Dartmouth
Forensic Union |
debate.dartmouth.edu |
Senior Assistants
For the Dartmouth Debate Workshop
June 18 - July 9, 2008
The Deadline For Receipt of Applications is May 7, 2008
The Program -- Application Process -- Fees -- Teaching/Staff -- Curriculum -- Research Facilities -- Relationship to DDI -- College Experience -- Arrival/Departure -- Transportation -- Housing/Living
Senior Assistants is a program for students who will be high school seniors in the Fall of 2008. It runs concurrent with our Dartmouth Debate Workshop for sophomores and juniors. This is a special opportunity for an intensive, early summer's beginning to debate preparation. The program offers the chance to work on debate with other outstanding Seniors selected for the program.
About 10 Senior Assistants will be selected from applicants. The emphasis will be on doing a substantial amount of topic analysis and research. The Senior Assistants will participate with the Workshop students and the staff in topic discussions, and Senior Assistants will be assigned to each research group to participate in and help with research and preparation. The Seniors will meet frequently in special sessions separate from the Workshop students to discuss arguments, research, theory, skills, and matters of their own choosing. These will most likely occur when the Workshop students are covering theory and practice matters. The Senior Assistants will have a number of practice debates among themselves, and have the opportunity to do speech reworks with staff.
There are two important stipulations on the position of Senior Assistant. First, Senior Assistants must agree to treat the position as a serious educational opportunity and responsibility; this is not a vacation or party. Second, they must agree to attend the Dartmouth Debate Institute, July 13 to August 10, 2008. This requires that they complete all of the application forms for DDI by May 9. It is important that student applications and coach recommendation for BOTH programs be submitted.
Application Process
Applications must be RECEIVED by May 7, 2008.
Application requires both the Senior Assistant Application Form, and the Senior Assistant Coach Recommendation Form. These can be found on the Application page. Application also requires Dartmouth Debate Institute application forms and a copy of your high school transcript by May 7, 2008. The coach recommendations for Senior Assistants and DDI are very different; make sure your coach completes both. DDI forms are also on the Application page.
You do not need to send all of the materials together. In fact, you are advised to send each of these forms as soon as possible, even if that means sending them separately. Do not wait on your coach to complete Form 2 or your high school to send the transcript; in the past, such waiting has unnecessarily delayed applications.
There is no application fee. PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY WITH YOUR APPLICATION.
Those who are chosen to be Senior Assistants will receive notice with a May 9, 2008, mailing.
If you need more information about the Institute or additional application forms, contact Ken Strange by writing him at ken.strange@dartmouth.edu.
Workshop Fees
There are NO FEES for tuition, housing, and a $200 meal plan. There is no application fee.
We will require a $50 damage deposit. Should students return their room keys, leave their rooms in good order, and not do costly damage to College facilities, the $50 will be returned in cash when they check out of the Workshop on July 9. For our bookkeeping purposes, we will return the Workshop damage deposit and collect a new damage deposit for DDI.
Those using the Workshop's chartered bus between Logan Airport in Boston and Hanover will be charged an additional $80 for the round-trip or $40 for one way. Students driving themselves to the Workshop will be charged a $75 automobile storage fee. The nature of these arrangements is more fully explained later under Transportation. Again, for bookkeeping purposes, for someone taking the charter on June 18, staying at Dartmouth for DDI, and taking the charter on August 10, we will treat the June 18 charter as a Workshop charge and the August 10 charter as an Institute charge.
Photocopying of all the Workshop evidence will be done at no additional expense. Students will have to pay for any personal photocopying done in the libraries or elsewhere.
Our exceptional teaching staff is comprised of successful debaters and coaches, all of whom are also DDI instructors. All of the debaters have competed very successfully, winning major national tournaments and receiving first-round at large bids to the NDT (top 16 teams in the nation). The coaches have similarly stellar records, including 3 national champion teams.
The support staff consists of coaches and college debaters who will assist students in the libraries and hear some of the practice debates.
Class meetings will emphasize research techniques, debate theory, and skills development, as well as topic analysis and argument preparation. Research and argument preparation will be focused in lab groups for affirmative cases and lab groups for negative positions. Students will be assigned to groups based on their case and argument preferences. Evenings will be devoted to research, preparation, and conferences with individuals, teams, and small groups. Throughout the Workshop, debaters will participate in drills and practice sessions; however, as the program advances in to the second and third weeks, the emphasis on practice will increase. We plan to have a tournament; in addition, each debater will have numerous practice debates.
Work on research techniques will begin with a review of basic research skills, but then move on to more sophisticated concerns. We will emphasize use of advanced electronic reference materials and methods for finding specific evidence. We also will cover techniques for being more efficient in researching and processing evidence. Finally, there will be a full discussion of the ethics of evidence use.
Our coverage of debate theory will have two primary aims. First, we will focus on the underlying assumptions of debate theory; with this understanding students will be better able to argue theory. Second, we will discuss and practice debating the more frequently raised theory issues, particularly those related to counterplans and topicality.
Skills development will receive special emphasis. Students will work with instructors in a number of skill groups, including Brief Writing, Debating Topicality, Line-by-line Clash, Resolving Arguments, Debating Disadvantages, Debating Kritiks, Debating Counterplans. Early work will involve delivery skills such as word economy, vocal clarity, and organization. Speaking drill sessions will run throughout the Workshop. Later in the Workshop the emphasis will be on more sophisticated techniques such as issue choice, conceptualizing debates, explaining and resolving arguments, and telling a good story. Students will give a number of rebuttal reworks. Not only will the debaters get practice in these areas, but they will learn drills to continue improvement.
Topic analysis probably will be the most valuable part of the Workshop. Like labs in other programs, we will have research assignments and prepare a number of affirmative cases and a wide range of negative arguments. Unlike labs in most other programs, however, most of the time will be devoted to group discussion of arguments, issues, and strategies. While we expect to produce a considerable amount of evidence, the more important result will be an improved understanding of how to use that evidence to be a better debater. Through involvement in group argument and counter-argument, strategy and counter-strategy, students will learn how to keep advancing as a debater after leaving the Workshop.
Research Facilities
Workshop students will have full use of Dartmouth's library system, including the graduate libraries. The college's libraries are of the quality one would expect at an Ivy League institution. A full time staff of over 100 people administer several million volumes and process hundreds of thousands of loan transactions each year. We will provide orientation and on-going assistance in the use of the libraries to Workshop students. In addition, the Workshop will maintain a special collection containing hundreds of articles on the resolution. Any research material that students are unable to find within the College's library system will be acquired by the Workshop either through inter-library loan or purchase.
Students will have full access to the Dartmouth College computer facilities, but, if it is convenient, you may want to bring a computer. All of the residence halls are hardwired into the College mainframe. So, if you bring a computer and have or purchase an ethernet card or a wireless airport card, you will be able to do library searches, use the internet and Lexis, access e-mail, etc. from your room; you will also be able to print at the College's computer center.
Relation to the Dartmouth Debate Institute
Senior Assistants must also attend the Dartmouth Debate Institute, July 13 to August 10, 2008. They must apply to DDI and pay the DDI fees like all other students in that program. Applicants for Senior Assistant must have their DDI application forms in by May 9, 2008
If Senior Assistants plan on remaining at Dartmouth between the Workshop and DDI, housing will be provided at no cost. A meal plan is not offered in the interim. Residence hall rules continue to apply in the interim.
The College Experience
Dartmouth, an Ivy League school established in 1769, is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, a small New England town located on the Connecticut River. The student body includes about 4,100 undergraduate and 1,600 graduate students. Because the Dartmouth Enrollment Plan involves most students attending one summer term, many classes are in session during the Workshop. Students who are interested may be able to observe classes. Workshop students will live in College residence halls, eat in the College dining hall, use College classrooms, and have access to the College's recreational facilities.
Arrival and Departure
Senior Assistants must arrive at the Workshop on June 18, 2008, and they must remain at the Workshop until July 9, 2008. Only under exceptional circumstances will early or late arrival/departure be permitted. Students may leave on July 11 and return July 15, or they may stay in Hanover during the interim for the Dartmouth Debate Institute from July 15 to August 12.
Registration for the Workshop will be on Wednesday, June 18, between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. in the Workshop's residence halls (see Housing/Living Arrangements below regarding the location of the residence halls). The opening meeting of the Workshop will be Wednesday, June 18 at 9:00 p.m. Those leaving between the Workshop and Institute may depart Dartmouth at any time on Wednesday, July 11.
Between June 18 and July 9, students are expected to remain in Hanover. Workshop classes and activities are planned throughout this time, including weekends. If a student has some exceptional reason for briefly being out of Hanover, his/her parent(s) should contact Ken Strange, the Workshop Director, by mail, e-mail, or telephone well in advance of the planned departure so that arrangements can be made.
Transportation
Hanover can be reached by automobile on either Interstate 89 (exit 18 in NH) or Interstate 91 (exit 13 in VT). The college is about a two and one-half hour drive from Boston or about a five hour drive from New York City.
Students who drive themselves to the Workshop will not be permitted to drive their cars during the Workshop. Our residence hall director will hold the car keys during the Workshop. Cars will be parked in a campus storage lot, which is secured by Dartmouth campus security. The charge for automobile storage is $75.
Vermont Transit Company buses serve Hanover, and White River Junction, VT. White River Junction is about a ten minute drive from Hanover. Amtrak also runs to White River Junction. We will pick up and return students at the bus and train stations at no additional charge.
US Air commuter flights serve Lebanon NH, which is about fifteen minutes from Hanover. Connections can be made through Boston, New York, and elsewhere. You should be warned that these are small planes, and that they frequently miss luggage connections. We will pick up and return students at the Lebanon airport at no additional charge.
Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, United, and US Air fly into the Manchester NH airport. Manchester is a little over an hour from Hanover. Vermont Transit bus line provides transportation between the airport and Hanover. A schedule is available on the Vermont Transit Webpage. We will pick students up when they arrive in Hanover. People Movers is also available for transportation between Manchester Airport and the Workshop residence halls.
If you choose to fly into and out of Boston's Logan Airport, we will provide transportation on a chartered bus for $80 round trip or $40 one way. On June 18, representatives from the Workshop will meet you at Terminal C at Logan. If you arrive at another terminal, you can take an airport shuttle bus to Terminal C. The chartered bus will depart Logan at 3:00 p.m.; we will not be able to hold the bus after that time. On July 9, the bus will depart Hanover at 8:00 a.m. and should arrive at Logan by 11:00 a.m. To be safe, you should arrange arrival at Logan on June 18 prior to 1:30 p.m. and departure from Logan on July 9 after 12:00 noon. Information about the airport is available on the Logan Webpage.
If arrival or departure on the chartered bus from Logan is inconvenient, an alternative is Dartmouth Coach (a private shuttle service, not associated with the College). They make a number of trips daily. A schedule is available on the Dartmouth Coach webpage. The cost is about $40 each way. Their number is 1-800-637-0123 or 603-448-2800. Another option is Vermont Transit bus line, which has several buses running between Logan and Hanover. You can get the summer schedule on the Vermont Transit Webpage or by calling Vermont Transit in White River Junction at 802-295-3011 or their vermont headquarters at 800-451-3292.
People Movers is also available for transportation between Manchester Airport and the Workshop residence halls.
Included in the Workshop for Senior Assistants is a meal plan set up as a $200 declining balance. The card can be used at any of the several food services on campus. If use of the card is less than the allotted $200, the balance cannot be refunded. If use of the card exceeds $200, the additional purchases must be paid in cash.
We have used this meal plan arrangement for several years now. It provides students with a full choice from the College's food services; the food is really pretty good. With the declining balance plan, there may be some who do not use all of their balance, but those have been few in the past since near the end of the Workshop they purchased lots of drinks and snack food to take back to the residence hall. There may be some who exceeded their balance, but they can make arrangements for cash purchases since they will know their remaining balance with each purchase. Despite these minor problems, students in have strongly preferred this meal plan to the pre-set ''all you can eat'' option since this plan offers more choices as to where to eat and makes much better food available.
Housing/Living Arrangements
Workshop students will be housed in the Choate residence hall cluster. Admissions packets will include a map of campus and provide driving directions. Men and women will be housed on different floors if possible, and definitely be on different corridors. Rooms will be assigned randomly, except to assure geographic diversity of the students on each corridor. We believe that one of the opportunities provided by the Workshop is for students to get a sampling of what college life is like. This includes the experience of meeting and living with people from different parts of the country and from different backgrounds.
Senior Assistants will have single rooms, and we will try to keep them in the same room for DDI.
Students will be required to be in the residence halls at 11:00 p.m.; this will be verified by a room check. After room check students may leave their rooms, but they will not be permitted on floors or corridors occupied by the opposite gender after 11:00 p.m. There are common areas available for debate work to continue later than these times. All students must be in their own rooms with lights out at 1:00 a.m.
Visitors are not permitted in the residence halls after 11:00 p.m. Under no circumstances may guests stay in the dorm overnight.
Mail and Other Deliveries
Letters and packages sent by US mail should be addressed to the student at the Workshop address: Dartmouth Debate Workshop - Dartmouth College, Hinman Box 6145, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755. This is the Director's campus mailbox. Mail will be distributed to student boxes in the residence hall.
Items sent by private delivery services (United Parcel Service [UPS], Federal Express, etc.) should be sent to the student at Dartmouth Debate Workshop, Robinson Hall Room 319, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755. There is no street address on campus. Be sure to waive the signature requirement. This is the office of the Dartmouth debate team. We will deliver packages to the students in the residence hall.
During the Workshop, students will have Dartmouth e-mail accounts. Their address will be firstname.lastname@dartmouth.edu.
Telephone Calls
Each student will have a telephone in his/her room in the residence hall. It is the responsibility of students to inform their friends and relatives of their phone numbers upon arrival at the Workshop.
Emergency numbers, including that of the Residence Hall Director, will be included in the confirmation letter. They also will be listed on the office answering machine of the Workshop Director, 603-646-3877.
Things to Bring
Most of the debate supplies you might need are available at the Dartmouth Bookstore, one block from campus, but you might want to bring supplies anyway. Tubs are not available at any store within walking distance; you'll probably need several to carry your Workshop evidence.
You are urged to bring a three ring notebook with dividers and plenty of paper. You will want to keep careful notes during Workshop classes. This or another notebook also will be useful in keeping the bibliographic work for your research organized.
Hanover summers tend to be mild. You should bring warm weather clothing, but a sweater or jacket will be needed for some of the cooler evenings. No Institute activities will require more formal dress. Sheets, pillow cases, and towels will NOT be provided. You should bring linens for a single bed. Pillows and blankets are provided. You should bring a robe or something to wear to the shower. The residence hall is not air-conditioned, so you may want to bring a fan. (The temperature on most nights is in the 50s or 60s, but it is usually warmer in the rooms; a fan will bring in the cooler outside air.) You might also want to bring a small desk lamp. Be sure to bring an alarm clock!
Computers
Students will have full access to the Dartmouth College computer facilities, but, if it is convenient, you may want to bring a computer. All of the residence halls rooms have hardwire and remote access into the College mainframe. So, if you bring a computer and have or purchase an ethernet card or a wireless airport card, you will be able to do library searches, use the internet and Lexis, access e-mail, etc. from your room; you will also be able to print on the College's public printers.
Spending Money/Cash
The amount of money past students have spent out of pocket during the Workshop has varied substantially. There are no hidden fees and the meal plan should be sufficient for most students throughout the Workshop. Copies of briefed evidence are covered in the Workshop fees. Students will need to pay for copying articles, books, and other research material; this tends to cost about $40 and rarely exceeds $75 for the three weeks. Those wanting to rent a refrigerator (about $25 for the entire Workshop) will need to pay in cash on the first day of the Workshop. Students also will need to do laundry during the Workshop; machines are in the residence halls. Beyond these expenses student spending varies primarily based additional food expenses: eating at restaurants, ordering pizza, using the vending machines, etc.
To have cash available for the four weeks, travelers checks or use of an ATM card are suggested. We have made arrangements at a local bank for Institute students to cash checks from home; they will cash checks up to $100 each.
The Program -- Application Process -- Fees -- Teaching/Staff -- Curriculum -- Research Facilities -- Relationship to DDI -- College Experience -- Arrival/Departure -- Transportation -- Housing/Living
Additional Information:If you have any questions about the Dartmouth Debate Workshop, contact Ken Strange at ken.strange@dartmouth.edu, by writing:
The Dartmouth Debate Workshop
H.B. 6145 Robinson Hall Room 319
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH 03755
or by calling 603-646-3877.