NJSDL Executive Board Minutes

This new section will host the transcription of the minutes of the NJSDL executive board, which can be read below, or downloaded in .doc format via the menu on the right.

NJSDL Spring Coaches Meeting
Chimney Rock Inn, Bound Brook
Friday, September 12, 2014
5:00 PM

Present: David Yastremski (Ridge HS), Mary Gormley (Montville HS), Peter Quinn (Randolph), Sarah Collucci (Plainfield HS), Michael Forte (Manville HS), Laurie Schmid (Phillipsburg HS), Philip Drummond (Freehold Township HS), Renee Drummond and Brian Rodriguez (Elizabeth HS), Fr. Michael Tidd (Delbarton School), Irina Itriyeva (Summit HS), Gail Murphy (Montgomery HS), Mimi Rosenbaum (University HS, Newark), Chris Kozak (Rutgers University), Melitza Diaz (Technology HS), Kevin Senack (Eastside HS), Gerry McKnight (Bridgewater-Raritan HS)

Meeting was called to order at 5:00 PM by Dave Yastremski (NJFL, now NJSDL President).

I. Introductions (see above)

II. Calendar

A. Judge Training sessions

1. October 7: Phillipsburg HS (7:00 PM)
2. October 12: Delbarton (12:30-4:30 PM)
3. October 22: Ridge HS (6:00-9:00 PM)
4. November 3: Randolph HS (7:00-9:00 PM)
5. New folks of all experience levels needed to present and share the overall burden of league admin. Dave Yastremski & Mary Gormley (NJ NSDA District chair) will be making a special effort to incorporate new supporters (coaches & forensics friends) to help the NJSDL in a variety of ways (legal supports, PR, financial management)

B. Software

1. Joy of Tournaments and Tabroom.com are merging under the auspices of the NSDA
2. Speechwire not included in this merger at present. NJSDL will still be using Speechwire in 2014-15.
3. NJSDL picked up over $3000 in SPW costs. Individual schools will now pay license fee for SPW use.

C. New tournaments/tournament dates

1. October 23: Union Catholic HS grade 5-8 tournament
2. April 18: Novice Festival at Livingston HS
3. December 20: Phillipsburg HS (all events)
4. February 7: Elizabeth HS
5. March 7: Princeton HS
6. November 15: Manville HS (only novice & JV PF and LD). Varsity PF and LD at Millburn HS that same day

III. Update from NSDA Summer Leadership Conference

A. Organizational Structure of the NSDA and the Duties of the NSDA Board of Directors

B. Potential New NSDA Events

1. World Schools Debate (teams of 5 with 1 alternate, possible new main event. It can include students from multiple schools to represent a given district)
2. Programmed Oral Interpretation (fiction & nonfiction merged into a program, possible new main event)
3. Original Poetry (possible new supplemental event)

C. NSDA Evidence Rules (NSDA Board will take up a revised version of the first set of proposed evidence rules at their fall 2014 meeting)

IV. Old Business

A. Policy Debate at the State Tournament

1. Revisit discussion from spring 2014 meeting
2. Instability in the Newark Public Schools is affecting Policy Debate participation. Ten schools will be doing CX in 2014-15 (versus 5 in 2013-14).
3. Newark programs working to branch out into other events (both debate and speech)
4. Rutgers University will sponsor coaches to provide policy debate in Newark
5. Decision: revisit issue after January 1, based on actual levels of participation in CX in NJ throughout the season to date, in particular after the Ridge Debates in December and the Newark Invitational in January.

B. Congressional Debate at the State Tournament

1. Open entries or an entry limit
2. Option: Senate & House division (2 max in Senate and 6 in the House)
3. Some students do Congress regularly and their performance at States reflects that reality. We don’t want a chamber size of less than 10.
4. Some students perceive that dominant schools overwhelm participants from other schools

V. New Business

A. Sweepstakes System at the State Tournament (assigned to an ad hoc committee: Fr. Michael Tidd, chair, Phil Drummond, Laurie Schmid, Gerry McKnight. Report by Christmas, vote in January)

B. Hybrid/Club Debate Teams (tabled until spring meeting)

C. NJSDL Office Vacancy-Vice President for Outreach (Irina Itriyeva)

D. New Websites: www.njsdl.org or www.njspeechanddebate.com