September 2006
Dear Director of Forensics:
On behalf of the American
Forensic Association and the NIET Committee, I would like to extend this
invitation to you and your students to participate in the 30th American
Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET). This
year's competition will be held at Minnesota State University-Mankato, MN April
6-9, 2007.
PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OF
INFORMATION ARE NO LONGER INCLUDED IN THIS INVITATION: THESE ARE CONTAINED ON THE AFA- NIET WEBSITE
at www.afa-niet.org/.
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH SCHOOL TO READ
THIS INFORMATION.
- QUALIFICATION PROCEDURES
- DISTRICT TOURNAMENT PARTICIPATION
INFORMATION
- STUDENT VERIFICATION FORMS – Must be sent with school entry
- GUIDELINES FOR ALL JUDGES AT THE NIET
FORM – Must be signed by all school judges and presented at registration.
- BID TO HOST FUTURE AFA-NIET
- ALL-AMERICAN INDIVIDUAL EVENTS TEAM
NOMINATION PROCESS AND FORM
- OUTSTANDING NEW FORENSICS COACH AWARD –
Deadline October 1
THE DATES FOR THIS YEAR'S
TOURNAMENT ARE A FRIDAY-MONDAY SCHEDULE
All of us associated with the
AFA-NIET are very excited about the 2007 tournament. Dr. Leah White and the Mankato Team are
working diligently to make this an outstanding National Tournament. We hope you
and your squad will join us in
At-Large
Qualifications:
The at-large qualification process still requires a maximum cumulative rank of
eight (8). The number of entries needed
for qualifying legs is the same as last year – SEE www.afa-niet.org/ FOR
QUALIFICATION PROCEDURES. At-large qualifications must be earned by March 5th. SEE www.afa-niet.org/ FOR INFORMATION ON
DISTRICT QUALIFYING TOURNAMENTS.
AFA-NIET 2008
Just a reminder: the 2008 NIET will be hosted by the
University of Texas-Austin. Make plans
to attend!
Bids
for 2009:
Currently, we are requesting bids for the 2009 tournament. SEE www.afa-niet.org/ FOR BID FORM. The 2009 site will be considered during the
National Individual Events Tournament Committee meetings in
Congratulations:
We congratulate all who competed at the 2006 NIET. Special congratulations go
to
Questions?:
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your District Chair or
me. Contact information for tournament and district officials is included in
this invitation.
Sincerely,
Frank M. Thompson, Jr., Ed.D.
AFA-NIET Committee Chair
DIRECTORY:
|
NIET National Chair
|
NIET Tournament Director |
2006 NIET Host 230 Armstrong Hall FAX: 507-389-3284 |
DISTRICT CHAIR/TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:
District: 1
Geographic: CA, NV, HI
Tournament: TBA in
District Chair: Erik Roebuck,
District: 2
Geographic: OR, WA, ID, MT,
AK, CSU Humboldt
Tournament:
District Chair: Sam Mathies,
District: 3
Geographic: OK, KS, TX, MO, LA, AR
Tournament:
District Chair: David Worth,
District: 4
Geographic: ND, WI, MN, SD,
NE, IA
Tournament:
District Chair: Susan Collie,
District: 5
Geographic: IL, MI, IN, OH,
Tournament:
District Chair: Dan Smith,
District: 6
Geographic: GA, TN, FL, AL,
NC, SC, MS, KY
Tournament:
District Chair: JoAnn Edwards,
District: 7
Geographic: VA, MD, NJ, DE,
PA, WV, DC
Tournament:
District Chair: Lee Mayfield,
District: 8
Geographic: MA, RI, NY, VT,
CT, ME, NH, Staten Is, NY
Tournament: TBD – bwickelgren@yahoo.com
District Chair: Bruce Wickelgren,
District: 9
Geographic: UT, WY, CO, NM,
AZ,
Tournament: TBD – kirt.shineman@gcmail.maricopa.edu
District Chair: Kirt Shineman,
The Tournament Hotel is the Best Western Hotel and
Local phone 507-625-9333
Toll Free Number
1-800-WESTERN (property # 24100)
FAX: 507-386-4589
$74.00 per night + tax (1-4 person per
room)
Cut-off date for making reservations is March 5th, 2007
Refer to American Forensic
Association when making reservations
* This hotel provides much
more convenient charter bus parking than the Holiday Inn
Overflow Hotel is the
Local phone 507-345-1234
Toll Free Number
1-800-HOLIDAY
FAX: 507-387-4242
Contact person Kathy Quinn at
507-345-1234 ext. 100
$69.00 per night + tax (1-4 person per
room)
Cut-off date for making
reservations is March 5th, 2007
Special Arrangements: Schools or districts wishing
to make special arrangements for meeting
spaces, meals, etc. at the Best Western Hotel should contact
Jane or Jodi at 507-386-4584.
Airfare/Rental Car/Van
Info:
Minneapolis/St. Paul –
Serves almost all major
airlines and rental car agencies
Land to Air Express provides
shuttle service between MSP and
$50 round
trip. Call 507-625-3977.
Serves American Airlines and
Northwest
Serves rental car agencies:
Avis, Budget, Hertz,
All NIET participants (coaches, judges, competitors) are
required to use the tournament meal package. The package will include the Sunday
evening banquet and the remaining amount to be placed on a debit card that can
be used at the
TENTATIVE
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
American Forensic
Association
2007 National
Individual Events Tournament
Friday, April 6
9:30-11:30 & 1-5 NIET Comm. Meeting – Best Western Hotel
9:30-11:30
Student
Reps Meeting – Best Western Hotel
7-9 PM Registration ($100.00
late registration fee after 9 PM) Best Western Hotel
Saturday, April 7
7-8 AM Breakfast
–
8:00 AM Opening
Assembly and
Ball
Room
9:00 AM Extemp Draw
9:30 AM Round
1 B Events (Duo, Extemp, Pers, POI)
11:00 AM Round
1 A Events (Pr, Imp, Inf)
12:00-2:00 LUNCH
–
1:15 PM Round
2 A Events
2:30 PM Round
1 C Events (ADS, CA, DI, Poet)
4:00 PM Round
3 A Events
5:30 PM Extemp Draw
6:00 PM Round
2 B Events
Sunday, April 8
7-8 AM Breakfast
–
8:15 AM Extemp Draw III
8:45 AM Round
3 B Events
10:15 AM Round
2 C Events
11:45 AM Round
3 C Events
12:00-2:00 PM LUNCH
–
2:00 PM QF
A Events
3:30 PM Extemp Draw
4:00 PM QF
B Events
5:30 PM QF
C Events
7:45 PM BANQUET
– Kato Ballroom,
( Announcement of Semis Group A only)
Monday, April 9
8:00 AM SF
A Events
9:30 AM Extemp
Draw
10:00 AM Semi Finals for
Group B events
11:30 AM Semi Finals for
Group C events
1:00 PM Finals for Group A events.
2:30 PM Extemp Draw
3:00 PM Finals, Group B
events
4:30 PM Finals, Group C events
7:30 PM Awards – Student
Union Ball Room
GENERAL
INFORMATION:
1. Date and
Site:
April 6-9 (FRI, SAT, SUN, MON) .
Registration is Friday evening April 6 at Best Western Hotel and
2. Subscription Fee:
Schools wishing to participate in District Tournaments and the 2007 AFA-NIET
must pay a $30.00 subscription fee. ($50 will be assessed after December 1,
2006.) No fees will be accepted after registration ends for your district
qualifier tournament. Subscription fees should be sent to your respective
District Chairperson.
Deadline for receipt of all
subscription fees (without penalty) is December
1, 2006.
1. Schools:
a. Any accredited (or pursuing accreditation) two or
four-year college/university shall be eligible to send participants to the
AFA-NIET.
b. To gain eligibility, participating
institutions must be in good financial standing with the financial requirements
established by the AFA-NIET Committee and the Board of Trustees.
2. Students:
a.
PARTICIPANTS IN
THE AFA-NIET MUST BE FULL- OR PART-TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS 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 are
representing at the NIET.
1.
A part-time
student at an institution my 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 requirement 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 for students who have received bachelor degrees.
b.
Students
possessing a bachelor's degree WHO HAVE NO FORENSIC EXPERIENCE may request a
one-year waiver of the undergraduate rule. Requests should be made to the NIET
Chair.
1.An
undergraduate is defined by the AFA-NIET Committee as an individual who has not
received a Bachelor's Degree. (A student is considered as possessing a baccalaureate
upon completion of requirements toward that degree and having been approved for
graduation by her/his respective school).
2.No
person shall be allowed to participate in more than four years of national
individual events tournaments (including PRP, PKD, DSR-TKA, AND NFA) as a
contestant.
c. 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.
d. If a participant qualifies for the AFA-NIET while
eligible under the above requirements and then graduates during the academic
year, he/she will be permitted to compete in the NIET for that year. (Mid-year
graduates may not compete at District Qualifiers.)
e. A student may not pursue at-large qualification
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.
f. 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.
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:
1. Number of
Rounds:
There shall be three
preliminary rounds followed by quarter-finals, semifinals and a final round in
each of the events. In preliminary rounds, a mechanical pairing system will be
used so that as far as possible, contestants from the same school will not meet
each other. The elimination rounds will be paired on a schematic system.
2.
Judges:
Two judges shall be used per
section in the preliminary rounds; multi-panel judges will be employed in the
elimination rounds. In determining elimination round contestants, the lowest
rank and rating (not necessarily on the same ballot) will be dropped from the
cumulative total of prelim scores.
3. Ballot
and Ranking:
The ballots will use a
ranking of 1 to 5 with 1 being the top performance in the preliminary rounds.
In the elimination rounds, the ballots will use a ranking of 1 through 6. The
ballots shall use a rating graduated from 1 to 25 points, with 1 being the
lowest rating and 25 being the highest rating. Points will be grouped as
follows: 1 to 5--Poor; 6 to 10--Fair; 11 to 15-- Average; 16-20--Excellent; and
21-25--
4.
Awards:
Individual awards will be presented to those contestants advancing to the elimination
rounds. These awards are based on preliminary and elimination rounds. The
following point system will be used: 3 points for each 1st, 2 points for each
2nd, and 1 point for each 3rd place ballot received during preliminary rounds;
and elimination round points based on the following scale: 6 points for each
1st place, 5 points for each 2nd place, 4 points for each 3rd place, 3 points
for each 4th place, 2 points for each 5th place and 1 point for all other
places. The student must be eligible and compete in four AFA-NIET events at the
National Tournament before being considered for the Individual Sweepstakes
awards. Twenty awards will be offered in this category.
School Sweepstakes awards will be presented to the top twenty schools based on
results of performance in preliminary and elimination rounds. The top three
students from each school in each event will be awarded points for the team
based on the following system: 3 points for 1st, 2 for 2nd and 1 for 3rd. The
points are then cut in half. Elimination round points are awarded based on the
same system as the individual sweepstakes points outlined in the above
paragraph. A "Top Community College Sweepstakes Award" will also be
given when a minimum of five community colleges are participating.
5. General
Rules Interpretation:
a. 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 count as two events.
b. All rounds of Impromptu and Extemporaneous Speaking
will be timed by the judge or the judge panel and time signals will be given to
contestants unless otherwise specifically requested by the contestant.
c. A contestant may not use the same cutting/content
or any portion of that cutting/content in more than one event at any given
tournament.
d. In Extemporaneous Speaking, the use of electronic
information retrieval systems, during any part of preparation time, is strictly
prohibited. Attendance in the Extemporaneous Speaking preparation room is
restricted to monitors appointed by the Tournament Director and the contestants
in the event. Because Extemporaneous Speaking is an individual event,
contestants are expected to prepare speeches on their own without consultation
with others.
e. Coaches and/or students must have available at the
District and National NIET tournaments original scripts for all interpretive
events and texts of speeches for all original events including a bibliography
of all sources cited.
f. All final rounds of interpretation events will be
audio taped at the NIET solely for the purpose of possible Ethical Use of
Literature violations. All final rounds of public address events are
videotaped.
g. Any research conducted at the NIET must be
approved. Contact the NIET Chair for further information.
6. Hosting
the AFA-NIET:
The AFA-NIET National
Committee has voted to employ an "open" bid system for the location
of the national tournament site. The National Committee is committed to moving
the AFA-NIET around the nation as much as possible. Anyone wishing to be
considered as host for the 2008 AFA-NIET should prepare a bid package including
the attached Bid-To- Host Form and submit all documents to the AFA-NIET Chair,
Dr. Frank Thompson, NO LATER THAN MARCH 9th , 2007.
7. Data for
At-Large Qualification:
Please keep a complete record
of all necessary data required on the At-Large Qualification Form. The At-Large
Qualification Form is attached to this tournament letter. A separate form
should be kept for each of your students. Remember that the At-Large
Qualification Form must be submitted to your District Chair, and should arrive no later than March 6,
2007.
SUBMISSION OF THE AT-LARGE QUALIFICATION FORM DOES NOT
CONSTITUTE AN OFFICIAL ENTRY.
Official entries must be entered on the official tournament entry form that is
available online at the AFA-NIET web site at www.afa-niet.org/
8. Student
Enrollment Verification Form
Each school participating at
the AFA-NIET must submit the Student Enrollment Verification Form for all
students competing at the AFA-NIET. SEE www.afa-niet.org/
FOR THIS FORM. Verification forms
should be sent to Professor Schnoor along with a
schools entry and the original should be turned in during registration at the
NIET. Verification forms SHOULD NOT be
faxed to the Tournament Director. This
is a change in policy from previous national tournaments.
AFA-NIET 2006-2007 Description of Events
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. NOTE: LAP TOPS WILL BE
PERMITTED IN EXTEMP DRAW, BUT THIS IS FOR INFORMATION
RETRIEVAL FROM FILES ON YOUR COMPUTER – NO ON-LINE ACCESS IS ALLOWED. BRING BATTERIES. THE HOST DOES NOT SUPPLY
ELECTRIC OUTLETS.
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.
ALL MATERIALS USED IN COMPETITION SHALL NOT HAVE BEEN
USED BY THE STUDENT IN INTERSCHOLASTIC COMPETITION PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 1, 2006
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 Bylaws Section X.
Entry Form : AFA-NIET 2007
The AFA-NIET entry form has
been deleted from this invitation. You
will need to go directly to the NIET site for this form.
All Schools are to use the
NIET Digital Entry From available online at:
http://www.mnsu.edu/spcomm/niet/invite2007/NIETEntryForm2007.xls
All Schools are REQUIRED to use the NIET Entry Form
self-designed forms will be returned
Entry Must Be Received by
March 6, 2007
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
ENTRIES PER SCHOOL AT THE AFA-NIET IS CAPPED AT 66 SLOTS.
.
ALL ENTRIES
(EMAIL, FAX, MAIL) MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE MARCH
6, 2007!
Prof. Larry Schnoor, AFA-NIET Director
107
(507) 387-3010
FAX: (507) 387-3068
email: lschnoor@hickorytech.net
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