TLDR Version: I did CEDA/NDT policy debate in college. Do whatever you want.

Hello:

My name is Ben Dodds. I have been involved with speech and debate for 18 years. I did policy debate for four years in high school and two years of CEDA/NDT in college. When I transferred from Gonzaga to Oregon, the policy team was cut and I started doing Parli on the NPTE/NPDA circuit.

I coached the University of Oregon team for six seasons after I finished debating. I judged CEDA/NDT and NPTE/NPDA debates at that time.

As far as a judging paradigm is concerned, I think that this is your activity now, not mine. If you can convince me an argument is valid in any format I will listen. I have enjoyed deep and complex debates about process counterplans and politics DAs and performance Kritiks of all stripes. There have been excellent debates on everything in between. You can't go pro in debate, it ends, I want you to use the time you have here to make arguments you like.

The unifying trait of arguments that I enjoy is that YOU enjoy them. If you are passionate about an argument, know why it should matter to me and can tell me that, I am game for it.

I don't have a "default" mode for evaluating or weighing arguments. If arguments are not compared, I will just compare them myself in whatever mood I am in at that moment. This cannot go well for you. Debate is subjective, no matter how much we might tell ourselves it isn't, it is and always will be. If you create the weighing mechanism and debate about what is important, I'll use that. Without comparison, my decision will probably feel arbitrary to you and me. Debate is about processing, comparing, and contrasting ideas. If you don't compare and contrast, you are not debating.

I have one specific request. I have never been in a debate where one person (or team) made all good arguments and the other person (or team) made NO good arguments. I appreciate debates and debaters that take an honest approach to their opponent's argument quality as well as their own. I want to hear an honest assessment of which arguments you think are good and bad, should be weighed or not, and matter most at the end of the round. If you show me a rebuttalist that thinks every argument they made is perfect and everything the other team said is worthless, I'll show you a bad rebuttal. I want to hear you tell me "this is their BEST argument, we STILL win because..."

I would appreciate as many specific questions as you have before a debate. I will answer them all.

I use he/him/his pronouns :)

I'm a student at the University of Oregon double majoring in economics and political science. I did public forum and extemp all four years in high school and competed on the national circuit, I've done CARD debate in college.

Public Forum:

I actively listen to but do not flow cross; so if you want me to vote on an issue raised in cross, bring it up again in one of your speeches. I love impact calculus, clash, sign-posting, extending arguments and a balanced combination of logical reasoning with statistical evidence. I am a tabula rasa judge, meaning that I will generally treat what is said in the round as gospel (the only exceptions are when someone says something overtly racist/sexist/homophobic/etc., in which case they will be voted down immediately). If your opponent says something factually incorrect, point it out AND explain why it's false. Moreover, I generally will not call for evidence at the culmination of the round unless you ask me to, so if you think your opponent is misconstruing or lacking evidence, please tell me to call for it. If you are going to run a weighing mechanism, make sure to explain how you are winning under the framework in your final focus. I'm a sucker for clear and enumerated voters that explain 1) what point you're winning 2) why you're winning this point 3) why it matters that you're winning this point (impact calc./framework).

Kindness is key. Be good people and do good things. Let me know if you have any questions! Good luck and thank you for debating!

schmittkyla@gmail.com

Hey y'all—I'm Kyla. A little background on me: I did speech and debate all four years of high school. Over the years, my main events were first PF and later parli, but I also have limited competing experience with CX and BQD. I coach most events, including LD. In college debate, I do CARD, which is most similar to CX.

I mostly strive to be tabula rasa, unless whatever you’re saying exceeds my reasonable doubt. In other words, I'll do my best not to let anything not said in the round influence my decision—however, I will also not vote on arguments that I know to be blatant misinformation/bigotry (that the average American adult would know to be untrue). Still, it's your job as debaters to oppose these arguments when you encounter them and call them out for what they are, even if the misinformation/bigotry is not outward but more insidious, and I will make a note of it on your ballot if you don't.

Throughout the round, please signpost and be organized in your responses and extensions. I love a good, orderly line-by-line analysis, and I strongly dislike not knowing where to flow your arguments (I’m coaching/judging a debate tournament—there’s a 99% chance I’m going to be tired, so make your arguments easy to follow). In your last speech, be clear about why you've won. Voting becomes harder (and more biased) when you don't give me explicit, technical reasons why I should vote a certain way. Substantive voters, impact calc, or comparing worlds are a few good ways to do this. My personal preference is for impact calc.

A few notes especially for CX debaters but also for everyone: please don't assume that I have memorized every convention of your format. Instead, explain to me what arguments you're making and why they matter; don't just throw out a bunch of jargon and expect me to ascertain its full significance. I can handle speed, but if you’re going to go fast, I want clarity. Please be accommodating of the needs of others in the room.

Finally, be polite and gracious to your opponents and judges! People are taking a lot of time out of their days to make these tournaments happen. Let’s keep debate a positive and educational space.