National Debate Tournament

The National Debate Tournament is one of the national championships for collegiate policy debate in the United States. The tournament is sponsored by the American Forensic Association with the Ford Motor Company Fund.

History of the NDT

The National Debate Tournament (NDT) began in 1947 at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Twenty-nine schools competed at the first NDT debating: "Resolved: That labor should be given a direct share in the management of industry". It remained at West Point until 1967 when it was assumed by the American Forensic Association in part because of the Vietnam War.[1] Since then the tournament has moved to different member schools each year and only three schools have hosted it twice. [2]

In the first NDT, teams were nominated by committees from their district. This was soon replaced with district qualifying tournaments. At-large bids were offered beginning in 1968 and in 1971 the rules were amended to assign at large bids prior to district qualifying tournaments (to prevent at-large teams from knocking out teams in qualifiers) Until 1970, a school could only send one team to the NDT. When the rule was changed the tournament quickly grew to 74 teams. Since 1992, a limited number of schools, currently six, have been allowed to send a third team. Today, 78 two-person teams attend the NDT; 16 are selected in the first-round at-large process, 46 through the district selections, and 16 in the second-round at-large process.

Mutual preference judging (MPJ) is a relatively recent addition to the NDT. Under MPJ, each debate team ranks the judging pool according to their preferences and judges are selected such that both teams prefer the chosen judge equally (if possible). Attempts are made to place as many mutual "1"s (the highest rating) in rounds, with preference given to the teams with the best record.

The 2011 National Debate Tournament was held at the University of Texas, Dallas. The 2012 National Debate tournament will be hosted by Emory University.

Selection of Teams

Currently, selection of the 78 teams participating at the NDT involves a three stage process. First, the national committee selects 16 teams and awards them a First Round At-Large Bid. These 16 teams are generally considered to be the 16 best debate teams in the nation. The national committee then disperses 46 bids porportionally to each of the nine NDT Districts. Each district is free to decide how these bids will be awarded to teams within each district. Most, although not all, districts decide to hold a district tournament, where the top teams will receive a bid. The final and third step for qualification is the Second Round At-Large Bid. Similar to a First Round Bid, the national committee selects the top 16 teams not already qualified to fill out the field for the NDT. Although in some cases, these final 16 teams may not be the true best 16 teams not already qualified to the tournament. The NDT has a standing rule stating a school cannot qualify more than two teams to the tournament, with the exception of at most six schools per year, who are allowed to qualify a third team, if the third team in question has shown merit for selection.

National Debate Tournament champions

Year	National Champions	School
1947	W. Scott Nobles & Gerald Sanders	Southeastern State College
1948	Keith Parks & David Cotton	North Texas State College
1949	Oscar Newton & Mitchell Latoff	University of Alabama
1950	Richard O'Connell & Thomas Hayes	University of Vermont
1951	James Q. Wilson & Holt Spicer	University of Redlands
1952	James Q. Wilson & Holt Spicer	University of Redlands
1953	Gerald Kogan & Lawrence Perlmutter	University of Miami
1954	William Amold & Hubert Bell	University of Kansas
1955	Dennis Holt & Elis Storey	University of Alabama
1956	George Walker & James Murphy	United States Military Academy
1957	Norman Lefstein & Phillip Hubbart	Augustana College
1958	William Welsh & Richard Kirshberg	Northwestern University
1959	William Welsh & Richard Kirshberg	Northwestern University
1960	Anthony Roisman & Saul Baernstein	Dartmouth College
1961	Laurence Tribe & Gene Clements	Harvard University
1962	Dale Williams & Sarah Benson	Ohio State University
1963	Fank Wohl & Stephen Kessler	Dartmouth College
1964	Raoul Kennedy & Douglas Pipes	University of the Pacific
1965	John Wittig & Barnett Pearce	Carson-Newman College
1966	Bill Snyder & Mike Denger	Northwestern University
1967	Tom Brewer & John Isaacson	Dartmouth College
1968	Robert Shields & Lee Thompson	Wichita State University
1969	Richard Lewis & Joel Perwin	Harvard University
1970	Robert McCulloh & David Jeans	University of Kansas
1971	Don Hornstein & Barrett McInerney	University of California, Los Angeles
1972	Mike Clough & Mike Fernandez	University of California, Santa Barbera
1973	Elliot Mincberg & Ron Marmer	Northwestern University
1974	Charles Garvin & Greg Rosenbaum	Harvard University
1975	Jay Hurst & David Kent	Baylor University
1976	Robin Rowland & Frank Cross	University of Kansas
1977	John Walker & David Ottoson	Georgetown University
1978	Mark Cotham & Stuart H. Singer	Northwestern University
1979	Michael King & John Bredehoft	Harvard University
1980	Don Dripps and Tom Fulkerson	Northwestern University
1981	Michael Alberty & Stephen Marzen	University of Pittsburgh
1982	Dave Sutherland & Dan Sutherland	University of Louisville
1983	Mark Gidley & Rodger Payne	University of Kansas
1984	Leonard Gail & Mark Koulogeorge	Dartmouth College
1985	Jonathan Massey & Ed Swaine	Harvard University
1986	David Brownell & Ouita Papka	University of Kentucky
1987	Griffin Vincent & Lyn Robbins	Baylor University
1988	Shaun Martin & Rob Wick	Dartmouth College
1989	Martin Loeber & Daniel Plants	Baylor University
1990	David Coale & Alex Lennon	Harvard University
1991	Roger Cole and Marc Rubinstein	University of Redlands
1992	Ahilan Arulanantham & Kevin Kuswa	Georgetown University
1993	Ara Lovitt & Steven Sklaver	Dartmouth College
1994	Sean McCaffity & Jody Terry	Northwestern University
1995	Sean McCaffity & Jody Terry	Northwestern University
1996	Kate Shuster & David Heidt	Emory University
1997	Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Brian Prestes	Wake Forest University
1998	Michael Gottlieb & Ryan Sparacino	Northwestern University
1999	Michael Gottlieb & Ryan Sparacino	Northwestern University
2000	Michael Horowitz & Jon Paul Lupo	Emory University
2001	Andy Peterson & Andy Ryan	University of Iowa
2002	Jake Foster & Jonathan Paul	Northwestern University
2003	Geoff Garen & Tristan Morales	Northwestern University
2004	Greta Stahl & Dave Strauss	Michigan State University
2005	Tristan Morales & Josh Branson	Northwestern University
2006	Ryan Burke & Casey Harrigan	Michigan State University
2007	Aimi Hamraie & Julie Hoehn	Emory University
2008	Seth Gannon & Alex Lamballe	Wake Forest University
2009	Brett Bricker & Nate Johnson	University of Kansas
2010	Carly Wunderlich & Eric Lanning	Michigan State University
2011	Matt Fisher & Stephanie Spies	Northwestern University

Tournament victories by school

School	Tourn. Won	Years
Northwestern University	14	1958, 1959, 1966, 1973, 1978, 1980, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2011
Dartmouth College	6	1960, 1963, 1967, 1984, 1988, 1993
Harvard University	6	1961, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1985, 1990
University of Kansas	5	1954, 1970, 1976, 1983, 2009
Baylor University	3	1975, 1987, 1989
Emory University	3	1996, 2000, 2007
Michigan State University	3	2004, 2006, 2010
University of Redlands	3	1951, 1952, 1991
University of Alabama	2	1949, 1955
University of California	2	1971, 1972
Georgetown University	2	1977, 1992
Wake Forest University	2	1997, 2008
Augustana College	1	1957
Carson-Newman College	1	1965
University of Iowa	1	2001
University of Kentucky	1	1986
University of Louisville	1	1982
University of Miami	1	1953
North Texas State College	1	1948
Ohio State University	1	1962
University of the Pacific	1	1964
University of Pittsburgh	1	1981
Southeastern State College	1	1947
United States Military Academy	1	1956
University of Vermont	1	1950
Wichita State University	1	1968

Rex Copeland Award

The Rex Copeland award, presented on the eve of the NDT, goes to the team with the best season-long performance, ranked #1 among the 16 teams with automatic bids to the tournament. Rex Copeland, a debater at Samford University, was murdered by his debate coach, William Slagle, in 1989.

Academic Year	Copeland Award Winner	School
TOP FIRST ROUND TEAMS - (Prior to establishing the Copeland Award)
1972-1973	Stewart Jay & Bradley Ziff	Georgetown University
1973-1974	Charles Garvin & Greg Rosenbaum	Harvard University
1974-1975	Thomas Rollins & Bradley Ziff	Georgetown University
1975-1976	Robert Feldhake & Richard Godfrey	Augustana College
1976-1977	David Ottoson & John Walker	Georgetown University
1977-1978	David Ottoson & Tom Rollins	Georgetown University
1978-1979	Chris Wonnell & Susan Winkler	Northwestern University
1979-1980	James Kirkland & John Thompson	Georgetown University
1980-1981	Cy Smith & Mark Weinhardt	Dartmouth College
1981-1982	Mark Gidley & Zac Grant	University of Kansas
1982-1983	Melanie Gardner & Erik Walker	Samford University
1983-1984	Leonard Gail & Mark Koulogeorge	Dartmouth College
1984-1985	David Bloom & Greg Mastel	Claremont McKenna College
1985-1986	Dan Povinelli & Mark Friedman	University of Massachusetts
1986-1987	Griffin Vincent & Lyn Robbins	Baylor University
1987-1988	Ben Attias & Gordon Mitchell	Northwestern University
1988-1989	Martin Loeber & Daniel Plants	Baylor University
Copeland Award Winner
1989-1990	David Coale & Alex Lennon	Harvard University
1990-1991	Roger Cole and Marc Rubinstein	University of Redlands
1991-1992	Kenny Agran & Ara Lovette	Dartmouth College
1992-1993	Ara Lovitt & Steven Sklaver	Dartmouth College
1993-1994	Paul Skiermont & Jason Patil	University of Kentucky
1994-1995	John Hughes & Adrienne Brovero	Wake Forest University
1995-1996	Sean McCaffity and Mason Miller	Northwestern University
1996-1997	Scott Hessell and Corey Stoughton	University of Michigan
1997-1998	George Kouros and Anjan Sahni	Emory University
1998-1999	Michael Gottlieb & Ryan Sparacino	Northwestern University
1999-2000	Kristen Langwell & Andy Ryan	University of Iowa
2000-2001	Randy Luskey & Dan Shalmon	University of California, Berkeley
2001-2002	Alex Berger & Ben Thorpe	Dartmouth College
2002-2003	Geoff Garen & Tristan Morales	Northwestern University
2003-2004	Dan Shalmon & Tejinder Singh	University of California, Berkeley
2004-2005	Tristan Morales & Josh Branson	Northwestern University
2005-2006	Michael Klinger & Nikhil Mirchandani	Harvard University
2006-2007	Brent Culpepper & Kevin Rabinowitz	University of Georgia
2007-2008	Jacob Polin & Michael Burshteyn	University of California, Berkeley
2008-2009	Matt Fisher & John Warden	Northwestern University
2009-2010	Stephen Weil & Ovais Inamullah	Emory University
2010-2011	Stephen Weil & Ovais Inamullah	Emory University

• "Copeland Award Winners By School"

6- Northwestern
5- Dartmouth, Georgetown
3- Cal-Berkeley, Harvard, Emory
2- Baylor
1- Augustana, Claremont McKenna, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, UMass, Redlands, Samford, Wake Forest

Traditions

• "The Big Board": Started at the first NDT, complete results for each team are listed on the "Big Board" in the central area, horse-race style.
• Orally announcing pairings: Started at the first NDT, the pairings for each round are read out loud to the contestants. The announcements are known for the unusual manner in which they are conveyed. For instance, the announcer might say, "The 51st National Debate Tournament, round the first." This is then followed by the "pairings" of opposing teams, judges, room numbers, and the expected start time. A poll conducted at the 2005 NDT showed strong support for continuing this tradition.
• Cadet escorts: Cadets at the USMA escort debaters to their rounds and carry their tubs. Although this tradition was discontinued when the NDT moved from the USMA, it has reemerged at the regular season tournament hosted by the USMA.

Debate Topics

Academic Year	Topic
1940s
1946-1947	RESOLVED: That labor should be given a direct share in the management of industry.
1947-1948	RESOLVED: That a federal world government should be established.
1948-1949	RESOLVED: That the federal government should adopt a policy of equalizing educational opportunity in tax-supported schools by means of annual grants.
1949-1950	RESOLVED: That the United States should nationalize the basic nonagricultural industries.
1950s
1950-1951	RESOLVED: That the non-communist nations should form a new international organization.
1951-1952	RESOLVED: That the federal government should adopt a permanent program of wage and price control.
1952-1953	RESOLVED: That the Congress of the United States should enact a compulsory fair employment practices law.
1953-1954	RESOLVED: That the United States should adopt a policy of free trade.
1954-1955	RESOLVED: That the United States should extend diplomatic recognition to the communist government of China.
1955-1956	RESOLVED: That the nonagricultural industries should guarantee their employees an annual wage.
1956-1957	RESOLVED: That the United States should discontinue direct economic aid to foreign countries.
1957-1958	RESOLVED: That the requirement of membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment should be illegal.
1958-1959	RESOLVED: That the further development of nuclear weapons should be prohibited by international agreement.
1959-1960	RESOLVED: That Congress should be given the power to reverse decisions of the Supreme Court.
1960s
1960-1961	RESOLVED: That the United States should adopt a program of compulsory health insurance for all citizens.
1961-1962	RESOLVED: That labor organizations should be under the jurisdiction of anti-trust legislation.
1962-1963	RESOLVED: That the non-communist nations of the world should establish an economic community.
1963-1964	RESOLVED: That the federal government should guarantee an opportunity for higher education to all qualified high school graduates.
1964-1965	RESOLVED: That the federal government should establish a national program of public work for the unemployed.
1965-1966	RESOLVED: That law enforcement agencies in the United States should be given greater freedom in the investigation and prosecution of crime.
1966-1967	RESOLVED: That the United States should substantially reduce its foreign policy commitments.
1967-1968	RESOLVED: That the federal government should guarantee a minimum annual cash income to all citizens.
1968-1969	RESOLVED: That executive control of United States foreign policy should be significantly curtailed.
1969-1970	RESOLVED: That the federal government should grant annually a specific percentage of its income tax revenue to the state governments.
1970s
1970-1971	RESOLVED: That the federal government should adopt a program of compulsory wage and price controls.
1971-1972	RESOLVED: That greater controls should be imposed on the gathering and utilization of information about United States citizens by government agencies.
1972-1973	RESOLVED: That the federal government should provide a program of comprehensive medical care for all its citizens.
1973-1974	RESOLVED: That the federal government should control the supply and utilization of energy in the United States.
1974-1975	RESOLVED: That the power of the Presidency should be significantly curtailed.
1975-1976	RESOLVED: That the federal government should adopt a comprehensive program to control land use in the United States.
1976-1977	RESOLVED: That the federal government should significantly strengthen the guarantee of consumer product safety required of manufacturers.
1977-1978	RESOLVED: That the United States law enforcement agencies should be given significantly greater freedom in the investigation and/or prosecution of felony crime.
1978-1979	RESOLVED: That the federal government should implement a program which guarantees employment opportunities for all United States citizens in the labor force.
1979-1980	RESOLVED: That the federal government should significantly strengthen the regulation of mass media communication in the United States.
1980s
1980-1981	RESOLVED: That the United States should significantly increase its foreign military commitments.
1981-1982	RESOLVED: That the federal government should significantly curtail the powers of the labor unions in the United States.
1982-1983	RESOLVED: That all United States military intervention into the internal affairs of any foreign nation or nations in the Western Hemisphere should be prohibited.
1983-1984	RESOLVED: That any and all injury resulting from the disposal of hazardous waste in the United States should be the legal responsibility of the producer of that waste.
1984-1985	RESOLVED: That the United States federal government should significantly increase exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth's mesosphere.
1985-1986	RESOLVED: That more rigorous academic standards should be established for all public elementary and/or secondary schools in the United States in one or more of the following areas: language arts, mathematics, natural sciences.
1986-1987	RESOLVED: That one or more presently existing restrictions on First Amendment freedoms of press and/or speech established in one or more federal court decisions should be curtailed or prohibited.
1987-1988	RESOLVED: That the United States should reduce substantially its military commitments to NATO member states.
1988-1989	RESOLVED: That United States foreign policy toward one or more African nations should be substantially changed.
1989-1990	RESOLVED: That the federal government should adopt an energy policy that substantially reduces nonmilitary consumption of fossil fuels in the United States.
1990s
1990-1991	RESOLVED: That the United States should substantially change its trade policy toward one or more of the following: China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan.
1991-1992	RESOLVED: That one or more United States Supreme Court decisions recognizing a federal Constitutional right to privacy should be overruled.
1992-1993	RESOLVED: That the United States should substantially change its development and assistance policies toward one or more of the following nations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
1993-1994	RESOLVED: That the Commander-in-Chief power of the President of the United States should be substantially curtailed.
1994-1995	RESOLVED: That the federal government should substantially change rules and/or statutes governing criminal procedure in federal courts in one or more of the following areas: pretrial detention, sentencing.
1995-1996	RESOLVED: That the United States government should substantially increase its security assistance to one or more of the following: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Palestinian National Authority, Syria.
1996-1997	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should increase regulations requiring industries to substantially decrease the domestic emission and/or production of environmental pollutants.
1997-1998	RESOLVED: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase its security assistance to one or more of the following Southeast Asian nations: Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
1998-1999	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, through legislation, to create additional protections against racial and/or gender discrimination.
1999-2000	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should adopt a policy of constructive engagement, including the immediate removal of all or nearly all economic sanctions, with the government(s) of one or more of the following nation-states: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Korea
2000s
2000-2001	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should substantially increase its development assistance, including increasing government to government assistance, within the Greater Horn of Africa.
2001-2002	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should substantially increase federal control throughout Indian Country in one or more of the following areas: child welfare, criminal justice, employment, environmental protection, gaming, resource management, taxation.
2002-2003	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should ratify or accede to, and implement, one or more of the following: The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; The Kyoto Protocol; The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court; The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty; The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Strategic Offensive Reductions, if not ratified by the United States.
2003-2004	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should enact one or more of the following: Withdrawal of its World Trade Organization complaint against the European Union’s restrictions on genetically modified foods; A substantial increase in its government-to-government economic and/or conflict prevention assistance to Turkey and/or Greece; Full withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Removal of its barriers to and encouragement of substantial European Union and/or North Atlantic Treaty Organization participation in Peacekeeping in Iraq and reconstruction in Iraq; Removal of its tactical nuclear weapons from Europe; Harmonization of its intellectual property law with the European Union in the area of human DNA sequences; Rescission of all or nearly all agriculture subsidy increases in the 2002 Farm Bill.
2004-2005	RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should establish an energy policy requiring a substantial reduction in the consumption in the total non-governmental consumption of fossil fuels in the United States.
2005-2006	RESOLVED: The United States Federal government should substantially increase diplomatic and economic pressure on the People's Republic of China in one or more of the following areas: trade, human rights, weapons nonproliferation, Taiwan.
2006-2007	RESOLVED: The United States Supreme Court should overrule one or more of the following decisions: Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 1992); Ex parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942); U.S. v. Morrison, 529 U.S.598 (2000); Milliken v. Bradley, 418 U.S. 717 (1974).
2007-2008	RESOLVED: The United States Federal Government should increase its constructive engagement with the government of one or more of: Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and Syria, and it should include offering them a security guarantee(s) and/or a substantial increase in foreign assistance.
2008-2009	RESOLVED: The United States Federal Government should substantially reduce its agricultural support, at least eliminating nearly all of the domestic subsidies, for biofuels, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, corn, cotton, dairy, fisheries, rice, soybeans, sugar and/or wheat.
2009-2010	RESOLVED: The United States Federal Government should substantially reduce the size of its nuclear weapons arsenal, and/or substantially reduce and restrict the role and/or missions of its nuclear weapons arsenal.
2010s
2010-2011	RESOLVED: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase the number of and/or substantially expand beneficiary eligibility for its visas for one or more of the following: employment-based immigrant visas, nonimmigrant temporary worker visas, family-based visas, human trafficking-based visas.
2011-2012	RESOLVED: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase its democracy assistance for one or more of the following: Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen.

External links

• National Debate Tournament Home Page
• 2005 NDT on CSTV
• NDT Champions on AmericanForensics.org