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Re: NDT 95-96 topics proposed

> As a paying member of CEDA, I sent a request to three members of the 
> topic committee regarding the possibility of leaving space on the CEDA 
> ballot for the NDT topic.  This would give the CEDA community an 
> opportunity to accept or reject the topic area.  I received no response.  

This suggestion was made in the committee but did not seem to generate 
interest at this level of topic selection.  There were lots of 
suggestions made.  Is Jewell suggesting that the committee respond to 
each and every response made immediately?  We would still be writing if 
that were so.  Also as Jewell knows the topic procedure is not yet over 
and if Latin America were to win the first ballot and the NDT area the 
second ballot might list the NDT topic.  Jewell knows of this possibility 
also.

> Have those of us who would like to see the communities come together 
> more, in the interest in all of us competing against the best debaters 
> and not just the ones who happen to be in one organization, been barking 
> up the wrong tree?  Perhaps some of you were right--it is the heirarchy 
> who will stand in the way of any attempts to bring these communities 
> together.  This may not address the issue of whether such a merger is a 
> good idea, but it does make one wonder about the structures that impede 
> its exploration.

Jewell talks about the topic committee and the hierarchy of CEDA as if 
they were appointed by some dictator.  The CEDA membership voted for the 
topic committee as well as other officers.  CEDA is a very democratic 
body with lots of attention to all of the interests of all the community.
Perhaps Jewell is correct and it would be better for CEDA and NDT to 
merge (I don't think so) but he should not blame that on the hierarchy.  
The blame belongs to all those who have failed yet to persuade the 
community to see it their way.

Finally, I am really concerned about Jewell's post because he leaves out 
a lot of the information I gave him prior to his post.  I will post my 
private message to Jewell so you will see that he got a response when he 
asked for one.  I will post this message separately.

Sincerely,


Russell T. Church
Professor of Speech
Middle Tennessee State University
Box 43
Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37132
Office:  615-898-5607
Home: 615-849-9170
Fax: 615-898-5826
e-mail address: rchurch@frank.mtsu.edu
Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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