*Posted below is the invitation to the first annual Brandeis IV! Feel free to email either myself or the tournament email with any questions you might have, and we look forward to having you in Waltham this December!* * * * ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * * * *Dear Friends,* * The Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society is pleased to invite you to the first annual Brandeis Intervarsity Debate Tournament, to be held this coming December 8th and 9th at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. Competition The tournament will consist of six rounds of British Parliamentary debate with seven minute speaking times, followed by a break to varsity semis* and novice** finals. The first five rounds will offer open adjudication from our illustrious panels of judges. Our adjudication staff will be led by none other than Mary Nugent, former Director of Debating at the Cambridge Union, former coach at the University of Vermont’s Lawrence Debate Union, a two time Grand Final judge at Worlds, and a 4 time national IV winner. She will be joined by Brandeis’ own Keith Barry, a finalist at both the 2011 HWS Fall Classic and the 2012 Empire Debates and a participant at the world-class HWS Round Robin. Finally, we are pleased to announce that our second DCA will be none other than James Kilcup. In addition to being a two time finalist at the Cambridge IV, a finalist at the 2011 Yale IV, and the winner of USU 2009 and the 2009 Cork IV, James will be serving as a DCA at the 2013 World Universities Debating Championship in Berlin. Tab will be run by Steve Llano. Steve is the current Director of the St. John’s Debate Society, and has tabbed tournaments throughout the United States in recent years. While we plan on assembling a fantastic judging pool full of some of the best judges in North America, we still plan on imposing an N-1 judging requirement on all participating schools. If you will have any problems meeting this requirement, let us know. Food and Entertainment We will be offering five meals over the course of the tournament (breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday; breakfast and lunch on Sunday). We are extremely well-known for our top notch parties at our annual APDA tournament, and you can bet that the Brandeis IV will be no different on Saturday night! Housing and Accommodations We have negotiated a deal with the Courtyard Marriott Waltham: $109 a night for a room with either two queen beds or a room with a king bed and a pull-out couch. To book: A room with two queen beds<http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/boswm-courtyard-boston-waltham/?toDate=12/9/12&groupCode=ACAACAB&fromDate=12/7/12&app=resvlink> A room with one king bed and a pull-out couch<http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/boswm-courtyard-boston-waltham/?toDate=12/9/12&groupCode=ACAACAA&fromDate=12/7/12&app=resvlink> Alternatively, you can give them a call at (866) 296-2285. Just mention the name of our group: “Academic Debate”. We will also offer crash housing to anyone who needs it; simply note in your registration email whether or not you will require crash housing. Registration Registration will be $125 per team, and $110 for teams from Canada, south of New York City, or west of Buffalo. Additionally, we will offer a $10 break per team if you pay in cash. We do have a pay to play policy, so please come to the tournament with cash or check in hand. Additionally, schools that fail to meet the N-1 requirement will be assessed a $50 fee per missing judge. To register, email [log in to unmask] with the following information: -Names of debaters (please note novice status where applicable) -Names of judges (if you aren’t sure whether we will know them, please include any relevant experience) -Phone number of a contact person from your school -Number of people requiring crash housing (if applicable) -Any dietary restraints or other concerns While we have hosted numerous tournaments in the past, this is our first time hosting the IV so we’re having a harder time predicting the number of teams who will attend. For the purposes of ordering food, we ask that you give us an idea of how many teams you will be sending ASAP. That said, the registration deadline will be 11:59 PM on Monday, December 3. Contact For any general questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to shoot an email to [log in to unmask] Thanks to all, and we look forward to hosting both the APDA and North American BP communities in Waltham this December! Brad Burns, Jess Maskin, and Richard Weisbach Tournament Directors, 2012 Brandeis IV * We reserve the right to break to quarters if the number of teams and judges allow. ** “Novice” is defined as any debater in their first year of college debate, regardless of style.*