Equality in Forensics August 3rd Newsletter
As summer wraps up, so does the 2024-2025 season. Launch into the new season with the free Equality in Forensics summer camps!
As debate season begins, so does card cutting season. Fortunately, Equality in Forensics has got your back for the long season ahead. In this Newsletter, we are proud to announce our summer camp schedules in both extemporaneous speaking and congressional debate. The article will go on further to cover Scrimmage results, Weekly Publications, the Round Robin results and recordings, and Season Tournament. Enjoy!
Summer Camp
This is a friendly reminder to sign up for the Equality in Forensics FREE, ONLINE summer camp! The last day of sign up was August 2nd (yesterday). It's hosted in both Congressional Debate and Extemporaneous Speaking. This is truly the best free Extemp and Congress camp on the market, and the Equality in Forensics team has spent countless hours into making this the best possible camp for you. This is the perfect opportunity to hone your skills and get to the next level of competition, all for free. We hope to see you all there!
Camp Tournament: August 9th – 10th
At the start of camp, we’ll ask if you’d like to compete under Equality in Forensics, but you’re welcome to use your school or another institution if preferred. You don't need to do the camp to compete, and vice versa.
To sign up for the tournament: Email maubuchondebate@gmail.com with your name, Tabroom email, and desired event. Let us know if you have any questions — we’re excited to see you there!
Updates from The Red Folder
The Red Folder is officially launching our very own newsletter!! We'll be sending out emails once a week containing the briefs, breaking news, and extemp analyses we've been publishing on our website redfoldernews.org. If you've been wanting an easy, accessible way to keep up with the news (without having to manually filter through stories that aren't useful for debate while browsing major news outlets) the Red Folder is the source for you. Sign up for our newsletter through the form below today!
Weekly Publications
The Red Folder:
In domestic news, read about the Tea app's data breach, the redistricting battle in Texas, the surge of deportations, and the details behind the Trump-Epstein controversy.
In international news, find briefs on Thailand and Cambodia's border dispute, France's plans recognize Palestine as a state, protests in Mexico City, and resolved tariffs between the U.S. and Europe.
You can keep up with our weekly briefs, breaking news and special reports through our website and through following @redfoldernews on Instagram.
Blog: Two weeks ago, Asvatha Barath’s blog post "Speech and Debate or Speech Versus Debate?" explored the growing divide within our activity. From the meticulous memorization and artistic expression of Original Oratory to the rapid research and high-pressure adaptation of Congressional Debate, every event demands immense effort. Yet misconceptions and rivalries have fueled a rift, causing competitors to overlook the dedication of those on the “other side.” Asvatha reminds us that the heart of speech and debate lies in unity: applauding each other’s work, appreciating every event’s challenges, and remembering that the activity was built to amplify young voices, not pit them against one another.
Last week, Azzy Xiang’s "Rethinking Educational Impact: What Speech and Debate Can Learn from Other Transformative Youth Programs" challenged the community to take that shared purpose a step further. While debate builds eloquence and analytical skill, too often those arguments end with the ballot. Azzy points to programs like ThinkNeuro, Project Invent, and Urban Alliance as models for turning research into real-world impact through mentorship, equity, and civic engagement. By creating pathways for follow-through and addressing systemic inequities, the debate world can evolve into a platform where winning means more than a “W,” and student voices truly shape their communities.
Want to write for the blog? Anyone and everyone can write for Equality in Forensics’ blog! So, don’t wait, and submit your article today!
Round Robin Results and Recordings
The 2025 Equality in Forensics Round Robin awards:
In Congressional Debate,
6th: Emilio Saenz
5th: Elizabeth Xiao
4th: Anushka Kabra
3rd: Rhys Adams
Runner Up: Nicholas Ostheimer
Champion: Tanmay Rai
Equality in Forensics Round Robin Presiding Officer: Ross Wheeler
And in Extemporaneous Speaking,
6th: Cody Brown
5th: Lexie Toshav
4th: Ty Tan
3rd: Blake McFalls
Runner Up: Sadie Zwonitzer
Champion: Sasha Morel
Congratulations to our champions Sasha Morel and Tanmay Rai, and thanks once again for making this incredible event possible!
Also, our long awaited Congressional Debate Round Robin recording is finally published on our YouTube! The Round Robin features some of the best congressional debaters on the national circuit. At the end of the video you’ll be able to hear feedback from our judge panel. Go check it out!
Scrimmage Results
Our 31st free scrimmage has concluded. Congratulations to Aditi Shashidhara for winning Congress and to Ty Tan for winning Extemp! And to all the debaters that won their rounds!
Congrats to Jayden Yoon for winning PF, Lori Li for winning LD, and Jacobie Humphrey for winning CX!
Special thank you to all of our judges: Tanmay Rai, Matthew Collins, Aksh Dantal, Cyris Lim, Ethan Zheng, Vic Chen, Andrew Zheng, and Sadie Zwonitzer.
We will host our 32nd free online scrimmage on Tuesday, August 12th at 8 pm EDT for Extemp, Congress, and Policy and 8:30 pm EDT for PF and LD.
Ballots for this scrimmage are out and NSDA points are posted!
Looking ahead to the next scrimmage…
Congress Bill: Harvard Finals: A Bill to Establish a Medicare for All System.
Extemp Topic Area: South Asia
LD Topic: NSDA Septober Topic: Resolved: In the United States criminal justice system, plea bargaining is just.
PF Topic: NSDA Septober Topic: Resolved: The United Kingdom should rejoin the European Union.
CX Topic: NSDA: Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic.
To register, email vsahas11@gmail.com listing your name, tabroom email, and desired event or dm @sahas!! (do NOT send bills) (me) on discord and provide the same information.
Furthermore, future scrimmages during the coming school year will happen once every two weeks.
Conclusion
As the 2025-2026 season is about to start, don’t procrastinate, don’t warry — Equality in Forensics has got your back with our free Extemp/Congress camps, resources, publications, and scrimmages. Start the year stronger than ever!
Written by Andrew Lu with the help of the rest of the Equality in Forensics Team.