Link to Full Invite: 2024 Shadwell Dittus Invitation - Public

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Friends: 

The Elgin Community College Forensics Team and the department of Communication Studies are excited to invite you to the “Shadwell-Dittus Speech and Debate Tournament” to be held on Friday December 6 and 7, 2024! This will be a fully in-person tournament on ECC’s main campus. For those that aren’t aware, Gail Shadwell was a Speech faculty member at Elgin Community College for over fifty years, and was instrumental in creating many student centered activities, including ECC’s Speech Team. Jim Dittus is an emeritus professor from ECC, and was a fixture in Illinois forensics and has always been an advocate for the activity and its students.

We will be operating under a “traditional” 2-day/3-round IE format (novice only for IE) and open IPDA debate infused on both days. 

UPDATES FOR 2024 TOURNAMENT:

After experimenting with the schedule last year, we have made some changes that will alleviate some of the hecticness experienced by some competitors. 

Due to the fact that catering is requesting an earlier deadline than normal, and also in an effort to reduce food waste, we will not be offering a Saturday catered lunch option this year. A list of food options near ECC’s main campus will be provided. 

For debate: competitors in debate must be undergraduate students at the entering college or university who have met the necessary requirements for competition as imposed by that institution. NOTE: This includes students in their third or fourth year of competition which is true only for debate.

For IE: the tournament will be a novice tournament. “Novice” will be defined as any 4-year student within their first 4 semesters of competition, and any community college 

student (to align with Phi Rho Pi policies). 

Our IE tournament will have three rounds of preliminary competition, and finals in all events (providing that size of the event allows for such).  Please also note the special approaches that we will be utilizing for prelim rounds of CA and Extemp. Enclosed in this packet you will find information regarding logistics (registration, parking, etc.) and tournament fees for all events.

ECC students may be entered into events, and may place in final rounds, but will not be eligible for individual or team sweepstakes.

Should any question arise, feel free to contact me.

We hope to see you on December 6 and 7, 2024!  

Sincerely,

Tim Anderson on behalf of the ECC Speech Team and  ECC Communication Studies Department

Email: tanderson@elgin.edu

Office: 847-214-7275 - Mobile: 217-549-1970