NDCA Board Meeting at Blake – 12/20/19
Present: Shree, Shane, Shunta, Brian, Scott, Aaron, Kaz
Present Online: Kevin and Lauren
Tournament Director Issue:
The discussion began with the suggestion that perhaps the NDCA National Tournament needed an ombudsperson, in addition to a tournament director, with the suggestion being that the ombudsperson would “interface” with the public, especially folks in the LD and PF communities, since there was at least some agreement that Tim is not as good at interacting with those folks as he is with the policy folks. Several board members discussed their vision of the role of an ombudsperson, but there was no consensus on what such a person might do, and ultimately no agreement that having an ombudsperson would solve the reported perception on the part of at least some PF, LD and World Schools folks that the NDCA is only concerned about Policy debate.
There was then a discussion of the responsibilities of the tournament director – many of them related to organizational things like collecting money, ordering trophies, choosing members of the tab staff, resolving conflicts that rise above the level of the people tabbing the tournament (although there are also board member committees assigned to that task if they are needed), keeping the events on schedule, etc.
Then there was a continued discussion of the size and strength of the Policy division as opposed to the smaller size of the other divisions. Several board members gave Tim a great deal of credit for the growth and strength of policy (and anyone who spoke on that subject agreed he has done very well in that area), but there was disagreement on whether Tim ought to be considered in any way responsible for the lack of (or at best limited) growth in the other events. Several board members thought it was time for a change of directors to someone who coaches all of the events, in the name of diversity and inclusivity, while others thought that Tim’s presence or absence as the Tournament Director would make no difference in the LD, PF or World School’s numbers, and that his absence might hurt the Policy numbers.
There was then a discussion of whether board members ought to take a more active role in running parts of the tournament. Current procedures do not permit board members to tab the tournament, on the grounds that they should be free to do other jobs, and coach, and so not to give the appearance of bias, but it was pointed out that non-board members who have tabbed in the past, and Tim himself, also have competitors in the tournament, without any allegations of bias, so it was not clear what the distinction was. It was also observed that several board members either have been, or currently are, multi-event coaches and that losing all that expertise in running the tournament might be a mistake.
A vote was taken on whether to re-invite Tim to be the Tournament Director.
Yes – Brian, Kevin, Lauren, Scott
No -- Shane, Kaz, Shree, Shunta
Abstain – Aaron
There was a limited discussion of potential folks who have coached multiple events who might be good candidates for the TD position, but then it was recommended that there be a job description for the tournament director position before anyone was approached. A vote was taken on that motion, which was unanimously passed.
INDIANA HOST REPORT
There was a much more extensive discussion of NDCA 2020 at the Glenbrooks meeting, but the update at Blake basically revolved around questions of the cost of food, location for prelims, meeting space for elims and hotel commitments. The board wants to make sure we are not contractually obligated for more hotel nights than we can use, that we do not want to charge more than $25 per person for provided meals, that rounds are not too spread out during prelims (or too far from the food) and that there are a sufficient number of elim rooms (without being too expensive for the folks from the university). These things are all being looked at by Kevin in his new role as liaison to the host site.
2021 National Tournament
There was a very brief Q & A with Scott, who is both a new board member and the site host. There were questions about the hotel and how to guarantee the rooms, which Scott said he could handle, and questions about food, which Scott said he was sure he could keep to under $25 per person. There was also a tangential question on where the NDCA bank account is, with the answer being Texas.
Website
Shunta and Shane agreed to work on updating it.
Points Formula
The board ran out of time to discuss this. There have been two lingering questions – how prelim wins are weighted vs elim wins and how the overall formula still awards far more points at the biggest circuit tournaments than at regional tournaments, when one of the original goals of the NDCA was to value and support regional debate. [Explanation added by me since there was no time to discuss either point.]
Naming PF Award
We also ran out of time to discuss this.
Letters to Schools
Lauren has sent out some letters to schools once they have teams that reach 500 points. This is a VERY big job and might not be something one person can do alone.
Spring Conference
It will be in Dallas on May 15, 16, 17. The overarching theme will be the health and wellness of debate. Additional information will be forthcoming. Brian and Aaron are working on this.
Blake Specific Controversy Involving In Round and Wiki Disclosed Material
Next to nothing could be said about this during the meeting.
How to Pay for Membership
There have been some problems with the payment portal for people who pay for membership separately from the tournament itself. The was no decision on alternatives.
Submitted by Sheryl Kaczmarek