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Policy Debate

Policy Debate

The OU Policy Debate Team has a long history of excellence and national recognition. Each year, OU competes in cross-examination style policy debate tournaments. Multiple teams of two debate both sides of varying issues, which recently included the merits of affirmative action, whether to establish a space policy, and the reach of executive authority.

The OU Policy Debate Team is a cross-examination, or cross-ex, style policy debate team typically comprised of 6-12 members. Cross-ex is a type of debate where teams of two advocate for or against a specified resolution/topic, and then take turns questioning or being questioned by the other side. Each team member presents and cross-examines the opposing team at least once. Because a team could be assigned either the affirmative or negative position, preparation of the merits of both sides is key and done as a squad here at home throughout the year.

OU Debate's cross-ex teams use the critical debate argument style. Critical, in contrast to traditional policy debate, known as the kritik style, is a movement that challenges the mindset or assumptions made by the opposing team. Kritik debates confront the foundations of traditional college debate, which has previously been known to be exclusive and lacking in representation and participation outside the upper-middle class elite.

OU's members come from all backgrounds and areas of the country, and are working to earn degrees in biochemistry, women & gender studies, and communication, to name a few. As a kritik team, members inject hip-hop, rap, personal diction and individualized experiences into their debate presentations, making their delivery more performative and impassioned.

 

 

Lindsey Shook joined the OU Policy Debate program in summer 2022, having brought with her an immense amount of experience as a debator, coach, and program director.  Lindsey received her Bachelors degree from the University of Central Oklahoma while she coached for Heritage Hall in OKC. Subsequently, she received her Masters from the University of Kansas where was also a coach for their lauded debate program.

Lindsey has been a program lead for the University of Central Florida and James Madison University,  where she coached national champions in every division including novice, junior varsity, open, and the National Debate Tournament.  Her other accomplishments include first round bid teams and round robin particpants, sending novices to NDT qualifiers and out rounds of CEDA Nationals. In addition to multiple coaching and top critic awards, Lindsey has received the Galentine Award for best female coach in the US and has been a judge for the final round the NDT tournament in 2013 and 2018. 

FALL 2023 

September 15 - 18Northwestern University 
September 22 - 24Missouri State 
October 14 - 16University of Houston 
October 27 - 30Harvard 
November 3 - 5University of Central 
November 11 - 13Wake Forest 
   

SPRING 2024

January 3-5                  University of Kansas
January 7-9Kansas State University 
February 3-5University of Texas
February 23-25University of Central Oklahoma 
March 22-25CEDA
April 4-8 NDT
  

Get Involved

Here are just a few reasons students join our team:

  • You'll get involved on campus.
  • You'll meet new people you may not have met otherwise.
  • You'll be able to express yourself and challenge societal norms within the topics assigned.
  • You'll gain critical thinking, logical reasoning, research, and speaking skills that can help you in class and in your future career.
  • You'll have access to different resources on campus and a squad room in which to study or hang out.
  • You'll have a great extracurricular activity to put on your resume.
  • You'll be eligible for special scholarships and tuition waivers.
  • GET INVOLVED WITH THE TEAM

    Shannon Self Debate Institute

    hosted by the University of Oklahoma Policy Debate Team

    money-check-dollar

    Deposit and registration fees must be paid in full by May 15, 2024. 

    Pay Deposit Here

    Policy (2 weeks): July 7 - July 21, 2024

    Lincoln Douglas (2 weeks): July 7 - July 21, 2024

    Public Forum (1 week)
    Option 1: July 7 - July 14, 2024
    Option 2: July 14 - July 21, 2024

    Local Expertise 

    This camp is primarily designed to service the debate community in Oklahoma. The students will learn skills that will benefit them in their state and regional competitions. Our staff in each debate format will understand local needs of the students while having significant experience coaching debaters on a national stage. 

    Flexible Attendance Options

    Students can opt to stay on campus or commute to OU daily. Meals are included in the price for students who will stay on campus. Students can opt in our of a meal plan if they choose to commute. 

    All Levels of Students Welcome

    Whether a student has years of debate experience or none, they can expect their needs will be met. Our staff has been trained with a wide range of experience levels in mind. We hope to provide an opportunity for students to get to know other debate students and instructors and we aim to build community as we educate. 

    Camp/Lab GroupStay on campusCommuter w/meal plan
    (3 meals per day)
    Commuter w/no meal plan
    Policy (2 weeks)$2500$1100$750
    Lincoln Douglas (2 weeks)$2500$1100$750
    Public Forum (1 week)$1500$600$400

    *A non-refundable deposit of $100 is required to be paid prior to full registration. This deposit is reflected in the full price of each camp/lab group above.


    **Registration Fee Payment must be received by May 15, 2024. Purchase orders will not be accepted. Should the event be cancelled, a 100% refund will be processed.

    Please feel free to email Lindsey Shook directly with questions at lindsey.m.shook-1@ou.edu

    FAQs

    Policy Debate: We will split this group into a novice (or beginner) and an advanced group. These labs will last 2 weeks. All policy labs will emphasize: File and strategy creation - how to create arguments to make a more self sustaining team, and skills work - get feedback from lab leaders that have coached teams at the most competitive levels in high school and college.

    The Lincoln Douglas (LD): These labs will last for 2 weeks and also be split into at least 2 groups. A novice or beginner group and an advanced group. If we have so many students that those groups are too big we will ensure there is enough staff to divide into smaller groups and maintain a small staff to student ratio. The LD labs will emphasize case construction, being persuasive and the best tactics and strategies for LD debate.  

    Public Forum: These labs will be based on the number of students to maintain an ideal student to teacher ratio. If there are sufficient numbers the labs will be divided based on level of experience. These labs will focus on the best practices being employed in public forum debates. This will include how to research and construct cases for new topics, persuading judges, and overall pro and con strategies. 

    The reason we use deposits is that we stand to lose thousands of dollars over no-show students. If a camp not making results in you not attending, we would certainly return your deposit! Similarly, if we are forced to shift modality (live to online, for example), we will notify you and you will have a few days to decide whether to shift or get your deposit back. 

    Nearly all students bring cell phones, which are an excellent choice. Parents can also leave messages with the camp office phone or the hall. At registration, we will provide students and parent(s)/guardian(s) the cell phone numbers of the directors, which parents may freely use in an emergency or if their students are not responding quickly enough. We will attempt to remind the students to call or text home!

    Each sleeping room contains two beds and, at most, two students. Students are never allowed in the suites or rooms of the opposite sex; a common work area in the hall will be provided.

    You will be charged $10 for a replacement if you lose your meal card. Sometimes students wish to purchase snack food, soda, etc., or order pizza or other delivery items from local establishments. You should bring the amount of money you feel will be sufficient to cover these expenses. None of these purchases are required by the camp.

    We have normal sessions on weekends, including all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening. If you miss evenings or weekends, or depart the camp early, you will miss instructional content. We don't pro-rate tuition in these cases, as don't have a way to pro-rate our cost of providing service. This may also impact partner pairings, so it's important to notify us in advance for planning.

    You can miss only with written permission from your parent or guardian. Hall residents may only leave if accompanied by a parent or designated adult. Commuters may leave in the same way they arrived, with parental permission to do so.

    If you become ill during the camp a staff member will accompany you to the appropriate medical facility. After we have received your camp registration you will be asked to fill out medical forms to ensure we can get you cared for. Parents/guardians will also be promptly notified of any illness or injury requiring a visit to a medical facility.

    If you are residing on campus we ask that you try to attend one of the services on campus. We are happy to help you find whatever is best for you. Of course if you are commuting or your parents/guardians want to pick you up for services in other locations you should arrange that with the camp director.

    Enrollment is based on capacity of the residence halls for students staying on campus. If you are registering as a commuter you can presume you have a spot once your application and deposit have been submitted. We generally reserve facilities well above past camp sizes, so unless you are notified otherwise, you can expect to be enrolled once your registration form and deposit are received. A secondary mailing with camp procedures, health forms, and waivers will be mailed upon acceptance.

    Each room is furnished with two beds, study desks, bookshelves, closets, and desk chairs. Because all students will be involved in researching and participating in a number of practice debates, it is important to bring the material and equipment you will need.

    For example, you may wish to bring a notebook, flowing paper, pens, etc.

    Since debate is largely paperless now, students are encouraged to bring a functioning laptop computer. A PC or MAC is far superior to a Chromebook, if available. We also suggest the computer have a working copy of MS Word, and we recommend installing the Verbatim Template. We can help with the last part on arrival, if necessary. 

    We ask students to bring their own linens. Twin XL sheets, pillow(s) and any other bedding you might need to feel comfortable is encouraged. We also recommend you bring a towel or two.

    If things are forgotten we will attempt to help students find any missing materials – they will still cost money and it might take a day or so to get to the relevant store and back with supplies.

    Digital copies of the evidence produced by your labs and generic working groups will be available for you at no charge. If reasonable amounts of paper are required for cases or evidence the camp will cover those costs.

    Yes. We are always interested in recruiting new students from our camps. Depending on availability, we can arrange for you to meet an admissions officer, department chairperson, or professor. Please speak to us in advance if you are interested.

    Yes. Mail from home can be sent to the camper, care of the Shannon Self Debate Institute.

    This is a common concern. The normal registration time is set to enable parents/guardians to bring students from out of town and return home the same evening. We are happy to work with you on arriving and registering late - please contact us if this will be a concern.

    Early arrival and late departure require special accommodation on the part of the residence halls, and create a supervision challenge. We aren't able to promise either of these, but we are willing to explore options if contacted well in advance.

    This is the first year of the SSDI – as such we cannot offer financial aid. That is in large part due to uncertainty about the number of students who will attend and the actual costs of running the camp. We understand how much this matters for many of you and we are committed to doing our best to offer financial aid in the future. If you have more questions about this feel free to contact Lindsey Shook directly, lindsey.m.shook-1@ou.edu.