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the need directional topics

To: ceda-l@cornell.edu
Subject: the need directional topics
From: scprest@umslvma.umsl.edu (Tom Preston)
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 12:00:07 -0600

When the hs topic committee met in St. Louis a few years back, I warned
them about using a nondirectional topic.  They did so anyway, against the
advice of most debate scholars, and had a messy debate year, and novices
were totally lost on the negative.  Also, "change" limits negative ground,
arguable, to the state of affairs as to the instant of the debate, and
that's a very small pinpoint to find in today's complex and rapidly
changing world.

Thus, regarding wording the topic:

 'increase security assistance' or 'decrease security assistance'

      not 'change',

I couldn't agree more.


Tom

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