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Wow! I'll be excited to see this event even though I'm a bit afraid to take part in such happenings myself yet 

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January 8th, 2018

On behalf of the James Madison University and JMU Debate we are pleased and excited to invite you to compete for the Madison Cup at the 19th annual James Madison Commemorative Debate and Citizens Forum on Thursday, April 18, 2019.

The James Madison Commemorative Debate and Citizens Forum, a unique intercollegiate debate competition, combines the excitement and challenge of tournament competition with the relevance and empowerment of a public audience and audience participation.   

We are pleased to continue our partnership with The Arthur N. Rupe Foundation. Funding provided by the Rupe Foundation allows us to award prize money to the top ten teams and top twelve debaters, as well as to provide travel stipends for three qualifying teams.

2019 Topic: The United States federal government should significantly reduce executive authority over immigration.
Other cool and unique features:
•   $30,000 in prize money
•   Debating and competing in front of public audiences
•   No entry fees
•   Continental breakfast, snacks, and lunch provided
•   Great PR for your debate program
•   Madison Cup traveling trophy

The tournament details are enclosed with this letter.  If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We look forward to hosting you in April!

Mike Davis, Ph. D.               
Director, Madison Cup Debates         
Office of the President         
James Madison University            
(O) 540-568-5646               
(E-mail) davismk@jmu.edu            
 

 
Background: The James Madison Center for Civic Engagement presents the Madison Cup in the spirit of James Madison's ideal that a republican democracy is healthy only when informed and civil debate thrives. The Arthur N. Rupe Foundation serves as the sponsor for the 2019 Madison Cup, and we are humbled by their continued commitment to furthering public debate. They have agreed to maintain team, student awards, and travel stipends for teams that qualify through the application process outlined below.

We are hopeful that this year’s competition will be the strongest field that we have had, so please enter early.
 
Eligible Participants:  Each school may enter one two-person team.  The debate is open to undergraduate students who are in good standing at their respective institutions.  Second teams will be considered on a case-by-case basis, if space permits. 

Competition Format:  The debate uses a “long table” format.  This is a public debate.   Last year there was an audience of around 500 people for the final round, preliminary rounds were smaller (audiences of 20-30 people).   The “long table” format features three (two person) teams on each side of the question.  Speeches start with the affirmative and alternate between the affirmative and negative throughout the debate.  Teams are randomly assigned to sides and speaker positions.  In other words, if a team is selected to be the first affirmative, they will give the first two affirmative speeches in the debate.  The first and last speeches on each side of the question are uninterruptible.  Any member of the opposing team may interrupt the speeches in the middle of the debate in order to ask the speaker to yield to a question.  Speakers are not required to answer these questions (although not answering questions may cause the audience to think that the speaker is “dodgy”).  Please see the example format below for more information.  You can view videos of previous final rounds: http://www.jmu.edu/debate/madison-cup/index.shtml (under the history tab).

Jury Adjudication Procedure:  A three to seven member panel, or jury, will adjudicate the debate.  Juries will be comprised of local residents, students, professors, distinguished JMU alumni, and special invited guests.  At the completion of the debate, the panel will adjourn to discuss, deliberate and decide upon the winners as a group.  The jury votes for (2-person) teams, not sides of the question.  In other words, first place could go to an affirmative team, while second place could be awarded to a negative team. 
 
Tournament Procedures:

•   Number of rounds: This year we will offer three preliminary rounds of debate and one final round.

•   Switch side debate: Each team will debate at least once on the affirmative and once on the negative. 

•   Side & position:  Sides (affirmative or negative), and positions (first affirmative team, first negative team, second affirmative team, etc) for the preliminary debates will be determined by random drawing.

•   Judging: Judges will rank teams 1-6 in each preliminary debate, and assign each team quality points based on a one hundred point scale (1-100).

•   Advancing to the final round: The six teams (maximum of one from each school) with the lowest total ranks will advance to the final round.  Quality points will be used to break ties.

•   Sides and Speaking Positions in the final round:  Sides and speaking positions in the final round will be based on seeding after the preliminary rounds.  For example, the first seeded team will choose their “side and position,” then the second seed will choose “side and position,” and so on.

Public Participation:  While the jury deliberates, the floor will be opened for audience comments and speeches.  An award for the best floor speech will be presented.  Local newspapers, politicians, and the general public are invited.

Awards:  The first place team will leave with the Madison Cup—a very nice traveling trophy. Once again this year there is a $30,000 purse of team prize money.  All participants in the final round will be recognized with awards.

      Prize money will be awarded as follows:
      1st place: $5000.00 donation to your debate program
      2nd place: $3000.00 donation to your debate program
      3rd place: $2000.00 donation to your debate program
      4th—6th place: $1000.00 donation to your debate program
7th-10th place: $500.00 donation to your debate program

Any student who participates in the final round will receive a prize to be distributed in the form of a scholarship. The top team will receive $2,000 per student and the remaining students in the final round will receive $1,000.

Entry:  There are no entry fees. We can accommodate a field of 36 teams.  Entry is on a first come, first serve basis.  The first 18 teams to enter are guaranteed a spot in the field, after that we will accept teams if we can generate a field divisible by 4 or 6.  Deadline for entry is February 28th.  Early registration is necessary so we can determine how many debates there will be in each round.  Send school info, team info (first and last names of debaters), and requests for additional teams to:  Dr. Mike Davis, davismk@jmu.edu

Travel Stipend: This year we are pleased to offer a travel stipend of $2,000 to three teams that are able to demonstrate that they would add significantly to the quality and diversity of teams participating in this year’s competition. In addition to these stipends we are also able to offer and additional $4,000 in smaller stipends to schools that are on the East Coast or schools that only require partial assistance. Please email completed letters of application to davismk@jmu.edu

Your application for a travel stipend should be submitted by February 28th. We will use the following criteria when deciding which teams are awarded the stipend:
•   Quality of Team- What is the team’s competitive success? Do they have prior public debate experience?
•   Diversity- How does the team add to the diversity of the event? Things such as regional, institution, debate format will all be considered.
•   Budget – What level of funding does your administration provide? How many students does that budget currently serve? Would the team be able to attend the competition otherwise?
•   Previous Competitor – Is your school new to the competition? Will participation in this event/receiving the stipend assist in future development of your debate program?

Lodging: We have reserved a block of hotel rooms at the Hotel Madison and Shenandoah Valley Conference Center, 710 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. To book using your direct link at https://res.windsurfercrs.com/ibe/details.aspx?propertyid=15115&nights=1&checkin=04/17/2019&group=JMUMC19
 
To book online using our website, go to https://www.hotelmadison.com/ and click Reserve Now to enter the code ¬¬¬¬JMUMC19 in the Group Code box, then click Reserve Now again. You will be taken to a screen where you can select your room type and enter payment details.
 
Guest can also call 540-564-0200 and say they are making reservations for the JMU Madison Cup and the dates they will be staying at the hotel.

Travel:  James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, VA, which is two hours southwest of Washington, D.C. on I-81.  If you plan to fly consider Dulles and Washington National/Reagan Airports in Washington DC (2 hours away), Richmond airport (2 hours away), Charlottesville airport (one hour away) and the Shenandoah Regional Airport (15 minutes away).  We will arrange transport from Shenandoah and Charlottesville, we’ll do our best to work with you from the others.
 

Schedule:

Thursday, April 18th, 2019:  James Madison Commemorative Debate and Citizens Forum

8:00 AM-9:00 AM: Registration and Announcements
9:30 AM: Preliminary debate round 1 (Madison Union)
11:00 AM: Preliminary debate round 2 (Madison Union)
1:00 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Preliminary debate round 3 (Madison Union)
6:00 PM: Final round (Memorial Auditorium)









 
Example Debate Format: The 2004 final round proceeded as follows.

1st Affirmative Speech (Wake Forest #1): (4 minutes) uninterrupted

1st Negative Speech (George Mason #1): (4 minutes) uninterrupted

2nd Affirmative Speech (Wake Forest  #2): (5 minutes):  The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

2nd Negative Speech (George Mason #2): (5 minutes): The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

3rd Affirmative Speech (Georgetown # 1): (5 minutes): The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

3rd Negative Speech (James Madison #1): (5 minutes): The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

4th Affirmative Speech (Georgetown #2): (5 minutes) The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

4th Negative Speech (James Madison #2): (5 minutes) The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

5th Affirmative Speech (Mary Washington #1):  (5 minutes) The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

5th Negative Speech (Towson #1): The first and last minute of the speech are uninterruptible.  In the 2nd-4th minutes of the speech any opposition debater may ask the speaker to yield to a question.  The speaker may accept, or decline the question.

6th Affirmative Speech (Mary Washington #2):  (4 minutes) Uninterrupted

6th Negative Speech (Towson University #2):  (4 minutes) Uninterrupted

Excited to announce the Call for Papers for a Special Issue on Identity, Performance, & Debate. Guest editors Dr. Shanara Ried-Brinkley and Shauntrice Martin are awaiting your submissions!

As we move into the next phase of our hiring process, I wanted repost the job announcement for an assistant coach position for 19-20 school year at Jesuit - if you have been thinking about applying or know someone who is, please have them contact me! 

OBITUARY
Joseph Craig Peery
March 27, 1971 – January 10, 2019
Obituary of Joseph Craig Peery
Beloved husband and father, Joseph Craig Peery Jr, 47 of Cary, North Carolina, passed away Thursday, January 10th surrounded by his family in his home.

Joseph was born, March 27, 1971 in New York City, and grew up in Utah. An award winning student, he graduated Timpview High School Provo, UT in 1989 and attended Wake Forest University on a debate scholarship. He and his wife Julie met in high school and began dating shortly after graduation. They were married in the Salt Lake City Utah Temple and moved to North Carolina shortly after.

Joseph graduated Wake Forest University, Magna Cum Laude with Honors in Economics. He was a successful Financial Advisor for over 20 years. His most recent position was with Wells Fargo advisors as a Senior Vice President of Investments of Thomas and Peery Wealth Management group.

Joseph was a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the age of 19 he served for two years in the England, Leeds Mission. He served faithfully in many positions of responsibility in the Church throughout his life, most recently he was on the the High Council of the Apex North Carolina Stake. Joseph always maintained a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon, and of Jesus Christ as his Savior, and readily shared his hope in Christ with everyone.

He had a naturally positive attitude and a cheerful temperament. He was a friend to all: loved by acquaintances, colleagues, members of his church and especially his wife and family.

He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Julie Ann Roberts Peery, children Joseph David Peery, Michael James Peery, Jonathan Charles Peery, Anna Elizabeth Peery and William Andrew Peery, father J.Craig Peery (Leslie), mother Irene W. Fox (Angus), sister Christie P. Skousen (Thomas) and brother Samuel J. Peery (Emily) and many loving nieces, nephews and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his daughter Rachel Emily Peery (June 2 1996 - January 22, 1997).

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, January 15th at 12:00pm at the Apex North Stake Center, 574 Bryan Drive, Apex NC.

The family will greet friends the evening of Monday January 14th from 7:00-8:00pm at the at the Apex Funeral Home, 550 W. Williams St. Apex, NC.

Joseph will be laid to rest next to his daughter, Rachel, in a family plot in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Joseph’s oldest son, David, is currently serving his two year mission in Ecuador, which brought great joy to his father; In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the General Missionary Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. www.ldsphilanthropies.org/missionary

William P. Ziegelmueller

Couldn't have said it better than Cov. The good ones always go too soon. RIP, Joe. Prayers for his family.

Jayne Craig-Smith

Oh no! This makes me so sad. What a great guy!

Bill Russell

Beautifully said, and such a terrible loss. Thoughts go out to his family and many friends

John Hughes

Well put Alan Coverstone. Been thinking about Joe and the early 1990s WFU debate squad all morning. So sad that three of the biggest personalities left us too soon. Life is short. Joe - or Provo Joe as he was affectionately referred to by some of us - was such a great guy. I remember walking into the squad room for the first time and he was the only one there. This big tall dude from Utah with a cool beard rocking out to some great tunes. He was instantly welcoming and made me feel like I belonged even though I was a 17 year-old no one (in the debate world) from Montana. Had many great times with Joe in in the squad room, at tournaments, on the basketball court, and watching our beloved Deamon Deacons rip it up in the ACC. We were together with a few others for WFUs 26 point blow-out win over Chapel Hill -- a game none of us would ever forget (six unanswered 3s by Childress to start the second half!). I learned a ton about debate from Joe. And I always admired and respected how Joe was a man of faith and proud of it, and yet fit right in to the debate community. Prayers to his family.