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MIFA offers Public Forum Debate at the Middle Level which runs in conjunction with the High School Debate tournament schedule.
Public forum debate is often compared to a nationally-televised debate, such as 'Crossfire' in which the debaters argue a topic of national importance. Successful public forum debaters must make persuasive and logical arguments in a manner that is accessible to a wide variety of audiences. Nationally, Public Forum debate changes its topic monthly however in order to provide students with a little more preparation time our schedule is slightly modified. Tournaments in September and October will use the September/October topic. Tournaments in November and December will use the November/December topic. Public Forum Topic Release Date September/October August 15 — 9a CT November October 1 — 9a CT December November 1 — 9a CT January December 1 — 9a CT February January 1 — 9a CT March February 1 — 9aCT April March 1 — 9a CT National Tournament May 1 — 9 a.m. CT Current Topic: Sept/Oct 2019 Topic Resolved: The European Union should join the Belt and Road Initiative. Past Topics: Sept/Oct 2018 Topic Resolved: The United States should accede to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea without reservations. Nov/Dec 2017 Topic Resolved: The United States should require universal background checks for all gun sales and transfers of ownership. Sept/Oct 2017 Topic Resolved: Deployment of anti-missile systems is in South Korea’s best interest. November 2016 Topic Area: Fourth Industrial Revolution Resolved: On balance, the benefits of the Internet of Things outweigh the harms of decreased personal privacy. Sept/Oct 2016 Topic Area: US Constitution Resolved: In United States public K-12 schools, the probable cause standard ought to apply to searches of students. 2016 January PF Topic Area: Russia Resolved: On balance, economic sanctions are reducing the threat Russia poses to Western interests. 2015 November PF Topic Area: Migrant and Refugee Crises Resolved: In response to the current crisis, a government should prioritize the humanitarian needs of refugees over its national interests. 2015 September/October PF Topic Area: Racial Justice Resolved: The United States Federal Government ought to pay reparations to African Americans. PLEASE NOTE: The Novice and Middle Level Public Forum State Tournaments in early December will be using the November topic above. Varsity Tournament in January will be using the January topic. Potential PF Topic Areas for 2015-16: (in alphabetical order)
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Key MIFA Dates & Forms
2019-2020 Season Oct 11-12, 2019 Pappas Invitational @ Wayne State University Event Details here. Dec 13-14, 2019 Debate State Finals @ Wayne State University Event Details here. May 15-17, 2020 Public Forum w/MSCI @ Grand Hotel, Mackinac Event Details here. Traveling to an upcoming tournament? Check out MIFA's pre-arranged hotel blocks and rates. Travel Questions? Contact Becca Weissman, Business Manager ------------------------------------------------------------------ List of Invitational Tournaments Are you hosting an invitational? Send details HERE! so the MIFA can put it on the calendar! Registration for (most) Invitational Tournaments can be found on: tabroom.com - OR - speechwire.com Speech Activities 2018-19 Updates Relevant portions of our "rule book", SPEECH ACTIVITIES for all MIFA events can be found under the "Resources" tab. Other helpful documents for public forum debate are available here. |