response to question

["Terry West" <WEST@EDU-SUU-CENTRUM.CN.SUU.EDU>]

1)  The tournament is the national tournament of the Cross 
Examination Debate Association.  If you don't want the CEDA 
membership involved, call it something else.

2)  Doesn't everyone still have the OPTION of attending?  If we 
entrench only those attending right now, it seems less of a national 
tournament than a tournament calling itself nationals.

3)  CEDA isn't bashful about collecting dues from schools not 
attending the national tournament.

4)  The fact that most of our member schools do NOT attend nationals 
is cause for concern.  It seems to me that designing the system to be 
even MORE exclusive is hardly an answer to that.  Instead, we ought 
to investigate WHY schools are not attending.  In some instances, I'm 
sure the decision is financial.  Some may be philosophically opposed 
to a national tournament.  Others may (as I did the past two years in 
temporarily directing a "rookie" debate program) feel that their 

students would not benefit from CEDA nats that particular year.  But 
I'll just betcha a dollar that there are some programs, and perhaps 
many, who are staying away because they do not feel welcome.  That is 
the beginning of the end for this activity, folks, and that's why I'm 
being such a badger about this issue.

Terry West

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