CSU-Pueblo Hosts National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence March 19-21

PUEBLO – The Colorado State University-Pueblo Forensics Team will host the 2017 National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE) March 19-21. During the tournament, the top 50 teams from 23 different colleges representing 12 states will compete to be crowned the national champion. CSU-Pueblo’s own Eliana Taylor, senior from Longmont, and Max Groznik, sophomore from Portland, OR, will be among those vying for the title.

Throughout the season, which runs September – February, teams compete at invitational tournaments, earning points based on their competitive success both in preliminary and elimination rounds. On January 1, teams that had accumulated 18 points after the first semester earned a First Round Bid to the NPTE, which was followed by the Second Round Bids on February 1. At-Large Bids were distributed on February 27 to bring the total to 50 teams.

The NPTE is known as a topic area tournament, which means the topics are released three weeks prior to the start of the tournament. Different schools submit topic papers by early November, and after the rigorous selection process, CSU-Pueblo accounted for three of the five topics selected for this year. Teams will be debating agricultural subsidies, geoengineering, and space exploration in addition to water development conflict and U.S. military naval presence, the final two of which were submitted by the University of Utah and the University of Texas at Tyler, respectfully.

Director of Forensics Kathryn Starkey also serves as Vice President for the NPTE.

“I am honored to be able to host the tournament on our campus. I’ve been serving on the board for two years now, and I’m excited to be so integral to the success of the tournament this year,” she said.

Spectators can report to Psychology 205 for a list of teams and the rooms in which they will compete. A schedule of the tournament follows. For more information, contact Starkey at Kathryn.starkey@csupueblo.edu. 

NPTE 2017 Schedule

SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017

9- 10:30 a.m.                           Round 1 (pre-matched)

11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.           Round 2

1:30 - 3 p.m.                            Round 3

4 - 5:30 p.m.                            Round 4

6:30 - 8:15 p.m.                       Round 5

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2017

 8:45 - 10:15 a.m.                    Round 6

 11 - 12:45 p.m.                       Elim 1

 1:30 – 3 p.m.                          Elim 2

 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.                      Elim 3

 6:45 - 8:30 p.m.                      Elim 4

TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2017

 8:45 - 10:15    a.m.                 Elim 5

 11:15 - 12:45 p.m.                  Elim 6

 1:30 – 3 p.m.                          Semis

 4 - 5:45 p.m.                           Finals

 7:15 p.m.                                Awards Life Science Auditorium

 Individuals from the following institutions will participant in the NPTE:

1. Biola University (La Mirada, CA)
2. Boise State University (Boise, ID)
3. Colorado State University - Pueblo (Pueblo, CO)
4. El Camino College (Torrance, CA)
5. Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR)
6. McKendree University (Lebanon, IL)
7. Missouri Western State University (St. Joseph, MO)
8. Parliamentary Debate at Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
9. Point Loma Nazarene University (San Diego, CA)
10. Rice University (Houston, TX)
11. Texas Tech U (Lubbock, TX)
12. The College of Idaho (Caldwell, ID)
13. The University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK)
14. The University of Texas at Tyler (Tyler, TX)
15. University of Missouri - Columbia (Columbia, MO)
16. University of Nevada, Reno (Reno, NV, NV)
17. University of North Texas (Denton, TX)
18. University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)
19. University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA)
20. University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
21. Washburn University (Topeka, KS)
22. Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA)
23. Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL)

Colorado State University - Pueblo is committed to excellence, setting the standard for regional comprehensive universities in teaching, research, and service by providing leadership and access for its region, while maintaining its commitment to diversity.

--CSU-Pueblo--