Archived News Items (2007-2008 Season)
April 29, 2008
It is time to submit legislation for the 2008-2009 Student Congress Docket. Deadline for submission
is May 14, 2008. More details on the Congress page.
April 1, 2008
Applications to host 2008-2009 Qualifying Tournaments are now being accepted.
Click here to download application form
March 8, 2008
The 2008 TFA State Tournament is now over. Thanks to Coppell High School for a tremendous
job hosting a wonderful tournament. Congratulations to Winston Churchill High School for
winning sweepstakes. State Champions in each event are availble on the TFA State page. Full results are now available on www.joyoftournaments.com.
March 3, 2008
Mutual Preference sheets and IE Judge Strikes are now being accepted online on the
Joy of Tournaments
website. Log into your JOT account and click on the [Prefs] tab to enter pref sheets and/or
IE strikes. All sheets are due by 3:00pm Wednesday, March 5.
March 3, 2008
The judge paradigm booklet has been prepared. You may download the judge paradigm information
from the Joy of Tournaments website. Click on the
ANNOUNCEMENTS page
to find judge paradigm information.
February 26, 2008
The membership list has been updated. Late membership applications
are no longer being accepted.
February 21, 2008
T-shirt orders are no longer being accepted. Limited quanities may be purchased at the tournament for $15.
February 18, 2008
If any student qualified in a partnered event and cannot compete in that event, the Executive Council has ruled
that the student may enter one consolation event. The name of the student must be sent to Rhonda Bell at Rhonda.Bell@humble.k12.tx.us.
February 18, 2008
With over 120 nominations sent in for the TFA State Honor Crew, the following students have been selected to
serve as Honor Crew Members for 2008:
Scott McWilliams: Southlake Carroll
Shana Bolander: Elkins
Gracie Bowden: Westlake
Garret Jones: Seminole
Carrie Newman: Atascocita
Kathy Ludwig: Aldine
Ana Raga: Austin/El Paso
Lauren Williams: Jack C. Hayes
Wesley Wood: Magnolia
Nicole Seligman: Hendrickson
Allison Cahanin: Sandra Day O'Connor
Kelly Cunningham: Churchill
Emily Ayala: Ronald Reagan
Sarah Phillips: Deer Park
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February 13, 2008
TFA is proud to announce that UNT Mean Green Workshop will sponsor Policy Debate for the 2008 State tournament.
The first place team will each receive a $500.00 scholarship.
February 12, 2008
An updated membership list has been assembled. Schools that remain in
red (unpaid as of February 12) must have a check sent to David Gardiner and postmarked by Wednesday, February 20th.
The check must include $120.00 for membership dues and a $300.00 late fee. All late fees will go directly to the TFA
scholarship fund to be awarded at TFA State in March.
February 5, 2008
A T-shirt order form is now available on the TFA State page of this website.
Orders must be faxed to Jason Sykes by February 20 at 4:00pm.
February 1, 2008
An option has been added to the TFA State registration website to allow schools to reserve slots for
consolation events. Each school may reserve up to 6 Impromptu and 6 Prose slots and must
do so in order to participate in consolation events.
February 1, 2008
The congress semi-final legislation packet has been revised. The original item S-4 has been substituted
with another bill to avoid duplication between prelims and semis legislation. Consult the
TFA State page for the updated semis legislation packet.
January 31, 2008
The State Tournament newsletter is now available for download.
Important details about the 2008 TFA State Tournament are included.
January 29, 2008
Legislation has been selected for the 2008 TFA State Congress. Visit the TFA State page
for links to the legislation packets.
January 25, 2008
Registration for TFA State is now open.
Online registration via Joy of Tournaments is due by February 22 at 5:00pm.
January 25, 2008
Hired judge applications for TFA State are now be accepted online via Joy of Tournaments. Applications
for hired judging are due February 8.
Click here to apply.
January 22, 2008
The FINAL list of schools eligible for Student Congress participation has been posted.
January 17, 2008
The ELA TAKS test has been moved to Wednesday, March 5th. We will have registration
on Wednesday night at the Marriott Hotel from 7:00 until 11:00 PM to accommodate those
who have to delay their travel plans due to the change. We will also have registration
from 8:00 AM until 10:00 AM to accommodate those individuals who will arrive late
Wednesday night.
The TFA State invitation/schedule and judge application forms will be posted by Friday,
January 25th.
January 14, 2008
TFA is proud to announce that Lanier Law Firm will sponsor Lincoln Douglas Debate for the
2008 State tournament. The winner of LD will win a $500.00 scholarship.
January 11, 2008
REMINDER: Scholarship applications are due February 1st. Application forms and additional
details are available on the Scholarship page.
January 8, 2008
Rhonda Bell, TFA President, sends the following notice to the TFA membership:
1. Congress: If schools attempted to send legislation to Barbara Garner and are not on the
list of schools that can participate at State, they must send documentation to Rhonda Bell at Rhonda.Bell@humble.k12.tx.us in order to be added to the list. If schools did not send in any legislation, they have until January 15th to send legislation to Barbara Garner (CC Rhonda Bell). A $50.00 fine will be imposed for those schools that did not meet the December deadline. A check must be sent and postmarked by January 15th to David Gardiner.
2. Schools who have joined (filled out the appropriate paperwork electronically) but have not paid are not considered members at this point. They must have a check sent and postmarked to David Gardiner for dues by Janaury 15th.
3. Schools who have not joined must send dues and a $100.00 fine to David Gardiner by January 15th. A letter from the principal and coach must be sent to Rhonda Bell with an explanation as to why the coach was unable to meet the posted deadline.
The January 15th deadline will be enforced and no schools will be permitted to join after this point.
December 26, 2007
The list of schools eligible for participation in Congress at the 2008 TFA State Tournament
is now available. Click here to view.
December 18, 2007
TFA State Hotel Information. The Host Hotel will be the Marriott DFW.
Click here for additional
information about hotels. Click here
for an excel rooming list which should be submitted along with your reservations.
November 26, 2007
When you submit your legislation for TFA State, expect a response within 24 hours. If you do not receive
a response, contact Barbara Garner.
November 8, 2007
Participation at the TFA State Tournament requires that all schools submit legislation to the Congress Director by December 15th. Legislation should be
submitted to Barbara Garner (Congress Director).
October 30, 2007
The revised version of the TFA Constitution has been posted (see links below) including all amendments passed at
the 2007 Convention. Changes are highlighted in yellow.
October 27, 2007
The membership deadline for this year is on Wednesday, October 31. The membership database
on the website is now current. If you do not have a login (via Member Login),
then you have not submitted an application for membership for this year. You may sumbit an application via
the Join TFA link. Once you've logged in, the status of your account will be displayed
(dues paid or not paid). If your dues have not been paid, you should contact the Treasurer to verify
that the appropriate paperwork has been received.
October 9, 2007
The Congress page has been updated with new ballots that match the
changes voted on at convention last week.
October 8, 2007
The Tournament calendar has been updated to include the 10 new tournaments approved for inclusion at
convention.
October 6, 2007
Convention Update. Highlights from the Friday night business meeting:
- Amendment concerning number of finalists, Raul Ruiz, Sandra Day O'Connor failed 66 to 31. (this amendment
was submitted after the early notice deadline and did not achieve the required 75% majority to pass)
- Amendment concerning concessions in debate elimination rounds passed 103 to 9.
- Amendment to ban sliding brackets passed by a voice vote.
- Amendment to ban pre-qualifying divisions passed 87 to 20
- Amendment to refrain manipulation of the outcomes of competition passed by a voice vote.
- Amendment to limit state tournament participation to Texas teams passed by a voice vote.
- Amendment to change top ten schools to be based on participation rather than qualifications failed 34 to 37.
- Amendment to codify steps taken to limit the size of the TFA State Tourament was amended to strike the
original option #3 and strike alternative 3 under option #4. The amended provision passed 98 to 1.
- Amendment regarding suitable accommodation of State Tournament passed.
- Amendment concerning the Mutual Preference system, Jay Stubbs, Bellaire failed by a voice vote.
- Amendment concerning partner changes, Jay Stubbs, Bellaire failed.
- Amendment concerning codes in debate, Jay Stubbs, Bellaire passed by a voice vote.
- Congress committee amendment passed by a voice vote.
- Amendment to secure a CPA to oversee filing of tax forms, Finance Committee was referred to committee
- Amendment to require approval of presidential expenditures above $750 by majority of Executive Council, Finance
Committee passed by a voice vote.
- Amendment to have an external audit every other year, Finance Committee was referred to committee
- Amendment to allow same selection to be used in both Duet Acting and Duo Interpretation passed by a voice vote
October 5, 2007
Convention Update. Highlights from the Thursday night business meeting:
-
Officer Elections have been held. Karen Wilbanks will be the incoming Vice President. David Gardiner will continue
to serve as Treasurer.
-
Region 2, 4, and 5 held elections for region reps. The Region 2 representative will continue to be Jason Sykes.
The new Region 4 representative is Adam Woodward. The Region 5 representative will continue to be Yolanda Silva.
Oustanding Service Award presented to Dr. Kerry Moore
Emeritus awards to Sandy Schneider and Sheryl Ryne
Hall of Fame Inductees were Kandi King and Bill Schuetz
Committee reports from the ad-hoc Congress Committee, the ad-hoc State Size Committee, and the standing Finance Committee
were presented. All three committees have amendments that will be considered as part of the new business.
Several amendments have already been voted on during the first session.
- Amendment concerning disqualifications by Kirsten Nash, Hendrickson HS has been withdrawn.
- Amendment to add Life Membership option by Aaron Timmons, Greenhill School has been withdrawn.
- Amendment concerning the Traveling Sweepstakes award by Kim Falco, Franklin HS passed by a voice vote.
- Amendment concerning Award of Excellence by Kim Falco, Franklin HS was referred to a committee for further study and definition (Rhonda Bell will appoint a committee)
- Amendment to include a Superintendent on the Executive Council passed 113 to 18.
- Amendment concerning scripts in Duo/Duet by Robert Shepard, Creekview has been withdrawn.
- Amendment to create a State Tournament Hosting Committee by Melissa Locke, Coronado passed by a voice vote.
- Amendment concerning Executive Council and Point Schedule by Melissa Locke, Coronado failed by a voice vote.
- Amendment concerning Original Sources for Interp by Kirsten Nash, Hendrickson was amended to allow photocopies and
to require ISBN numbers only if they exist. This amended amendment then passed 89 to 15.
September 27, 2007
TFA State Update. The TFA State Tournament will be held March 6-8, 2008 in
Coppell. Please make note of the date change!
September 12, 2007
An additional amendment (Number of Finalists) has been received and is now posted on the
Convention page. This submission did not meet the early notice
deadline, so it will require a three-fourths majority vote for passage at convention.
September 5, 2007
Members of the Emeritus Committee have been posted on the Committees page.
September 4, 2007
An additional amendment (Superintendent on Executive Council) has been received and is now posted on the
Convention page.
September 3, 2007 10:25pm
An additional amendment (Codes in Debate) has been received and is now posted on the
Convention page.
September 3, 2007 12:45pm
An additional amendment (Partner Changes) has been received and is now posted on the
Convention page.
September 3, 2007
Two new amendments (Hosting Committee, Mutual Preference) have been receieved and are now posted on the Convention page.
September 2, 2007
A list of amendments that have been submitted at this point is now available for
review on the Convention page. The Congress Committee
report (as published in the most recent newsletter) is also posted. Additionally,
the State Size Committee met August 31-September 1 and has several recommendations
and amendments ready for consideration which are now posted. All of these amendments
and recommendations meet the early notice deadline, so a 2/3 vote will be sufficient
for passage of these items.
August 27, 2007
Update to the IQT Calendar: Colleyville Heritage has been moved from January 11/12 to February 8/9.
Download the official 2007-08 IQT calendar
as WORD
or PDF.
August 25, 2007
The application for TFA Membership is online this year. Click here to fill out a membership
and/or register for convention.
August 25, 2007
The Fall Newsletter is now available for download. Click here to
view (as PDF).
August 24, 2007
Update to the IQT Calendar: Langham Creek will not be able to host a tournament this year and
has been removed from November 16/17.
August 21, 2007
The National Debate Coaches Association has partnered with 17 different institutes and
is providing open access to hundreds of summer institute files. There is no catch
or hidden strings. The project has over 560 files that are available for download
for anyone that is interested. The NDCA wants to provide a mechanism for resource
equity for programs throughout the nation. For more information, consult the
Announcements box on the NDCA website.
August 21, 2007
Congress legislation has been updated. The original legislation included a duplicate
item. The legislation has not been renumbered; however, item #48 no longer exists. See the Congress page for the update.
August 18, 2007
Members wishing to submit proposed amendments to the TFA Standing Rules
and/or TFA Constitution are reminded that the early notice deadline is
nearing. Amendments that are received for posting by September 2 will meet
the 30 day deadline and will require a simple majority vote for approval.
Amendments proposed after that time will require a 75% vote of the membership
present for passage.
Proposed amendments should be e-mailed to Brent Hinkle
(brent@joyoftournaments.com)
with a cc to Rhonda Bell
(Rhonda.Bell@humble.k12.tx.us).
You will receive an acknowledgment within 24 hours of your submission. Otherwise,
assume that your submission has been lost in cyber-space and follow up.
Amendments will be posted on the Convention page.
August 18, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Eastwood has been moved to October 12/13.
The IQT calendar is now official. No new applications
will be considered. Changes to the calendar now must be presented for approval
at convention.
August 16, 2007
We are in need of a school to host TFA State in 2008.
If your school might be able to host the tournament, please let a member of the
Executive Council know. The following document has been prepared to answer common
questions about hosting requirements, room needs, and other important information
about hosting TFA State. View as WORD or PDF.
August 16, 2007
The TFA State Qualifying Point system has been revised for the 2007-08 season. Qualification
will require 10 points. View the point system as WORD or PDF.
August 16, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Roy H. Moody has been added to November 2/3.
Download revised Tentative IQT calendar as WORD or PDF.
August 10, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: University of Texas at Dallas has been added to January 4/5.
August 8, 2007
The executive council is currently considering how the change in TAKS testing dates to the first
week in March will impact the State Tournament. If you have any input regarding your district's
ability to travel (or host) on either of the 2 weekends - the last weekend in February (Feb 28-Mar 1)
or the first weekend in March (Mar 6-8) - please email your region representative by the end of
August.
At this time, we are still looking for a host school, from any region, to host TFA State. If you
are interested in hosting, please contact your region representative ASAP.
August 8, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Muleshoe has been added to October 19/20.
July 17, 2007
Updates to the IQT calendar: Valle Verde has been added to September 21/22. Transmountain has been added to February 8/9.
July 16, 2007
Updates to the Committees page.
July 10, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Rowlett has been removed.
June 8, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Eastwood has been added to November 16/17.
May 30, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Spring Woods has been moved to December 7/8.
May 25, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Calallen has been added to January 11/12.
May 24, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Snyder has been moved to January 25/26.
May 24, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Snyder has been added to January 18/19.
May 23, 2007
Congress legislation for the 2007-2008 season has now been posted. See the Congress page.
May 23, 2007
Update to the IQT calendar: Creekview has been moved to January 26.
May 22, 2007
Updates to the IQT calendar: Madison has been moved to Feb 9/10. Seminole has been moved to Jan 11/12.
May 18, 2007
Arlington has been added to the IQT Calendar for January 5, 2008.
May 17, 2007
The tentative 2007-2008 IQT Calendar is now available.
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