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CHRISTIAN HOMESCHOOL SPEECH AND DEBATE
DEBATE RESOURCES
Ballots
Lincoln Douglas Value Debate
Parliamentary
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Parli Ballot 2024-25 (legal-size)
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Parli Ballot 2024-25 (Joy of Tournaments)
Team Policy
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TP Ballot 2024-25 (legal-size)
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TP Ballot 2024-25 (Joy of Tournaments)
Flowsheets
Lincoln Douglas
Parliamentary
Team Policy
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TP Flowsheet (legal-size)
Judge Orientation slides
Can be found on the Tournament Resource page under the Judging tab.
Lincoln Douglas Value Debate
At NITOC we announced all three resolutions,
The third most popular resolution from the Spring Vote which will be debated in the fall is:
Resolved: The acquisition of knowledge is an intrinsic good.
The next two resolutions are:
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Resolved: Mandatory national service is justified.
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Resolved: In U.S. law enforcement, accountability ought to be prioritized over effectiveness.
The order of the second and third resolutions will be announced on December 1.
The competition window for each resolution will be as follows:
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Resolution 1: October - December 31
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Resolution 2: January 1 - March 9
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Resolution 3: March 10 - NITOC
Team Policy Debate
In a close vote the following resolution was selected as the 2024-2025 TP resolution:
Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its policy on healthcare.
Resolution for 10/1/2024 – NITOC 2025
Please read the Stoa Board's Special Announcement regarding the Team Policy Debate Resolution.
Parliamentary Debate
Resolutions are announced/released prior to the beginning of each round.
Rules 2024-25
Evidence Standards
Click to view the document that outlines a set of recommendations for the use of evidence in debate rounds. These standards are not rules, but they are “best practices” that our organization wants to strongly encourage. Stoa has a commitment to high standards of ethics and accountability and believes that these standards advance these goals. This document begins with the biblical principles undergirding the specifics of the standards that follow.
Executive Summary of Changes
Click to view an executive summary of revisions made to Stoa debate documents for the 2024-2025 debate season. This summary is intended to help coaches and students note where revisions have been made.
Tab Qualifications
Tournaments will give checkmarks to the top 38% of the participating field in debate. Awarding the top 38% of the final tournament ranking standardizes the number of checkmarks we are currently awarding from each tournament for NITOC qualification. This change keeps the actual qualification percentage rate similar to previous seasons.
Past Resolutions
2023-2024
Lincoln Douglas:
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Resolved: The letter of the law ought to have priority over the spirit of the law.
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Resolved: National security concerns ought to be valued above individual rights.
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Resolved: A free press ought to prioritize objectivity over advocacy.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its energy policy.
2022-2023
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: Criminal justice ought to prioritize rehabilitation over retribution, restitution or deterrence.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its policy towards one or more countries in Europe.
2021-2022
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: In the field of biomedical engineering, restraint ought to be prioritized over scientific advancement.
Team Policy: Resolved: The USFG should substantially reform the use of Artificial Intelligence technology.
2020-2021
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: Economic stability is more important than economic growth.
Team Policy: Resolved: The USFG should considerably decrease its military commitments.
2019-2020
Lincoln Douglas: Culture ought to value assimilation over multiculturalism.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform its banking, finance, and/or monetary policy.
2018-2019
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: Criminal procedure should value truth-seeking over individual privacy.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its foreign aid.
2017-2018
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: Preemptive warfare is morally justified.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its transportation policy.
2016-2017
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: The needs of the public ought to be valued above private property rights.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its agriculture and/or food safety policy in the United States.
2015-2016
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: In formal education liberal arts ought to be valued above practical skills (from October 1, 2015 to January 30, 2016). Resolved: Developing countries ought to prioritize economic growth over environmental protection (from February 1, 2016 to April 30, 2016).
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its trade policy with one or more of the following nations: China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan.
2014-2015
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: When in conflict, an individual’s freedom of speech should be valued above a community’s moral standards (from October 1, 2014 to January 30, 2015). Resolved: The United States federal jurisprudence, the letter of the law ought to have priority over the spirit of the law (from February 1, 2015 to April 30, 2015).
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its electronic surveillance law.
2013-2014
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: The United States has a moral obligation to mitigate international conflicts.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its marine natural resource policies.
2012-2013
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: Privacy is undervalued.
Team Policy: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially reform its foreign military presence and/or foreign military commitments.
2011-2012
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: When in conflict, personal freedom ought to be valued above economic security.
Team Policy: Resolved: That the United States federal government should substantially reform its revenue generation policies.
2010-2011
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: A government’s legitimacy is determined more by its respect for popular sovereignty than individual rights.
Team Policy: Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its policy toward Russia.
2009-2010
Lincoln Douglas: Resolved: That competition is superior to cooperation as a means of achieving excellence.
Team Policy: Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its environmental policy.
Individual Policy Debate
Individual Policy Debate is no longer a Stoa pilot event. IP Debate will not be competed at NITOC. However, some Stoa tournaments will offer this form of debate.
Individual Policy Debate Contacts:
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Patsy Butman
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Joanne Quan