This year s national tournament, entered only by qualification, will be held at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. Hedrick founded the team with the help of funding and support from the University Administration. The debate team is officially recognized as a student organization and will be eligible for Student Organization Allocation Committee funds in November. Travel and lodging expenses add on top of that. In competition, the team will participate in both policy and parliamentary debate.
Policy debate is an analytical form that requires advanced research.
Teams of two prepare speeches on a previously announced topic. The teams propose some change in government policy regarding the assigned topic in two nine-minute speeches. Then they have the opportunity to cross-examine the opposing team for three minutes. Both teams are able to rebut and explain why they have won at the end of the round. The team with a more-persuasive argument wins.