Unofficial Minutes: NDT Committee Meeting
Northwestern University
February 3, 2001

Meeting called to order at 11:25

Present: Fritch (chair), Brushke for Whalen (1), Frappier (2), Rollins (3), Sternhagen (4), Deatherage for Hamilton (5), Louden for Janas (6), O'Donnell for Decker (7), Irrizarry for Mahoney (8), Foy for Stannard (9), Palczewski (MW), Stables for Panetta (S).

absent: Mitchell (E), Achten for Southworth (W)

1. Light housekeeping:

A. March 23, 2000 minutes from KC. Rollins moved approval and O'Donnell seconded. Minutes approved unanimously.

B. November 8, 2000 minutes from Seatle. O'Donnell moved approval, Frappier seconded. Minutes approved unanimously.

2. Reports

A. Committee chair.

1. The "120 round" rule does not exist in the AFA code or in the NDT rules, but only in the newsletter and on the bid forms.

2. USC tournament: for this year may count as both a Fall and Spring tournament. Rollins and Fritch will work on making the NDT rules consistent with the new AFA rules.

3. Reminders on Dates

B. Board of Trustees:

1. NDT

a. 2002 looks to be at SMS with dates of March 22-26.

b. NDT 2003 looks to be hosted by a collection of Georgia schools

2. Finances: A budget report for 1999-2000 and a projected report for 2000-2001 was submitted

3. New fee structure: given the average of a $6600.00 loss for hosts, a new fee structure was proposed. Our first priority is to get hosts. Should this system work, we might be able to consider reducing fees. IN order for this to work, a universal commitment from the committee and community is required for enforcement. Should this system not work, another option is available, which is that only participants are given badges, and the host does not provide food to anyone who is not a participant. The proposal upon which we voted after some friendly amendments:

The host of the NDT will be directly responsible for paying the contracted service for all meals agreed to be provided by the host. The NDT will reimburse the host for the cost of one banquet plus the amount of all monies collected from non-participants or observers at the NDT to pay for meals not provided to participants by the host. The NDT will not pay food service contracts directly at any time.

New fee structure: Fees for he NDT will be structured in three tiers. First, each team qualifying for the NDT will be charged a per team fee to cover administrative and non-food operational costs of the tournament. Second, each debaters and judge (up to 1.5 judges per team from each school) will pay a participant fee to cover food costs not absorbed by the host. Third, all other individuals wishing to attend the NDT on-site must pay an observer fee to cover all meals at the tournament or register as guests. Separate banquet tickets will be made available to those attending the tournament during those banquet times. Each person attending the NDT will be required to display an NDT badge supplied by the host at all times while at the tournament location. No individual may be at the tournament location unless they have a participant, observer or guest badge.

Team fee: $200.00
Participant fee: $35.00
Observer fee: $95.00

Passed unanimously.

4. The motion that a guest fee be added was moved by Frappier and seconded by Irrizarry. It failed.

5. The treasurer of the NDT will look at the numbers registering in 2001 and report back to the NDT committee.

C. 2001 Host: Leeper reports that the badges are cool.

D. 2002 Host: Fritch reports SMS is writing a bid.

E. Ranking director: O'Donnell reports the end of his term is approaching. Mailing expenses and copying are reimbursed, so the position will not cost your department or program any money.

F. Standing Committees: The committees stand.

G. Ad Hoc committee reports:

1. food: see above

2. fair use of judging: no report from Mancuso.

3. New business:

A. Larson request: Larson requests access to NDT judge data in order to look at the comparative success of different systems for placing judges. Deatherage made the following motion, which Rollins seconded:

The NDT committee approves Larson's request contingent upon Larson receiving approval or a waiver from Wheaton's Human Subject Review Board. Also, an appropriate confidentiality release document will be made available for those who complete the strike sheets to sign.

Unanimously approved.

B. Required rounds to count toward District bid: Sternhagen moved and Rollins seconded the following motion:

Amend 2B1b to read 18 or 24 rounds.

Louden moved to table and Rollins seconded. Table was unanimously approved.

C. Judge use:

1. Rule change for 2002: Palczewski moved and Rollins seconded: (Fritch - insert where this amendment goes)

Any participant, observer, or guest attending the NDT and who meets the NDT judging requirement shall be committed to judging a minimum of four preliminary debates.

Unanimously approved. Hence, this will take affect at the 2002 NDT.

2. Normative rule for 2001: Stables moved and Louden seconded:

All qualified judges are urged to make themselves available for judging for at least four preliminary debates and for as long as possible in the elimination rounds.

Passed unanimously.

4. Adjournment: Palczewski moved, Stables seonded.

Submitted,

Cate Palczewski