DJHS Debate

Team By-Laws
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The name of this extracurricular organization shall henceforth be the Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team. The purposes of this organization are to: a. Foster argumentation, research, and public speaking skills for students at Dublin Jerome High School. b. Compete at interscholastic competitions and tournaments. c. Provide a forum for the discussion of current events and political issues. All members of the Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team must: a. Fulfill the base requirements of team membership: i. Pay team dues of $15.00 at the beginning of the school year, or when joining the team. 1. This amount may be adjusted only with the consent of all presiding officers and with proper justification. ii. Provide contact information in order to be reached as necessary. iii. Complete all relevant forms. iv. Attend all team meetings, unless a reasonable reason is given to and approved by an officer. v. Come prepared to all team meetings, practices, and tournaments. vi. Abide by the terms outlined in this document. b. Any student who meets the above requirements may become a member of the team. Members of the Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team will be classified into four categories: a. A non-competing member shall be defined as a team member who has not competed at any tournament. b. A novice member shall be defined as being a first year competitor. c. A junior varsity member shall be defined as a member of the team who has competed in less than four tournaments and is not a novice. If the member has not competed in a tournament by the end of the first semester, he or she becomes a non-competing member. d. A varsity member shall be defined as a member of the team who has competed in at least four or more tournaments. If the member has not competed in at least two tournaments by the end of the first semester, he or she becomes a junior varsity member; if the member has not competed in at least one tournament by the end of the first semester, he or she becomes a non-competing member. e. Officers may elect to vote to promote a novice member into the higher classification of either junior varsity or varsity membership. f. A list of classifications will be posted on the team website. g. Competing members, particularly junior varsity and varsity members, must, unless excused by a majority of officers: i. Act as a judge at practice rounds in which they are not competing. ii. Pay the $15.00 fee for lifetime membership in the National Forensic League. h. Members who no longer desire to participate in the team should inform an officer. The Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team will register members for tournaments. a. Tournament eligibility shall be determined as follows: i. All interested in competing must have strong prior preparation, unless competing in Impromptu Speaking. 1. Cases or selections must be completed and submitted on the internet forum by the assigned deadline. These should show clear effort; officers will review submissions accordingly. a. All competing members are obligated to write two constructive posts of criticisms and suggestions per topic in order to qualify to compete in a tournament 2. Strong research must be done beforehand. 3. Members should be ready to conduct practice rounds on the resolution or selection. ii. Officers will select competitors based upon the level of preparation demonstrated, which is determined by the quality/quantity of the case, evidence and comments on the website or forum,and upon prior performance and effort.

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iii. If this demonstrated work is at a relatively equal level, varsity members will take priority over junior varsity and junior varsity over novice. b. Registration fees shall be paid out of team dues; however, all other fees must be paid individually. These fees, such as hotel fees, must be paid promptly and by the assigned deadline. c. Once a member has been selected for and has committed to attending a tournament, he or she is responsible for doing so. If he or she must drop out for any reason, he or she is responsible for the registration fee incurred. d. Officers will provide information regarding the tournament in advance of the tournament. VI. The Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team necessarily relies on parents to play a role in activities. a. Parent contact information must be provided. b. Parents will attend a parent meeting held at the beginning of the year. c. Parents should volunteer support for activities, particularly those held at Dublin Jerome HS. d. Parents should judge tournaments if their child is a competing member. Unless there have been enough judges previously designated, a parent must judge at least once for every four tournaments their child competes in. Otherwise, this will incur a $30.00 judging fee. e. A parent who has already judged does not need to judge again within that four tournament cycle, unless judges are needed or the parent wishes to judge again. VII. The Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team may elect to hold a competition at Dublin Jerome HS. If this occurs: a. Officers will manage tournament operations as necessary. b. Team members must be involved in the setup and cleanup of tournaments, unless excused. c. Team members must behave in a way representative of the high standards of Dublin Jerome HS. d. Parents not involved with judging should volunteer with food sales or other operations as necessary, unless excused. Otherwise, a $10.00 operations fee will be incurred. e. All profits garnered from the tournament will be placed in the team account and will go towards future activities and tournaments. VIII. When necessary, the Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team will hold fundraisers and other outside activities. a. All members must participate, unless excused for reasons of considerable importance. b. All members should help recruit new members at the beginning of each school year. c. Team members should donate food items, money, or other pertinent goods. d. Team members should conduct themselves in a responsible manner. IX. Officers will make information and aid available online, via email, Facebook, the team website, and the team forum a. The majority of links and aid will be posted directly on the website. Members should subscribe via email in order to be notified when such information is posted. b. Information published via Facebook will also be cross-published via email, and vice versa. c. Members should consistently check these applications in order to facilitate communication and awareness. X. The Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team members must behave in a respectful and ethical manner. a. Members should follow all school rules, whether those of Dublin Jerome HS or those of the school in which the competition is located at. b. Members should behave respectfully to all people. i. Members should arrive no later than the designated time for activities, unless excused. ii. Members should provide aid as reasonably requested. c. Members should behave in an ethical manner. i. Debaters may not falsify or misrepresent evidence or research. ii. All evidence or research should be available if requested during the round. d. Members must follow a dress code during tournaments of formal attire. e. Members must provide a judge when necessary. f. Members must participate in all team fundraisers and events, excluding the tournaments of other schools, unless they have been legitimately excused. XI. If necessary, there will be consequences for rule violations. a. For all violations of this Constitution:

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i. The first incident will receive a warning. ii. The second incident will result in a suspension for one month of competition. iii. The third incidence will result in a removal from the team for the rest of the year. b. Members who drop out of a tournament to which they have previously committed must pay for the registration fees and any other pertinent fees of the tournament, as well as the consequences listed in section A of Clause VI. c. If not enough judges are registered to cover entries, competing students who have not provided a judge for the tournament must split the cost for hiring a judge. XII. All operations will be managed by those in administrative positions. a. Team officers will: i. Mentor and aid other members, particularly novices. ii. Select tournament competitors. iii. Disclose relevant information. iv. Maintain all operations and conduct all necessary activities. v. Act to further the best interests of the Dublin Jerome Speech & Debate Team. b. A designated officer will be responsible for collecting dues and fees. c. The number of officers shall not exceed four, and at a least one officer must be a junior or sophomore. i. Officers who do not exercise significant involvement may be removed as deemed fit by the President of the team upon a meeting with and the approval of the advisor ii. Officers shall be appointed by the President before the start of the school year. New officers assume their duties for the next school year. The team advisor will be notified of such changes. iii. Graduating officers may not appoint new officers for the next year, with the exception of the post of President. XIII. All members must agree to follow the terms of this Constitution. XIV. Amendments to this document may be approved by officers as necessary and must be approved by the team advisor. Signed, August 29, 2011

Albert Shin 12, President

Braedon Young 12, Captain

Yiwei Zhang 13, Vice-President

I, _________________________________________, have read and understood the terms and conditions laid forth in the Club By-Laws of the Dublin Jerome Speech and Debate Team. I agree to follow these conditions and will accept any resulting penalties should I violate these conditions.

Student Signature

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Parent Signature

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