MSDI
Missouri State Debate Institute
Dept of Communication
Craig 375
901 S. National Ave
Springfield, MO 65804
Camp Phone Numbers:
(417) 836-7636 – Dr. Eric Morris
Cell: (417) 496-7141
(417) 836-6564 – Dr. Heather Walters
(417) 836-4423 – Comm. Dept Office
(417) 836-5509 – Campus Security
We have received your enrollment for the 2009 Missouri
State University Debate Institute. We are excited that
you’ll be joining us this summer!
Enclosed, you will find information concerning the Institute. If
circumstances dictate changes in the enclosed information, we will post
them on the camp’s website: <debate.missouristate.edu/camp.html>.
Duplicate copies of all enclosed forms (except the receipt) are available
there as well.
Among the included information:
1. Student information form – partner requests, etc. We ask that you
return this form (or email back the information) as soon as possible!
2. A receipt for deposit / payment received
3. Travel tips to help you locate the camp
4. Residence Hall information guide
5. Additional camp information (answers many frequently asked
questions)
6. Emergency Medical Care form – must be notarized
7. The Memorandum of Understanding (camp rules).
8. Taylor Health Center’s Medical History Form (requested by our
campus health center in case medical treatment is sought)
Please return the following as soon as possible:
FAX
(417) 836-4774
E-Mail
ericmorris@missouristate.edu
heatherwalters@missouristate.edu
Website
1. Student Information Sheet (Consider emailing this info)
2. Memorandum of Understanding
3. Emergency Medical Care form (must be notarized – if you fax your
forms, please bring hard copy to registration)
4. Medical History Form (including insurance information – please sign
both treatment consent and HIPAA sections at the bottom)
Registration will be from 2-4pm on Sunday, June 21st in the Hutchens
Hall lobby. Commuters are encouraged to register on Sunday as well.
Please bring the remainder of camp fees to registration. Unfortunately,
we cannot accept credit cards – only cash and personal checks. At
registration, students will receive a packet with the final camp schedule,
starter pack of evidence, lab assignments, etc.
http://debate.missouristate.edu/camp.html
Dr. Eric Morris
Dr. Heather Walters
Directors
If problems or questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact us. We
can be reached at the phone numbers listed on the left, or at
ericmorris@missouristate.edu. Between June 2 and June 20, you may
find it easier to call Eric Morris’ cell phone at (417) 496-7141, or to
contact Heather Walters.
We look forward to meeting you at registration!
Dr. Eric Morris
MSDI Director
Residence Hall Information
Arrival and Departure
Dorm residents should arrive at Hutchens House (see Travel Tips for directions) between 2-4pm on Sunday, June
21st. Your balance is due at registration. There is no key deposit, but MSU does charge approximately $10 for lost
keys. Your room will be assigned to you when you check in. You may request a roommate using the student
information form, but roommate requests must be received by June 5, 2008 to be honored.
Students must be checked out of their rooms at Hutchens House by 11am on Saturday, July 4th (or 11th, for the 3
week camp). All camp activities will be completed on Friday evening, and students may leave either Friday evening
or Saturday morning. Students and parents are responsible for any expenses incurred from lost keys, damaged
furniture, etc.
Early / Late - Arrival / Departure
We discourage early arrivals and late departures, as we are unable to provide supervision outside of normal camp
times. If such arrangements are necessary, students are responsible for any charges from additional nights, etc. Late
arrivals and early departures, however, do not create supervision problems, and can easily be arranged. We aren’t
able to pro-rate costs in these cases, however, as our costs are largely fixed by external sources (such as staffing
costs and university housing policies).
The Dormitory
Males & Females will be housed in separate areas, but likely on the same floor. Camp staff will supervise the
hallways well into the night. All rooms in Hutchens have internal (suite-style) bathrooms. Students are in no case
allowed in areas designated for the opposite sex. Public areas of the residence hall, such as the hall lobby and main
lobby, are open to all students. MSDI will have appropriate levels of counselor support for supervision and
assistance in the dormitory. You can find more information about the Hutchens House online:
* Hutchens House: http://reslife.missouristate.edu/hutchens.htm
Students should be cautious when bringing valuables to camp, as loss and theft are always risks. Please mark items
clearly with the student’s name. Students should keep their rooms locked at all times when they aren’t in them.
Although we will make a reasonable effort to protect student property, we are not in any way liable for loss, theft, or
damage of any property belonging to students. We do not have insurance coverage for students’ private property,
although parents’ homeowners’ policies may apply.
Our housing contract for the dorm includes linens. You should bring all other personal effects, including towels,
soap, etc. The dorm also has free laundry facilities; we will have a schedule for access after the camp begins. Our
understanding is that dorm amenities such as free cable ports, free internet ports, and live local phone jacks can be
used if students bring appropriate equipment. Any updates on particulars will be posted on the camp website
(debate.missouristate.edu/camp.html).
Meals
Students enrolling for room & board receive 3 meals a day. The first meal is breakfast on Monday, June 22nd and
the last is dinner on Friday, July 3rd (or July 10th, for the 3 week camp). Students are responsible for their dinner on
check-in day, and often eat with parents if they are being dropped off. We will collect keys from students driving
themselves to camp and staying in the dorm, but not until the rules meeting Sunday evening (7pm).
Students enrolled as commuters receive no meals, but can opt to purchase meals either in the dining hall cafeteria or
from a variety of vendors in the student union. Commuters who drive themselves may leave campus for the meal
times if they wish, but must not take dorm students in their cars or off campus.
Parking Information
It’s possible to accumulate several tickets (at $20 each, or more) if you park in areas other than the correct
area. Please, don’t add to your camp cost by accumulating a string of parking tickets!
The “free lot” this summer is Lot 15, which is near Hutchens House (just south of Harrison St., right by
Greenwood Elementary). We recommend all commuters and dorm residents park there (if staying in the
dorm, the MSDI will hold your car keys from the opening night rules meeting until you check out). Lot 15
is fairly close to all camp activities. You can find a map that includes Lot 15 at this address
(http://www.missouristate.edu/map/othermaps/parking.asp) or generally review University Parking policy
from this website (http://www.missouristate.edu/safetran/13314.htm).
If commuters strongly prefer to park elsewhere on campus, it is possible to purchase daily parking passes
by contacting the Parking Department (417-836-4825). The cost of such a pass in not included in the
camp’s cost model, so both the cost of the pass and any parking tickets accrued as a result of parking in an
incorrect location are the responsibility of the student.
Commuters can leave campus during lunch. If a commuter is getting rides with another student (or
someone besides a family member), please bring a note of parental permission to registration. Dorm
students should never be in a commuter’s car during the camp.
Recruiting Incentive Program
The Missouri State Debate Institute has been growing each year, but we are interested in growing faster.
We will reduce your tuition if you help us recruit. Specifically, we will reduce it by $25 for each person
who enrolls and attends the policy debate camp, but lists you as having ‘recruited’ them to join us. You
can receive this bonus multiple times, potentially up to the cost of the entire institute!
Here are the provisions:
1. You have to be already registered for the camp to receive a recruiting bonus.
2. You have to attend the camp (e.g., we reduce tuition instead of paying you)
3. The student has to tell us you recruited them (they can send an email within a day or two of registering
to ericmorris@missouristate.edu).
4. You can’t ‘split’ a recruit with someone else – we’ll only give credit to one person.
5. You can’t recruit yourself and get credit for it
6. The student has to register by the deadline and actually attend the camp.
7. We will reduce the money due at registration for each eligible person. If they are a no-show, we’ll still
charge you the $25. If you have previously paid in full, we’ll arrange to have a refund mailed, but it
takes a little while. We’ll ask you to sign a page indicating the fee reduction for internal auditing.
8. The credit for recruiting does not count against the camp deposit, so you still need to send that.
9. If you help us recruit for the event mini-camps, we will reduce your charge by $5 for each mini-camp
they attend. We’ll calculate this on registration day, but recalculate for no-shows.
If you have questions we didn’t already answer, please contact us!
Travel Tips
Driving Directions
From Interstate-44, take exit 80 (Business 65 / Glenstone) and go south. Turn right at the light on Cherry
Street (after Kearney, Division & Chestnut Expressway). Turn left at the stop sign on John Q Hammons
Parkway. Turn left 1 block later onto Harrison. Hutchens is the 2nd of two identical dorms on the left.
Once you unload, there is free parking in lot 15 (just across the street, in front of Hammons, which was the
dorm last year and is next to Hutchens).
From the KC area, head south on Highway 71, then east on I-44. Then, use above directions. There is a
faster route using Highway 7 and Highway 13, but it involves 2-lane roads.
If you need further directions, please call Eric Morris’ cell phone at 417-496-7141.
Airlines
The Springfield-Branson regional airport is a small regional airport. If you choose to fly, we can provide
ground transportation on the camp start/end days. On other days, taxi service is available. Please contact
us with flight information at least a week in advance if you are requesting ground transportation.
Bus
We will also provide ground transportation if you arrive by bus, but only on the camp’s start and end
dates. We need arrival/departure information 1 week prior.
Additional Information
Schedule
A typical day will run 9am-10:00pm. It will include theory discussions, topic discussions, speaking drills,
practice debates, and guided research. There will be a morning, afternoon, and evening session with long
meal breaks. The precise schedule will be handed out at registration. We will have a room check each
night in the dorms; after that, students are restricted to the immediate area.
Medical
Ideally, no one will require medical attention during camp. However, it is necessary to be prepared.
During normal hours, students needing non-emergency medical attention will be taken to the Taylor
Health Center on campus. They operate on a fee-for-service basis for summer camp students. After hours
and/or emergency treatment would be sought at a local urgent care facility or hospital – typically, St.
Johns. While hopefully this won’t be necessary, we ask that each attendee have a parentally-signed,
notarized health form. We understand the notary requirement can be inconvenient, but the local hospitals
are quite adamant about this, and we don’t want any unnecessary delays if medical care should become
necessary. Any medical expenses will be billed to the parents and/or parents’ insurance company –
medical insurance is not included in the camp price. Both medical forms should be accompanied by health
insurance information.
The medical form MUST be completed for a student to attend MSDI.
Dress
Dress reasonably at all times. While the campus is flat, it is still quite hot, so shorts & a t-shirt are the most
common attire. There will be a fair amount of walking. A raincoat or umbrella is likely to be useful, as we
will continue on schedule in nearly any inclement weather. There is no expectation to dress up for practice
or tournament debates.
Spending Money & Check Cashing
We find it difficult to estimate how much money an individual student will “need” during the camp.
Students are responsible for their own photocopying, which is less necessary each year. Free printing is
available in many campus locations. Commuter students will need to purchase, or bring, meals. Despite
dorm meals, our experience is that a lot of delivery pizzas tend to arrive during camps.
We’ve made arrangements with the Bursar’s office to cash small checks (under $50). Checks should be
made out to the student to be signed over. Either a picture ID or a camp staffer will need to be present for
identification purposes. The Bursar’s office is only open during the day, Monday-Friday.
Research Access
Students will have, at minimum, computer account access in both the library and MSU debate squad
room. This will enable access to Lexis-Nexis and several other powerful databases. Materials in the MSU
library can be copied, but could also be checked out by a staff member if necessary. Materials outside the
MSU library can be ordered by camp staff using the Mobius system on a case-by-case basis. The dorms
and the squad room also have high speed internet ports; students bringing laptops will have the ability to
use them effectively, but sufficient computer resources will be available during the daytime in any case.
The computer passwords we will distribute should enable students with laptops to connect using the
Missouri State guest network.
Evidence
We will electronically distribute all camp evidence for all camp attendees, and free printing is available in
numerous locations. All camp attendees will also receive a copy of the evidence set on CD.
Labs / Working groups
Depending on the overall camp size, students will be assigned to one or more camp working groups / labs
for the purpose of building and researching arguments. These groups will be assigned based on experience
and ability to maximize each student’s educational experience.
Advance Preparation
While advance work on the topic is not expected, we will establish a collective email account to
disseminate information. It will include duplicate copies of the secondary mailing, a copy of the camp
schedule (when available), and other useful camp info. You can sign into this email account at
http://mail.google.com, but is restricted to camp enrollees & parents. The user ID is msdi2009 and the
password is (presently) spicerforum (named after the Holt V. Spicer Debate Forum). If password
information changes, contact us via the email listed on your application for a replacement password.
Supplies Checklist
This list is NOT exhaustive, but consists of suggestions brainstormed from the collective experience of
our camp staff. It is designed to provoke you to consider your own needs as much as anything. Many of
these items could be purchased from the campus bookstore, but may be cheaper to bring from home. We
typically are able to make a supply run on Sunday evening if necessary, but purchasing items is generally
more costly than bringing them.
Personal Items:
Bed Linens – Provided by dorms
Pillow – Not provided in dorms, please bring.
Laundry Supplies – Soap
Toiletries
Alarm Clock
Walking Shoes
Comfortable Clothing for July heat
Umbrella
Backpack
Debate Supplies
Scissors
Pens for Flowing and Briefing
Tape
Blank White Paper & Legal Size Flowing Paper
Timer
Evidence Tub (We recommend 14 gallon Rubbermaid tubs)
Folders or expandos to organize evidence
Notebook for taking notes during discussions
Things you might spend money on:
Forgotten or insufficient supplies
Vending machines / Snacks
Laundry
Photocopies
Pizza Delivery
Other things you might consider bringing:
Fan (Dorms are air conditioned)
Computer (students will have access during the daytime using MSU computers)
Dorms have free high speed internet jacks – you need an ethernet adapter to use them
Telephone
Cell phone is the best; the dorms will have normal phone jacks for local calls and calling cards
Snacks & Soda for dorm room (dorms are equipped with refrigerators).
MSDI Rules & Expectations
Please sign and return this document.
As a student of the MSDI, I agree to adhere to all rules, policies, regulations of Missouri State University, Student
Housing / Residence Life, and the MSDI. I also agree to follow all federal, state, and local laws. I understand that
violation of these may result in denial of privileges, confinement to my dorm room, or expulsion from the institute. I
understand that no fees will be refunded if I am expelled from the institute or if I leave the institute in violation of
the guidelines.
I understand that the following are typical of the acts or situations that would result in automatic expulsion from the
institute:
1. Possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages, illicit substances, or non-approved prescription drugs. Use of
prescription drugs must be approved by the Institute Director prior to the beginning of the institute. Presence of such
materials on the person of, in the belongings of, or in the dorm room of a student is considered possession by that
student.
2. Damage to University property. This includes destruction or damage of any facilities, including dorm rooms, the
MSU debate squad room, classroom buildings, the cafeteria, the library, library materials, etc.
3. Theft. This includes theft of another student's belongings or theft of university belongings.
4. Violation of schedule / curfew. No student is allowed to leave the dormitory after curfew without the expressed
permission of the Institute Director. Students are expected to attend all activities on the camp schedule unless given
expressed permission of the Institute Director.
5. Leaving the campus perimeter. Students may not leave the campus area without expressed permission of the
Institute Director, accompanied by written permission from a parent. Written permission can be brought to
registration or faxed to 417-836-4774. Commuter students wishing to leave campus for lunch & dinner are subject
to this guideline as well. This includes the use of any unauthorized vehicles while the camp is in session.
I understand that the following are typical of the acts or situations that may result in expulsion from the institute or
other disciplinary action. Repeat offenses will result in expulsion from the institute:
1. Presence in restricted areas of the dormitories. No student is permitted in the room of a member of the opposite
sex under any circumstances. Any student inviting (or failing to report) a member of the opposite sex into their
room is also in violation. Students are to remain away from the areas directly outside of such rooms. After room
check, students are permitted to mingle only in supervised common areas; these will be spelled out in detail upon
arrival to the camp.
2. Conflicts with others involving harassment, physical abuse, threats, or verbal abuse.
3. Violations of other rules, regulations, or policies as announced by the institute director or dormitory directors
during the course of the institute or elsewhere in the mailing.
4. Failure to show appropriate respect for institute staff, including the failure to comply with reasonable requests.
5. Violation of the smoking policy. Students under 18 are not allowed to smoke; students over 18 may only smoke
in a designated smoking area away from students under 18.
I understand that I am subject to the policies of the Institute from the time that I enroll to until the time I official
check out of the institute. By signing below, I acknowledge acceptance of these rules and affirm that I have
familiarized myself with the contents of this mailing and the rules herein.
__________________________ __________
Signature of Student
Date
____________________________
Signature of Parent
__________
Date
MSDI Student Information Form
Please email this information to ericmorris@missouristate.edu (or mail the same info) as soon as possible.
Also, please send your signed Rules & Expectations sheet, and both health forms to the camp prior to
arrival. Roommate requests received after June 5, 2009 cannot be honored.
Missouri State Debate Institute
Dept of Communication
Craig 375
901 S. National Ave
Springfield, MO 65804
Full Name: (FN, MI, LN) ___________________________
The following information, while optional, is necessary for computer services to issue a temporary
computer account during your stay and for library checkout privileges.
Date of Birth: ______________________ Social Security Number: _______________________
Completed Years of Debate Experience: ___________
Approx Number of Rounds Debated Last Year: __________
Your overall Win-Loss Percentage last year: _________
Roommate Request, if any (must be received by June 5, 2009) ________________
Debate Partner Request, if any (must be received by June 5, 2009) ________________
List any summer debate camps previously attended, and the names of instructors / lab leaders:
Anticipated speaking positions during the coming year: (Please Circle)
Affirmative:
1AC
2AC
Negative:
1NC
2NC
What areas would you like to improve most for this coming season?
Are you potentially interested in debating in college (at MSU or elsewhere)?
If possible, encourage your coach to send a letter to the above address or an email to
ericmorris@missouristate.edu. The purpose is not a letter of recommendation (you’re already accepted!)
but instead to comment on your skills and suggested areas of emphasis during the camp.
MSDI
Emergency Medical Care Authorization
Local hospitals insist that this form be notarized; we apologize for the inconvenience.
I, ____________________________, hereby authorize Eric Morris, Heather Walters, or
(Name of Parent / Guardian)
other members of the Missouri State University Debate Institute instructional or Dormitory
staff to give consent for treatment of my child __________________ in the event of illness
(Name of Child)
or injury.
This authorization is effective from ________ to _________
Our child’s doctor is __________________ and the doctor’s phone number is __________________.
Some emergency contact numbers for the parents / family are: ______________________________
Insurance information (medical fees are parents’ responsibility; please include a photocopy of insurance
card)
Insurance Company Name _______________________
Address
_________________________________
Policy Number ________________________________
Employer or Group _____________________________
________________________________
(Signature of Parent / Guardian)
_____________
(Date)
________________________________
(Signature of Notary Public)
_____________
______________
(Commission Number)
(Commission Expiration Date)