Camp Information

NSD Alumni consistently tell us back that some of their most cherished middle and high school memories and friendships were from their time spent at our residential camps. We are proud that our summer camps are formative social experiences for our student body, who collectively have gone on to become movers and shakers across law, technology, medicine, business, finance, and government. Our camps are designed with student safety and well-being in mind. Explore the categories on the left to learn about the steps NSD takes to ensure a safe and fun learning environment for our students. Please contact us with any questions.

Refund Policy

Our policy on refunds is dependent on the timing of cancellations. You will see a copy of our policy below, and you will also see and agree to this policy as part of the registration process. We make significant advance commitments to our faculty and our college/university hosts in order to provide an excellent experience for our students. Accordingly, we need to depend on the assumption that registrations will translate into our true headcount for students at sessions. Of course, we never like to see a student not receiving value for their registration. If scheduling concerns arise after reserving your spot at an NSD camp, we are happy to assist students in transferring to other sessions over the summer and/or to finding alternative summer debate education options, such as tutoring or online sessions.

1. 30% of your total required payment is a non-refundable deposit. This deposit cannot be refunded under any circumstances.
2. After February 1st, any cancellation will require that 45% of your total required payment is non-refundable. Any outstanding balance is still required to be paid.
3. After March 1st, any cancellation will require that 60% of your total required payment is non-refundable. Any outstanding balance is still required to be paid.
4. After April 1st, any cancellation will require that 75% of your total required payment is non-refundable. Any outstanding balance is still required to be paid.
5. After May 1st, any cancellation will require that your total required payment is wholly non-refundable. After May 1st, no refunds of any amount will be given. Any outstanding balance is still required to be paid.

Choosing a Camp

In selecting a camp, there are several factors you will want to consider: debate event; location/schedule; type of camp session.

LD vs PF
Parents who are new to debate may not be familiar with the distinction between “Lincoln Douglas” (LD) and “Public Forum” (PF). LD and PF are the two most popular formats of debate. The most important thing to note about the decision between the LD and PF formats is that, for a beginner, it is impossible to make a big mistake in the format you choose. Since there is a great deal of overlap in the fundamentals of debate that one learns in both LD and PF, what a student learns as a beginner in one format will remain important and valuable, even if they switch to the other format later.

That said, here are some differences to consider between LD and PF:
• PF is a partner event (debates are 2-on-2) and LD is a solo event (debates are 1-on-1). Some students prefer being part of a duo, and some are more drawn to debating on their own. Also, logistically, if a student might want to debate competitively during the year, but isn’t (or won’t be) at a school that has any kind of debate program, being in LD makes that easier because you do not face the problem of finding a partner.
• Both LD and PF are popular debate events across the country, but some high school programs focus on one or the other. Many programs debate in both events. If you know where your student will go to high school and know that they have a debate program, then that’s something you might check on. Again, though, students can always switch events later, if needed.
In terms of types of arguments, PF tends to be straightforwardly public policy focused (“will this policy help or hurt”). LD also deals with public policy issues, but it tends to bring in political theory, sociology, ethical philosophy, etc. as frameworks for thinking about those issues.
• Typically, PF is somewhat less intensive than LD. One illustration of that is that a PF debate round is roughly the same amount of time as an LD debate round, but in PF there are twice the number of speakers. So, the burden of depth and argument placed on each speech and speaker is naturally lower.

Location
In LD, Flagship at the University of Minnesota is a longer, more intensive curriculum, and those students who want a more rigorous experience and who aspire to compete in the national circuit of debate, at the top tournaments, tend to attend Flagship. That does not mean that only the most experienced students attend Flagship. As with all of our camps, Flagship has students who range from young (7th or 8th grade, occasionally 6th grade) true beginners all the way up to rising seniors with years of debate experience.

We tend to recommend the Texas camps primarily to debaters from Texas or nearby southern states. This is mostly because the Texas circuit is large and has its own idiosyncrasies, so many debaters who plan to debate primarily in Texas choose a Texas camp, especially when they are younger. The Texas camps also use primarily Texas-based instructors, while our other camps pull from a more national pool.

Core vs supplemental sessions (topic prep week)
Each of our traditional camp sessions (Flagship, the Philadelphia sessions, and the Texas sessions) are designed to give students a comprehensive curriculum in debate, appropriate for their level. In contrast, the topic preparation weeks are focused primarily on preparing students to debate on the upcoming September/October resolution.

Online vs in person
The core curriculum for our online and in-person sessions is largely the same, with two minor differences:
• We maintain the same student-to-faculty ratio (4:1 in LD and 5:1 in PF) in both online and in-person sessions, but we keep the groups smaller in the online setting. For example, a homeroom classroom (what we call a “lab”) at an in-person session might be 12-14 students, while a lab in an online session might be 8-10 students. We find smaller groups are more important for interactive learning online.
• For our online sessions, we know that students are joining from home and may have their own personal commitments in the evening. We are also mindful that it is difficult to remain focused for long hours when joining online. So the core curriculum hours for online sessions are restricted to 10am - 6pm, and all evening sessions are designed to be optional and a la carte, so that students can attend some, all, or none of them.

We have found that our online sessions are highly effective at teaching students our debate curriculum, though every student’s learning style and needs are different, of course. The biggest sacrifice for students joining online is simply that they lose out on the social experience of being immersed in a group of fellow students who are also learning debate.

Camp Schedule (Arrival & Departure)

When we list camp dates, the first listed date is our arrival day. The last listed date is our departure day. Our arrival day is partly arrival logistics and partly camp orientation and introductory curriculum. We generally recommend that students arrive by early afternoon, so that they have time to check-in and settle into their dorms before we begin camp events in the late afternoon. Of course, if students do need to arrive later, we can accommodate that, and it isn’t difficult to catch students up. If they need to arrive earlier in the day, that is fine, as well! Our final day is a departure day only; there is no camp curriculum on departure day. Students are welcome to depart at any time, but students are required to check out of their dorm rooms by 12pm, so most students opt to leave by mid to late morning. As a matter of college/university and insurance policy, we cannot accept students arriving prior to arrival day or staying after departure day.

Attending a Partial Session

We do open a limited number of spots for students who wish to attend a partial session, and we offer a partial discount for students who do so. Please contact us to work out an arrangement that will work for your schedule.

What does the Price Cover?

For online sessions, the price of camp covers tuition. For residential students attending in-person sessions, the price of camp covers tuition, room, and board (meals). For commuters, the price covers tuition and board (meals), but does not cover a dormitory room. Our meal plan covers lunch and dinner. We have found that very few students utilize the breakfast option when it is available, so we removed it from our meal plan. However, at each of our camp locations, breakfast options are readily available for students who wish to eat breakfast. Those options are simply not included in the meal plan itself.

Transportation on Arrival/Departure Days

We do not operate a group shuttle, but there are a number of options for students who are arriving from afar and traveling on their own. There are easy, publicly accessible and inexpensive options — most students opt to take a taxi or use a ride service, but there is also a very straightforward train option. If you prefer, you can also sign up for an airport pick-up (and drop-off on the way back), which will be performed personally by our faculty. The parents who are most concerned about transit tend to select this option, as it ensures that their child is accompanied by an adult without a parent needing to fly with them. However, it is very staff intensive for us, so we do charge for it ($100 each way — not cheap, but easier than having a parent fly you out). There is a sign up sheet for this option that you will be able to use after registration. The only students who *must* register for this option are students who are officially registered with an airline as an unaccompanied minor. Most students who are flying alone aren’t necessarily designated officially as “unaccompanied minors” with the airline; that is an option you select that brings with it additional services from the airline, along with an additional obligation that a registered adult picks them up from the airline upon arrival and drops them off with the airline for departure. In that specific case, the airline will not allow the student to leave unless they are checked out by one of our faculty members.

Where Students Stay

Students and faculty reside in college/university dormitories for the duration of camp. Dormitories are supervised by our dedicated student life administrators, along with college/university dormitory staff and college/university security. We eat in dormitory cafeterias, as well as cafes on campus near our classrooms. All classes are hold in college/university buildings.

Student Supervision and Safety

Students are consistently supervised by a mix of NSD teaching faculty, dedicated student life administrators, college/university dorm staff, and college/university security. Here is how supervision works on a typical day:

In the morning, as they head to their first class, students are checked out of the dormitory by our student life administrators. Students then walk to our classrooms. Within a set of reasonable parameters, students have some freedom about where they eat lunch and dinner, and we elongate meal times so that students have some time to relax, socialize, and do work with their peers during the day. However, students are checked in to each curriculum activity they participate in throughout the day, so that student attendance is consistently tracked throughout the day. After evening classes, students are checked back into the dormitory building by our student life administrators. In the dorm, students have free time and the opportunity to participate in office hours, after which they are then checked in to their individual dorm rooms by our student life administrators.

Student dormitory rooms and floor areas are separated by gender, and students are not permitted to be alone in their dorm room with other students with the door closed. Our student life administrators, as well as college/university staff, are on hand throughout the day and night to help address any issues that arise. During camp, parents have direct contact information for our student life administrators, so that they can always reach us with any questions or concerns.

Free Day

Each weekend during our camps (with the exception of arrival and departure weekends), we have one curricular day and one free day. “Free day” means that students have a break from curriculum, but it does not mean that students need to leave campus or that they are no longer supervised. On free day, students can choose from a mix of activity options.

Family is welcome to visit or pick up students over free day. Parents my also approve other adults (for example, family friends) to pick up students. The only requirement is that parents approve their plans in writing with camp administrators in advance, so that we know we have your permission, and we also know when to expect students to be checking out and back in to camp.

What Age / Grade is best for NSD Camps? Is My Student Too Young?

Our camps are designed to be appropriate for students in grades 6-12, and to teach students regardless of their level of debate experience. Our students range from true beginners who have never had prior exposure to debate up to experienced debate veterans.

Each of our sessions operates on a cohort model: we group students according to a mix of age/grade and debate experience level, so that students are learning alongside similarly situated peers and receiving a curriculum that is appropriate to their level. For example, we have a “true beginner” cohort at each session, and there are not any prerequisites for joining it.

You can think of our camp sessions by analogy to a school with a range of grade levels: an 8th grader who is new to debate will be in classes, mentor groups, and practice rounds with other young students who are new to debate, not with older students who are experienced in debate.

How are Students Grouped? How are Labs, Courses, Mentor Group Placements Done?

Once you register for camp, you will have access to NSD’s student and family portal, where you will complete a number of supplemental registration forms in preparation for camp, e.g. forms where you tell us about your student’s important health information and previous debate experience. These forms allow you to tell us the key information that enables us to give students a safe and educational camp experience.

Among these supplemental forms, you will find a form where you tell us about your student’s previous debate experience–how long have they debated, at what sorts of tournaments, previous training, etc. Based on the information you submit in this form, publicly available tournament data, and our data and experience from many years of placing students in curricular groups, we make an initial assessment about where it is best to place each student in lab, mentor groups, and so on. In some cases, we may need more information, and we may consult with a student, their parents, and/or their coaches or previous debate instructors.

In most cases (over 90%), we find that our initial placements are correct; students arrive at camp, join their assigned groups, and the student, their parents, and the student’s teachers all find that the placement is optimal for the student. In some cases, after a student arrives, we find that they would be better served by changing groups. This is easy to do, when appropriate, and typically results in a change being made in the first few days of camp.

Medication & Health Needs

Once you register for camp, you will have access to NSD’s student and family portal, where you will complete a number of supplemental registration forms in preparation for camp, e.g. forms where you tell us about your student’s important health information and previous debate experience. These forms allow you to tell us the key information that enables us to give students a safe and educational camp experience.

Among these supplemental forms, you will find forms concerning medications that students will be bringing to camp, as well as forms concerning other health or medical needs of your student.

In most cases, we ask that our student life administrators keep and dispense student medications. We find that students who are away from home may not keep careful track of their medication or when they need to take it. If students check in their medication with our student life administrators, then we can make sure they take it, on schedule and as prescribed. Of course, in some cases, it is important or preferred for a student to keep their medication in their possession. We can arrange for this, as appropriate, with permission and discussion with the student’s parents. You will find a place to note this on your student’s health forms in the student and family portal to which you receive access after completing registration.

Facilities and Nurses On Site

Our student life administrators can and do help with routine health matters. For example, they monitor the health and wellbeing of our students, and dispense approved medications (parents approve medication through their health form on the student and family portal). They are not registered nurses or health care professionals. However, as needed, we do take students to nearby clinics to receive care from health care professionals. If a student may need additional care, we ensure that the student receives it, in consultation with their parents, and remains under our supervision while doing so.

Dorm Rooms

Depending on the host site, NSD students may stay in singles, doubles, or quads. At Flagship at the University of Minnesota, students are housed in doubles (i.e. a student typically has one roommate). At Bryn Mawr, students may be housed in singles, doubles, or (occasionally) quads. At the University of Houston, students are housed in adjoining doubles: students stay primarily in a double room with one roommate, and that double room is connected by a common area and bathroom to a second double room.

Exact dorm arrangements depend on college/university availability, and they may change somewhat from year to year. Please reach out to us to find out the latest dormitory details for each of our sessions.

Roomate Placements/Requests

Once you register for camp, you will have access to NSD’s student and family portal, where you will complete a number of supplemental registration forms in preparation for camp, e.g. forms where you tell us about your student’s important health information and previous debate experience. These forms allow you to tell us the key information that enables us to give students a safe and educational camp experience. Among these supplemental forms, you will find a form that allows you to request a specific roommate, or to provide additional information about roommate preferences.

(PF Only) Should I attend with my partner? Can I request a partner as a solo attendee?

Students may attend our Public Forum camps either with a partner, or without a partner. In cases where they attend camp without a partner, we will pair students with a partner who is at their skill level (to the best of our ability). The majority of Public Forum students attend camp with a partner, but it is by no means uncommon for a student to attend camp solo and be paired with a partner at camp–a substantial minority of students do so, and camp partner pairings typically work well!

Once you register for camp, you will have access to NSD’s student and family portal, where you will complete a number of supplemental registration forms in preparation for camp, e.g. forms where you tell us about your student’s important health information and previous debate experience. These forms allow you to tell us the key information that enables us to give students a safe and educational camp experience.

Among these supplemental forms, Public Forum students will find a form that allows you to provide additional information about your partnership preferences–who your partner is, if you are attending with a partner, whether you need to be paired with a partner at camp, etc. 

Laundry

At each of our host sites, laundry facilities are available for student use, conveniently located in the student dormitories. Typically, these facilities are free to use, but in some cases our college/university hosts asks students to pay a small fee. Prior to the start of each camp session, we will update students and parents on whether they need to bring any cash or coins to use with the laundry facilities.

Registration Deadlines

We open registration in mid-December, and we attempt to keep it open through May. However, we do close registration for each session as it reaches capacity. It is hard to predict, especially with all the changes to travel and family plans over the last few years, when each of our sessions will fill up. Typically, we see the majority of our registrations by March, and we encourage families who are concerned about securing a spot to register by mid-March. Please feel free to reach out to us for additional information about any specific session.

Changing or Transferring Sessions / Credits

We always want to help our students get value from their registration so we endeavor to work with you to help facilitate transfers to alternative sessions. Typically, if you contact us in a timely manner and there is space available, we can help you transfer your registration from one session to another within the same summer. We typically are not able to help you transfer your registration from one summer to a later summer. If you think you may need to make a transfer, whatever your situation, please reach out to us so that we can help work out an arrangement that works for you!

Dining

Our meal plan covers lunch and dinner, and students and faculty are covered by the meal plan to eat in nearby college/university cafeterias and dining facilities. Students also have the option to eat in nearby cafes and restaurants (in groups, within a permitted perimeter). We have found that very few students utilize the breakfast option when it is available, so we removed it from our meal plan. However, at each of our camp locations, breakfast options are readily available for students who wish to eat breakfast. Those options are simply not included in the meal plan itself.

College/university dining facilities are able to accommodate a wide range of dietary needs and restrictions, as well as food allergies. Once you register for camp, you will have access to NSD’s student and family portal, where you will complete a number of supplemental registration forms in preparation for camp, e.g. forms where you tell us about your student’s important health information and previous debate experience. These forms allow you to tell us the key information that enables us to give students a safe and educational camp experience. Among these supplemental forms, you will find a dietary needs form where you can report dietary restrictions and food allergies. We gather this information from all students and report it to our college/university dining partners in advance, so that they can accommodate our needs.

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