National Student Debating Seminar 2009; Winnipeg, Manitoba

Dear Colleagues: 
Welcome!  I am writing to invite your province or territory to participate in the 2009 National Student Debating Seminar of the Canadian Student Debating Federation and the Team Canada Selection Tournament to select the team members for the next Team Canada Training Camp.

National Seminar Host:
The Manitoba Speech and Debate Association will host this year’s event in Winnipeg, Manitoba with an organizing committee led by Jordan Burg of St. Mary's Academy.

Important Contact Information:

Jordan Burg, National Seminar Host
E-mail: jburg@csdf-fcde.ca


Carolyn Bennett, National Seminar Registrar E-mail: seminar@csdf-fcde.ca

Dates of the National Seminar and Selection Tournament:
The National Seminar is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, October 14 to Sunday October 18, 2009 (with Tuesday and Monday as travel days).

The Team Canada Selection Tournament will take place following the National Seminar on Monday October 19 and Tuesday October 20, 2009.

Seminar Theme and Resolutions:
The theme for this year’s Seminar is Funding for the Arts.

There will be eight rounds of debate, two rounds each in each of the following styles:
Cross-examination (prepared) two 2-person teams per room
Parliamentary (impromptu) two 2-person teams per room
British Parliamentary (impromptu) four 2-person teams per room

The prepared resolutions are:
BIRT public money should be used to support the arts (cross-examination style).

This House would abolish copyright (Parliamentary style).


The British Parliamentary round will be impromptu.

Number of Delegates:
Please refer to the chart below for the total number of delegates in each category you may register. These totals were arrived at in consultation with each provincial/territorial debate association. If you do not register delegates for each of your assigned spots by the registration deadline, the organizing committee will have the option of filling them with their own debaters or cutting them.

Member Assoc.
English
French
Bilingual
DSABC
4
1
2
ADSA
4
4
4
SEDA
4
1
1
MSDA
4
1
1
OSDU
4
1
4
QSDA
4
0
2
ADDEQ
0
6
1
Debate NB
4
0
1
NSDS
4
1
1
PEI
4
1
1
NLSDU
4
1
1
Nunavut
3
0
0


We are aware that these allocations do not work out to be multiples of four. We will fill in where necessary after the registration deadline.

Please note the following eligibility and delegate selection requirements:
To be eligible to attend the National Seminar, a debater must:
a) be at least 14 but not yet 20 years old as of January 1st, 2009;
b) not have attended a previous National Seminar as an official delegate;
c) not have debated a National Seminar prepared resolution (or a closely related resolution) in inter-school competition in the 2008-09 school year; and
d) if debating in the English category, be from a different school than all of the other English debaters on the delegation.

When selecting your delegation, please note that CSDF’s National Seminar Regulations (Sections 14 and 15) require that:
a) your province or territory select your student delegates by means of a system of debate competition calculated to achieve the widest possible regional representation;
b) your province or territory, early in the academic year, must have invited each eligible school and student within its borders to take part in the competition to select your Seminar delegates;
c) your delegate selection be conducted through open competition;
d) and that each student delegate have experience in at least Parliamentary and Cross-Examination styles of debate before attending the Seminar.

Registration Fees:
The registration fee is $400 per adult and student delegate if postmarked at least 28 days prior to the start of the Seminar (that is, by Wednesday, September 16). The registration fee is $500 per delegate if not postmarked by that date. There is an additional $100 registration fee for each of your Team Canada Selection Tournament entrants. If more than two adult delegates from your province or territory register, the fee increases to $500 for the additional adult delegates.

Make cheques payable to CSDF and mail to: 
Carolyn Bennett 
200 Lonsdale Road
Toronto, ON M4V 1W6

Phone (416) 488-1125 ext. 8633 

Fax (416) 484-8612

Please note that an “adult delegate” is defined as an individual participating in the National Seminar in an official capacity as a representative of your association: an official chaperon with supervisory duties, a future National Seminar host, an executive director of a provincial debate association and/or voting delegate.

Parents of debaters and other observers do not qualify to register for the National Seminar as official delegates but are welcome to attend provided they pay a registration fee of $850 which includes hotel accommodations (single occupancy), the same meals as other Seminar delegates and transportation.

Registration Deadline:
The registration deadline is October 1, 2009. Please send all delegate information to the National Seminar Registrar, Carolyn Bennett at the address above by email, mail or fax. See "Important Contact Information" for complete contact information.

Travel:
Please advise your delegates that they should arrange their travel to the National Seminar as soon as possible, unless your organization handles this for them. Delegates are expected to book in plenty of time to ensure they can access the most economical fares.

All delegates are asked to please abide by the designated travel dates and to not arrive unnecessarily early in Winnipeg as this puts additional strain on the organizing committee. All delegates are expected to attend the entire National Seminar and participate in all scheduled activities.

.
Travel Reimbursements:
CSDF has once again applied to Exchanges Canada for a grant to assist with delegates’ travel to the National Seminar and we expect to be able to reimburse almost all student delegates and one adult delegate per province/territory a significant percentage of their airfare (if not the entire amount). In order for the travel reimbursements to be processed as quickly as possible, please forward all e-receipts/e-tickets to the Seminar Registrar as soon as the travel arrangements are finalized.

Please note:
- only travel directly from home to the Seminar and from the Seminar directly home is eligible for reimbursement; any decision to make other arrangements would terminate the delegate’s participation in the National Seminar and neither the Crown nor the CSDF can be held responsible for any injuries or damages occurring after the delegate’s departure;

- students who delay booking tickets and who pay increased costs due to late booking (based on comparison to ticket prices from city of origin to Winnipeg prior to September 16, 2009) may not be reimbursed for the full amount of their ticket and will instead receive reimbursement based on average ticket prices prior to September 16, 2009. We therefore strongly urge early selection of National Seminar delegates, as this policy will apply regardless of when the delegate becomes aware of his/her selection for the National Seminar.

Accommodations:
Student delegates will be accommodated with billets.

Adult delegates will be accommodated (double occupancy) at Econo Lodge Inn & Suites University. Single rooms may be requested on the Adult Delegate Registration Form at an additional cost subject to availability. Due to the many other events taking place in Winnipeg at the same time as the Seminar, adults who do not register by the deadline may have to make their own arrangements for accommodations.

Registration Process:
1. Once you have selected your National Seminar delegates, please direct them to the CSDF website at http://www.csdf-fcde.ca to register by e-mail for the National Seminar. (Registration deadline: September 16)
2. On the website, both adult and student delegates will find a package of Agreements and Waivers to download, print off, sign and mail or fax to the Seminar Registrar. A copy of the CSDF Code of Conduct is included in this package which each delegate should read and keep.
3. The registration fee (cheques payable to CSDF) must then either be mailed to the Seminar Registrar. Please remember that the $100 late fee applies after October 23.
4. In order for the travel reimbursements to be processed as quickly as possible, delegates must forward a copy of their travel receipts to the Seminar Registrar as soon as the travel arrangements are finalized. Generally this can be done easily during the booking process by including the National Seminar email address and is the simplest way to ensure we receive the proper documentation to issue the reimbursements.
5. Finally, each delegate must download the CSDF Handbook of Debate Rules and Formats and become familiar with the appropriate rules of debate for his or her category of debate as well as the appropriate scripts and judging materials.

The Seminar Registrar will issue confirmation emails to acknowledge all registrations as they are received. Please notify the Registrar immediately of any changes and, as a courtesy, please keep the Registrar apprised of any delays.

The National Seminar organizers plan to send group emails to all registered delegates to confirm registrations and make other general announcements. Since the sensitivity of spam filters varies greatly among email service providers, delegates should check their spam filters if they have not heard from the organizers. A record of all group emails will also be posted on the CSDF website for reference.

Duties of the Adult Delegates:
At least one adult delegate per province/territory must be identified as the “Official Provincial Chaperon” and must be duly authorized to be traveling with students.

In addition to supervising their student delegations while at the National Seminar, adult delegates will also be required to participate in the Annual General Meeting of the CSDF. Please have your adult delegate download a copy of the Federation’s constitutional documents from the CSDF website to bring to the meetings.

Also, please arrange for the preparation of a brief written report on debate activities in your jurisdiction this school year. It would be very helpful if you could include statistics on numbers of schools, debaters, events and coaches involved in your programs. The reports may also include new ideas to share and particular needs that you have experienced. These reports should be emailed to the National Seminar address by October 1.

Delegate Selection Reports:
As soon as you know the composition of your delegation to the National Seminar, please submit your Provincial/Territorial Delegation Selection Report to the Seminar Registrar certifying that your organization has complied with the conditions of this invitation.

Membership Fees:
Please note that each province or territory must have paid its 2009-10 Membership Fee to the Federation to be eligible to participate in the National Seminar and vote at the AGM. Payment can be made to the Seminar Registrar along with submission of the 2009-10 Application for Membership Form.

Seminar Website:
For all information relating to the 2009 National Student Debating Seminar, please visit the CSDF website at www.csdf-fcde.ca. The website will be updated regularly, so please check back often for new information.

We look forward to seeing you in Winnipeg!

Sincerely, 
Lorelie DeRoose 
President

National Seminar Registration Checklist:

All student and adult delegates
___ Register by email (registration deadline September 16)
___ Sign, then mail or fax Agreements and Waivers
___ Book travel
___ Submit receipts for travel
___ Pay registration fee by cheque or ($400 until September 23; $500 thereafter)
___ Download Rules of Debate

In addition to the above, AGM voting delegates
___ Download CSDF Constitutional Documents for AGM

Specific to provincial/territorial debate coordinators
___ Prepare and submit report on debate association’s activities for AGM
(deadline October 1)
___ Complete membership application form and pay membership fee
___ Complete and submit Delegation Selection Report

Please use seminar@csdf-fcde.ca for submitting all emailed registrations, receipts, reports, etc.