AFA-NIET
CHARTER
BY-LAWS
(last revised
November 2005)
The intent of the By-laws is to help further define the operational concerns of the AFA-NIET and clarify matters not explicit in the AFA-NIET Charter. Provisions included in the By-laws shall not undermine requirements and standards provided for in the Charter.
II. Ethical Concerns
A. The standard of ethics for schools and individual participants involved in the AFA NIET shall be consistent with those provided for in the American Forensic Association's Code of Ethics and those provided for in the AFA-NIET Charter and its By-laws as well as AFA-NIET Tournament Letters.
B. Competitor
Practices
NIET Competitors are expected to adhere to the“AFA
Code of Forensics Program and Forensics Tournament Standards for Colleges and
Universities” concerning preparation and performance of competitive events.
Specific standards include the following:
1. In individual events which involve original student speech compositions (oratory/persuasion, informative/expository, after-dinner/epedeictic, rhetorical criticism, impromptu, extemporaneous, or other similar speaking contests) the speaker shall not commit plagiarism.
a. 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.
b. 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. In interpretation events (prose, poetry, dramatic duo, program oral interpretation, etc.) the speaker(s)’ cutting shall be “in agreement with” the original text. Competitors are expected to indicate if modifications have been made in the original text. Competitors are expected to bring to tournaments a copy of the original inclusive text along with the student’s script.
3. Forensics competitors are expected to do their own research.
a. Persons other than competitor (undergraduate students, graduate students, or instructors/coaches) are not to be charged with the responsibility of doing a forensics competitor’s research.
b. This provision shall not be construed to prevent coaches or assistants from engaging in limited research designed to:
(1) Teach research techniques
(2) Provide examples of high quality research
(3) Identify areas of research for students
(4) Provide the coach with the working knowledge necessary to function as an effective critic with respect to the debate or speech topics being investigated by his or her students.
4. All forensics participants are expected to compete honestly and fairly. Students are not to intentionally perform badly in individual events rounds for the purpose of allowing other competitors to benefit as a result. Directors of Forensics, judges, and coaches are not to encourage dishonesty in competition by asking students to purposely do poorly in rounds of forensics competition.
C. Copyrighted
Material - Statement of AFA Guidelines:
The American Forensic Association endorses the concept of the
"face-to-face teaching exemption" for performance of copyrighted
materials as specified in The Copyright Law of the
The American Forensic Association supports the notion that competitive
forensics (e.g., speech/individual events/debate) tournaments/festivals are an
extension of the educational classroom and qualify as nonprofit educational
activities. Thus, forensics event categories such as oral interpretation of
literature, readers’ theater, oratorical speaking, and debate, performed in the
context of a forensic tournament/festival, are exempt from copyright
infringements. As the Law also states, instructors and pupils need not be
present in the actual classroom, but be in the same general vicinity for the
exemption to be in effect.
Forensics tournaments hosted by the American Forensic Association (AFA) or
acknowledged as AFA-sanctioned tournaments/festivals in the annual AFA Calendar
are considered exempt from copyright infringement if they meet the
aforementioned criteria.
D. AFA-NIET Ethical Use of Literature Policy:
1. Contestants may not rewrite a prose, a poem, or a dramatic text so the work differs from the original text.
2. Contestants may not add or reassign scenes or lines to the performed cutting. Although an occasional line might be added, especially if a character has been deleted, this practice should be discouraged.
3. Contestants may not rewrite the ending of a work.
4. Contestants may not rewrite lines to change the gender or person of a character.
5. Contestants may not perform a text in a genre for which it has not been written.
6. Protests should be filed according to AFA-NIET Charter and By-laws Section X.
E. Individual judges should not make ethical judgments when ranking/rating contestants. If an ethical question arises, the judge should contact the Tournament Director to explain his/her concern. The Tournament Director will then call the matter of the ethical concern to the attention of the NIET Chair for disposition of the matter by the NIET Committee.
F. To assist the NIET Committee in accurately assessing ethical disputes, the AFA-NIET recommends that coaches keep a file of student speeches and interpretation programs used at NIET for one year after the NIET in which it is performed.
G. Harassment of Coaches and Students
1. The AFA-NIET deplores the harassment of coaches or students by others after a student has already qualified an at-large event and continues to compete with that event in tournaments.
2. Individual member schools of the AFA-NIET should determine when and under what circumstances individual competitors should compete, without verbal or nonverbal intimidation from others.
3. The AFA-NIET upholds the right of the individual coach and student competitor to continue to compete in qualified events as often as they see fit, prior to the National Tournament.
H. Alcohol and Tobacco Policy: While at the host school, participants in the AFA-NIET are expected to respect the rules and regulations of the host institution pertaining to alcohol consumption and tobacco use.
A. To participate in AFA-NIET sanctioned activities a school must:
1. Be an accredited (or pursuing accreditation) two or four-year college or university.
2. Be in good financial standing with the financial requirements established by the AFA-NIET Committee and the Board of Trustees.
3. Submit a $30 subscription fee to the District Chair by the December 1st deadline. Fees increase to $50 after December 1. All fees must be paid no later than registration for the District Tournament.
4. Pay appropriate registration fees for the District Tournament and NIET entries.
B. Schools that have not paid all fees encumbered from previous participation in the AFA-NIET shall not be permitted to participate at the District Qualifier or the NIET until such past due accounts are paid.
C. To participate in AFA-NIET sanctioned activities a student must be a full or part-time undergraduate student enrolled for a minimum of six hours. The minimum of six hours of required academic work must be taken at the institution the student is representing at the NIET. A student must be pursuing a program of study or an associate or baccalaureate degree at the institution they represent at the NIET.
1. A part-time student at an institution may not represent that institution at the NIET if they are also pursuing an associate or baccalaureate degree at another institution.
2. A student who has completed the requirements for an associate degree at an institution is no longer eligible to compete for that institution. A person is considered as possessing an associate degree upon his/her completion of requirements toward that degree and having been approved for graduation by his/her respective school.
3. An appeal for a waiver of these provisions may be made using the same procedures as outlined in the By-laws (IIIE) for students who have received bachelor degrees.
4. In determining the time of graduation, a student is considered as possessing a baccalaureate degree upon his/her completion of requirements toward that degree and having been approved for graduation by his/her respective school.
D. Students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA based on a 4.0 scale to be eligible for NIET competition.
E. Under unusual circumstances, involving valid educational or professional justifications, students who have received bachelor degrees may participate if:
1. The student has never competed in forensics as an undergraduate.
2. The coach who desires to let the student compete informs the chair of the NIET Committee of this decision and the reasons for it, and he/she agrees that the student has valid educational or professional reasons for participating. If there is a question concerning the student's reasons, the chair will consult with the student's District Chair and Regional Representative. The decision will be decided by a consensus of the three people.
3. Such students may participate for a maximum of two time blocks.
4. The above eligibility rules shall not restrict additional eligibility requirements established by the NIET Committee or by individual Tournament Directors.
F. Mid-year graduates may not compete at District Qualifiers. A student may not pursue at-large qualification status after the final day of the term in which he/she has met the requirements for graduation and has been approved for graduation by the student's respective school.
G. A student having qualified at-large in an event shall not be eligible to compete in that event at the District Qualifying Tournament.
H. No person shall be allowed to participate in more than four AFA-NIETs as a contestant.
1. In addition, contestants are limited to four national tournament years. A national tournament year is one in which a student competes in a national tournament of Pi Kappa Delta, Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha, Interstate Oratorical Contest, Phi Rho Pi, AFA-NIET, NFA, National Novice Tournaments, or any other national competition added to this list by the AFA-NIET Committee.
2. This rule is meant to exclude contestants who participate in individual events for more than four years at the national level from competing in the AFA-NIET.
I. No student who has competed in eight or more six-month periods (July 1-December 25, or December 26-June 30) in three or more tournaments per period of time will be eligible to compete in the AFA-NIET.
J. If a participant qualifies for the AFA-NIET while eligible under the preceding requirements and then graduates during the academic year, he/she will be permitted to compete in the NIET for that year. (Midyear graduates may not compete at District Tournaments.)
K. An undergraduate who judges in the open division of a forensics tournament (a division which qualifies for AFA- NIET at-large legs), permanently forfeits his/her eligibility to compete at the AFA-NIET District or National Tournaments.
L. Protests of eligibility must be made in writing and presented to the District Chairperson one week prior to the start of the AFA-NIET District Tournament and decisions concerning the protest shall be made by a vote of the District Committee. Unresolved cases shall be referred to the National Committee.
IV. Event Description and Guidelines
A. The AFA-NIET will offer competition in the following events and conflict patterns.
A EVENTS
Impromptu Speaking: An impromptu speech, substantive in nature, with topic selections varied by round and by section. Topics will be derived from quotations. Speakers will have a total of 7 minutes for both preparation and speaking. Timing commences with the acceptance of the topics sheet. Limited notes are permitted.
Informative Speaking: An original, factual speech by the student on a realist subject to fulfill the general aim to inform the audience. Audio-visual aids may or may not be used to supplement and reinforce the message. Multiple sources should be used and cited in the development of the speech. Minimal notes are permitted. Maximum time is 10 minutes.
Prose Interpretation: An original or selections of prose material of literary merit, which may be drawn from more than one source. Focus of this event is on the development of the narrative/story. Play cuttings and poetry are prohibited. Use of manuscript is required. Maximum time is 10 minutes including introduction.
B EVENTS
Dramatic Duo: A cutting from a play or plays of literary merit, humorous or serious, involving the portrayal of two or more characters presented by two individuals. The material may be drawn from stage, screen, or radio. This is not an acting event; thus, no costumes, props, lighting, etc., are to be used. Presentation is from the manuscript and the focus should be off-stage and not to each other. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes including introduction.
Extemporaneous Speaking: Contestants will be given three topics in the general area of current event, choose one, and have 30 minutes to prepare a speech that is the original work of the student. Maximum time limit for the speech is 7 minutes. Limited notes are permitted. Student will speak in listed order. Postings of topics will be staggered.
Persuasive Speaking: An original speech by the student designed to inspire, reinforce, or change the beliefs, attitudes, values or actions of the audience. Audio-visual aids may or may not be used to supplement and reinforce the message. Multiple sources should be used and cited in the development of the speech. Minimal notes are permitted. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes.
Program Oral Interpretation: A program of thematically-linked selections of literary merit, chosen from two or three recognized genres of competitive interpretation (prose/poetry/drama). A primary focus of this event should be on the development of the theme through the use of narrative/story, language, and/or characterization. A substantial portion of the total time must be devoted to each of the genres used in the program. Different genre means the material must appear in separate pieces of literature ( e.g., A poem included in a short story that appears only in that short story does not constitute a poetry genre.) Only one selection may be original. Use of manuscript is required. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes including introduction.
C EVENTS
After Dinner Speaking: An original, humorous speech by the student, designed to exhibit sound speech composition, thematic, coherence, direct communicative public speaking skills, and good taste. The speech should not resemble a night club act, an impersonation, or comic dialogue. Audio-visual aids may or may not be used to supplement and reinforced the message. Minimal notes are permitted. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes.
Communication Analysis: An original speech by the student designed to offer an explanation and/or evaluation of a communication event such as a speech, speaker, movement, poem, poster, film, campaign, etc., through the use of rhetorical principles. Audio-visual aids may or may not be used to supplement and reinforce the message. Manuscripts are permitted. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes.
Drama Interpretation: A cutting that represents one or more characters from a play or plays of literary merit. The focus of this event is on the development of characterization. This material may be drawn from stage, screen, or radio. Use of manuscript is required. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes including introduction.
Poetry Interpretation: A selection or selections of poetry of literary merit, which may be drawn from more than one source. A primary focus of this event should be on the development of language. Play cuttings and prose works are prohibited. Use of manuscript is required. Maximum time limit is 10 minutes including introduction.
B. Special Rules:
1. Duet Poetry will not be accepted as a qualifying event for Poetry.
2. Duet Acting will not be accepted as a qualifying event for Dramatic Duo Interpretation.
3. Program-on-a-Theme will be accepted as a qualifying event if the program was entirely of one genre (all prose, all poetry, or all drama).
4. At the AFA-NIET a student may be entered in two Dramatic Duos if both have qualified. The student, however, may not enter another event in that conflict block. Two duos will count as two events.
5. A contestant may not use the same cutting/content or any portion of that cutting/content in more than one prepared event at any given tournament.
6. All materials used in competition shall not have been used by the student in any competition prior to September 1 of the current academic year.
7. All rounds of Impromptu and Extemporaneous Speaking will be timed by the judge or the chair of the judge panel, and time signals will be given to contestants unless otherwise specifically requested.
8. In Extemporaneous Speaking the following rules shall apply:
a. Different topic areas will be used for each round.
b. The use of electronic information retrieval systems during any part of preparation time, is strictly prohibited. The Tournament Director will consider requests for exemptions because
c. of handicaps, etc.
d. Attendance in the Extemporaneous Speaking Preparation Room is restricted to monitors appointed by the Tournament Director and contestants in the event.
e. Because Extemporaneous Speaking is an Individual event, contestants are expected to prepare speeches on their own without consultation with others.
9. The AFA-NIET Committee recommends that minor time infractions should not be a major criteria in judge rankings or ratings.
a. Judges may use their own discretion in determining whether or not audience reaction was influential in the time limit violation.
b. Coaches and students should consider audience reaction in preparing the event.
10. Coaches and/or students must have available at the district and NIET, copies of all interpretive and original events used at the tournament.
a. For interpretive events a copy of the complete original work must be brought to district and the NIET.
b. For all prepared public address, a copy of the complete script shall be brought to district and the NIET, including a bibliography of all cited sources.
C. Description
of Experimental Events:
The NIET National Committee "may" at its November meeting, select an
"experimental" event to be included among the events offered at the
NIET of the subsequent academic year.
1. The event shall be scheduled in the tournament pattern so as to best balance events, best balance number of competitors, and/or best facilitate operation of the event.
2. The event shall be announced at the NIET of the year prior to its inclusion, at a seminar scheduled during that NIET.
a. The seminar shall be scheduled at a time when maximum attendance might be expected.
b. The seminar shall feature a faculty presentation regarding the nature and purpose of the event, two or three sample presentations, and one or two judge critiques of the presentations.
3. Rules regarding procedures for at-large qualification shall apply to this event during the academic years of the NIET at which it will be included.
a. No "nuance" events shall be substitutable for at- large qualification for a regular NIET event by competing in the "experimental" event.
b. A competitor cannot gain
at-large qualification for a regular NIET event by competing in the
"experimental" event.
V. At-Large Qualification Process
A. One may advance to the National Tournament by superior performance in three tournaments during the regular tournament season within the following provisions:
1. Each of the tournaments must have had at least nine schools competing in individual events.
2. When a tournament has eight schools competing at the start of the tournament, the Tournament Director may apply for a waiver of the "nine-schools" requirement if (1) at least nine schools had officially entered the tournament and (2) the "ninth school" failed to give 24 hours notice of their withdrawal before the start of competition.
a. The Tournament Director or the representative of an attending school is responsible for petitioning the NIET Chair within two weeks of completion of the tournament. The petition must include.
(1) A letter from the Tournament Director explaining the circumstances relevant to the petition and formally asking for waiver consideration.
(2) A letter from the "ninth school" stating the reason(s) for withdrawal from the tournament.
(3) The registration materials for the ninth school including unaltered schematics and student code sheets (where applicable).
(4) The Chair of the NIET has the right to request any additional material.
b. The NIET Chair in consultation with the Tournament Director's District Chair and the Regional Representative will rule on the appeal within two weeks of receiving the material.
c. The following conditions will apply to waivers:
(1) A team is allowed to use only one tournament in which a waiver has been approved for student legs. In other words, students from a team cannot use legs received from two separate tournaments for which waivers have been granted.
(2) Only one waiver will be approved to dismiss any one particular school. In other words, if a team withdraws from two or more tournaments within a competition year, only one petition using that school will be approved.
3. The three tournament placements used for qualification may not exceed a cumulative total of eight (8), based on the following formula:
|
# of entries in the event |
# of legs earned |
Places that earn legs |
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
2-4 |
1st |
|
|
5-8 |
2 |
1st, 2nd |
|
9-12 |
3 |
1st, 2nd, 3rd |
|
13-16 |
4 |
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th |
|
17-20 |
5 |
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th |
|
20+ |
6 |
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th |
4. When determining the number of students entered in an event, for purposes of computing the numbers of students who qualify, the number must be based on the total number of participants competing in ALL preliminary rounds of competition in the given event.
a. If a student does not actually compete in a round, but the Tournament Director determines this was due to circumstances beyond the student's control and therefore averages the score, that student shall be deemed to have competed in all preliminary rounds.
b. When students from a host school participate in a tournament in order for their numbers to count for at-large qualification totals, they must be eligible for open final placing and must advance if they earn the right to do so.
c. In a tournament where more than one division occurs, only the non-restrictive varsity division, open to any undergraduate participant, will count as a qualifier under the at-large qualification system.
d. Students competing in a collapsed division must be eligible for and advance if they earn the right to do so, to the open division final before the numbers in a collapsed division may be counted for the at-large process.
5. When determining at-large qualifiers, the AFA-NIET will accept tournament results as submitted by the host without adjustment in ranks due to NIET ineligible students competing in the invitational.
6. No more than one student may be designated for the first through sixth AFA legs in any qualifying event at an individual tournament. If a tournament chooses to split their entries in an event into multiple groups and hold multiple finals, the District Chair will be responsible for determining which one individual is assigned each of the qualifying legs.
7. For purposes of determining qualification legs, the District Chair will use the AFA-NIET criteria for assigning final position for competitors at those tournaments which fail to distinguish the top six individuals in each event.
8. If a student has met two of the three at-large qualification steps and was excluded from an elimination round at a tournament because of a tournament tabulation error, the coach of that student may petition the National Committee to have the tournament in question count as a third qualifier. Each case will be judged on its own set of circumstances. In such cases, the Chair of the AFA-NIET Committee along with the District Chair and the Regional Representative shall reach a consensus on the case and either approve or disapprove the appeal.
a. Appeals should be made only after two at-large "legs" have been earned. When a student is not advanced to elimination rounds due to a tabulation error, the competitor's coach/program must notify the District Chair of the appeal no later than March 1st or the District Tournament, whichever is later. The competitor's coach/program is responsible for providing written evidence of the error to the NIET Chair and the District Chair. The NIET Chair in consultation with the contestant's District Chair and the Regional Representative will rule on the appeal within two weeks of receiving the material.
b. When an error is made in final round rankings the steps listed above under 8a. must be followed. A successful appeal will allow the appellant to use the corrected rank. The student who received the higher rank incorrectly will be allowed to retain his/her originally established rank for purposes of at-large qualification.
B. All tournaments used for at-large qualification must meet the standards described in the at-large qualification section.
C. A nuance event may earn at-large qualification legs only if the corresponding AFA-NIET event is not offered at the tournament in question. (Corresponding event is explained as an event with generically identical descriptions and/or titles.)
D. In no instance can a student accrue more than one qualifying leg in a particular event at a particular tournament. Additionally swing tournaments consisting of more than two sets of event placings do not qualify for at-large legs for the AFA-NIET.
E. If the District Qualifying Tournament has at least nine schools participating and fulfills the entry requirements specified above, then it can be used as a qualifier tournament under the at-large system. The student would qualify under the at-large system, thus allowing the District to advance another contestant to the National Tournament. Announcement of an alternate advancement will be made only after the District Chair confirms at-large results.
F. Qualification legs for an individual student cannot beearned at more than one tournament in the same day.
G. Students may not earn qualification legs at tournaments that do not offer a minimum of three rounds (e.g. two prelims/plus a final round) of competition. The exception to this rule will be single section events (e.g. 6 entries in Communication Analysis has one section, one round with 3 judges to determine top places).
H. Tournaments must be announced in good faith 10 days prior to the date of the tournament. A school will have met this good faith effort if it has communicated to the District Chair of the District in which the tournament will be held, has posted the tournament on the IE-L 10 days prior to the tournament, or if it has sent out a mailer to schools in the region 10 days in advance.
I. Closed Leagues or Associations
1. Leagues or associations that host multiple restricted institutional tournaments (a closed league) may designate only one of those as an at-large qualifier. The designated tournament must meet all other AFA-NIET requirements. Tournaments restricted exclusively to novice competition, junior varsity competition, and/or junior or community college competition may not be used for at-large qualification.
2. If a District Chair verifies a tournament as having an open status (any tournament that does not restrict entry from any school that wishes to enter the tournament, then that tournament will be considered valid for earning at-large legs even if it is later learned that the tournament was restricted. The tournament will, however, be placed on the restricted list for future years.
3. Tournaments which exclude any schools from participating based on the size of the forensic program, size of the school, number of coaches, number of tournaments attended, amount of budget, or quality/strength of competitors DO NOT qualify as at-large qualifying tournaments. Exception: Entry may be denied for cause: School has outstanding entry fees which have not been paid [bad check, for instance.] This denial of entry for cause must be communicated in writing to the Director of Forensics of the team wishing to enter the tournament.
4. Responsibility lies with the individual school to verify the open status of any tournament being used for AFA qualifying legs. Some tournament invitations may contain this information; however, if it does not, the NIET recommends that the open status of a tournament be verified with the District Chair from the tournament's district.
J. The editor of the AFA calendar is encouraged to work proactively to verify the open status of all tournaments listed in the AFA calendar, and tournaments which are known to be restricted will be listed in the fall calendar. It is recognized, however, that this list may not be exhaustive and that the status of tournaments needs to be reviewed yearly.
K. Two tournaments hosted by the same school on the same Weekend, for the purpose of gaining additional legs for nationals, is discouraged by the NIET Committee.
L. Tournament Directors are requested to submit a copy of their respective tournament results sheets to the District Chairs of participating schools.
M. Tournament Directors are requested to submit tournament tabulation and results sheets to each participating school. Verification of at-large qualification from tournaments that do not provide tabulation and results sheets cannot be guaranteed.
N. District Chairs shall publish a list of tournament results they have received at the time of their respective qualifying District Tournament. At-large entries using qualifying legs earned at tournaments not on the District Chair's list must submit results of proof of the number of schools in attendance, the number of entries, the final placement of entrants, and other pertinent at-large qualifying information.
O. At-large qualifications legs cannot be earned after the first full weekend of March except for the District Tournaments. Exceptions for this rule include legs earned at the PKD and DSR-TKA National Tournaments; however, qualification legs may not be earned at recognized national tournaments that are held after the third weekend in March.
P. The AFA-NIET At-Large Qualification Form for the student must be postmarked by the date on the At-Large Qualification Form and be sent to the respective District Chairperson.
Q. A student may be confirmed as having qualified at-large in an event only after an official at-large form has been completed and verified by the District Chair. No confirmations can take place without this step.
R. All standards for at-large qualification must be determined and regulated by the NIET Committee. Any changes or exceptions must be approved by the NIET Committee.
VI. District Qualification
A. District Alignment shall be as follows:
Geographic Area
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2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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5 |
State, MO |
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6 |
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