Laird Lewis Registration Opens Monday

Jason Kline has issued a press release regarding the thirty-ninth annual Laird Lewis Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament; registration for the tournament opens on Monday, August 1.

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Vassar Round Robin Moves to Manhattan

The ninth annual Vassar Round Robin, which will be hosted on September 10 and 11, 2011, will feature two significant changes from past installments. The Round Robin will be held in Manhattan, at Collegiate School, and it will feature twenty-four debaters in three pods. (The winners of each pod will advance to a semifinal round, along with the top-ranking runner-up.)

Yale Registration Opens August 1

Registration for the nineteenth annual Yale Invitational opens Monday, August 1, 2011. Registration will be open for one week before slots begin to be confirmed. The tournament will take place at Yale University from September 23-25, 2011. Yale will offer TOC bids to quarterfinalists in LD, octafinalists in PF, and competitors in the super session of Congressional Debate.This year’s tournament is being directed by Max Dovala and Meredith Potter; both are members of Yale’s competitive debate team. The Yale Invitational tournament packet is available online.

VBI2011: Session 2 – Check-in Procedures

Check-in day is on Sunday August 7. Please use this information to help make your arrival and check-in run smoothly.

Everyone should download and print a copy of this map.

Click here to download a .pdf version.

-or-

Clicking the map will give you a larger JPG of the map.

ABOUT THE MAP
NOTE: Please ignore all of the outlined arrows on the map. If you enter campus at one of those entrances you are very likely to get lost. Please only enter through the SUNSET BLVD & BELLAGIO entrance in the Northwest corner of campus.

Students should keep a copy of this map with them at all times throughout camp. Please also program the office phone number into your phones.

For students, the best way to communicate with the office during camp is via text message.

On check-in day this is especially true. We *strongly* recommend that you contact us via text message if you have questions on August 7. The phone will be pretty tied up. We can receive texts more rapidly and respond (if necessary) using another phone. The main office number WILL stay pretty busy throughout the day.

ARRIVAL DAY PROCEDURES
if you are arriving by plane and are using the VBI shuttle
When you land proceed to baggage claim.
A VBI staff member will meet you there.
You will be walked to a shuttle that will take you to the campus.
if you are driving to campus
Directions:
From the 405, exit at Sunset Blvd. Go East.
At Bellagio, make a right into the UCLA campus.
At DeNeve Drive (the T-stop) make a right.
Make a right into Parking Lot 11.
Please remember to get a parking pass at the pay station.

SOME THINGS TO KNOW FOR CAMP:
- A typical day runs from 9:00am to 10:00pm (roughly). We will give around 90 minutes off for lunch and 90 minutes off for dinner. Some lab leaders may shorten meal times on certain days.
- The dining services at UCLA are rated number 1 in the country. You will be fed well with lots of options at every meal. They always have vegetarian and vegan options available.
- The amount of additional spending money you should bring is dependent on your own spending/eating habits. For residential students we provide 3 meals per day. Some students choose to order food at night. Some labs may walk in to Westwood to get Starbucks or Ice Cream. Although we really limit our lab leaders from doing this too often. There is only 1 meal that is not provided – that is dinner on the Sunday July 3 and Sunday August 14. We will be at the Santa Monica Pier. Students are responsible for their own meals. There is an ATM in the dorms.
- If you are a commuter we will let you know where to be picked up and dropped off about a week before camp starts. We have to find out from UCLA where to go.
- Students are only allowed to leave campus without a staff member ONLY if they are picked up by an adult with parental permission. You should fax signed permission to 208.248.9801.
- Basic linens are provided for students. This includes: Pillow, Pillow case, fitted sheet, flat sheet, blanket, towel.
- Students will have access to swimming pools, tennis courts, soccer field and the John Wooden Rec center during camp.
- Bedrooms are air conditioned with thermostats in each room. That being said, some students prefer to sleep at different temperatures. If you are a “cool room” sleeper, you may consider bringing a small fan.
- If, on the day of arrival, your flight is cancelled or delayed, please call our office right away at 330-3DEBATE (330-333-2283). We have staff waiting at each terminal. We will need to alert them of the change.

PACKING LIST
(Each student has different needs while away from home. These are all things that we recommend students have with them during camp.)

- If you have access to a laptop computer, we STRONGLY, STRONGLY recommend bringing it with you. We have access to two computer labs on campus. These labs do have limited hours and are first-come, first served. NOTE: If you are concerned with your student bringing their expensive laptop you might consider spending money for an inexpensive netbook. This would be perfectly fine for debate camp. http://www.amazon.com/Netbooks-Computers/b?ie=UTF8&node=679517011
- Notebook
- Pens
- Water Bottle
- Personal care and toiletry items
- Sweatshirt/light jacket (it does get cool at night)
- Flip Flops or Sandals
- Sunscreen
- Large towel if you plan on going swimming
- Laundry detergent
- Athletic shoes – the campus is big. There will be ample walking.

DO NOT PACK LIST
- Debate clothes. You will not have an occasion in which you will need to dress up.
- Illegal substances, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.
- A big library of books. We will have plenty for you to work on and read. It will just take up space in your bag. Plus, we want you to discover new stuff to read!
- Water guns, water balloons, or other items that lead to tomfoolery.
- Peanuts or snacks containing peanuts (people have allergies to peanuts that can be really sensitive)

MEDICATIONS
We will have a small refrigerator in the dorm to hold medication. At registration we will collect medication from those who would like to leave it with us. While we would strongly suggest that students leave their medication in our office in the dorm, we understand some students are perfectly fine remembering, securing and self-administering medication. Even if they are going to hold their own, we are going to ask that all students disclose what medication they have with them. This will remain confidential just with our office staff. We need to know this information in case someone gets ill. It is very important we know all medication they are taking. Please email us if you would like us to make sure to hold your child’s medication.

HOW TO REACH US DURING CAMP
During camp we have someone monitoring our phone 24 hours per day. If it is not an emergency we strongly recommend calling your child directly. We do like to keep our phone open for emergency situations. Our phone number during camp is 330-3DEBATE (330-333-2283). You can also email help@victorybriefs.com.

VBI2011: Session 2 Resolution

During the first week of VBI Session 2, debaters will use the resolution:

Resolved: Individuals have a moral obligation to assist people in need.

A couple of things to note:

Students should be prepared to debate by the second full-day of VBI (Tuesday). You will be given AMPLE TIME to work on your cases during camp. We just wanted to give people a heads-up in case you were interested in getting an earlier start.

** If you have never done LD before (and will therefore be in the novice lab), you will not debate as early.