Punctuality and Team Changes



UIL Middle School Debate RulesPunctuality and Team ChangesPunctual arrival to the tournament by the debate coach and students is essential to running the tournament according to schedule. Schools are asked to notify the tournament directors as soon as they are made aware of any team changes or drops. This can be done via email, text, or phone. Large amounts of drops on the day of the tournament can cause significant delays. Once the schedule for a particular round has been posted, debaters have a maximum of 10 minutes to get to the round, or a forfeit will be charged against the team that is unready to begin. Double forfeits are possible. Judges are asked to begin debates as soon as possible after announced start times, so that the tournament can adhere to its schedule.General RulesStudents shall not enter classrooms without the judge assigned to that round present.Maverick teams (those missing a debater) and those that switch team members during the tournament will not be allowed to advance to elimination rounds.Teams will be paired by the Tournament Director(s) using debate tabulation software.CleanlinessDebaters are expected to clean up each room after they have debated there. When the final debater leaves the room, it should appear as if a debate had never occurred. Use of Electronic DevicesStudents are allowed to use computers in debate rounds under the following guidelines:Students are permitted to flow debate rounds on the computer. Electronic flows do not need to be provided to opposing team members.Students are allowed to read evidence from a puters are not to be connected to the internet during a debate round. Access to the internet is strictly prohibited.Accusations of misconduct regarding internet usage shall be addressed to the judge at the time of the incident. After the ballot has been signed, all allegations not previously raised will be forfeitedIf a team believes their opponent is using the internet during the round, it is their responsibility to bring up the issue to the judge during the round. It is near impossible to prove internet cheating allegations after the round has ended. If need be, you may ask the judge to call for a Tournament Director to resolve the issue during the round.If phones as used as timers, please put them on airplane mode. We also recommend showing the judge that the phone is on airplane mode to prevent any allegations of cheating. Coaching During Debate RoundsDebaters shall be separated from the audience and shall receive no coaching while the debate is in progress. Participants in rounds shall receive no communication, whether verbal, physical, or electronic, from anyone inside or outside of the round other than their debate partner in that round.ObserversAll debate rounds are open to the public, with the following exceptions; Prior to elimination rounds, students competing at the tournament are only allowed to watch debate rounds that contain teams from their school.Elimination rounds are open to everyone to watch.Coaches of teams competing in the tournament are prohibited from observing any round, prelim or elimination, that does not contain a team from their school until every one of their teams has been eliminated.Spectators shall only leave/enter the room during a break in speaking. They are not to leave/enter during any speech or cross-examination period, with the exception of an emergency.Taping and filming of rounds will be left to the discretion of the judge(s) in the round. If acceptable to the judge(s), the team seeking to film or tape must receive consent of the opposing team.Debater-Judge DialogueAfter a round and after the judge turns his/her ballot in, debaters can ask questions of the judge, respectfully, about how the judge resolved specific issues. Debaters cannot comment or complain to the judge about the decision or any portions of the explanation. They also should not use a sarcastic, condescending, or insulting tone in their colloquy with judges. Judges have the authority to change their decisions on the ballot for an infraction of proper decorum even after the ballot has already been turned in.Judge ProtestsIf a coach witnesses or is alerted to inappropriate behavior by a judge, they should not confront the judge. All judge complaints should go through the Tournament Directors. Depending on the severity of the issue, coaches may choose to approach the Tournament Directors immediately. If not, an email on the following Monday after the tournament would be appreciated.In general, we will honor all judge decisions and will not overturn a decision because of claims the individual was a “bad judge.” Judge complaints/protests must always come from a coach. All formal judge complaints will be reviewed before the judge in question is allowed to attend a future tournament.Responsibility of the DebaterThe Tournament Directors are not present within the debate rounds and thus, are not able to confirm beyond a reasonable doubt if a rule is broken in many cases. The best time to deal with potential rule violations is during the debate round, not after it. If the debaters don’t bring up potential rule violations during the round, post-round protests will be denied. If need be, you may ask the judge to call for a Tournament Director to resolve the issue during the round.With that in mind, it is the debater’s responsibility to make judges aware of any rule violations made by the other team that may affect the outcome of a debate. This should be done within the debate round. Students can ask the judge to stop the round to address the rule violation. Debaters should bring a copy of this document with them to use as evidence within the round when addressing potential rule violations. ................
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