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Shortening the Debate Season

I am delighted that David Berube started the ball rolling on this issue.
I am interested in learning as much as we can about the positive and
negative impacts of a debate life, and what we can do as program directors
and as an organization to accentuate the positive.  I favor putting some
limits on the debate season.  It seems to me there are many benefits,
possibly including (but certainly not limited to);

1.  Allowing students the opportunity to more fully integrate the
wonderful education they receive from debate into their academic,
professional and social lives.

2.  Allowing debaters and coaches a bit more perspective about the
relative importance of winning in debate, and the real meaning of success
in the activity.  If debate can be ONE of a number of important components
in a person's life, the pressure to win may be lessened, and the
importance of growing from the debate experience may be better realized.

3.  More students to fewer tournaments may help to open the doors to those
who stand to benefit most from the opportunities:  novices and
under-represented groups.  

4.  Reducing the demands of the season could help us recruit and retain
more talented professional educators, programs and debaters, especially
novices.

5.  More time to research and publish, and seek tenure.  More time to
graduate on time, attend class and improve grades.  

6.  More time to become involved in volunteerism and community or campus
activities.  More time to help reach out to developing programs, including
disadvantaged high schools and Historically Black Universtiies and
Colleges...

7.  Reduced stress for everyone improves us as students, teachers,
scholars, friends, parents, etc...  
  
Some have said that there will never be support for reducing the season.
In some ways, our intense, all-consuming activity has created an
occupational psychosis that can only be changed by allowing us the
opportunity to break away from what has evolved.  Howver, I hear coaches
and directors (including Berube) willing to establish limits, even when it
affects their tournaments.  I hear debaters (who love debate) wishing for
more life outside debate.

I am curious to find out what are the norms and/or rules in other
organizations (ADA, NDT, Parliamentary organizations, Individual
Events...). Are there caps on the number of tournaments or number of
rounds in which one can compete, either by legislation or by convention?

This is one of the issues that I will be working on as chair of the
Quality of Life committee.  Please post your thoughts.


David L. Steinberg			(305) 284-2265 (O)
P.O. Box 248127				(305) 284-3648 (F)
University of Miami			(305) 388-3837 (H)
Coral Gables, FL  33124

Dave@Miami.Edu
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Archive created by Jonathan Stanton (jonathan@cs.jhu.edu)
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