Debunking Debate- The NPTE

This year, the UT Tyler Parliamentary Debate Team has traveled to six different universities and competed in 9 tournaments, all of which were both challenging or rewarding. All of this effort, however, is to gain momentum for our toughest tournament of the year: The National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE). 

The NPTE is an invitation-only national championship tournament that hosts teams that qualify based on their season-long performances at various tournaments. The point system utilized by the NPTE organization weighs the performance of the teams based on the number of preliminary and elimination debates won or lost at each tournament, as well as bonuses for breaking to elimination rounds, as well as winning the tournament. Seeding from these ranks determines who will be debating in the first round of the tournament (so, for instance, Carver and I already know that we will be debating The University of Utah in the first round of the tournament).

The NPTE Championship Trophy

The NPTE is a traveling tournament, meaning that each year, the event is hosted by a different university. For instance, in 2012 it was held at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington; last year, it was held at The University of Nevada, Reno, in Reno, Nevada; and this year, it is being hosted by Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. One of the best parts of this tournament is that it varies in location from year to year, providing a great opportunity for the debate teams to travel to locations in the United States they had never been.  

Like previous tournaments, the NPTE will be a topic-area tournament. Like I wrote about in November regarding the Washburn Tournament, a topic-area tournament releases controversy areas and/or resolutions 3-4 weeks prior to the tournament, allowing for teams to adequately prepare for debates, as well as increase the depth and quality of arguments that will be read against other high caliber teams. The difference between the NPTE and previous tournaments is that while they release controversy areas, they also release the exact resolutions that will be used for the tournament. That way, the debaters know exactly what strategic options the other debaters have prior to the tournament. 

Here is a list of the resolutions that will be used:

Africa
1. The United States federal government should fulfill the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali troop and equipment mandate.
2. The United States federal government should significantly increase unexploded ordnance cleanup efforts in Somalia.
3. The United States federal government should significantly increase its provision of disease monitoring and treatment to South Sudan.
4. The United States federal government should engage in significant civil society development projects within Libya.
5. The United States federal government should provide significant air support to aid in the stabilization of South Sudan.
6. The United States federal government should significantly increase access to neonatal and/or prenatal care in the Central African Republic.

Energy
1. The United States federal government should nationalize energy production in the United States.
2. The United States federal government should substantially increase its investment in hydroelectric power infrastructure projects in the United States.
3. The United States Department of Defense should adopt a policy to use exclusively renewable fuels in all military operations.
4. The United States federal government should increase the usage of microgeneration in the United States.
5. The United States federal government should increase its incentives for the development of methane hydrates within its exclusive economic zone. 
6. The United States federal government should substantially increase its investments in syngas infrastructure in the United States.


Pollution
1. The United States federal government should adopt a policy to significantly decrease the use of phosphorus based fertilizers in the United States.
2. The United States federal government should adopt a policy to significantly reduce the amount of herbicides used in forests in the United States.
3. The United States federal government should take regulatory action to decrease the occurrence of water-borne diseases in the United States.
4. The United States federal government should significantly curtail its efforts to control invasive species.
5. The United States federal government should substantially increase environmental regulations on chemical storage facilities in the United States.
6. The United States should ratify and implement the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, Arizona 

The tournament will begin on March 16th and end on March 18th. It begins with all teams competing in six preliminary rounds, with two judges in each round. Breaking to out rounds requires a certain minimum of ballots, determined by the number of teams at the tournament, how many are to break, and what the field looks like in terms of record throughout the tournament. Two years ago, the number needed to break was 7, and last year, it was 6. While that may seem easy, given that the majority of the teams at the tournament are highly experienced debaters, it makes into quite the challenge.

UT Tyler will leave for Flagstaff on March 13th, and will return on the 24th, following the second national tournament, the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Tournament. Keep up with results on a round-by-round basis at parlitournament.com, and also keep up with parli news and events at net-benefits.net.