The National Forensic Association is a national intercollegiate organization designed to promote excellence in individual events and debate

Debate

Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...

. The NFA sponsors the NFA Nationals as well many other regional tournaments throughout the year. The 2008 NFA national tournament was hosted by Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University

Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...

. Founded in 1971, the NFA Nationals is the oldest national collegiate tournament dedicated to a full range of literature interpretation, public address, limited preparation, and debate events.

Dramatic Interpretation

Starting with the 2007-2008 season, NFA Nationals will host Dramatic Interpretation as a trial event for a two-year period, with points accumulated in DI counting for both team sweepstakes and individual pentathlon awards. The rationale for the adding DI to NFA is to provide more students an opportunity to attend the tournament, and also so that there are as many interpretation events (currently three) as there are public address events (currently four). Additionally, the inclusion of DI includes another genre of literature in the scope of individual performance, complementing the current "individual" interpretation events of Prose Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation.

Lincoln Douglas Debate

NFA is unique in its NFA-LD Policy format. High school debate is primarily divided into individual debaters engaged in values-oriented competition or teams of debaters in rapid-paced evidence-based policy analysis. Instead of choosing one of these formats, NFA offers evidence-based policy analysis in one-on-one competition.

LD Policy Format

At the beginning of each year a topic area and corresponding resolution is voted upon and subject to the entire season's debate. Each round competitors find themselves assigned to affirm or negate the resolution. Rather than affirm general ideas or values, affirmative competitors propose a particular policy to adopt as a representation of the resolution. Negative comeptitors will generally attempt to either demonstrate a lack of need for that policy or argue that its disadvantages outweigh their benefits.

The first affirmative and negative speeches are constructive speeches, intended to put forth the arguments which will comprise the issues in dispute. A cross examination period of three minutes follows each of these speeches in order to clarify arguments and gain information relevant to each competitor's position. Each competitor is then given a six minute rebuttal in which their responses and development of the arguments are finalized. At the end of the round, the affirmative is given one final three minute speech to review why their plan ought to be passed in support of the resolution. An assigned judge will then cast a ballot to affirm or negate the resolution.

Past National Champions

1971- Ohio University

1972- Ball State University

1973- Eastern Michigan University

1974- Ohio University

1975- Ohio University

1976- Eastern Michigan University

1977- Eastern Michigan University

1978- Eastern Michigan University

1979- Eastern Michigan University

1980- Eastern Michigan University

1981- Eastern Michigan University

1982- Bradley University

1983- Bradley University

1984- Bradley University

1985- Bradley University

1986- Eastern Michigan University

1987- Eastern Michigan University

1988- Bradley University

1989- Bradley University

1990- Bradley University

1991- Bradley University

1992- Bradley University

1993- Bradley University

1994- Bradley University

1995- Illinois State University

1996- Bradley University

1997- Bradley University

1998- Bradley University

1999- Illinois State University

2000- Illinois State University

2001- Bradley University

2002- Bradley University

2003- Western Kentucky University

2004- Western Kentucky University

2005- Bradley University

2006- Western Kentucky University

2007- Western Kentucky University

2008- Western Kentucky University

2009- Western Kentucky University

2010- Western Kentucky University

Members of the NFA Hall of Fame

Induction Class: Era: Name: College/University

April 2000 1970-1975 David Beal Ohio University

April 2000 1970-1975 Greg Denaro Southern Connecticut State University

April 2000 1970-1975 Jim Molnar Ohio University

April 2000 1970-1975 Judy Sturgis-Hill Eastern Michigan University

April 2000 1970-1975 Danny Vice Eastern Michigan University
April 2000 1976-1980 Jon Capecci Eastern Michigan University

April 2000 1976-1980 Michael Garcia Eastern Michigan University

April 2000 1976-1980 Theresa McElwee Eastern Michigan University

April 2000 1976-1980 Donald Smith Southern Connecticut State University

April 2000 1976-1980 Elighie Wilson Ball State University
April 2000 1981-1985 Marco Benassi Bradley University

April 2000 1981-1985 Greg Dolph Bradley University

April 2000 1981-1985 Sam Marcosson Bradley University
April 2000 1986-1990 David Bickford Brown University

April 2000 1986-1990 Sarah Braun Bradley University

April 2000 1986-1990 Cam Jones Cornell University

April 2000 1986-1990 Stephanie Kaplan University of Wisconsin-Madison

April 2000 1986-1990 Kim Roe Eastern Michigan University
April 2000 1991-1995 Jason Berke Illinois State University

April 2000 1991-1995 Karon Bowers Bradley University

April 2000 1991-1995 George LaMaster Bradley University

April 2000 1991-1995 Kevin Minch Wayne State University

April 2000 1991-1995 Patrick O'Shaughnessy Bradley University
April 2000 1996-2000 August Benassi Bradley University

April 2000 1996-2000 Brian Davis Arizona State University

April 2000 1996-2000 Matt MacDonald Bradley University

April 2000 1996-2000 Jill Valentine Bradley University
April 2001 1996-2000 Ben Lohman Bradley University

April 2001 1996-2000 Chris Grove Illinois State University

April 2001 1991-1995 Stacy Nekula Illinois State University

April 2001 1991-1995 Mona Dworzak Illinois State University

April 2001 1986-1990 Celeste Devore Matheson Illinois State University

April 2001 1976-1980 William Allen Young University of Southern California

April 2001 1976-1980 Nancy Cartwright

Nancy Cartwright

Nancy Campbell Cartwright is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. She is best known for her long-running role as Bart Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons...

Ohio University

April 2001 1976-1980 Mark Hickman Marshall University
April 2002 1970-1975 Keith Semmel Mansfield State College

April 2002 1970-1975 Paul Van Dyne Penn State University

April 2002 1976-1980 Christina Collier Reynolds Bowling Green State University/Ohio University

April 2002 1981-1985 J.G. Harrington Rutgers University

April 2002 1986-1990 Penny Geurink O'Connor University of Northern Iowa

April 2002 1986-1990 Joel Schwartzberg Emerson College

April 2002 1991-1995 Andrew Billings Indiana University

April 2002 1991-1995 Adam Black Western Kentucky University

April 2002 1991-1995 Michael Malloy Saint Joseph's University

April 2002 1991-1995 Andy Wood St. Petersburg JC/Berry College

April 2002 1996-2000 Brendan Kelly Eastern Michigan University

April 2002 1996-2000 David Lindrum Berry College

April 2002 1996-2000 Robert Pieranunzi Indiana University
April 2003 1986-1990 Liesel Reinhart University of Colorado

April 2003 1976-1980 Kendra Keasey Dean Miami University
April 2006 1976-1980 Ray Quiel Eastern Michigan University

April 2006 1981-1985 Mitchell "Bucky" Fay University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

April 2006 1986-1990 Ken Klawitter Bradley University

April 2006 1991-1995 Rita Rahoi University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
April 2008 1981-1985 Tom Doyle Bradley University

April 2008 1996-2000 Jason Davidson Bradley University

April 2008 1996-2000 Sarah Meinen Jedd Bradley University
April 2009 1996-2000 Jaime Riewerts Bradley University

April 2009 2001-2005 Aaron Unseth University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

April 2010 1975-1979 Meg Langford George Mason University

April 2010 2001-2005 John Coleman Berry College

April 2010 2001-2005 Rob Barnhart Ohio University

April 2010 2001-2005 Erin Gallagher Barnhart Ohio University