Portland 2008

December 5th-7th, 2008
Hosted by
Portland State UniversityPortland, Oregon

Dear Friends and colleagues,
On behalf of the Portland State Forensics Team, I would like to invite you to the 2008 Worlds Warm-up, to be hosted on the Portland State Campus in downtown Portland, Oregon December 5th-7th. This tournament will serve as a warm-up for those squads attending the World Universities Debating Championships at University College Cork in Irealndthis year, or for anyone interested in learning the format of international-style British Parliamentary debate. This tournament will feature 6 rounds of preliminary competition, with the appropriate number of elimination rounds, based on entries.

This tournament is open to any school that would like to participate. International teams are particularly encouraged to join us! The registration deadline for this tournament is Monday December 1st. There will be a preliminary cap of 6 teams per institution. Additional teams may be put on a waiting list, and will be notified if space is available after the registration deadline has passed.

I hope you will join us for this fantastic event!

Sincerely,
Christopher Richter

DOF – Portland State University
richter.Christopher@gmail.com
503-490-9619

Tournament Information

Schedule
Friday, December 5th
2:00 – Optional Workshop for Beginners
4:00 – Registration
5:00 – Opening Briefings
6:00 – Round 1

Saturday, December 6th
8:30 – Breakfast (Coffee, Tea, Pastries provided)
9:00 – Round 2
11:00 – Round 3
1:00 – Lunch
2:00 – Round 4
4:00 – Round 5

Sunday, December 7th
8:00 - Breakfast
9:00 – Round 6
11:30 – Elimination Round 1
1:00 - Lunch
2:00 – Elimination Round 2
4:00 – Elimination Round 3 (If Needed)

Registration
All entries must be submitted via e-mail to richter.christopher@gmail.com. Please include the number of teams, team member names, and names of adjudicators. You will receive confirmation of your registration within 48 hours. Please make all checks payable to Portland State Forensics.

Fees
School Fee - $30
Team Fee - $50
Uncovered Team Fee - $100 (N-1 Rule Enforced)

Registration and Uncovered judge fees will be waived for all international teams.

Eligibility
This tournament is open to any undergraduate or graduate student seeking a degree from an accredited academic institution.

Debate Rules
We will be following the WUDC rules, which can be found at www.debating.net/wudc.

Pairings
This tournament will feature 6 preliminary rounds of competition, and the appropriate number of out-rounds, based on the number of entries. As is common in international debate formats, it is likely that teams may face other teams from the same school in any given round, and to hit the same teams multiple times.

Awards
Awards will be given to all elimination-round contestants, as well as the top 10 speakers.

Travel Information
For those of you arriving by plane, you will want to fly into Portland International Airport (PDX). It is approximately 15 minutes from downtown Portland. A taxi will cost approximately $25-$35, or you can ride our light-rail system (The Max) for $1.65, which will take you into the heart of downtown.

Portland State University is an urban campus, located in downtown Portland, and is spread out over several city blocks. We will try to keep the tournament confined to three main buildings. The registration and general meeting area will be in the Smith Center, which is located at 1825 SW Broadway. Look for signs to guide you to registration.

To get to PSU (from the airport); take I-205 South to I-84 West. From I-84, merge onto I-5 Southbound. From there, Merge onto the I-405 Northbound and take the 6th Ave. exit. Proceed three blocks, and turn left on Harrisson Street. There you will see Parking Structure #1 on your Left.

Unfortunately, because we are an urban campus, parking can be difficult. We will do our best to provide guest parking passes to tournament attendees, but we cannot guarantee sufficient supply to cover all attendees. You can pay to park in Parking Structure #1 located at 1872 SW Broadway, which is directly across the street from the Smith Center. Prices vary depending on the time of day. University Place Hotel (see below) also offers guest overnight parking for $12 a night or you can always try to find parking on the street.

Hotel
We recommend staying at the University Place Hotel located at 310 SW Lincoln Street, Portland, OR 97201, just a few blocks from campus. To make reservations call 503-221-0140 or toll free at 1-866-845-4647. Please ask for the “debate-worlds warmup” room block to receive the $89 rate. More information about the University Place Hotel can be found at www.uplace.pdx.edu.

Crash
Crash will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis; with priority given to international teams. Please contact me in advance if you think you will require crash.

Food
Portland State has several low-cost food choices close to campus, including Subway, Starbucks, McDonalds, Hot Lips Pizza, Vietnamese/Thai cuisine, Mexican, and Market Street McMenamins Pub. Beyond that, Portland has a variety of excellent restaurants, including: The Spaghetti Factory, Macaroni Grill, PF Changs, The Olive Garden, Chevys and all the other chain restaurants you might expect. Breakfast, including pastries, coffee, tea, and juice will be provided by the tournament on both Saturday and Sunday morning.

Recreation
Should you find the time, Portland has a variety of activities to suit any interest. Whether it is the Portland Art Museum, Powells City of Books, or Saturday Market, there’s something for everyone to do. We hope you will take the time to enjoy our great city.