2005 STATE OF CEDA REPORT
[WARNING: THIS DOCUMENT IS SHOCKINGLY HUMORLESS AND SOMEWHAT LENGTHY. IF YOU READ MY REPORTS ONLY 'CUZ THEY'RE FUNNY, HIT DELETE QUICK. IF YOU'RE WILLING TO READ A SERIOUS REFLECTION FROM ME NOW AND AGAIN, THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO START]
As teams, many of whom were already in a card-cutting frenzy, target their efforts on a specific resolution while others begin to investigate what our year holds, it seems like a good time to reflect and assess where we are and who we are in CEDA today. Our debaters are some of the most dedicated individuals a college campus has ever seen. Our coaching ranks are filled with smart, goal-oriented individuals who have a proven track record of outstanding achievement and exceptional leadership skills. Our alumni have become leaders in all fields - education, policy, law, medicine, business, the nonprofit sector, among them. Our activity has begun to diversify in approach and scholarship. At any given tournament, you are likely to see evidence-intensive exchanges using research that is less than an hour old as you are side-by-side with complex philosophical analyses of political theory, multimedia engagements, hip hop deconstructions, puppetry and performing arts. We have much to be proud of, an active legacy of debate excellence to promote and an opportunity to extend debate to many new communities.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ben, the coach of a new debate program during the 2005 CEDA summer meeting. He wasn't there as a regional representative, an officer, a summer meeting "groupie" or a paranoid observer of topic committee functions. Ben was just a new director trying to get information that will help his team function better, engage more nationally and contribute positively to the larger debate community. In other words, Ben was there as a CEDA member representing his member institution. There are a lot of Bens. New leaders looking for help, grad students and asst DOFs thrust to the for. Along with our debaters, these are the constituents and audiences that determine the future of many of our programs. They deserve our very best.
I lost multiple relatives this summer including my ten-year old cousin in a tragic car accident in Victoria, Texas. Took a bit to get back in the saddle. That was a wake-up call about what's important in life. It was also a reminder that there is no reason to give less than 110% in anything you agree to do because life is too short for mediocrity. By challenging norms and rejecting smallmindedness, we have a chance to be great everyday. CEDA is no different.
This year's summer meeting began with perhaps the most important question of all: whether or not we needed to have a summer meeting. I saw several skeptical, semi-burned out directors and assistant coaches longing for their summer days of freedom or card-cutting. The ensuing discussion in its honesty and transparency helped build a sense of purpose that led to this State of CEDA report. The 2005 operational theme is: stop the nonsense. We got a hell out of a lot done in two short days but there's more to do and we could use some help. Besides a revamping of the website to make it "member-friendly, here's the brief summary:
a) A CEDA Task Force will develop a Regional Health Assessment Checklist that will identify debate travel communities, success stories in regional expansion, what a "healthy debate region" means to different constituencies, and the elements that contribute to unhealthy regions as a real step towards spurring sustainable regions. The three-year process will begin with an intensive survey of every region during Year 1, creation of an instrument in Year II, with the first reports coming out in Year 3. Timelines and the planning memo were completed in the 2-day summer meeting;
b) A CEDA Task Force will create a Director's "Debate Support" Kit including tools for new directors and student-run programs (program building, marketing strategies, an information guide to the resources available through the CEDA website, debateresults.com; and other electronic information repositories), directors seeking tenure (research and data to facilitate program defenses, building alumni support, information from other's successful tenure defenses) and crisis intervention kits (emergency intervention tools, creating campus presence, how to monitor campus and departmental budget and politics). Timelines and the planning memo were completed in the 2-day summer meeting so that Ben and others like him can get the support they need. The revamped CEDA website will be unveiled this fall. Neil Butt is currently collecting materials for inclusion of the kit which should be ready by the end of the academic year at the latest;
c) There is a plan to revamp CEDA Nationals so that except for student verification, registration will be entirely online, people can eat dinner after the awards ceremony, and we celebrate a year of excellence when we first come together and not just when we depart. The tournament could also see unprecedented cooperation among schools based in that area of the country.
d) Strategies to reach out to AFA, ADA and the NDT to share committee workloads, research information and think through integration of the necessary elements of organizational management. Conversations, some long overdue, have already commenced between Karla and myself. Hpefully, there will be many more to come with Brett, Gordon Mitchell and others so that the same people aren't being overworked in redundant fashion.
e) New, expanded roles for regional communication. Regional representatives have already received a 3 page primer welcoming them and clearly laying out their implicit and explicit responsibilities. Student representatives are being consulted on their participation in national and regional management efforts. We will introduce the representatives formally later this year so everyone knows how to contact them (and can hold them accountable if need be).
f) A commitment to recognizing the service of our members. People do a lot both inside and outside this organization. In fact, the overachiever mentality of debaters means that many of them do more than any of us know (that's probably why everybody is so busy). Yet we fail to communicate our non-tournament successes in scholarship, public service, except for microseconds at culminating award ceremonies. We are quick to post information about a program in crisis or a tournament invite but loathe to posting messages welcoming the new programs that start each year. We participate in this activity because we believe in its value. Let's celebrate that so it doesn't become so far removed from our everyday. Those who serve on committees, as regional representatives and in ad hoc ways will be appreciated in writing and in voice throughout the CEDA community. Steps are already underway to have universities and relevant departments duly note those who participated in meetings this summer.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Fact: if every coach and debater volunteered one hour a month to work on CEDA business, we would have an extra 10,000 person hours to get stuff done.
Easy Ways to Help
When I ran for office, thirty of you said you'd do what was needed to help. Time to step up to the plate.
1-TECH SAVVY-Heather Walters and I discussed the need to identify the next generation of Edwards, Bruschke, TC and Larson in the community. A roster of technically proficient debate folks who could help with e-newsletters, blogs, website development and tabulation would be great.
2-COMMITTEES-Join one. If that's not your thing or you think it will end up being a lot of b.s., then submit documents, best practices and insights to the Council, me or your regional rep, so we can make it better.
3-REGIONAL HEALTH-Read the memo that was produced at the summer meeting and begin conversations in this forum and elsewhere to discuss what does it mean to have a "healthy debate region". Ask to see the responsibilities of regional reps.
4-PROOF-READ & COMPLAIN-If you are a stickler, please look over the constitution, the by-laws, the website and other documents to see what doesn't make sense. Our professionalism begins with our image.
5-DONATE AND IDENTIFY PEOPLE WITH MEANS WHO CAN HELP-No program that wishes to attend CEDA Nationals should be denied because of lack of means. There should be a more active career bank so that our debaters get our help in securing jobs, graduate positions and meaningful internships. If we are serious about student involvement then a fund should assist students in attending the topic committee meeting and NCA. If we are serious about diversity, then we should be invested in examining our programs more closely to see what's working and what's horribly wrong. These are objectives that could all be met with less than $70,000 in donations. To one of the former debaters who have made it big, that's a drop in the bucket. Help me find those people, engage them and remind of the magic of what we do.
Your 2005 CEDA President,
Will Baker
