We have finalized our event camp schedule, and registration is now open. The registration deadline is June 4, 2011. We have dramatically expanded our event camp offerings, as well as offering 4 full weeks of policy debate. We thank you for helping make MSDI one of the fastest growing camps in the nation, and we are eager to serve you this summer!
2011 Online Registration Form (Click Here!)
You will still need to mail your deposit to complete your registration.
Read below to find out why MSDI is the fastest growing camp over the last few years! We've grown at a rate of about 20% yearly, largely on word of mouth. If you don't find the answer you are seeking, or if you want more detailed information, please contact us at EricMorris@MissouriState.edu.
but not so many that you get lost in the crowd.
MSDI Public Debate Day: June 25 & July 9, 2011
Please join the Missouri State Debate Institute (MSDI) this Saturday, June 25, to judge and offer feedback on public debate rounds discussing the future of the US Space Program!
The debate rounds will be held on the Missouri State University campus, in Craig Hall, at 9:30am and 2:00pm. Please arrive 15 minutes early; MSDI staff will have a table in the Craig Hall lobby (near the tent theater area), and will direct you to the appropriate classroom. Craig Hall is the building closest to the corner of Grand & National. You may park in Lot 22 (Yellow Commuter Lot just south of Grand) and get to Craig Hall via the underpass.
Although an RSVP is not required, it would help us plan for the events. You may RSVP, or get more information, by contacting MSDI Director Dr. Eric Morris at ericmorris@missouristate.edu or 417-496-7141. If you attend one or both rounds, we will provide lunch at 12:30pm in the Garst Dining Center to the first 25 volunteers who RSVP.
Missouri State Debate Institute offers opportunities for high school students to improve their skills in policy debate and other events. Although our normal curriculum relies upon judges with years of experience, many tournaments during the school year rely on judges with limited or no experience. Thus, we want our students to have an experience where they gather feedback from a wider range of perspectives. Even if you’ve never judged an academic debate before, we welcome you to join us and we will provide handouts giving you information about what to expect. You can find out more information about our institute at: http://debate.missouristate.edu/camp.htm .
The event will recur, with different students, on July 9th. The students will be debating the National Forensic League topic for 2011-2012, which is:
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.
A FOUR-week policy camp in the Midwest?
Based on the success of the 3 week option, we have expanded to offer options for 3 or 4 weeks. We will also have a 2nd two-week session. Here are all the policy debate camps in summer 2010:
2 Week Policy, 1st Session (June 19-July 2) ($600 Commuters, $1200 Dorm)
2 Week Policy, 2nd Session (July 3 - July 16) ($600 Commuters, $1200 Dorm)
3 Week Policy (June 19-July 9) ($800 Commuters, $1700 Dorm)
4 Week Policy (June 19-July 16) ($1000 Commuters, $2200 Dorm)
Our purpose is to accommodate the growing demand for camp dates that allow students to attend more than one workshop. Whether you attend one workshop or many, consider MSDI a great start to the summer.
Registration Deadline is now June 4.
The registration deadline for the 2011 MSDI is Saturday, June 4, 2011. Registration includes both the application (see above link) and $100 deposit. If you complete the application as the deadline approaches, but are unsure if your check will arrive by June 4, please contact the mail at this email: EricMorris@MissouriState.edu. If you were hoping to attend MSDI but cannot meet the deadline, please contact us with further details. We want you to attend, but the deadline helps us to finalize staffing arrangements and avoid housing over-charges.
Secondary Mailing, 2011
The initial secondary mailings willl be sent by May 1, 2011, to all who had applied prior to that date. New applicants should receive a secondary mailing promptly after application. The 2011 secondary mailing will also be available online (in case you misplace it), with two exceptions. First, we only send receipts by mail (but could send a duplicate if you request). Second, the Medical History form can be found on the Taylor Health Center website. Please note - you are not fully enrolled in the camp until a deposit has been received. If you apply, but are not able to send your $100 deposit within a week, please be in touch with Eric Morris about the details.
New dates, same high quality in 2011
Registration for the 2011 policy debate camp began March 1, 2011, and early registration expired April 1, 2011. Normal registration ends on June 4, 2011. If you are concerned about your registration arriving on time, please consider pasting your information into an email in addition to snail mail. Please note your registration is not considered official until the $100 nonrefundable deposit is received. The deposit protects us against fixed costs we cannot avoid when enrollees withdraw. Any money beyond the $100 will be refunded if you do not attend the camp.
The MSDI at Missouri State University is an excellent high school debate camp providing in-depth instruction at an incredible value:
MSDI graduates have consistently dominated the local debate circuit, and several other circuits. Many have qualified to NFL Nationals, the Tournament of Champions, and received sizeable college debate scholarships - in several cases, far above their cost of attending MSDI.
Our institute tournaments use a unique, day long preparation approach that allows for deep strategic planning. Although different from the tempo of normal season tournaments, past camp attendees have enjoyed this format because it teaches them everything they should do before a tournament to prepare for known opponents.
Our staff/student ratio is 8/1 or better, and many of the staff are current college coaches that have coached at the top levels of college debate. It's rare to get to work with such a staff at a camp price comparable to MSDI, and rarer still to have such staff as lab leaders.
Our camp size is typically around 50 - plenty for a good tournament, but not so many that you get lost in the crowd.
The Missouri State Policy Debate Institute is an appealing camp because:
1. Strong camp faculty
The policy camp is led by Dr. Eric Morris, the Missouri State Director of Forensics and Heather Walters, J.D., the Missouri State Asst Director of Forensics. Combined, they have taught at over 40 high school debate institutes, with several students that have gone on to qualify to the TOC & NFL nationals. They have coached teams to the elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament for six consecutive years. In 2008, the National Debate Tournament designed Dr. Morris as the "Coach of the Year," the highest award given to coaches on the basis of competitive success. Missouri State debate teams have consistently qualified to the NDT, with a current streak of 15 straight years, one of the longest active NDT streaks. Missouri State also won the JV National Championship in 2005, is often ranked in the top 10 for the NDT season sweepstakes, and received prestigious "1st Round At Large" bids to the National Debate Tournaments in 2006, 2008, and 2010. In 2008, they coached the top speaker and a semifinalist team at both the NDT and CEDA. Other anticipated 2011 staff members include:
Doowon Chung: Former Wake Forest Debater, and participant in NDT Elimination Rounds. Current Missouri State coach
Mike Kearney: Recent Missouri State Debater. First Round At-Large bid & 3rd seed at the 2010 National Debate Tournament. Quarterfinalist at CEDA.
Kristen Stout: Incoming Missouri State Coach, Qualifier to CEDA Elimination Rounds, & Greenwood High School Assistant Coach
Katie Frederick: Current Missouri State Debater & NDT Qualifier
Jace Gilmore: Current Missouri State Debater & NDT Qualifier
Wes Rumbaugh: Current Missouri State Debater & NDT Qualifier
2. Low Tuition
The Two-Week Policy Camp Tuition is only $600 for commuters, and $1200 for those staying in residence. The three week option is only $800 for commuters and $1700 in residence. Four week sessions run $1000 for commuters and $2200 in residence. This covers instruction, distribution of camp evidence, and access to the Missouri State library and computer facilities. The residence option covers all of these, plus room and board. An optional meal plan may be purchased by commuters as well. Our prices are cost competitive with all major camps, despite our strong faculty and and staff! You could easily save $1000 or more by selecting MSDI.
3. Emphasis on Practice Rounds
Last year, participants in the 2 week policy camp logged nearly 20 rounds each between practice rounds and the tournament. Our philosophy is that skills develop with effective practice, and we design our camp schedule to facilitate it. Students are given an evidence packet on the opening Sunday to allow rounds on the first Tuesday. Of course, there are several cases & negative positions written during the camp, progressively added before the tournament. Finally, students are given time for substantial strategy planning, including hands-on coaching, prior to each practice round. Several former students have commented that the up-tempo approach to practice rounds made MSDI a uniquely positive experience.
4. Low Student-Staff ratio
All our labs will have a student-staff ratio of 8:1 or better. Research and work time is supervised and collaborative with staff; all staff members – not just lab leaders - are available to students for research assistance, theory advice, practice rounds and practice speeches. The directors are closely involved with every phase of the camp. Our small camp size makes everyone easily accessible.
5. Great housing options
The camp housing should be in Missouri State's Hammons/New Hall complex, a fairly new facility using suite-style arrangements. Each room has high speed internet access and a full kitchenette. It is a short - and flat - walk from the library and campus instructional facilities.
6. Continuing assistance
Historically, many MSDI students stay in contact with the staff during their seasons, getting argument ideas and other coaching insights. We take an interest in students after they leave our camp.
7. Easy travel
Springfield is located in close driving distance for students in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The driving distance from Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana & Texas, while longer, is manageable. If students wish to fly to the Springfield- Branson regional airport, we will happily shuttle them for free on the camp's opening and closing days.
8. Endorsements
A. Nick Ramsey
Nick was a semifinalist at NFL Nationals in 2007. Here's what we says about the role Missouri State played: "Missouri State Debate Institute offers the best possible camp experience. After having gone to a big national camp, I came to truly appreciate what makes Missouri State's camp special. The lab leaders are really knowledgeable, and the camp is small enough that you get plenty of personal attention. They proved willing and able to work with debaters from all backgrounds and experience levels. Also, this camp is not an evidence mill - there is a strong emphasis on practice rounds, so a debater gets an incredible amount of experience in a short amount of time. Even though Missouri State's debate institute is cheaper than larger camps, the value is exponentially greater. I was enabled to compete both regionally and nationally based on what I learned at MSDI. I broke at nationals my sophomore year and then finished in semifinals my junior year - this would not have been possible without the helpful instruction I received at MSDI."
B. Samantha Nichols
Samantha was the top speaker at the DCI in Kansas (2011), and a multi-year NDT qualifier. She says: "MSDI was by far the best debate camp I ever went to. The focused practice rounds and great lectures set me up for a very successful debate season. Rather than being forced to a learn a style that may not be conducive to your region, you get smart advice that can be applied anywhere. The entire atmosphere of MSDI was awesome. You will leave MSDI with sharper skills, more confidence, and definitely some great friendships!"
In addition to Nick & Samantha, MSDI has also produced numerous students who qualified for NFL in policy debate, cleared at NFL in policy debate, accumulated Tournament of Champions bids, and competed at the TOC. Nonetheless, the camp is designed to accelerate the learning curve of students who may have considerably less experience or success.
The Missouri State Debate Institute: Event Camps Expand!
We are finalizing our event camp offerings for 2011. We expect to have all sessions and dates finalized before April 10, 2011. Please check back then, but enrollment for the policy camps is open now.
Many of our camps are designed with a basic session, followed by an advanced session. Students can select the one appropriate to their experience level, or enroll in both for a progression through the week. This unique structure keeps the camp afffordable (single sessions ranging from $50 to $150, based on the number of days) while also providing the chance for a comprehensive experience.
Each of the following mini-camps has a very low number to make, and you can select whichever camps fit your schedule. There were LOTS of students in most of the minicamps last summer, and we anticipate more students in the coming summer. Registration deposit is $100, which covers any number of event camps that you sign up for. The registration fee is NOT in addition to camp fees - it is just a partial pre-payment of the fee. Remaining camp fees, if any, are collected at the beginning of each camp. In the event that any individual camp does not "make," the registration fee will either be applied to other camps you select or will be refunded.
See the staffing page for more detail about each of the staffers.
Here is the 2011 event camp schedule (9am-6pm each day)
LD Debate Sessions:
June 21-22: L/D Sprint - Advanced (Chris Roberds) $100
July 5-6: Basic L/D (Chris Rothgeb) $150
July 7-9: L/D Sprint (Chris Rothgeb) $100
July 11-13: Basic L/D (Chris Roberds) $150
July 14-15: L/D Sprint - Advanced (Chris Roberds) $100
Public Forum Debate Sessions:
June 30-July 2: Basic Public Forum (Chris Roberds) $150
July 5-6: Public Forum Sprint - Advanced (Chris Roberds) $100
July 11-13: Basic Public Forum (Chris Rothgeb) $150
July 14-15: Public Forum Sprint - Advanced (Chris Rothgeb) $100
Other Events:
June 20: Intro to Forensics (Jr High Level) (Chris Roberds) $50 ($50 registration fee)
June 23-25: Intro to Debate (Policy, L/D & PuF) (Chris Roberds) $150
June 27-29: Public Affairs Advocacy (Extemp, Congress & Oratory) (Chris Roberds) $150
July 5-6: Vocal Events (Storytelling, Prose, Poetry) (Danielle Rothgeb) $100
July 7-9: Intro to Debate (Policy, L/D & PuF) (Chris Roberds) $150
July 11-12: Interpretation (HI, DI, Duo) (Danielle Rothgeb) $100
Find out more, or sign up now!
Here are links to other pages that will help you decide if MSDI is right for you:
Camp Staff: This page provides a list of MSDI anticipated staff members, and will be updated as the camps' size grows.
Frequently Asked Questions: This page can provide you will answers to many of the common questions, and many be updated in response to student questions.
Online Registration Form (Click Here!)
You will still need to mail your deposit to complete your registration.
If you don't find the answer you are seeking, or if you want more detailed information, please contact us at EricMorris@MissouriState.edu.
Please write, phone, or email us:
Eric Morris, Director
Missouri State Debate Institute / Debate Scholar's Academy of Missouri
Dept of Communication, Craig 366A
Missouri State University
901 S. National Ave
Springfield, MO 65897
Phone:
Director's Office: (417) 836-7636
Asst Director's Office: (417) 836-6564
Email:
Camp E-Mail:
Director's E-Mail: EricMorris@MissouriState.edu
Asst Director's Email: HeatherWalters@MissouriState.edu