FTN - Judge Philosophies

Judge Philosophies

Alley Agee - OKCU

I competed in Parli at Oklahoma City University for four years, and this is my first year judging, but I’ve been with the team for most of the season. I flow on my laptop so I don’t anticipate having any problems with speed if you are clear, but I will let you know if you’re going too fast for me. I ran pretty much everything when I debated, and I will vote on almost anything of substance if you give me good reason to. I love a good K debate, but I also find them hard to judge if they get messy. This usually happens when the links are not clear, the team does not understand their lit, or the alt and alt solvency aren’t clearly explained. Avoid that and you should be fine. I also really dig straight up debates with lots of offense and clear impact weighing, especially if it involves unique positions I did not expect or critical impacts. My favorite rounds are those that combine both policy and critical positions. I will vote on T, but you need to win the entire page for me to vote there, meaning you should probably spend the majority of your rebuttal on it. This is also pretty much how it goes for all theory positions. CP’s are cool, non-topical plan texts are cool, performance arguments are cool, anything can be cool if you tell me why. I don’t particularly enjoy the strategy of “let’s dump everything we can into the round and grab on to what the other team drops,” especially if what they drop is a blippy, poorly warranted or explained argument. On the other hand, I think debates should end smaller and deeper than where they began. Find that balance and you will do well in front of me. If you have any specific questions you can certainly ask them before the round begins, but just know that there really aren’t any positions or strategies that I won’t vote for if given smart, solid arguments as to why I should. I do have a small bone to pick with personal advocacy positions. Don’t ask me to personally advocate for a position I do not believe in, especially if it requires me to vote that debate, making change in the world, feminism, etc. are not important. Additionally, if you’re going to put your name on your plan text or alt text, as in “Alley Agee believes that,” you need to give me some good solvency arguments as to why that’s better than just a regular plan text. I usually give speaker points ranging from 24-28 points. 29s and 30s are not impossible, but the speech better be pretty damn good. I reward smart arguments, in round thinking, and offense. Have fun and be smart!

Alyssa Sambor - TTU

Question 1 : Philosophy Short Version: Do what you want as long as you can justify it. I am open to almost all kinds of arguments and debate positions, but I am really not the judge you want to go for arguments like sexism good, racism good, etc. in front of (and if your instincts are to go for arguments like that, you probably shouldn’t pref me). Other than that, I am good with speed and am not interested in forcing you to conform to what I think debate should be about. Long Version/Specifics: Case: Cases can be policy oriented or critical or policy oriented with critical impacts/advantages or any combination of the above/new ways of affirming. I do not hold affirmatives to being topical if they can win that they don’t have to be. T/Theory: I have no predispositions against theory. Your interpretation should be specific and contextualized to the round. Counter interps are always a good idea, and you should provide reasons to prefer your counter interp. Standards should interact with the violation and interp you’re using. Your voters should clearly articulate why your piece of theory comes first. I am open to critical responses to questions of theory. CPs: I have no strong dispositions on most kinds of counterplan theory, including conditionality (though I am somewhat persuaded that multiple conditional counterplans are probably not awesome for debate) and would prefer that these questions be settled in round. I really enjoy smart PICs. DA’s: I prefer specific disads to generics. If you’re running an econ disad, make sure you explain your warrants and don’t just throw a bunch of acronyms or uncommonly used economic terminology at me and assume I will understand what you’re referring to, because realistically speaking I might not. I’m not a major fan of most politics da’s in terms of personal preferences, but would certainly vote on one. Kritiks: These are my favorite kind of arguments and the ones I am most familiar with. Most of my background in critical literature focused on intersections of race and gender, though I have also read a wide variety of other kinds of critical literature. I am fine with performance and narrative debates, but always remember to justify your critical method/approach. I think most of the best criticisms are well explained, <a name="_GoBack2"></a>example heavy, and are rooted in addressing some form of material oppression. I would probably be a good judge to try something creative or new in front of. Make sure you clearly explain how you are framing the round and the impacts being discussed. Other: I am fine with speed unless it’s used as a deliberate tool of exclusion (when it’s used unnecessarily against novices, people with issues hearing, etc). The more warrants you have for your arguments, the happier you are likely to be with the outcome of the round. Impact prioritization of all kinds (whether specified in the framework or developed in the rebuttals) is very important to me. When not instructed to weigh things otherwise, I probably prioritize probability over magnitude. Offense wins debates, but true, terminal defense is underrated. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask before the round.

Dena Counts - ACU

I am the DOF at ACU.  I have been coaching Parli for the last 7 years.  For those last 7 years, I have judged on average 65 rounds per year.  This year I have been judging less but still should be able to keep up with you.   I vote with the better quality of argument. When I say better quality, I am looking for depth of arguments and warrants behind your claim. I attempt to remove my individual biases from the round and make debaters tell me where and why to vote. I understand that biases do seep into my judgments, but I do feel that I should make decisions based upon your argumentation – not my worldview. Probably, I’m more of a game player when it comes to a decision maker.  Love new and unique strategies. I really think almost anything goes in this thing called debate. I say "anything" as I don't like cursing, nakedness, or slurs, but strategy wise, you can do what you need to do to win. Know that I’m very expressive in my nonverbals. If I am getting your argument, you’ll know. If you’ve lost me, you should know from my nonverbals. I have only been coaching for five years, so there are times that super speed (not typically speed) can lose me. Again watch my nonverbals, and I’ll let you know. I flow, judge on the flow, and don’t do the work for you.  Use your rebuttal to tell me why you win and where on the flow your arguments overwhelm the teams.     Section 2: Specific Inquiries   Please describe your approach to the following.   1.     Speaker points (what is your typical speaker point range or average speaker points given)?  25 to 30 25 to 27 means you need work 28 to 30 means you are pretty awesome   2.     How do you approach critically framed arguments? Can affirmatives run critical arguments? Can critical arguments be “contradictory” with other negative positions?   Kritiks are great from both Aff and Neg. Explain your framework, impacts and give me a realistic alternative.  I do think you need an alternative and it shouldn't bite your story.  No I don’t think when you run other negative arguments they should contradict other neg positions unless through the running of those positions you are trying to make a point.     3.     Performance based arguments…  Great.  Just tell me how I should interpret them, how they function in the round.     4.     Topicality. What do you require to vote on topicality? Is in-round abuse necessary? Do you require competing interpretations?   I will vote on T but would rather vote elsewhere. To pull that trigger in -round abuse is typically necessary. Also, competing interp is necessary.     5.     Counterplans -- PICs good or bad? Should opp identify the status of the counterplan? Perms -- textual competition ok? functional competition?  CP’s are fine. PICS are fine. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t run argumentation of why PICS are bad though. Yes, ID the status of the CP. PERM the CP every which way you can. If you can think of a new way to PERM that would be super fun.   6.     Is it acceptable for teams to share their flowed arguments with each other during the round (not just their plans)  Yes that’s fine.     7.     In the absence of debaters' clearly won arguments to the contrary, what is the order of evaluation that you will use in coming to a decision (e.g. do procedural issues like topicality precede kritiks which in turn precede cost-benefit analysis of advantages/disadvantages, or do you use some other ordering?)?  Topicality is first.  Then I look to Criteria or Framework to tell me where to go.  Usually it is impacts or turns on case.  I REALLY like rebuttals that tell me where to vote and WHY to vote.     8.     How do you weight arguments when they are not explicitly weighed by the debaters or when weighting claims are diametrically opposed? How do you compare abstract impacts (i.e. "dehumanization") against concrete impacts (i.e. "one million deaths")? If you don’t tell me WHY your impact outweighs their impacts on timeline, magnitude or probability, you are gambling on my choice or priority.  I would probably go with concrete impacts over abstract ones.

Dylan Brugman - ACU

TL;DR version: I don’t think that my job is to define for you the way that debate should be done. You should debate what you’re good at, not what I did/liked as a debater. **The only caveat: Please read interpretations/plan texts/and alt texts twice. That is the best way for me to get them down. Texts would be even better, but do what you want there. Longer version: General: I think that debates are won on offense, and I think that debates are won on strategy. I think that debate is capable in some ways of being a tool of liberation and expression, but I think that it is primarily a game to be played by two teams. The educational aspect of debate is nice, but if debate were about education, I would expect both teams to read textbooks to me about calculus or something during their speech. Win however you can and in whatever way you can. Speed: Hardly ever an issue. Clarity and argument depth often is. The way I flow is: I flow the claim and then flow the warrants underneath them. If I miss the claim, I flow the warrants and infer the claim from those warrants. If I miss both, your arguments are not warranted enough for me to write them down, and I will tell you to slow down. If you are unclear, then I will yell clear. Your options are to either become more clear, or slow down until you are clear. Or keep mumbling I guess. Theory/T/Procedurals: Run them. I default to competing interpretations, and that is the best way for me to evaluate theory, because it comes down to whoever debated it best and requires (arguably) the least intervention on my part; however, if I am given arguments as to why potential/proven abuse is good reason to pull the trigger, or why I shouldn't evaluate T, and the other team fails to provide an adequate answer, I’ll bite. Topicality is a voting issue, it is not a reverse voting issue. It's your fault if you let T become a time-suck. SPECs are generally for bad debaters. The Criticism: Can be run on the aff or the neg. Affs can be topical or not topical (as long as you win that you get to run a non topical aff), and affs can use fiat or not use fiat. A note about the criticism: If it is general/you assume that both teams understand it, I don’t need a thesis. If you are running something that I’m not familiar with/is super complicated, I would run a SHORT thesis. Most of the criticism’s that I ran were environmental, fem, and queer. I understand race pretty well, but if you start into post-structural, European philosophers like Baudrillard, Agamben, Derrida or the like, I need some indication of the thesis of the argument. For some reason, reading a bunch of leftist white academics wasn’t a thing we did at ACU in my undergraduate. That being said, I like hearing new things, if they are explained to me. I debated the criticism a lot as a debater, but in my old age, I prefer a Disad/CP debate. I also like DA/CP/K debate a lot if the negative can win condo. Criticisms/Turns of language in the PMC/LO/MG are generally ok. They are arguments that force the other team to spend time answering, which is always a good thing. Sometimes they make the other team look silly too, that can’t hurt your chances, right? On narratives/performance: Do it if you want, but when you introduce your own stories and experiences into a competitive environment, you make them competitive, and weaponizing identity doesn't help anybody in my experience. Do not physically hurt yourself or others in front of me (I cannot believe that I have to put this in a judging philosophy now). We should protect our activity and the people in it, and physical violence, I'm afraid, is not a good way to do this. Permutations are good to run on the aff. So are impact turns, and so is framework. And if you want to run a framework that policymaking is the only way to evaluate the round, I’ll evaluate that. Framing them out of the round is a good way to win. In general, I default to seeing permutations as tests of competitiveness, but will gladly hear all of the arguments about why they’re more than that. In general, when answering the criticism, do anything to win. Conditionality/multiple worlds: I don’t mind voting for a conditional argument, I also don’t mind voting on condo. I don’t care if you run three counter plans and a K, I don’t care if they conflict, and I don’t care if you collapse out of all of them into case turns. You should be the best condo debaters you can be though, because if you lose on condo or multiple worlds, I’ll vote against you. My favorite opp strat to watch as a judge is DA/CP/K debate. But each team should have one strategy that they're going for in the rebuttals. Opposition, you should go for one sheet of paper in the block (unless its a Disad/CP combo). Don't you dare stick to both disads. That is so bad. It's like the worst part of debate. Trust me enough to vote in the direction that you tell me. Disads: Are good. I like them to be big, and really like to have “burnt, dead bodies” in a disad. Dehume impacts are fine, and so are value to life arguments. With all disads, specificity is key (especially with politics). Lazy debaters are rarely rewarded, and many disads are lazy. Counterplans: Run as many as you want and run whatever you want. If you’re on the aff, run theory and run disads to the Counterplans. Also, permutations. Those are always a good thing. Case Debate: Offense is better than defense, but I think that impact defense (or impact turns) can be a pretty powerful tool. A note on impacts: I like impact calc, and I think it makes things easier for me. I default to extinction outweighs Dehume, but I am also very open to hearing impact frameworks that prioritize certain impacts over others. Everybody should let Ben Campbell teach them how to do impact calc, because that's the exact way that I feel about it. Speaker Points/Etiquette/etc: I don't call the house to order, I don't even know how to do that. I don't particularly like thank yous, but go for it I guess. I don't care if you talk to your partner or prompt them. I don't care if you stand or sit. You should wear some kind of clothing, but beyond that, you do what you want. I pretty much roll out of bed every morning. I don't care if you stand or sit, if you say "point of information" or not, or if you do the little teapot shin-dig when you ask a question (you know the hand on the head and the other one outstretched? Yeah, that's pretty silly). I always liked it when I felt that debaters were friendly to me, and I always disliked debaters that were not friendly to me. I think that for a lot of teams, being welcoming to them is important, inside and outside the round. Last year, I felt that my own RFD's were kind of mean spirited, and I'm trying to be more helpful in giving debaters an RFD that seems well justified. Because of that, I'll always flow on paper, but I'll probably open up my laptop afterwards and type up my RFD to read back to you. This is the best way for me to lay out the round and make the best decision possible. In addition, I promise to be respectful of you in my decision, and will always say something that is honest, but also encouraging. That being said, during the debate, I'm not very expressive, and may even look a little perturbed. I'm not, I promise, that's just the way that my face looks. I like jokes and references from Dungeons and Dragons, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Warhammer 40k, Firefly, Isaac Asimov books, The Sopranos, The Wire, The West Wing, Slavoj Zizek, my main man Barry-O, Kim Il-Sung/Jong-il/jong-un, and other weird things. Speaker points: My speaker points were a little lower than average last year, so I tried to change that this year, and create a more reliable/valid scale for speaker points. It is as follows: if I give you a 27, I think that you are a good debater, if I give you a 28, I think that you should be breaking, if I give you a 29, I think that you should be getting a speaker award, If I give you a 30, I think that you should be in finals. You want good speaker points? Then your rebuttal should be my RFD.

JT Seymore - CSU

Jacob Stutzman - OKCU

22 years in debate, HS policy, NFA-LD, but mostly NPDA (judging for the last 14 years).  This year I’ve been in tab a lot, so I haven’t judged many rounds. I want the debaters to decide the form and substance of the round.  I’m not opposed to any particular argument or strategy that you feel fits the purpose of the debate. Framework debates are good, but rarely dispositive. Absent a specified framework for viewing the round, I default to whatever makes it easiest for me to render a decision. I get very frustrated by debaters who do not think their way through the round. This shows up when debaters don’t make connections between positions or go after obvious deficits in the other team’s arguments. If you can’t compare solvency of the plan vs. the CP or give me specific link analysis on the K, then something is wrong. On the flip side, debaters who do those things usually make it easy for me to vote for them. Smart debaters are the ones who take the easy ways out of the round. I’d like a copy of plan and CP/alt text. Perm text too, if possible. I tend to prioritize probability in impacts, so tell the better story on your positions. Regardless of how fast you’re going, I’ll let you know if you’re not clear. Please take into consideration the size and shape of the room and any other atmospheric factors that may complicate my hearing you. I prefer that you only call points of order on arguments that are likely to be very important to my decision. Calling points simply to disrupt the speaker or to contest minor arguments will be given very little leeway before I start docking speaker points. Absent punishment for that sort of stuff, exclusive language, or otherwise improper behavior toward your opponents, speaker points are usually 25-29, very rarely above that, and are decided based on the amount of enjoyment I get out of your participation in the debate round. Make smart choices and explain those choices to me well, and you’ll come in at the top of that scale. Don’t assume I know your lit on the K. Explain the warrants to me and make the links very explicit.

Jared Bressler - TTU

Question 1 : Philosophy Section 1: General Information Please begin by explaining what you think is the relevant information about your approach to judging that will best assist the debaters you are judge debate in front of you. Please be specific and clear. Judges who write philosophies that are not clear will be asked to rewrite them. Judges who do not rewrite them may be fined or not allowed to judge/cover teams at the NPTE. Read what you are most comfortable with, teams who never read the K trying to impress me by reading one typically don’t. You just need some offence at the end of the round I like copies of texts when possible. I can be very harsh with speaker points if you step over certain lines. Don’t say racist, sexist homophopic ect things if you do you will lose points. Don’t shame your opponent or nock excessively or you will lose points. Also a few years ago there was a habit of asking for speak points (ie. Giving a short privew saying that all debaters should get 30s) if you do this you will lose a lot of speaker points. If you don’t do any of these things you will get 25 or above. If not I have given debaters 1 (mostly for shaming, or being real offensive when I thought they should know better) and more 15s (if they said something real offensive without thinking about it) so if seeding matters to you be nice. I have a reputation of being a K hack and historically I have voted more for Ks than against them, though this year that pattern is reversed. I think the reason I tend to vote for Ks is because teams are not responsive too key (often stupid) arguments such as questions of root cause, in round solvency, nuances of how the framework functions, and K turns solvency. I try to judge as much as possible as a robot evaluating the flow (I don’t know how good I am at it). If an argument is dropped it is true no matter how underdeveloped. That being said if there are opposing arguments with no analysis on which one prefer I will vote for the one that is the truest/ best warranted.  I also think comparing warrants is the best way to decide debates. Other things the NPDA wants I don’t look at presentation to make decisions as long as as long as I can understand you. I like POIs. I try to protect, but I’m not all that smart. Section 2: Specific Inquiries Please describe your approach to the following. <ol> <li>Speaker points (what is your typical speaker point range or average speaker points given)? 25 for a bad speech that is inoffensive (if you are offensive I will destroy your points). 27 for an average speech.</li> <li>How do you approach critically framed arguments? Can affirmatives run critical arguments? Can critical arguments be “contradictory” with other negative positions? Run what you can defend.</li> <li>Performance based arguments… I’ve voted for them numerous times, but they are not my favorite.</li> <li>Topicality. What do you require to vote on topicality? Is in-round abuse necessary? Do you require competing interpretations?  I like competing interpations and will defult to that unless told otherwise.</li> <li>Counterplans -- PICs good or bad? Should opp identify the status of the counterplan? Perms -- textual competition ok? functional competition?  All counterplans are ok unless the aff argues that they are not, then I will look at the teory debate</li> <li>Is it acceptable for teams to share their flowed arguments with each other during the round (not just their plans). Sure</li> <li>In the absence of debaters' clearly won arguments to the contrary, what is the order of evaluation that you will use in coming to a decision (e.g. do procedural issues like topicality precede kritiks which in turn precede cost-benefit analysis of advantages/disadvantages, or do you use some other ordering?)?</li> <li>Proceduals first as for Ks I will evaluate them however I’m told or how they make since. I don’t like Ks that claim to come first but the rest of the K doesn’t justify that claim.</li> <li>How do you weight arguments when they are not explicitly weighed by the debaters or when weighting claims are diametrically opposed? How do you compare abstract impacts (i.e. "dehumanization") against concrete impacts (i.e. "one million deaths")?</li> </ol> I defult to death being the biggest impact. However I do weight how teams tell me, I have voted on dehumanization outweighs death before.

Kathryn Starkey - CSU

Judging Philosophy: Kathryn Starkey   Section 1: General Information I debated at the University of Wyoming from 2006-2011. I coached at Texas Tech University for the three years following UW. Now, I am the Director of forensics at CSU Pueblo in my 3rd year.  As a debater, I tended to read policy-oriented arguments with the occasional cap-bad or constructivism K thrown into the mix. Debate is a game; be strategic. This is one of the most incredible educational activities out there. Treat it as such.   Section 2: Specific Inquiries   1. 1. Speaker points (what is your typical speaker point range or average speaker points given. So far my range tends to fall in the 26-30 category. Things to help your speaker points: strategy, intelligence, and wit. Adjustments will occur when debaters are inappropriate in round. Please be civil! I know that debates can become intense, but your speaker points will also be a reflection of your ability to treat your opponents with respect.   1. 2. How do you approach critically framed arguments? Can affirmatives run critical arguments? Can critical arguments be “contradictory” with other negative positions?  I have voted k’s for them since I have stopped competing, but a word of caution: I am probably not as well versed in the literature as you. This being said, if you run a K in front of me, make sure to thoroughly explain your argument. Several unwarranted tags coupled with name-dropping authors isn’t going to be as persuasive as a thorough explanation of the thesis of the K. The alternative must be able to solve the mpx of the K, which make both the alt text and the solvency contention pretty important in my book. I’m not a fan of using the K to exclude the aff. It makes the discussion solely about the K, which I think takes away from the merit of parli. Despite this, it’s your debate. The aff can run critical arguments, but there is a way to do so and be topical at the same time. The resolution exists for a reason. Please be topical. I’m very persuaded by framework arguments. As for contradictory arguments, it probably depends on your ability to defend conditionality as a beneficial thing in parli. I’m down with conditional arguments, but demonstrating why you are not abusive to the other team can be difficult at times and is your burden to fulfill. This also probably means you need to have a coherent strategy going into the block to deter possible abuse if you are going to run critical arguments that contradict other facets of the negative strategy.   1. 3. Performance based arguments… Not a fan….. I’ll vote for whatever you tell me to vote for in a round, but I’m not going to enjoy listening to a performance if read in front of me. I’d like to enjoy what I listen to.   1. 4. Topicality. What do you require to vote on topicality? Is in-round abuse necessary? Do you require competing interpretations?  For the aff, you should probably be topical. Aside from this, I love T debates as long as they aren’t the generic, stock T debate that gets rehashed every round. Nuanced and educational ways to interpret the resolution tend to spur interesting debates, at least in my opinion. I’d prefer to have in-round abuse, but it’s not necessary. Without a specific weighing mechanism, I’ll default to competing interpretations. To vote on T, it clearly needs an interp, standards and a voter. In a paradigm of competing interpretations, there must be a net-benefit to one interpretation that the other fails to capture. I don’t see T as a win-all for the Aff. I don’t think I’d vote for an RVI on T.   1. 5. Counterplans -- PICs good or bad? Should opp identify the status of the counterplan? Perms -- textual competition ok? functional competition? With a substantial net-benefit, PICS are great. I welcome the theoretical level of the counterplan debate as well. That being said, it would be difficult to persuade me that arguments like PICS bad or PICS good are more than a way for me to view the round. I.e. Voting for the arg: PICS are bad, which means they lose. If a solid abuse story is established, I can probably be persuaded otherwise. I also think the neg should state the status of the counterplan in the LOC. It forces the theory debate to begin later in the debate, making it difficult to evaluate the end of a debate in which the PMR goes for that theory. Why hide your status? If you’re going to read a counterplan, be ready to defend it. Counterplans need to be functionally competitive, or there seems to be no point in running one. It must have a NB that the aff cannot solve. As for textual competition, I’m impartial. It probably helps to prove the competition of your counterplan, but it doesn’t seem as necessary to me, though I can be persuaded otherwise. Perms are tests of competition; they are not advocacies. If a counterplan is non-competitive, then it goes away, leaving the rest of the debate.   1. 6. Is it acceptable for teams to share their flowed arguments with each other during the round (not just their plans) Impartial. It’s probably in your best interest to make sure you flowed an argument as the other team stated it, but it’s up to you. Sharing texts is probably a good idea as well. I also don’t care if you ask the other team something during a speech (this isn’t a POI – it’s the other communication that occurs) as long as I can still hear who’s speaking. It seems to be a trend that’s picking up. Doesn’t bother me.   1. 7. In the absence of debaters' clearly won arguments to the contrary, what is the order of evaluation that you will use in coming to a decision (e.g. do procedural issues like topicality precede kritiks which in turn precede cost-benefit analysis of advantages/disadvantages, or do you use some other ordering?)? As a disclaimer: this is your job, not mine. Please do this for me. Procedurals come first, then usually other theoretical objections, impacts. It all still depends what kinds of arguments are in the round.   1. 8. How do you weight arguments when they are not explicitly weighed by the debaters or when weighting claims are diametrically opposed? How do you compare abstract impacts (i.e. "dehumanization") against concrete impacts (i.e. "one million deaths")? I would honestly prefer to NEVER have to do this, so please don’t make me have to do so! A thought, though: Extinction>dehume   Other Random thoughts J <ul> <li>I LOVE disads.</li> <li>Please read texts and interpretations more than once. If you want it down word for word, please repeat it for me!</li> <li>POI’s: Seems like a good rule of thumb to take one per constructive speech. Clarification on texts, especially, is sometimes necessary for a coherent strategy.</li> <li>Spec positions are awful. I understand their utility to guarantee a strategy, but they’re not very convincing in front of me if you go for it.</li> <li>Overviews are good; you should use them.</li> <li>Please make sure to compare positions and give impact calculus throughout the rebuttals.</li> <li>I’ll protect against new arguments in rebuttals. You should still call points of order in the event I may have missed something.</li> <li>Any questions, please feel free to ask. I love this activity, and I love to talk about it.</li> </ul>

Kevin Thompson - TTU

Question 1 : Philosophy History/Experience: In high school I debated 3 years in policy debate in Texas, 1 year in LD. I graduated from Texas Tech in August of 2014, having debated there for 3 years in NPTE and NPDA debate. During my last season, I placed 11th at NPTE and 3rd at NPDA.   Initial Things:   Debate is a game and at the end of the day, there is a loser and a winner. I view myself not as an individual to inhibit whatever you want to read, but view my position as an opportunity to listen to whatever you have to say. With this in mind, you should note that I will listen to anything that isn’t morally repugnant. Games are fun until they are spoiled by lies, rudeness, and vindication. To win my ballot, keep these things in mind. I learned parli debate from Kathryn Starkey, Lauran Schaefer, Jared Bressler, Rob Layne, Nick Larmer, Nick Robinson, Andrew Potter, Tyler Cashiola, Aly Fiebrantz, Adam Testerman, Robear Maxwell, JT Seymour, and probably most significantly, Joey Donaghy. Seeing their judge philosophies will help explain mine.   These references will get you better speaker points: Any jokes mentioning the folks I mentioned above, especially Joey and Larmer<a name="_GoBack3"></a> Pokemon NBA (I am a Nuggets fan) Video Games Big 12 football Pooping/farting My shitty speeches when I competed/being a backpack   Offense/Defense Defense wins championships in sports, offense wins championships in debate. However, a good mix of offense and defense is what I like seeing the most. To me, a good strategy includes a healthy mix of both of these things.   Condo (and Dispo) vs. Uncondo   Condo is okay with me. I think that in parli it is harder for you to win it because the offensive reasons for MG skew are more compelling to me, but that is not to say that the debate over condo in parli has skewed me either way. I still believe that testing the aff in different ways is good, so making offensive comparisons on the condo flow is super important for me. However, these debates can get pretty messy, so slowing down during these (and other theory debates) is appreciated.   Speed   If you are too fast, I will say “clear.” I don’t think speed is a problem in debate, but clarity is certainly an issue. Speed Ks and similar arguments are hard for me to vote on because of judge intervention. However, with all of this said, I will dock your speaker points if you do not make the debate accessible. If you know you are debating novices or folks that are hard of hearing, I humbly ask you to make the debate enjoyable by everyone. If so, you will be rewarded with better speaker points.  Also, the only time I ask you to slow down is during interps and plan/cp/alt texts. Either slow down or (preferably) read them twice.   Impacts Debaters do not put enough emphasis on impact comparison. In every debate I have seen this year, I have voted for the team that warranted impacts the best and used impact calc most effectively. It should also be noted that the team who won typically had really good impact defense coupled with one or two terminalized impacts.  Probability impact frameworks are cool, but make sure to include a bunch of impact defense.   DAs, CPs   Read em, enjoy em. Make sure warrants are clear. If  your cp does something weird, crazy, or specific, make sure to clarify what it does. Also, it should be noted that I am pretty dumb at the econ debate. Using a lot of economic jargon probably won’t work for you in your favor. For politics disads, make sure to explain what your bill does if that implicates your impacts and internals. CPs that I enjoy are alt actors, PICs, Advantage, and sometimes consult. CPs I dislike are delay, floating PICSs, multiple plank and process CPs.   Theory and Topicality   Slow down for this debate. Theory and T debates can get pretty intense with flowing because the honest truth is that I didn’t go for theory much when I debated. However, that isn’t to say that they are not strategic. I need you to slow down and/or read your interps twice. You need a definition of reasonability if you are going to read that, but I do not find it very persuasive. T should be as strategy, not as a timesuck. In fact, you should not be reading anything you think you cannot, won’t potentially go for. Of all things, topicality and theory are my least favorite things to vote on but nonetheless will and have voted there. This shouldn’t deter you from reading these things if they are part of your strategy. Also, I won’t vote on an RVI.   Kritiks   Read em, enjoy em. Alt text should be read slowly and/or twice. I loved reading these in high school and college, but now there seems to be a growing trend to just read a bunch of confusing kritik jargon as an argument. Please do not do this and assume I have read the same literature that you have. I understand that reading kritiks to catch folks off guard can be strategic, but keep in mind that you might be catching me off guard too. Explain what my ballot does by voting for you.   Projects   Cool if you wanna read these in front of me but that isn’t to say that these have not been a sight of frustration in my debating years. I used to debate projects in high school about rural inclusivity among other projects, but I feel like the best project debaters can also defend their project in theoretical ways. Saying “fuck the rules” can be compelling, but so is “you must defend a plan text by the USFG.” Just be prepared to defend your position on theoretical levels beyond no linking/no impacting theory.      Permutations   I feel like it is better to make one or two permutations that make sense that are net beneficial than a bunch of permutations with little explanation of what those permutations mean.  You need to say the permutation twice, preferably slow down when you do this too. I think the growing trend to have a perm text written down is silly, just say it twice, somewhat slowly, and move on.

Krystal Fogle - ACU

I am a graduate student studying communication and rhetoric.  In debate rounds, I am looking for well developed, clear arguments with strong warrants.  I am new to the world of debate and am learning with every round.  As I learn, I appreciate speakers who adapt by speaking clearly, and not speaking so rapidly that I lose you.  I believe you should be free to run whatever you think is best for the round, however, I expect that you will clearly signpost.   Because critiques/criticisms are complex and my be difficult for me to follow, run them at your own risk and over-explain the theory and your arguments to me.

Lauran Schaefer - TTU

Question 1 : Philosophy Overall, I honestly want debaters to do what they do best in round. I do have a few caveats, however. First, I was never a theory debater and I can get lost in them very easily. I would suggest a few things, most importantly, slow down on the most relevant parts of the theory debate, specifically interpretations. So be advised, I need a clear story and proven abuse to feel comfortable with a decision on theory. I understand in some cases where the other team meets your interpretation, but you don’t have any good positions to go for, in that case be as clear as possible. Second, I prefer probability to magnitude and I will explain that in a later section. Section 2: Specific Inquiries Please describe your approach to the following. 1. 1. Speaker points (what is your typical speaker point range or average speaker points given. I’m probably too generous with speaker points. I generally give between a 27-29 and avoid 30’s unless the speech is close to perfect. If the round is full of speakers who are generally at the same level, I default to giving the best a 29, the second best a 28.5, etc. (Rob Layne is quickly making me change my point fairy-ness, so bear with me.) 1. 2. How do you approach critically framed arguments? Can affirmatives run critical arguments? Can critical arguments be “contradictory” with other negative positions? I really like critical debates. Affirmatives can run critical arguments, but I think they need a clear framework with an interpretation and standards. Specifically, tell me why this particular critical aff is warranted. Your interpretation can’t be some “reject blah blah” that are somehow mutually exclusive and some bs solvency telling me how the world will all of a sudden change their mindsets from collapsing some “ism.” Although, I ran arguments like that, I now see that made me a bad debater. J Explain your solvency. What does the world look like after the action is taken? 1. 3. Performance based arguments… I’m fine with them, but I need to know how to evaluate them. 1. 4. Topicality. What do you require to vote on topicality? Is in-round abuse necessary? Do you require competing interpretations? Like I said, I prefer proven abuse. Competing interpretations is probably your best bet. I’m not sure I would even know what to do with out one unless you’re critiquing T. 1. 5. Counterplans -- PICs good or bad? Should opp identify the status of the counterplan? Perms -- textual competition ok? functional competition? PICs are a good strategy. The opp should identify the status IF they are asked to, otherwise it’s fair game. Perms should be functional in my ideal debate world. If you’re going to go textual comp you’ll probably want to run more theory than you would with functional telling me why I should prefer it. 1. 6. Is it acceptable for teams to share their flowed arguments with each other during the round (not just their plans) I think as a courtesy, you should always give a copy of any plan text or counterplan text, especially if asked. I don’t care if teams want to share anything other than that. 1. 7. In the absence of debaters' clearly won arguments to the contrary, what is the order of evaluation that you will use in coming to a decision (e.g. do procedural issues like topicality precede kritiks which in turn precede cost-benefit analysis of advantages/disadvantages, or do you use some other ordering?)? Procedurals are obviously first. Next, I would go to framework, if necessary, to determine if the K comes first. Then the substance. I default to the impact debate. 1. 8. How do you weight arguments when they are not explicitly weighed by the debaters or when weighting claims are diametrically opposed? How do you compare abstract impacts (i.e. "dehumanization") against concrete impacts (i.e. "one million deaths")? I look to probability, first. Then magnitude. Finally, timeframe. If you want me to vote on huge impacts that are incredibly unrealistic, you should warrant exactly how these impacts will occur. Not some x country is pissed, the US gets involved, boom, big explosion because some random action causes a war in which rational actors would absolutely have to use nuclear weapons and it would cause a dust cloud that covers the sun. Although I did this, it’s because I had no idea if what I was saying was actually true.

2015 Red Raider/Wildcat Swing First Half