All Colleges and Universities are eligible to attend PSCFA events provided all fees have been paid.

In sections below, the term participation means competition in any event at any two or more tournaments in any given semester or any one or more tournaments in any given quarter; the term experience is synonymous with participation.

1. Participation

1. A student will be eligible to compete at a PSCFA tournament if they are eligible to compete at one of the following national tournaments: Phi Rho Pi, AFA-NIET, NPDA, and NFA.
2. Programs may request a waiver of this rule from the executive committee, in writing.
3. Students may only compete at PSCFA tournaments if they represent an officially recognized college or university program/organization.
4. A judge forfeits any remaining eligibility to compete in a division for which they judged (IPDA exempted).

2. Divisions

These restrictions shall apply to one’s eligibility in similar events. PSCFA recognizes four non-similar event groupings:

1. Debate
2. Limited Preparation Events (Extemporaneous and Impromptu)
3. Platform Events (Persuasion, Informative, Speech to Entertain, Communication Analysis)
4. Oral Interpretation Events

Enforcement

If a team or individual is found to be in violation of any eligibility rule after a tournament has begun, that person or team will be disqualified from that event for the remainder of the tournament, at the discretion of the tournament director. If a team or individual is moved to the correct division by the tournament director, the following tabulation procedures will be followed:

1. The debate team found in violation will receive losses for all previous debates in the tournament. All previous opponents of the violating team will receive byes.
2. The individual speaker found in violation will receive the lowest possible rank and rate for all previous rounds.

1. Rookie Division shall be open for all judges.
2. Novice Division shall be limited to those individuals who are out of novice eligibility.
3. Junior Division shall not be judged by anyone who has junior or novice eligibility.
4. Senior Division shall be limited to those individuals who have a B.A. or B.S. degree or are no longer eligible to compete.
5. No one will be allowed to judge and compete at the same tournament (except judging Rookie division).

1. All judges are required to be certified by the organization prior to judging at any PSCFA tournament. To be certified, judges must read the “Basic Judging Information” and pass the PSCFA Guidelines for Judges Online Course (OFRED) with at least an 80%. For all judges meeting a school’s judging commitment, that school is responsible for ensuring all judges are certified.
   1. For all judges hired by the tournament directly, the Tournament Director has this responsibility. In the event that an uncertified judge arrives at a tournament, he/she will be given thirty minutes to review and sign the certification form.
   2. In an emergency, a Tournament Director may allow an uncertified judge to take a ballot for one round only.
2. Until a judge is certified, he/she/they cannot count toward a school’s judging commitment. If the judge does not get certified, that school would be subject to the appropriate penalty fee.
3. The PSCFA Guidelines for Judges Publication will be accessible from the website and will be available at the judges’ table for PSCFA tournaments.
4. Should PSCFA rules or procedures change, judges will be asked to review the changes and sign a form to update their certification. Updating certification will not be subject to a thirty-minute review period for the review of changes.
5. A list of certified judges will be maintained on the website and also provided to each PSCFA Tournament Director.
6. FRED Certification forms may be accepted by the Executive Secretary or by a PSCFA Tournament Director or the judge’s table.
7. PSCFA will have a sign-in/check-in process at the Judges Table for judges hired by the tournament director.
8. All Hired Judges and ICCs (Institution Contracted Critics) must sign the PSCFA Judges Payment Form (W-9) to receive payment by check.

Egregious behavior on the part of a judge shall incur the penalties listed below.

Censurable Behavior Includes:

• Verbal battery of a student (including cursing at or grossly demeaning comments)
• Physical battery of a student (including pushing, striking, or throwing objects at them)
• Gross violation of the terms of judge certification

Censure Procedure:

1. First offense: Handled by the Tournament Director; if serious enough, the judge may be removed from the judging pool at that tournament.
2. Second offense: Revocation of judge certification for one calendar year.
3. Third offense: Permanent revocation of judge certification and a letter sent to the responsible school’s administration detailing the action taken and the reasons for it.

• In the case of removal of a judge, his/her school will be required to pay the judging fees to make up for that judge’s absence.
• The appeals process will consist of an appeal first to the Ombudsperson, then, if necessary, to the entire executive committee.

Judging Fees

• Individual Events: $40.00 per uncovered individual event slot for the first 5, then $50.00 for each additional uncovered slot.
• All Debate and Readers Theater:
  1. Schools must bring sufficient judges to cover their commitment, or they cannot enter.
  2. $150/team for first 4 uncovered slots, then $200/each additional slot.

Judging Fees

• Individual Events: $12.00 per uncovered individual event slot.
• Debate and Readers Theater:
  1. Schools must bring sufficient judges to cover their commitment, or they cannot enter.
  2. $150/team for first 4 uncovered slots, then $200/each additional slot.

1. Change/Drop Fees

• $5.00 per individual event slot; $10.00 per debate or Readers Theater entry for changes made after 12:00 P.M. on Friday, at the discretion of the Tournament Director.
• $5.00 per individual event slot; $10.00 per debate or Readers Theater entry for changes made between 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday and 12:00 P.M. on Friday, if such changes are in excess of 10% of the original entry or 10 slots, whichever is greater, at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

2. Student No-Show Fees

• $20.00 per individual event slot; $40.00 per debate or Readers Theater entry will be assessed.
• A no-show is defined as any competitor entered in the tournament who does not participate in the first round of competition in their event and whose absence is not reported to the tournament director before the end of the drop period (usually the first half hour on each day of competition).
• Exceptions are at the discretion of the Ombudsperson if reasonable justification is demonstrated.

3. Judge No-Show Fees

• $50.00 per round, at the discretion of the tournament director, will be assessed.

4. Late Add Fees

• $50.00 per school, at the discretion of the tournament director, will be assessed.
• Late Add Fees are imposed on schools who enter the tournament after the entry due date.

D. Annual Dues

$50.00 per school.

E. Annual Tax Preparation Fee

$10.00 per school.

F. Payment

1. The Executive Treasurer shall collect “Exit” fees (entry, judging, nuisance fees and dues, if necessary) on the last day a school has students competing in the tournament. Times for each collection will be posted at the beginning of the tournament.
2. A $50 nuisance fee will be added to a school’s tournament invoice if the school does not meet with the treasurer in-person prior to awards on the school’s last competition day to: (1) obtain an invoice, and (2) confirm the anticipated method and timing of payment for fees and/or notify the treasurer that fees have been paid electronically.
   • A warning will be given before the $50 nuisance fees are applied. You will only be given ONE warning per academic year before these fees are applied.
   • Ballots will not be made available to a school until the above conditions are met.
   • It is always the responsibility of the school to obtain their invoice from the treasurer at the designated time during the tournament; it is NOT the treasurer’s responsibility to locate the school’s representatives.
3. Electronic payments for tournament fees may be collected via FTN.
4. The tournament and/or event directors and/or the members of the oversight committee are responsible for providing a written explanation to the Executive Secretary for all nuisance fees.

G. Waivers

All entries must use the Website entry form or its equivalent.

Commitment

1. Each school must provide one judge per each two parliamentary debate and LD entries, one judge for each three IPDA entries, one judge for each two readers theater entries, and one judge for each five individual events per speaking hour, plus one/half judge commitment for any additional team entry.
2. Failure to provide judges will result in the assessment of penalty fees and/or having the school’s debate entries removed from competition at the discretion of the tournament director.
3. Judges must be qualified to cover the same divisions in which their school’s entries will be competing.
4. In the event a school has extra judges, the school must designate committed, ICC, and hired judges.

Hired Judges

• The rate of pay for judging Individual Events, Readers Theater, Lincoln-Douglas, and Parliamentary debate shall be $25.00 per round.
• The rate of pay for judging team Policy Debate shall be $25.00 per round.
• PSCFA will guarantee payment for 75% of the rounds per day to hired judges, providing that the judge is qualified, available for 11 rounds on a given day, and FRED certified by the tournament director. Judges will be guaranteed $75 for being available for all rounds of a Friday of a PSCFA Tournament, for debate.

• All judges must check in during the registration period to confirm attendance and commitment.
• All debate teams participating in the tournament must register with the tournament staff during the registration period (no later than fifteen minutes after the announcement of the topic).

• Pattern A: Extemp, Prose, Poetry, Informative, STE, Cultural Artifact
• Pattern B: Impromptu, Communication Analysis, Persuasion, Duo, Drama, Programmed Oral Interpretation

• 80 rooms for the Fall and Spring Champs tournaments is optimal.

Rules for Entering Championship Tournaments

1. Number of entries in an event will be based on the number of rooms available at the time of the event.
2. Schools will enter IE events in rank order in each pattern (e.g., 1. Liana Koeppel – Sr. IMP; 2. Rolland Petrello – Jr. POE; 3. Liana Koeppel – Sr. PERS; 4. Rolland Petrello – Sr. IMP).
3. Schools will enter Debate Events in rank order (e.g., 1. Koeppel and Petrello—Sr. PARLI; 2. Hack and Wyman–Nov. Parli; 3. Tiongson and Fleming–Sr. PARLI).
4. Tournament Directors will take each school’s first event, second event, etc., until rooms are maximized. All schools will have an equal number of entries accepted (in each pattern).
5. Those entries not accommodated will be placed on a waiting list based on time of school entry for each event in the pattern. First come, first served going school 1, school 2, school 3, etc. Entry time to be based on “slot last updated” date and time.

Rules for Online Competition

(Applicable if circumstances prohibit PSCFA from holding tournaments in person, as per 2020–2022 competitive seasons.)

• Internet Loss During Competition:
  • IE Competitors who lose their internet connection while giving a speech are allowed 3 minutes to reconnect before they forfeit their opportunity to finish the speech. They will be judged on what was presented before they were dropped.
  • Debate Competitors whose internet disconnects during their speech: the judge will start a running clock until they return; time over 3 minutes will be deducted from their speech time. If the speech time has expired, the debate round will continue with the following speech. Partners cannot finish the speech for the person who dropped.
• Restrict competitors to the use of a “single camera set up” and single microphone during the performance.
• Physical audiences are prohibited from being present for the performance, with the exception of involuntary audiences (e.g., individuals/families who happen to be in the same room) and assistants/aids for individuals with disabilities. Enforcement is up to the discretion of the TD.
• Prohibit competitors in Duo and RT from competing together in the same physical space in accordance with AFA rules.
• Prohibit practices that would not be possible in a face-to-face environment (such as motion, video transitions, or audio manipulation) while allowing for the use of screen sharing and virtual visual aids in Individual Events.
• No persons should participate or contribute to students who are competing during the course of the round.
• Partners in debate rounds are allowed to communicate with their partner through other lines of communication such as chats, phone calls, other video conferencing platforms, etc.
• Tournament Directors should solicit the submission of debate topics from teams who are competing in the upcoming tournament.
• Resolutions should be vetted by a Resolution Committee.
• In accordance with NPDA Bylaws, Electronic/laptop flowing by debaters in a round is also acceptable. This excludes cutting and pasting previously prepared material as well as flowing done by anyone not in the round on a shared spreadsheet.

Additional Entry Rules

1. Event panels will be filled out with additional students based on waiting lists. If entry limits are reached and an event has two “bye” slots, the next two entries in that event will be chosen from the waiting list.
2. Entries will be due Monday night. Event lists will be posted on the forensicstournament.net website on Tuesday.
3. Schools may make name changes ONLY. No event changes will be made (including division). Late Drops will not be filled.
4. Schools will be charged a drop fee for entries dropped after the drop deadline.
5. Schools may begin entering the tournament two Wednesdays before the Drop deadline.
6. For Championship Tournaments where there are no limitations on entries, the following shall apply:
   1. Fees will be assessed as of the Wednesday following the entry deadline.
   2. A $5 add fee will be applied to all late entries (accepted at the Tournament Director’s discretion) for a school between the Monday deadline and the Wednesday deadline ($10 for debate).
   3. Adds after the Wednesday deadline will be at the discretion of the Tournament Director and will be $10 ($20 for Debate).
   4. There will be a drop fee of $5 for any drop after the Wednesday deadline until 30 minutes before the first round of competition (if not reported, it will remain as a “No Show”).
   5. Changes from one person to another in the same pattern will not be construed as an add. Changes from one event to another in the same pattern will not be construed as an add. However, the drop fee will apply.

📅 Friday — Parliamentary Debate

• 10:00–10:45 — Sign In (Any teams not signed in by 8:45 will be dropped)
• 11:00 — Topic Announce Rd 1 & 2
• 11:45 — Pattern C – Round 1
• 12:45 — Pattern C – Round 2
• 1:30 — Lunch Break
• 2:30 — Pattern C – Round 3 Topic
• 4:00 — Pattern C – Round 4 Topic
• 6:00 — Pattern C – Elim 1 Topic
• 7:30 — Pattern C – Elim 2 Topic
• 9:00 — Pattern C – Senior Semi Finals
• 9:15 — Awards

📅 Saturday — IPDA (Single Flight) & NFA LD / NPDA Senior Finals

• 7:45–8:45 — Sign In (Any teams not signed in by 8:45 will be dropped)
• 8:00 — Senior NPDA Finals Topic Announce
• 9:00 — Pattern D – Round 1
• 10:15 — Pattern D – Round 2
• 11:30 — Lunch Break
• 12:30 — Pattern D – Round 3
• 1:45 — Pattern D – Round 4
• 3:15 — Pattern D – Elim 1
• 4:45 — Pattern D – Elim 2
• 6:15 — Awards

📅 Saturday — Double Flight IPDA Schedule (Fall & Spring Championships)

📅 Sunday — Individual Events

• 8:00–8:45 — IE Drop Period
• 8:45 — Extemp Draw – Round 1
• 9:00 — Pattern A – Round 1
• 10:30 — Pattern B – Round 1
• 11:45 — Extemp Draw – Round 2
• 12:00 — Pattern A – Round 2
• 1:00 — Lunch Break
• 2:00 — Pattern B – Round 2
• 3:30 — Pattern A – Finals & Extemp Draw for Finals
• 5:00 — Pattern B – Finals
• 6:30 — Awards

1. Entries are due by 6:00 PM on the Tuesday prior to the beginning of the tournament.
2. Changes will be accepted until 6:00 PM Wednesday; Fees assessed as of 6:00 PM on Wednesday. Only nuisance fees described under Section III.C.1 will be assessed after this time.

The Warm-Up will consist of two preliminary rounds and no elimination rounds in novice, junior, and senior divisions of all eleven AFA individual events. The warm-up will also consist of four preliminary and no elimination rounds of novice, junior, and senior divisions of CEDA/NDT team debate and NPDA debate. A form of Parliamentary Lincoln/Douglas debate will be offered at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

• Pattern A: Informative Speaking, Prose Interpretation, Extemporaneous Speaking, After Dinner Speaking, Poetry Interpretation, and Cultural Artifact.
• Pattern B: Impromptu Speaking, Duo Interpretation, Communication Analysis, Drama Interpretation, Persuasive Speaking, Programmed Oral Interpretation, and Communication Analysis.

Debate shall occur on day one, and individual events on day two. Remaining schedule decisions are at the discretion of the tournament director in consultation with the tournament host.

📅 Warm-Up Schedule (subject to change based on entries)

Saturday

• 12:00 — Registration – Sign In
• 12:15 — Topic Announce for Rds 1 & 2
• 1:00 — Round 1
• 2:00 — Round 2
• 3:15 — Topic Announce for Rds 3 & 4
• 4:00 — Round 3
• 5:00 — Round 4
• 6:30 — Awards

Sunday

• 8:00 — Registration
• 9:00 — Extemp Draw / Round 1 Pattern A
• 10:15 — Round 1 Pattern B
• 11:30 — Extemp Draw / Round 2 Pattern A
• 12:45 — Round 2 Pattern B
• 2:00 — Awards

The Cool-Off will consist of three preliminary rounds and a final round in a novice division of all eleven AFA events. The Cool-Off will also consist of four preliminary and one elimination round of novice division of CEDA/NDT team debate. There shall also be four preliminary and up to three elimination rounds of novice division of NPDA debate. The Cool-Off will also consist of four preliminary rounds and no elimination rounds of Rookie divisions of CEDA Team and NDT Team.

• Pattern A: Informative Speaking, Prose Interpretation, Extemporaneous Speaking, After Dinner Speaking, Poetry Interpretation, and Cultural Artifact.
• Pattern B: Impromptu Speaking, Duo Interpretation, Communication Analysis, Drama Interpretation, Persuasive Speaking, Programmed Oral Interpretation, and Communication Analysis.

Debate shall occur on day one, and individual events on day two. Remaining schedule decisions are at the discretion of the tournament director in consultation with the tournament host.

📅 Saturday — Debate

The first two rounds will use the same topic. Teams not signed in by 9:30 will be dropped from the tournament. Judges must attend the Orientation meeting. Judges will not discuss decisions after the round until the ballot has been turned in.

• 9:00–9:30 — Registration and Sign-In
• 9:15 — Topic Announced for Rounds 1 and 2
• 9:45–10:00 — Judges Orientation
• 10:00–11:00 — NPDA Debate & NFA LD, Round 1
• 10:00–11:45 — CEDA/NDT Debate, Round 1
• 11:15–12:15 — NPDA Debate & NFA LD, Round 2
• 12:45–1:30 — CEDA/NDT Debate, Round 2
• 1:30 — Topic Announced for Rounds 3 and 4
• 12:45–1:45 — NPDA Debate & NFA LD, Round 3
• 12:30–2:15 — CEDA/NDT Debate, Round 3
• 1:00 — PSCFA Coaches Meeting
• 2:30–3:30 — NPDA Debate & NFA LD, Round 4
• 2:15–4:00 — CEDA/NDT Debate, Round 4
• 4:00–5:00 — NPDA Debate & NFA LD Elims
• 4:30 — CEDA/NDT Debate Awards
• 5:00–6:45 — CEDA/NDT Debate Elims
• 5:15 — NPDA Debate Awards

📅 Sunday — Individual Events

• 9:00 — Round 1: Pattern A
• 10:30 — Round 2: Pattern A
• 11:45 — Round 1: Pattern B
• 1:15 — Round 2: Pattern B
• 2:30 — Finals: Pattern A
• 4:00 — Finals: Pattern B
• 5:30 — Awards

1. Team Awards

1. All divisions of debate will receive awards equivalent to a Gold/Silver/Bronze format. Winners of the second elimination round will receive a Gold; the losers of that elimination round will receive a Silver; the losers of the first elimination round will receive a Bronze.
2. Senior division debaters will continue debating through Finals.
3. Only winning records (4-2 or 3-1) shall advance. In Novice and Junior, enough 3-3 or 2-2 records shall be pulled up to complete the next bracket divisible by 4 without violating the 50% rule.
4. In Senior Division a maximum of 16 teams will break (Octos) as long as it does not exceed 50% of the field.
5. Rookie awards to be based on record: 4-0 records receive Gold; 3-1 receive Silver; all 2-2 teams will receive a Bronze. In the event there is not a 4-0 team, the top-ranked 3-1 team will receive a gold. In the event there is not a 3-1 team, the top-ranked 2-2 team will receive a gold, and the second-ranked 2-2 team will receive a silver.
6. Warmup and Cool-Off: All teams and L-D entries with 4-0 records receive Superior Certificates; all teams and L-D entries with 3-1 records receive Excellent Certificates.
7. Under no circumstances shall more than half the field be advanced.

2. Speaker Awards

Awards shall be given to the top speakers in each division based on the following formula: Entries of 15 teams or less — 3 Awards; entries of 16–29 — 5 Awards; over 29 entries — 10 Awards. Awards shall not exceed 50 percent of the entries.

To be eligible for speaker awards, a speaker must participate in all scheduled preliminary rounds. The following guidelines (listed in order of priority) shall be used to determine the top three speakers:

1. Total speaker points
2. Adjusted speaker points (dropping high and low rounds)
3. Double adjusted speaker points (if there is a minimum of 6 preliminary rounds)
4. Total ratings
5. Tie

Types of Awards

• First, Second, and Third Places may be designated and announced.
• All other finalists in novice and junior will receive finalist awards. In open division, the tournament staff shall designate first through sixth place awards.

50% Rule

In individual events with nine or fewer entries (as defined by the number of people who actually spoke in the first round), as close to (but not to exceed) 50% shall receive awards.

Breaking Policies

Breakers — From Prelims to Elimination Rounds

1. Total Ranks
2. Ratings, at the discretion of the tournament director

Awards — Single Panel Final Rounds (listed in order of priority)

1. Rank in final round
2. Judges’ preference in final round
3. Total rank in the event
4. The number of firsts in the event
5. Decimal Conversion in final round (Senior division only)
6. Rating Points in Finals (Senior Division only)
7. Rating Points in Prelims (Senior Division only)

Awards — Two Panel Final Rounds (listed in order of priority)

1. Rank in final round
2. Total ranks in all rounds
3. The number of firsts in the event

In all Individual Events finals, judges will rank speakers from 1st to 6th, with all speakers after 6th also receiving a rank of 6.

Types of Awards

Four sweepstakes divisions are offered at PSCFA tournaments (Fall and Spring Championships):

1. 4-year colleges and universities
2. 2-year colleges — The 4-year and 2-year awards shall be based on a combination of all sweepstakes points won in novice, junior, and senior divisions of competition. The novice award shall be based on a school’s combined sweepstakes points from novice and rookie division competition.
3. Novice division (covering all schools, both 2- and 4-year)
4. Limited Entry — The Limited Entry Award is for the 1/3 of the schools in attendance at the Fall or Spring tournament (plus ties) with the fewest entry slots (Debate and Theatre entries equal 2 slots). Determination of slot numbers to be counted as of Friday at 12:00. The Limited Entry Award will not be mutually exclusive with any other Sweepstakes Award a school may win at that tournament.

• A first place, second place, and third place award shall be given in each division (except that 4-year and 2-year sweepstakes shall award 5 places).
• Sweepstakes will be offered in the first two categories at all PSCFA tournaments except the Warm-Up.
• Students will receive medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place and certificates will be awarded to all finalists at the PSCFA Cool-Off Tournament.

Cumulative for the Year

PSCFA shall also offer a cumulative sweepstakes category that includes all points earned by a school at the Fall Championship, Spring Championship, and Cool-Off tournaments. First, Second, and Third place shall be awarded in this division. This division shall include all points earned by a school in all competitive divisions during the year.

Sweepstakes Points

In multiple panel final rounds: if there is a tie for First, Second, or Third, the points for that place and the next will be totaled and divided and awarded to each.

Individual Events

• Students entered in novice division are allowed to enter a maximum of two events (one per pattern).
• Students entered in junior or senior division are allowed to enter a maximum of four individual events and a maximum of two events in either pattern.
• Students may enter a maximum of 2 Duo-Interpretations providing each entry is with a different partner.

Debate and Readers Theater

• A contestant may enter only one form of debate or Readers Theater per day.

1. Forfeit Rule

• In debate, any contestant who is late five (5) minutes past the posted starting time of the round is subject to forfeiture at the discretion of the tournament director.
• At the Fall and Spring Championship Tournaments, students shall indicate their individual physical attendance to the tournament staff at least fifteen minutes before the beginning of the debate. Failure to comply shall result in the team being dropped.

2. Rate of Speaking in Debate

Rate of speed in debate rounds should not have a deleterious impact on other students and/or the judge’s ability to engage in the activity. Violations of this principle may result in the loss of the round in which the violation occurs.

3. Topic Selection Process for IPDA & Parliamentary Debate

Topics shall be constructed and vetted by the resolution committee consisting of a variety of coaches from Southern California. The Committee will be appointed by the President of PSCFA. The Resolution Committee will provide the resolutions to the Tournament Director the Tuesday before the tournament begins.

4. Pairing Procedures

• The Tournament Director, in consultation with the Director of Debate, determines when debate divisions should be collapsed. To the extent possible, each division of debate should be guaranteed 5 or 6 preliminary rounds with fair, equitable, and full competition.
• No debate team shall have more than one bye at a given tournament. This procedure is not intended to include forfeits.
• If 35% or more of the teams in junior or senior division come from the same school, those teams from the same school could meet each other, at the discretion of the Tournament Director if necessary to run the event. However, the Tournament Director should use critics from different schools, whenever possible.
• If 25% or more of the teams in novice and rookie division come from the same school, those teams from the same school could meet each other, at the discretion of the Tournament Director if necessary to run the event.
• When both teams are from the same school, PSCFA will allow the debate to be judged by a critic of the same school.

5. Time Limits

Parliamentary Debate Speech Order:

1. Prime Minister (Government) — 7 minute Constructive
2. Leader of the Opposition — 8 minute Constructive
3. Member of the Government — 8 minute Constructive
4. Member of the Opposition — 8 minute Constructive
5. Leader of the Opposition — 4-minute Rebuttal
6. Prime Minister — 5-minute Rebuttal

6. Novice, Junior, and Senior Division — Team Composition

• Single person debate teams are not allowed.
• Four-person debate teams are not allowed.
• Three person teams are allowed; only two may speak.
• Debaters can earn speaker awards as long as they participate in all scheduled preliminary rounds and must be identified to the debate director at the beginning of the tournament.
• Hybrid or split teams are allowed to compete. The sweepstakes points will be divided evenly between the two schools and appropriate awards provided.

7. Breaking Brackets

PSCFA adopts the policy of breaking brackets in debate using the criteria of:

1. Protecting the highest seed
2. Changing the fewest number of brackets
3. Preserving original bracket order

8. Coding System

All debate entrants will be identified by their college or university name and their last name for Lincoln Douglas debate (e.g., Moorpark Perez) or the initials of the teams’ last names for team debate (e.g., Riverside CT).

9. Rookie Division Debate Rules

• Rookie debate may be power-matched, at the discretion of the TD.
• Hybrid, split teams and three-person and four-person teams are allowed.
• Judges are strongly encouraged to provide positive oral critiques.
• Single person debate teams are not allowed.
• Counterplans are prohibited.
• All debates in rookie division will be given wins and losses.
• Rookie may only be collapsed into novice division at the Warm-Up and Cool-Off tournaments.

1. The National Parliamentary Debate Association’s (NPDA) National by-laws will serve as guidelines for PSCFA Tournaments.
2. Section 5, Part B, points 1 and 2 from the NPDA bylaws will govern PSCFA Tournaments.
3. Each sanctioned tournament will offer three (3) divisions of parliamentary debate: novice, junior, and open. At the Fall and Spring Championship and Cool-Off tournaments, Rookie divisions of NPDA debate shall be offered.
4. If necessary, the tournament director will be allowed to double-flight debates, at their discretion, during the assigned time.
5. Before each sanctioned tournament, both an informational sheet and an instructional period will be offered before the initial round of debate.
6. Competitors are allowed to consult materials between topic announcement and the beginning of the 1st Speech. Outside materials are not allowed in the debate. Members of the Tournament Staff involved in the formulation of the topics shall be precluded from coaching on those topics.
7. Electronic retrieval of information is permitted during preparation time. Students must provide their own power source. The security of electronic devices is not the responsibility of PSCFA or the host school and will not be guaranteed.
8. Electronic/laptop flowing by debaters in a round is not allowed.
9. Competitors will not be permitted to consult with anyone besides their partner and the judge for the round during preparation time. Group preparation will not be allowed.
10. The announcement of the topic to be debated will occur in a common area. The time allotted for preparation shall be 20 minutes prior to the start of the debate. The topic announcer shall indicate the time at which all debates shall begin.
11. When possible, the Director of Debate shall ensure that all ballots are available prior to the announcement of the topic.
12. When possible, the Director of Debate will provide a live document that will post judge and room changes throughout the tournament, especially after announcement.
13. For the first two preliminary rounds of competition, the same policy topic shall be debated by all teams (except for those who receive a bye), once on the government and once on the opposition.
14. The Tournament Director shall ensure that the topic is announced 45 minutes prior to the beginning of Round One.
15. All teams participating in the tournament must register with the tournament staff no later than fifteen minutes after the announcement of the topic.

• NFA Lincoln-Douglas Debate is a one-person, persuasive, policy debate on traditional stock issues. It is a communication event consistent with the philosophy governing other individual events.
• Competitors will be evaluated on their analysis, use of evidence, and ability to effectively and persuasively organize, deliver, and refute arguments. Rapid-fire delivery (“spread delivery”) is considered antithetical to the purpose and intent of this event.
• NFA rules will be followed unless otherwise specified.
• There will be three divisions.
• Sweepstakes points will be one-half team debate points.
• There will be no Rookie division.
• Evidence Rule: When providing evidence to opponents and judges, competitors must only provide evidence read during the previous speech(es) in that round. The evidence must include the entire context of the paragraph(s) without the use of ellipses. The font size of the evidence shall be legible. Copies of articles printed in their original size will be exempted. A paper copy of evidence is required unless both competitors and the critic agree to digital texts before the beginning of the first speech of the round. The evidence must be returned by the end of the round or deleted. Exchange of evidence (whether paper or digital, whether flashing or email) should happen during the time of cross-examination. If that time exceeds the allotted time of cross-examination, the additional time will be deducted from the preparation time of the competitor providing said evidence. Debaters are prohibited from doing online research during the round.

Novice NFA-LD Packets

Each sanctioned tournament shall offer three (3) divisions of NFA-LD debate: novice, junior, and open. Beginning in the Fall 2019 semester, the novice division at all PSCFA tournaments is subject to the following restrictions on the use of evidence:

1. In the novice division, competitors are restricted to using the evidence packet produced for the current NFA-LD topic by the evidence packet standing committee. Novices shall not use any evidence that is not included in the evidence packet.
2. Novices are permitted to modify the presentation and formatting of the evidence cards contained in the evidence packet. This includes, but is not limited to:
   • Writing new taglines
   • Re-underlining cards to change which portions of the text are read orally
   • Rearranging the selection and/or ordering of cards in a case
   • Writing introductions or other arguments that do not refer to outside evidence
   • Novices may NOT add additional text from the original source to a card or make any modifications that alter the fundamental intent of the original argument.
3. For any given competitive year, if the committee is not formed and/or an evidence packet is not generated, this rule shall be suspended and novices will be allowed to compete without the use of an evidence packet.

In the event this rule is suspended, the PSCFA Secretary will notify constituents before the PSCFA Warm-Up tournament.

Enforcement

1. If a novice competitor is found to be in violation of the preceding evidence restrictions during the tournament, the tournament director shall take the following actions as appropriate:
2. The competitor shall forfeit all rounds in which a violation occurred. The violator’s opponents in these rounds shall receive byes.
3. If it is not possible for the competitor to continue in the novice division (e.g., because they do not possess a copy of the novice evidence packet), the tournament director shall have the discretion to move the competitor to the next-highest division or disqualify the competitor from the tournament.

1. IPDA shall be offered at all PSCFA tournaments.
2. At Fall and Spring Champs only, IPDA shall be double-flighted.
   • All schools must provide one judge for every three IPDA entries or fraction thereof.
   • The tournament director and tab staff shall make every reasonable effort to schedule each judge for no more than three prelim rounds.
   • The tournament director, at their discretion, may single flight elimination rounds to accelerate the schedule.
3. Topics will be announced in-round with 5 topics (2 value, 2 policy, 1 metaphor) provided for strikes. Negative strikes first, and then turns are taken until one topic remains to be debated.
4. Debaters will not be allowed to consult any other person during prep time. IPDA debaters will be allowed paper and/or electronic research material, which may be quoted or paraphrased from notes during the round, but not read directly, as extemporaneous delivery is required.
5. Time Limits:
   • Affirmative Constructive — 5 minutes
   • Cross Examination — 2 minutes
   • Negative Constructive — 6 minutes
   • Cross Examination — 2 minutes
   • First Affirmative Rebuttal — 3 minutes
   • First Negative Rebuttal — 5 minutes
   • Second Affirmative Rebuttal — 3 minutes
6. IPDA will utilize lay judges whenever possible. IPDA student judges should be exempt from judging eligibility constraints or regulations. Tournament host schools reserve the right to limit entries due to room constraints.
7. IPDA will have a central draw location in what will be the Extemp prep room for Individual Events.

PSCFA defers to the rules of the national organizations (AFA, NFA, Phi Rho Pi), if their rules are less restrictive, in any case where event descriptions conflict with the specific event descriptions listed below.

1. Forfeit Rule

In individual events, any contestant who has not arrived in their posted room one hour after the posted starting time of the round is subject to forfeiture at the discretion of the tournament director.

2. Paneling

• When Individual Events have five or fewer contestants entered, the event shall be collapsed into one open division.
• Junior and Senior events with less than 10 entries shall be combined into an Open Division for both preliminary and elimination rounds.
• We will award a Top Junior in those Open Divisions (where combined) with appropriate sweepstakes points. Sweepstakes points will be awarded for only one division.
• Novice Division shall be protected except for instances of less than four (4) participants in that division. Only then shall Novice and Junior Divisions be collapsed. Division anonymity shall be protected.
• For Open Division, Fall and Spring Championships Tournaments, events of 30 or more will go to a semifinal round. Sems will occur during Pattern A finals.
• Triple and quadruple entries will be permitted during this round.
• All event rounds will have a cap of 6 competitors. Judge coverage will be 1 judge for every 5 IE entries or fraction thereof in a single pattern.

Festival Finals

For Junior and Novice Divisions only. When there are 30 or more entries, multiple panels in finals are held. The event director will separate, whenever possible, contestants representing the same school. Each final panel shall be equally weighted. Students should be rank ordered based on preliminary scores and then placed into panels, as to balance the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Previous Competitive Use of a Speech

Unless otherwise specified, a speech that has been used in a previous school year (high school or college competition) cannot be used during the current forensics season. A topic/speech/selection used exclusively at the Cool-Off may be used the following year at PSCFA events.

Event Descriptions

The four PSCFA Tournaments will use the AFA event descriptions except where they conflict with PSCFA rules.

1. Plagiarism

PSCFA endorses the American Forensic Association’s statement concerning Plagiarism:

“In individual events that involve original student speech compositions (persuasion, informative, speech to entertain, communication analysis, impromptu, extemporaneous, or other similar speaking contests), the speaker shall not commit plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as claiming another’s written or spoken words as one’s own or claiming as one’s own a significant portion of the creative work of another. A speech in individual events competition is considered plagiarized when the student presenting it was not the principal person responsible for researching, drafting, organizing, composing, refining, and generally constructing the speech in question.”

2. Individual Event Descriptions

D. Regulations for Appeals & Protests

All appeals and protests cannot be made until after the round has completed.

1. New events may only be proposed by affiliates of PSCFA member schools in good financial standing.
2. New event proposals will only be voted on at the fall PSCFA coaches conference.
3. All proposals require a “New Event Proposal Form” (provided by PSCFA) to be submitted electronically to the PSCFA President by September 1st of the proposal year. The President will make every possible effort to post all received proposal forms on the PSCFA website and/or circulate them via email to the membership by the Tuesday prior to the Fall Coaches Conference.
4. For new events that have not been previously offered at multiple tournaments within the region, it is strongly suggested that the proposal include a live or video demonstration (or partial demonstration) at the Fall Coaches Conference during a Saturday afternoon session.
5. All new events require one year of “experimental event” status before they may be proposed for permanent adoption.
6. Experimental events will be offered with no entry fees. Awards will be in the form of certificates and the events will not count for sweepstakes. Results will not impact an individual student’s eligibility at other PSCFA tournaments.
7. Experimental events will automatically sunset after one year. A resubmission of the request is required after the first year for extension of experimental status or permanent adoption.
8. Tournament directors have the discretion to limit entries for experimental events based on practical considerations.
9. If a new event is approved, the sponsor should be prepared to present a live student demonstration of the event with coach commentary at the Fall Demonstration Seminar of the first year the event is offered. Scheduling is at the discretion of the seminar director.
10. Events may be extended on an experimental basis for an additional year through resubmission of documents the following fall.
11. To propose permanent addition of an event, the sponsor (or designee) must present written analysis at the following year’s PSCFA Fall Coaches Conference along with a new event proposal form.
12. It is strongly suggested that supplemental documentation for the proposal include survey results from both coaches and students about the event.
13. Events that are not approved for permanent adoption can be resubmitted in future years.

1. The New Event Proposal must include specific information as provided in the Proposal Form.
2. A copy of the New Event Proposal will be provided by the Executive Secretary of PSCFA and can be found on the PSCFA website.

PSCFA aims to provide tournament directors, coaches, and competitors with clear resources and expectations that prioritize the safety and well-being of all participants. The following is a recommended safety checklist for all PSCFA participants:

• Exchange emergency contact information with all team members.
• Verify emergency contact information for team members.
• Identify a designated Coach of the Day for your school.
• Ensure all team members know the location of:
  • Tournament Tab Room
  • Wellness Room
  • Restrooms and building exits
  • Team Meet Up location in the event of an emergency
• Review campus emergency protocols provided by the host school.
• Make sure all competitors have their school’s coach/representative’s phone number saved in their phones.

All host institutions must provide:

• A visible and accessible first aid kit.
• An emergency preparedness kit including flashlights, basic medical supplies, and contact numbers for local emergency services.
• At least one additional case of bottled water available for emergency use.

• Each attending school must designate a “Coach of the Day.”
• A sign-in sheet will be located at the judges table where coaches will list their name and contact information.
• The Coach of the Day is responsible for handling emergencies or rule clarifications for their team.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances (e.g., natural disaster, emergency, campus shut down, or other safety concerns), the tournament director, in consultation with the PSCFA Executive Council, will determine whether the tournament is cancelled or not. It is up to the TD and PSCFA Executive Council if the tournament continues or not.

• PSCFA tournaments shall provide name tags for all registered coaches and judges (potentially buttons, lanyards, stickers, etc.).
• This will allow students to identify who is who, so that if an emergency were to happen, they could approach another coach and ask for help.

A. Host Credits

• PSCFA will credit $300 to the account of Tournament Hosts or waive entry fees, whichever is greater.
• The host school is still responsible for all judging and/or nuisance fees.
• Up to three hosts working in tabroom may cover the host school’s judging commitment.

B. Tournament Host Incentive

• A facilities fee of $35 will be added to the fee sheets at Fall Champs, Spring Champs, and Cool-Off.
• All facilities fees collected will be given to the host school.
• The host school can choose to have a check cut directly to the school or to keep the money with PSCFA.

C. Contributions to the Tournament Invitation

• An area map showing access routes to the college.
• A campus map indicating the location of headquarters and parking.
• A list of restaurants in the area.

D. Reservations of Rooms and Facilities

• An adequate number of rooms for the tournament should be reserved.
• An appropriate room for the awards assembly should be reserved.
• Hotel reservations for hired judges if necessary. PSCFA will authorize and pay for tournament host schools to secure up to two four-person hotel rooms for guest paid judges who must commute more than 30 miles each way to the tournament. The tournament host shall assign the rooms on a first call, first-serve basis, with sensitivity to gender-based assignments. The maximum allowable amount to be reimbursed is $250.00 per tournament.
• A school hosting the Fall Coaches Conference will be reimbursed up to $600 for expenses for facilities fees and coaches’ amenities. The Host School will coordinate all costs.

E. Equipment and Supplies

The host should make available necessary quantities of supplies including: pencils, paper, paper clips, rubber bands, computer paper, tape (scotch and masking), large felt tip markers, stapler and staples, white business envelopes, computer printer cartridges, ballot envelopes, scissors, etc. The host should also make available necessary equipment including copier, extension cords, power strips, etc.

F. Clerical Help

A sufficient number (5–10) of clerical helpers and messengers (students, friends, etc.) are to be obtained through recruitment from the host school.

G. Food for Judges and the Tab Room

The tournament host will provide vegetarian-friendly meals for judges and the tab room. PSCFA will reimburse a maximum of:

• $10,000 for Fall Champs
• $8,000 for Spring Championship Tournaments
• $3,500 for Warm-Up
• $3,000 for the Cool-Off Tournaments

Host school will provide receipts for these expenses. The Host will provide the food at a time and distribute in a manner which best ensures all coaches and judges are given the opportunity to receive the food (as close to a time between rounds as possible). The Executive Treasurer and/or Secretary is authorized to provide an extra $200 if there are extenuating circumstances. Hosts will (when possible) provide multiple wellness locations.

H. Financial Responsibility and Reimbursement

PSCFA will provide $300 to the Host School for expenses incurred in those instances when the host school cannot meet the expenses of providing the above materials (except food). The host school can petition the Executive Committee for reimbursement not to exceed $300 and will provide receipts.

I. Award Duties

Host School will be responsible for award set-up coordination.

• The tournament director shall select and appoint tab room staff.
• The tournament director shall limit tab room personnel to a maximum of 12 persons including apprentices but excluding tournament host(s). A maximum of three tournament host(s) shall be allowed.
• Individual event directors who are covering judging commitments for debate and/or readers theater entries must be willing to judge 2 rounds of debate or reader’s theater on the Friday of the tournament, should it become necessary. Debate and Readers Theater event directors who are not busy with other tournament tasks should be willing to judge rounds on the Sunday of the tournament if necessary.
• The tournament director should contact the Executive Secretary for a list of persons interested in being a tab room apprentice. The tournament director is encouraged to use a minimum of 2 apprentices in their tab room.
• The tournament director should ensure that the tab room is closed.
• The Directors of PSCFA Tournaments shall select an apprentice to act as Tournament Assistant. The Director is encouraged to mentor the Apprentice prior to the Tournament. Said Apprentice shall be included within the 12-person limitation on Tab Room Staff.
• PSCFA tournament directors should make every effort to support and encourage the maintenance of the mental health of the community by doing one or more of the following:
  • Have a designated quiet room.
  • Incorporate language on Individual Event ballots that the judge reads in the round which includes the following statement:

“PSCFA acknowledges that the topics and literature of certain pieces can be very triggering for certain audiences. In the interest of supporting and encouraging the maintenance of the mental health of students, audience members and competitors are allowed to quietly leave the room in between speeches if triggered by a performance in order to ground and collect themselves. Competitors should be allowed to re-enter the competition room in between speeches. Judges should not punish or reprimand competitors for doing so.”

• If the competitor requests it, judges should give students a moment to ground themselves before a speech.

It is the duty of the tournament director to prepare and distribute the tournament invitation one month prior to the tournament. The tournament invitation should be posted to forensicstournament.net and emailed to the PSCFA Executive Secretary to disseminate. The tournament invitation should contain the following items:

1. A letter of invitation, dates, time, and place of the tournament.
2. A list of officials, including Host, Tournament Director, and Event Directors. Telephone numbers should be indicated for Host and Tournament Director.
3. Divisions, eligibility requirements, conflict patterns, and any other type of registration limitation should be clearly marked and defined. The tournament director should also consult the most recent PSCFA minutes for changes in rules and procedures.
4. Time schedule for tournament including registration period, all round times, awards, and any special events.
5. Registration information including fees, registration deadline, fee assessment deadline, change(s) deadline, drop deadlines.
6. Awards and elimination procedures.
7. An area/campus map with information including clear parking instructions, registration location, and any special campus regulations.

The Tournament Director shall post all tournament results to forensicstournament.net within 48 hours of conclusion of tournament. The posting shall include the Impromptu, Extemporaneous, and Parliamentary Debate topics used.

• In those instances when the Tournament Director cannot meet such expenses, a Tournament Director should complete their duties and PSCFA will reimburse the Tournament Director a maximum of $200.00.
• PSCFA will credit a maximum of $300 to the account of the School of the Tournament Directors for Fall and Spring Championships, and $150 for the Tournament Directors of the Warm-Up and Cool-Off.

1. Judges will arrive at the ballot table at least 10 minutes prior to the start of each round and will remain in the judges’ area until the table announces that judges are released.
2. Judges will promptly return completed ballots to the judges table upon completion of the round.
3. Judges shall not provide oral critiques in a non-debate event prior to turning in their ballots.
4. Judges shall provide accurate time signals for students in all limited preparation events and debate.
5. Judges are obliged to provide detailed and constructive written criticism of any and all rounds of competition they evaluate.
6. Each judge shall render an unambiguous win/loss decision in each debate round as well as unambiguous points and rank in each preliminary round.
7. Judges have the discretion to disclose decisions and provide oral critiques in debate, if it does not impact the tournament schedule.
8. The Tournament Director has the discretion to remove a judge from a round based on potential conflict of interest.
9. Judges will sign-in at tournaments. Judges will verify that they are there; that the commitment listed is correct. Judges will also provide a cell phone number (if they have one).
10. PSCFA will have a sign-in/check-in process at the Judges Table for judges hired by the tournament director.
11. All Hired Judges and ICCs (Institution Contracted Critics) must sign PSCFA Judge Payment Form (W-9) and specific tournament paperwork to receive payment by check.
    • Any school paying tournament fees via credit card shall be assessed a 4.71% surcharge for all ICC judge payments.
12. Schools with individuals who earn more than $1,999 per academic year in ICC judging fees will be charged $25 per overage to cover Tax Form 1099 preparation.

• The website manager shall oversee the PSCFA Website. The website manager shall be appointed by the Executive Committee each year and shall receive a $200 per year stipend.
• The website manager shall oversee implementation of the following:
  • Activation of links from the PSCFA calendar to web-based tournament invitations, and/or will post non-PSCFA tournament invitations if submitted electronically (as a courtesy to PSCFA member schools).
  • Maintain a list of certified judges.
  • Maintain a page where schools can advertise their programs to help recruit competitors, graduate students, and/or post faculty job openings.
• The website manager shall ensure the PSCFA website, and documents and videos posted to the website, comply with Section 508 accessibility standards to ensure access for users with disabilities.
• The website manager shall verify that electronic technologies used for PSCFA tournaments (registration websites, video-conferencing software, etc.) comply with Section 508 accessibility standards to ensure access for participants with disabilities.