Judge Philosophies
Aaron Fullman - CSULB
Alan Gray - DVC
n/a
Alex Wilson - CSU Chico
Pronouns: they/them
Updated 2021-11-07
I tend to vote for the team that makes the most persuasive arguments in a round. This generally makes me a "communication judge," though I make an effort to evaluate each position on the ballot systematically and based solely on what you say in the round.
I will not tolerate blatantly racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, etc. arguments.
NPDA/LD Considerations
I have found that my burden for voting on a K may be higher than a lot of other judges because many of them seem hollow in the context of the round (e.g., arguing that debate is harmful while... participating in debate; or arguing that winning is bad so vote for us). Be prepared to explain your kritik more to me than to other judges if you want to win it.
I often find myself most persuaded by well-argued, genuine alternative discourses. These include re-imagining the geography/temporality of the debate space or advancing arguments that genuinely interrogate the constructedness or value of the debate space. In this sense, I'm particularly influenced by the works of Christopher Schroeder, Helen Fox, Patricia Bizzell, Ian Khara Ellasante, and Malea Powell. I am particularly interested in exploring orientations that foreground the relevance, reciprocity, and accessibility of debate for the people who benefit from it.
My threshold to vote on theory is typically pretty low, especially if it is severely undercovered by the other team.
I don't vote for (or most of the time even evaluate) arguments I don't understand.
How I evaluate (post-fiat) impacts:
- Probability
- Magnitude
- Timeframe
- Reversibility
How I evaluate the round:
- A priori issues (theory, topicality, pre-fiat critiques)
- Top of case, solvency, counterplan solvency (if necessary)
- Impacts of advantages vs. disadvantages
I'm comfortable with faster than conversational speed. I don't like spreading or other paralinguistic acts that serve to reify the elitist stereotypes of college debate. If you go faster than I can keep up, be prepared for me to just write that you said "something" on my flow.
Document Exchange Considerations (LD Only)
Let's use SpeechDrop.net to share documents unless there is some persuasive reason that you cannot.
Please avoid sharing PDFs in round since most PDF makers don't create an accessible PDF with headers, etc. If you're using Microsoft Word, just save the file as a word document and share it.
Critical Debate Familiarity
These are the theoretical frameworks I'm most familiar with:
- Trans studies (tends to work well as answer to queer critiques, especially with Rubin, Keegan, or Halley)
- Queer theory
- (Trans)feminist analysis
- Rhetorical analysis/the 1AC as rhetorical artifact
- Critical pedagogy (e.g. Fassett and Warren)
- Foucault
- Indigenous/first nations
IPDA Judging Paradigm
Generally, I find the same sorts of arguments discussed above to be persuasive. However, when the norms of IPDA and my philosophy are in conflict, I try to err on the side of IPDA norms. This also means that I default to weighing the depth of your arguments over the number of arguments and lend preference to arguments that are accessible (i.e., comprehensible) to a general audience.
Audience Considerations
Since IPDA is designed as public debate, Im less open to interpreting the audience narrowly toward elite/exclusionary notions of the debate community.
Assuming I am a lay judge who can take good notes will likely pay dividends when debating in front of me.
Flow
I will flow the debate to the best of my ability, but I dont use my flow as the arbiter of winning arguments. Rather, I default to voting for arguments that are persuasive, contextual, and backed by credible evidence and/or examples.
Competing Notions of Resolutional Analysis/Definitions (Topicality)
I am open to hearing arguments about the nature of the resolution and the best definitions for terms (especially with regard to metaphorical or vague resolutions) but phrasing them in the same structure as NPDA/LD/Policy is not a recipe for success. Arguments about definitions and framing are common in public debates, though the specific gamey format used for Policy-style debates is not.
Critical Arguments
Im open to arguments that reference critical/postmodern theories, but the IPDA community has fairly decisively rejected the format commonly used in NPDA/LD/Policy-style debates.
Changelog
2021-11-07: Added IPDA-specific considerations.
Andrew Morgan - DVC
Updated 2/24/24 at 7:46 AM.
I view debate as an educational event. That being said, both sides need to have equal access to debate. If you run 8 off case positions against a novice because the divisions were collapsed, I will drop you. Theres no education in that debate. If you are a junior level debater and you want to run the super cool and fun K that your open teammates are running against the junior level competition, I will drop you for a few reasons:
- You are trying to skip learning the fundamentals of argumentation and debate so that you can do cool stuff
- Its abusive to your opponents
- Neither you nor your opponents are learning anything from that debate. I certainly wont be either.
My position on Ks changes in the open division. While I personally think its incredibly silly to try to explain Marx or Buddhism in 8 minutes or less, I will vote for them as long as you can link the K to the topic. If novice or junior are collapsed into open, please do not run a K against them. Please just debate the topic. If you are an open competitor, you should be totally fine without needing to spread a novice/junior debater/debate team in order to win.
Lastly, I am not a fan of potential abuse when running a topicality. I also think its weird and contradictory to run Disadvantages that clearly link to the plan but then say the plan is untopical.
Overall, I am some fine with speed as long as you are also clear. Articulation is key here. I also appreciate it when debaters are very organized throughout the round. Off time road maps are good; just signpost as you get there. My experience in debate is very limited. I almost exclusively competed in Individual Events.
Andrew Vermillion - Hired
n/a
Chris Josi - Mt. Hood CC
I have coached for about 3 years after competing and becoming nationally recogonized. My goal now is to always be available to help debaters improve their technique.
I try to be as impartial as I can, and limit the scope to what is happening in the round. However, please do not inflate the truth. I default to qualitative on balance.
You need to impact your points and explain why it is imperative I need to vote for your case. Structure is also very important; I won't connect arguments for you.
Speaking quickly is up to you and your opponent, not me. Please respect each other's pacing. However, as long as I can understand what you're saying I will flow it.
I believe Topicality and Kritik arguments are import, but they should be resevered for when your opponent has stepped out of the bounds of the debate.
Clara Katsman - Hired
n/a
Daniela Johnson-Rongstad - Hired
n/a
Dawson Khoury - Mt. SAC
Douglas Mungin - Solano CC
I risk sounding hella basic by stating that I am only interested in "good" arguments but I am. For me, debate is the engagement with world making. We all realize our words at 9am in the morning on an empty college campus does not really change national and international discourse, but in this particular round and room it does. We take these conversations with us in how we engage in the world. So debate comes down to these stories we tell and argue. So all speeches need to focus on the impact and larger stories of the round. I am cool with Topicality but you need to tell me how this really impacts the round, the same for Ks and other theoretical arguments. If you are the gov/aff your case needs to be tight. You have prep time, do not make me do the the work for you. For both teams: Don't drop anything, treat each with respect, roadmap, be nice to your partner, time yourself, drink water, smile and have fun. We are all nerds talking really fast in an empty classroom on a Saturday and Sunday. Chill out.
Farah Habad - Hired
n/a
Guillermo Creamer - Hired
n/a
Heather Nagle - Hired
n/a
Jessica Kwack - LACC
n/a
Jimmy Gomez - OCC
Debate philo: Speed is not good. Be respectful of each other, but some lite cattiness and shade is always fun. Focus on arguments rather than the peripheral stuff. We are here to debate not to win on technicalities. I time road maps, sis so you better get in to it.
Josh House - Cypress College
Juan Igarzabal - Hired
Debators can run any (I mean ANY) argument to me as to why they should win the round from the arguments that they are making.
PLEASE give me examples, solvency, and impact analysis in the round, as well as clashing with your opponents and on their arguments.
Tech/Flow/Tabula Judge, but I get skeptical in very blippy arguments so keep that in mind.
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The issue of Tech/Truth happens when deciding clash/which impact worse since debaters didn’t do it themselves (cleaning the debate) (Ex: Ontological violence vs. nuclear war)
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I hate intervening
I will vote on topic, K, T, Theory, Performance (which I will judge the performance), Presumption, etc…
For T/Theory, explain and show the abuse. Flesh the argument out and explain why I should, don’t just say “vote fairness, the end”
For K: explain the thesis (don't just say post-modern jargon), impact, link, ROTB, Solvency...
Keep the spreading to 350 wpm. If I don't understand you, I will yell "clear!", but if you keep spreading so bad, I'll just stop saying "clear!".
SIGNPOST PLEASE; DON’T MESS WITH MY FLOW
Any questions? Ask me before round
Down Below is a list of critical Literature that I have read/Judged to give debaters an idea of the literature they can use. Always interested in hearing new arguments
Note: Some kritiks are generic due to the many types it has
Ableism, Cyber-Fem/Borg, Orientalism
Schopenhauer, Agamben Derrida, Marxism,
Security, Afro-Furturism, Ecofem, Necropolitics
Terror, Afro-Pessimism, Empire, Neo-Colonialism
Global Warming, Althusser, Hauntology, Nietzsche
Zizek, Anthropocentrism, Lacan
Neoliberal, Nuclear, Baudrillard, Latinx
Peace Theory, Spanos, Batman, Legalism
Post-Colonialism, Anarchy, Bataille
Libertarianism, Queer Theory, Vilirio
Biopower, Fem IR, Settlerism, Spectacle
Borders Gender Language, Subaltern
CRT, Buddhism, Carl Schmitt, Suffering Rep
Tuck and Yang, Capitalism, OOO, Spanos, Militarism
Kaden Meyers - Hired
n/a
Keegan Bosch - Hired
n/a
Lindsey Ayotte - Skyline
I view debate as a friendly intellectual exchange. Please do not assume I know what you are talking about-please give me a bit of context and background on the topic when setting up your case. I have a hard time with speed-do not spread. Not a fan of "everything ending in nuclear war" argument, give me realistic impacts not sweeping generalizatons. I also appreciate a bit of appropiate and professional humor in a round. I do not appreciate competitors who belittle and degrade their opponent, please show your competition respect verbally and non-verbally during a round.
Madi Seigel - OCC
n/a
Michael Starzynski - Hired
n/a
Mikey Gutierrez - Skyline
n/a
Mohamad Almouazzen - Mt. SAC
Experience: I completed for two years on the community college circuit in IPDA and Parli debate, taking both events to Regionals, State, and Nationals. My ideal debate round is most importantly respectful on all sides, and focuses on the clash of ideas! IPDA for me is not about the detailed refutation of every claim, but the overall argument of the two sides on the resolution. For Parli, I have one fundamental rule which is to never spread, there is most definitely a difference between spreading and speaking fast, but if I have to call clear you are speaking way too fast.
Molly Chang - OCC
n/a
Nina Alomar - Hired
n/a
Orion Steele - SFSU
Judge Philosophy for Orion Steele
Experience - I debated for Millard West High School for 3 years, then I debated for the University of Redlands for 4 years. Finished in Quarters at the NDT in 2004 and 2005. Since graduating from Redlands in 2005, I have coached at the University of Redlands, San Francisco State University and Cal State Fullerton. I have also taught at various high school camps around the country. I hold a law degree and a masters degree in Human Communication Studies. After coaching at St. Vincent De Paul High School, I worked for several years as a coach for the Bay Area Urban Debate League. After that, I began teaching full time at San Francisco State University. i currently teach debate at SFSU, City College of San Francisco and USF. I am also currently the director of forensics at University of San Francisco.
General Thoughts - I love all kinds of debate, from traditional debate to wacky crazy debate and everything in between. In general, you may make any argument you want when I am your judge, but I think you should have a warrant (a “because” statement) for any argument you make. If you can explain why an argument is good and/or important, then I will evaluate it. I promise you that I will listen to everything you say in the debate and try as hard as I can to evaluate all of the arguments fairly. Education, Fairness and FUN are three important values that I care about deeply. Debaters that make the round more fun, more fair, and more educational will be rewarded.
I’m sure you probably want specifics, so here we go:
Topicality - Go ahead. I will pull the trigger on T, but it is easier for the Neg if they can demonstrate in round abuse. I will obviously vote on T if you win the debate on T, but it will make me feel better about what I’m doing if you can show in round abuse.
Disads - Love em. Try to explain how they turn the case.
Counter plans - Love em. Beat the Perm/Theory.
Theory - Will vote on theory, but will rarely vote on cheap shots. If you think you have a good theory argument, defend it seriously.
Kritiks - Love em. The more specific the K, the better for you. In other words, explain your concepts.
Performance - Go ahead. I have been profoundly inspired by some performance debates, and encourage you to think about creative ways to speak. If your style of argumentation combines form and content in unique ways, I will evaluate the debate with that in mind.
Framework - An important debate tool that should be included in our activity. I will admit I have some proclivities about specific framework arguments (Aff choice in particular is a vacuous argument that I won’t vote for), but if you win on Framework then I will vote for you.
Bias - Of all the arguments that I am exposed to on a regular basis, I probably have the biggest bias against conditionality. I do not feel good about multiple conditional contradictory advocacies and I do not believe there is such thing as a conditional representations kritik. If you have a conditional advocacy, and the other team adequately explains why that is unfair or bad for debate, I will vote against you on condo.
Overall, one of the coolest parts of debate is seeing how radically different approaches compete with each other. In other words, I like to see all kinds of debate and I like to see what happens when different kinds of debate crash into each other in a round. If I am your judge, you should do what you like to do best, and assume that I am going to try as hard as possible to think about your arguments and evaluate them fairly.
FINAL NOTE
I would just like to use this space to say that I am VERY disappointed in the judge philosophies of some other people in this community. I have been in college debate land for a while, but I am taken back by the number of high school debate judges that say “do not pref me if you make x argument” or “I think debate should be about policy education and I will not consider anything else”. Your job as a judge is to listen to other people speak about what they want in the manner they want and make a fair decision. You are doing a disservice to debaters and hurting the educational value of our activity by removing yourself from debates where you may feel uncomfortable. You are never going to learn how to deal with inevitable shifts in the direction of our activity if you never open your mind to different arguments and methods.
Philip Sharp - Nevada
Phil Sharp- University of Nevada-Reno
Sasan Kasravi - DVC
TL;DR: I won't punish you for not debating the way I like, but I can't "hang". Speed and Ks not recommended, but I won't vote you down unless your opponent gives me a decent reason to. Give me direct and clear reasons to vote for you. Have fun in the round.
I'm a community college Parliamentary Debate coach.
I protect the flow in rebuttals based on what I have on my flow. Feel free to call points of order if you'd really like to, though.
I do my best to vote the way the debaters tell me to and to be tabula rasa. With that having been said, I think everyone has biases and I want to tell you mine. I won't ignore any of your arguments out of not liking them, but my biases could lower the threshold for refutation on an argument I dislike.
What I like to see most in debates is good clash. To me, good clash means link refutations and impact comparisons.
I'm comfortable with theory and you can run whatever procedural you'd like. I prefer to vote on articulated abuse rather than potential abuse. While I'm happy to vote on procedurals if it's called for, I've never walked out of a round thinking, "Wow! What a great T!"
I don't like K's. I've voted on them before, I'll probably end up having to vote for a K again, but I'm not happy about it. Specifically, I have a hard time buying solvency on the alternatives of most K's I've heard.
I prefer that you don't spread, but I can keep up with decent speed. I'll tell you to slow if I need you to slow down.
Please be inclusive of your opponents and (if there are other judges in this round) the other judges on the panel.
It's important to me that this activity:
a) be a useful experience for competitors' lives outside of forensics
b) be enjoyable enough to be worth giving up weekends instead of sleeping in and watching cartoons.
Lastly, if I make jokes please pretend to think I'm funny. I don't have much else going for me.
Sharmicha Moore - Hired
n/a
Tess Wolfe - OCC
I was a competitor in parli and IPDA and have coached both events for the last three years. I see the two as very different events and I'm not a fan of when certain parli habits spread into IPDA.
For parli: I'm looking for clean, clear, and easy to follow structure. I'm also looking for you to source your information. Rebuttals should focus on line-by-line refutation of both the responses to your case and to your opponent's case arguments. I'm not a big fan of theoretical arguments, like kritiks, unless they are absolutely necessary. I also like for the debate to be held at a reasonable speed, if you're going to quickly that your arguments can't be followed by an average person then you're probably losing me too, and I can't vote for arguments I couldn't catch. Just give me clear, understandable clash, please.
For IPDA: This is not parli. You should approach IPDA as more of a speaking and research-oriented event. Your speed should be understandable by a lay judge and so should your arguments. Try to stay as organized as possible and if you're going to use parli terms, explain them.
Thuy Pham - Mt. SAC
Debates should be accessible and educational. For me, that means
- clear labels for your arguments, compelling and credible evidence/examples, and language that's easy to follow.
- no spreading. I have an incredibly hard time following speed, and I want to make sure I am judging you on your argumentation and public speaking. Which can only happen if I can follow you!
- you are courteous to your opponent.
- you make it clear why I should vote for you.
Excited to see you all debate!
Tiffany Chen - LACC
n/a
Wesley Loofbourrow - Hired
n/a
William Kunkle - Mt. SAC
n/a