusion of the district competition or February 19, whichever is sooner.
(C) Determine the format and tentative schedule for the competition. The district winners may be decided by round robin or by preliminary rounds leading to an elimination bracket where all undefeated contestants shall be placed into the elimination bracket.
(D) The deadline for online cross-examination debate entries is 10 days prior to the competition. Determine the procedures for notifying the contest director of any changes in entries and for notifying schools in the district of the number of entries.
(E) Determine, under the direction of the spring meet district director, what awards are to be presented and how they are to be obtained.
(F) Determine an estimated number of debate entries. The spring meet district director or a designated representative shall use this estimate to order ballots and judging instructions from the League office. The CX Debate District Information Form and request for materials must be received by the League office no later than November 1.
(G) Determine the procedures and criteria that will be used to select, secure, train, and assign the necessary number of judges. See (k) (3).
(H) Determine the method that will be used to select, secure, train, and assign the necessary number of timekeepers. See (k) (5).
(I) Consider any other contest procedures recommended by planning committee members. A suggested agenda is posted on the UIL web site.
(J) All recommendations made by the planning committee concerning the cross-examination debate district competition should be submitted to the spring meet district director for approval.
(k) TOURNAMENT PROCEDURES.
(1) Eliminations.
(A) Pairings. Teams should be paired by the tournament director, who should try to prevent, where possible, teams from the same school or district from meeting except in power-matched preliminary rounds or elimination rounds.
(B) District. The district championship may be decided, as the district executive committee directs, by (1) round robin or (2) preliminary rounds leading to an elimination bracket where all undefeated contestants shall be placed into the elimination bracket. First, second, third and fourth places shall be determined. No ties shall be awarded. The district director should notify the schools of the format prior to the meet. First place teams in districts with multiple schools entered will advance to state competition. In districts with only one school entered in the district meet, first place advances to state competition only if the high school principal certifies that the team has competed in a minimum of eight competitive interschool debate rounds prior to the certification deadline. In districts with fewer than a total of eight teams competing, the second place team advances to state competition only if the high school principal certifies that the team has competed in a minimum of eight competitive interschool debate rounds prior to the certification deadline – see (j) (2) (B). In districts with eight teams or more competing, the second place team advances automatically. The third and fourth place teams will serve as alternates.
(C) State. At the State Meet, the tournament format will be structured to allow for preliminary rounds for the purpose of seeding for the elimination rounds. The teams advancing to the elimination rounds will be announced after the completion of the preliminary rounds. Brackets are not broken at the State Meet. Both semifinalist teams will be awarded bronze medals. First and second place will debate for medals. Teams who refuse to debate in semifinal or final rounds at the State Meet shall be disqualified from the tournament and such violations may be grounds for suspension from team debate for the following year.
(2) Choice of Sides. If possible, each team should debate both the affirmative side and the negative side of the resolution during the course of the meet. For example, in a three-preliminary round tournament each team should debate affirmative one round, negative one round, and then flip a coin or come to a mutual agreement for a third round.
(3) Judges. Judges shall be selected in odd numbers (1, 3, 5) for each debate. Judges should be:
(A) selected on the basis of capability, impartiality and willingness to judge according to UIL standards;
(B) at minimum, high school graduates;
(C) instructed to sit apart during the debate;
(D) provided with adequate instructions for using the judging criteria for debate in the UIL program;
(E) instructed to direct questions to the contest director; and
(F) instructed not to discuss their decisions with other individuals or judges while judging a given debate.
(i) District. Judges for the district meet shall be chosen by the contest director subject to the approval of the district executive committee. So far as possible, the judges should not know which school a debater represents. On the ballot, the contestant is to be designated as the affirmative or the negative or by number.
(ii) State. Judges for the State Meet shall be selected by the state contest director. All schools that qualify for State Meet must provide one experienced judge for each team qualified for the state competition, unless excused for a valid reason by the contest director. Schools qualifying two teams should contact the State Director immediately following district competition. Schools must submit online judging form(s) within 10 calendar days following the district meet or by February 19, whichever is sooner. Schools that fail to enter state judging forms online to the League office by the prescribed deadline as outlined in (j) (2) (B) shall be subject to a $100 late judging fee which must be received in the League office at least one calendar week in advance of the State Meet to prevent disqualification from the tournament. Unless excused for a valid reason by the contest director, schools which advance to elimination rounds must provide an experienced judge for each team advancing who will be available until dismissed by the contest director. Failure to provide a judge could constitute grounds for forfeiture of the round. The contest director is empowered to determine if forfeiture of a round is necessary. The judge may be the coach.
(iii) Instructions to the Judges. The director of the contest is charged with the responsibility of enforcing instructions given on the debate ballot, and only the most flagrant delinquency in this matter will be considered grounds for question.
(4) Interruptions. The contest director should permit no interruption of a speaker from the audience during a debate. Any intentional interruption of a debate by an audience member is considered unethical behavior. See Section 901 Spring Meet Code.
(5) Timekeeper and Signal Standards. The timekeeper should announce to the debaters prior to the contest the types of time signals to be used. Either time cards, hand signals or automatic timers may be used.
(A) If hand signals or time cards are used, the time remaining should be indicated.
(B) When a speaker uses all of the allotted time in either the constructive or rebuttal speeches, the timekeeper should so indicate.
(C) A timekeeper is provided for convenience. The responsibility for staying within the time limits lies with the debater.
(D) Overtime may count against the debater at the discretion of the judge.
(E) Excessive abuse of the time allotments may result in disqualification at the discretion of the contest director.
(6) Questions.
(A) Questions must be directed to the contest director before the decision of the judges is announced. The decision of the meet officials in these matters is final. No arguments with the judges will be permitted.
(B) Excessive abuse by either contestants or their coaches shall be reason for disqualification of that school and its contestants for the current competition and may be grounds for suspension for the following year.
(7) Ballot Verification Period. Before beginning any elimination round, contest directors shall hold a ballot verification period to make certain that there have been no clerical errors in determining those teams that will advance to the next round. Results announced before this period are considered unofficial. Ballots shall be returned to contestants or coaches to be checked for possible tabulation errors before official results of advancing teams are announced. A student and/or coach not present for the ballot verification period forfeits the opportunity to verify tabulation. Approximately 15 minutes should be allotted for this verification period. This is designed as a time to verify tabulation, not a time to question the decision or ranking that a judge has given the debaters.
(8) Official Results. At the end of the ballot verification period, results shall be read as official results. No questions may be raised after this point.
(l) RECORDING. Schools and/or individuals are prohibited from recording (audio and/or video) speech contests. The UIL reserves the right to record for educational purposes.
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