2020 Black Sea Public Forum Debate Tournament

Greetings from Romanian Public Forum Debate!

We are delighted that you will participate in the 2020 Black Sea PFD Tournament, which
will be held virtually on Zoom, on Saturday and Sunday, November 21-22, 2020. The
tournament competition language is English.

We have several announcements concerning this tournament.

First, the 2020 Black Sea PFD Tournament is part of the Romanian Public Forum Debate,
founded by Theodore Ganea. This tournament is a qualifier for the 2021 National
Romanian Public Forum Debate Tournament, to be held in July 2021. For the Open
division (see the next paragraph), reaching the quarterfinals elimination round or beyond
will yield a bid for Nationals. This event is organized by “Mircea cel Bătrân” National
College in collaboration with Horace Mann School, New York, USA. The tournament
director is Professor Eduard Mindirigiu.

Second, this tournament is divided into two divisions. For students in the ninth through
twelfth grades, we offer the Open division (High School Public Forum). For students in
the sixth through eighth grades, we offer the Novice division (Middle School Public
Forum). This means that middle schoolers will NOT directly debate high schoolers.

Lastly, we expect participants to compete in their rounds. Debaters who choose not to
debate a round for any reason will be treated as having forfeited that round. The
tournament will not certify “co-champions” in final rounds (no ties).

We believe Public Forum Debate should be for the public – equally accessible to all,
regardless of background. As a result, there will be no fees for participation to this
tournament, and no private donations will be accepted.

Sincerely yours,

Ștefan Mindirigiu,
Executive Director, 2020 Black Sea Public Forum Debate Tournament.

 
 

Competition Rules, Procedures, and Eligibility

The 2020 Black Sea Public Forum Debate Tournament
Location: Zoom
There will be two divisions of Public Forum Debate – Open (high school) and Novice
(middle school) – on the announced topic, which is RESOLVED: ON BALANCE,
SOCIAL MEDIA BENEFITS SOCIETY. There will be no international schools competing
in this tournament at this time. Both divisions will use the U.S. National Speech &
Debate Association (NSDA) time format and rules. Generally, both students in a team
attend the same school.
 

General Tournament Rules

Without objection from school officials, unaffiliated entries are welcome. Unaffiliated
entries, however, can only be from schools who are not attending the tournament.
Students from schools which are attending are ineligible for unaffiliated status.
Debate team members may attend different schools. Unaffiliated entries must register
with Romanian Public Forum Debate and provide contact information. The preferred
name for registration is the school name followed by the word "unaffiliated." You may
also use the student's last names followed by the word "independent."

Schools must provide at least 1 judge for every 2 Public Forum Debate entries. In
Public Forum Debate, an entry represents one team of 2 partners each. All judges must
be qualified, which at a minimum requires English-language skills and a high school
diploma (or 3 years of debate experience). Any complaints about judge qualifications
must be addressed to the tournament director prior to the competition involved. Schools
entering students in high school division should expect that some of their judges will cover
middle school rounds.

The tournament complies with the Romanian laws and adheres to the NSDA anti-
harassment and anti-discrimination policy, reproduced here:

“The National Speech & Debate Association is committed to providing its participants,
judges, coaches, and staff the opportunity to pursue excellence in their endeavors. This
opportunity can exist only when each member of our community is assured an
atmosphere of mutual respect. The NSDA is committed to maintaining an environment
that is free from all forms of harassment and discrimination. Accordingly, all forms of
harassment and discrimination are prohibited whether committed by participants, judges,
coaches, or observers. The NSDA is committed to the enforcement of this policy.
Individuals who are found to have violated this policy will be subject to the full range of
sanctions, up to and including removal from the tournament and prosecution by
authorities.”