WSDC 2001: Johannesburg, South Africa
Newsletters

Newsletter 2

Hi all!

Apologies for the fairly long gap between Newsletter 1 and Newsletter 2. This was mainly due to the fact that we were trying to finalise all registration details and arrangements so we could include them in the newsletter and also because South African university and school debating is at its busiest over the past couple of months.... But we trust that teams who had urgent queries have been e-mailing us - and judging by the number of e-mails we received - they have!!

1. WHAT TO DO NOW!

While we have been in contact with more than 40 countries, we now need to start getting a sense of how many countries will be coming in 2001 as well as a sense of how many people they will each be bringing. Therefore please could each and every country send Belinda Fynn (2001entry@debating.org.za) an e-mail ASAP containing the following:

1. country contact person (ie: person who must be sent registration forms and who will be responsible for liasing with Belinda about your country's participation).

2. contact details (please include e-mail, fax, post and telephone)

3. whether you want your registration forms sent by e-mail, fax or post.

4. how likely your participation in 2001 will be (definite; likely - pending funding; unlikely; etc)

5. if you attend in 2001, the number of debaters you are likely to send (min 3; max 5)

6. if you attend in 2001, the number of adjudicators you are likely to send.

7. if you attend in 2001, the number of observers you are likely to send

2. ENTRANCE FEES

As you should all be aware - the entry fee that we have promised since Pittsburgh was $240 per person - the same as it was in Pittsburgh. Nothing has changed in this regard except that in order to properly plan and manage our finances we have had to convert that into an amount in South African Rands. Otherwise if our currency miraculously strengthens World Schools could suffer in a big way!!

Therefore we have set the entry fee at R1 700-00 per debater and coach which is our estimate for where the exchange rate will be towards the end of the year. Qualified adjudicators will be paying exactly the same entrance fee of R1 700-00.

With regard to observers, we will need to charge the "real cost" per person which is R4000-00. Please note that as in past years, assistant coaches count as observers.

3. SCHEDULE FOR REGISTRATION PAYMENT AND TOPICS

Monday 25th September - Sending out of Registration forms

• Registration forms will be sent out via e-mail and will available over the Internet.

• They will also be faxed or posted to those countries who cannot obtain them in this way.

• Also included will be the Championship's bank account details.

Friday 17 November 2000 - Pre-registration deposit of R2000-00 per COUNTRY due

• This is in order to reserve our hotel booking, get accurate estimates of numbers and plan the Championships adequately.

• Final numbers of debaters, adjudicators and observers for each country must accompany the deposit - names are not essential at this stage.

• This deposit (just under $300) will be non-refundable and will be deducted from the amount you owe as a payment towards your entrance fees.

• Countries who fail to arrive at the Championships will NOT be refunded.

Monday 20 November - Release of Prepared Topics

• Due to the many requests over the WSDC listserve last year we are releasing topics at this point - earlier than usual.

• Sides will not be released at this point

Friday 8 December - Full Entrance Fees and Registration Forms due

• Names and details of all debaters, coaches, adjudicators and observers will be needed.

• We will also need your sponsor's logo if you want it included in the handbook.

Monday 11 December - Release of Sides

• We will release sides only to all teams who have paid their registration fees.

• Countries who pay their registration fees late will only receive their sides at that point.

• This has been done to increase the incentive for teams to pay entrance fees on time while reducing the chance of having to hold a bye round.

• The full draw (ie: who is debating against who) will only be released at the Championships themselves.

4. WEBSITE

Our website http://www.debating.org.za/2001 has a large amount of information that should be helpful - particularly for new countries. This includes the:

• Championship Schedule - http://www.debating.org.za/2001/schedule.htm

• Rules - http://www.debating.org.za/2001/rules.htm

• Adjudication Guidelines - http://www.debating.org.za/2001/guide.htm

• Past newsletters - http://www.debating.org.za/2001/lettersall.htm

• and more....

Very shortly it will also include a "Frequently Asked Questions" section which will give an quick and easy to use guide to the key details of the Championships like dates, registration fees etc.

It will also include a list of countries and contact details as soon as people send us the details mentioned in Section 1.

5. ORGANISING COMMITTEE

The entire Organising Committee of 21 committed University and ex-University debaters and adjudicators met for the first time in Stellenbosch in early July. In an effort to get the most out of the experience of hosting World Schools, the committee is constituted from six different university debating unions as well as three now-professionals in other fields. Apart from their experience in debating, the Orgcomm includes extensive experience with computers and programming, sponsorships, schools and previous large student events.

The first Orgcomm project has been to develop a virtual office, which includes real-time meeting facilities as well as an easy-to-use virtual filing system for all important Orgcomm documents and resources. The virtual office has quickly grown into an important decision-making nerve-centre for World Schools as the progress of the Championships speeds up. In the two months preceding the Championships, members of the Orgcomm will move out of the virtual office and into a real one as the need for a coffee machine becomes paramount.

The full list (and photo!) of the Orgcomm is available at http://www.debating.org.za/2001/orgcomm.htm

That's it for now! Please contact Belinda and Steve if you have any queries at all. Look out for details of the Youth Summit (the new and exciting addition to the Championships) which will be sent out within the next couple of weeks...

Regards

STEVEN BUDLENDER
Convenor & Tournament Director
2001convenor@debating.org.za

BELINDA FYNN
Admissions Director
2001entry@debating.org.za

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