The National Symposium for Debate’s website is currently experiencing technical difficulties, but should be back up shortly. If you have questions at this time about NSD 2009 call Beth Palmer, the NSD Administrator, at 330-856-1053, or email us at info@nsdebate.org.
Beginning Friday, July 3, call Beth at (330) 979-8107 if you have questions or experience travel difficulties when coming to NSD.
Thank you for your patience,
Eric Palmer, Executive Director
Check in and registration, where students and staff obtain room keys, meal cards, and NSD informational packets, including schedules and lab information. This will take place at Mathias Hall, the dormitory for NSD. Check travel information on the admitted students page for times.
Mathias Hall, the dormitory where students and staff will be housed. Each student will share a double room with another student. Students will be separated by floor according to gender, with same gender staff residing on every floor. There is a lounge and laundry room in Mathias. The sleeping rooms are not air conditioned which is generally not a problem as nights are usually cool in Colorado Springs. The common areas are air conditioned, as are the classroom buildings. Each dorm room contains ethernet ports and wireless connectivity is generally available in the dorm.
Laundry room, located inside Mathias Residence Hall. Washers and dryers are coin operated. Students and staff who plan to do laundry during their stay may want to pack a small amount of laundry detergent and quarters.
Dormitory rooms, double occupancy for students. The beds are extra long twin size. A fan, towels, sheets and blanket, pillow and pillow case, and computer access are available in all rooms. Wash cloths are not provided. Alarm clocks are not provided. Students are advised to bring a small desk lamp. Students and staff are encouraged to consider bringing items to add to their personal comfort, if desired. Some examples of these personal comfort items are a mattress pad, beach towel, toweling robe, mesh bag for carrying items to the bathroom, extra blanket, personal pillow or even a light weight sleeping bag. Hot plates and similar items are not permitted. Cooking in dormitory rooms is not permitted. There is a front desk attendant on duty every day from 7:00 am until midnight. Report maintenance or housekeeping needs to the front desk attendant.
Linen changes, available for students and staff. Towels and sheets can be changed on Friday. The bedspread will not be changed. Please do not put it in the hall. To receive clean towels and sheets, place all your current towels and/or bed sheets outside your door by 10:00 am on Friday. New sheets or towels will be placed in a plastic bag in front of your door.
Residential supervision, assuring the safety and security of all students. The NSD Administrator will oversee residential management. Students are expected to attend all scheduled activities unless they are ill. Students who are not feeling well must contact the NSD Administrator, Beth Palmer. (Phone number will be provided at NSD Orientation.) Attendance is monitored by staff. Sign in at dorm curfew and room check at midnight (lights out time) are also used to account for students.
Packing, making sure to bring everything needed. The days may be warm, but the nights are often cool. The weather is quite changeable. Pack clothing accordingly; bring an umbrella and a rain jacket. There is a pool on campus which NSD students may use. Dress is casual, but should be in good taste. All debaters are asked to dress up for the second day of the NSD tournament. Be sure to bring debate materials commonly used, such as pens, timers, and flow pads, as well as a notebook for taking notes during lectures. Include enough clothing to suit your needs, an alarm clock, soap, toiletries, and other items needed for personal care. Consider also the personal comfort items noted in the dormitory room information. Be sure to bring money and/or a debit or credit card for personal purchases. Snacks can be brought from home or purchased near campus.
Computer access and library use, for working and researching. We encourage students to bring their own laptops because most find having their own computer to be convenient. However, students who do not bring laptops will have access to computer labs that will suffice for their academic work. The Colorado College campus is mostly wireless, although there are a few places the wireless access will not work, due to location and building construction. Students may not add to or tamper with the computer systems on campus. Bring appropriate power and ethernet cords for your computer and a USB flash drive for moving files between computers. NSD has the use of a computer lab with 22 computers in it each day. There is a small computer lab in Mathias Hall which can be used 24/7. However, to print from the computers in the Mathias computer lab, you must email files to yourself because they do not have accessible USB ports. To check out materials from the library, staff and student must have a Gold Card issued after arrival at campus in her or his name. All library items are due three days before the end of NSD.
Dining, which is in Rastall Dining Hall. NSD staff and students have the following meal times: breakfast 7:30, lunch 11:30 and dinner 5:30. Rastall is located in the Worner Campus Center. Colorado College has a large summer conference program and staff and students must to go to meals at the assigned times to alleviate congestion in the dining hall. No food, drink, utensils or other dining hall property may be removed from Rastall. No food or drink may be brought into Rastall. Colorado College staff and students may move to the head of the line so they can return to work and class on schedule.
Restaurants, map and phone numbers. Students may sign out for lunch or dinner. A list of restaurants, phone numbers and a map showing locations have been provided by Colorado College.
Mail service, to receive mail from family and friends. Mail sent to students and staff will be brought to the front desk at Mathias Hall if it is properly addressed. Colorado College has a large summer conference program and can only get mail to people when it is properly addressed. Mail must be sent to the following address:
Student/Staff Name
Attention: National Symposium for Debate
C/O Summer Programs
14 East Cache La Poudre Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
There is a full service post office located on the lower level of the Worner Campus Center, if staff or students wish to send mail while at NSD.
Weather, which may be different from home. Colorado Springs is close to the mountains so the weather can change at a moment’s notice. The average number of days of sunshine is 250, but thunderstorms often move in during the afternoons. An umbrella, rain jacket, and a sweatshirt for cool nights are recommended. The days are usually quite warm, but the humidity is very low compared to other areas of the country. Colorado Springs ranks among those cities with the highest altitudes. The lack of humidity and warm days and cool nights are positive parts of living at this level. Because of these special conditions, it is important to drink lots of fluid, especially water. NSD students, staff or their families who plan to sight see before checking in or after checking out are advised to avoid strenuous exercise the first day and stay below 7,000 feet (Colorado Springs is 6,035 feet above sea level). from The Colorado College Summer Conference Planning Guide 2007
Free Day, or a day without classes. Free day will be July 13. There are no classes until evening. Students can walk or ride the Colorado Springs shuttle to restaurants and stores near campus. Students who leave campus sign out with a friend or friends, noting their destinations. Meal times at Rastall Dining Hall are the same as on other days of NSD.
Special use facilities, provided by Colorado College. A weight room, pool, ice rink and library are all available for NSD students and staff during free time. Hours for each are:
Carle Weight Room (located in the El Pomar Sports Center)
Monday-Friday: 10 am-8 pm
Saturday-Sunday: 1 pm-5 pm
July 4: closed
Honnen Ice Rink
Monday-Friday: 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Saturday-Sunday: closed
July 4: closed
Schlessman Pool (located in the El Pomar Sports Center)
Monday-Friday: 11 am-3:30 pm
Tuesday, Thursday: 7 am to 8:15 am laps, 7:30 pm-8:30 pm
Saturday-Sunday: 1 pm-5 pm
July 4: closed
Tutt Library
Monday-Thursday: 8 am-10 pm
Friday: 8 am-5 pm
Saturday: 10 am-5 pm
Sunday: 1 pm-10 pm
Security, provided by Colorado College. Lanyards must be worn at all times by all NSD students and staff to ensure that Campus Security knows they are authorized to be on campus. These lanyards give them access to the assigned residence hall, the dining hall, the library and other special use facilities.
Checking out, when NSD staff and students prepare for departure. Before leaving the room, turn off the lights, close the windows, fold blanket, remove sheets and put them in pillow case, leave sheets and towels in the room, lock the door, turn the door tag to “Checked Out” and return keys and access cards to the front desk. Complete the survey found in your room regarding your stay and turn it in at the front desk as well. If a student or staff member plans to leave when the front desk is closed, she or he must obtain an early check out envelope from the front desk attendant in advance, and drop off the envelope in a box near the front desk. Students and staff are responsible for any lost or damaged items. If more than usual cleaning is needed, the resident(s) of the room will be charged. There is a front desk attendant on duty from 7:00 am until midnight every day. Students must also check out with the NSD staff located in the lobby of Mathias Hall on departure days. Colorado Springs Airport transportation information will be available the day before and the morning of departure.
Do not make travel arrangements until you have been formally accepted.
If you plan to fly, make arrangements for the Colorado Springs Airport only. Do not make arrangements to fly into or leave from the Denver Airport as no pick up or drop off service is available through NSD.
Arrival and Departure Days and Times
Students arrive on July 5 and depart on July 19.
All students must plan to arrive in Colorado Springs by 3:00 pm, whether driving or flying. This allows ample time for registration, check in, move in and a campus tour before dinner at 5:30 pm. Orientation and the first lab session are immediately after dinner. Colorado College allows students to move into dormitory rooms at 10:00 am.
All students must plan to depart from Colorado Springs before or by 10:00 am on their departure day.
Traveling by Airplane
Students will be met at the Colorado Springs Airport only by NSD staff on the day of arrival and accompanied to the Colorado Springs Airport by staff on the day of departure. Colorado College provides transportation to and from the airport by means of Colorado College buses and drivers.
See Arrival and Departure Days and Times above for required arrival and departure times to assist you in scheduling flights.
Departure times for the airport will be posted in Mathias Residence Hall the day before and morning of departure days.
If a student schedules a flight to arrive after 3:00 pm, the NSD transportation service will not be available and the student must take a taxi to Colorado College at his or her own expense.
Traveling by Car
Students who drive to NSD must turn in their keys at registration to the NSD Administrator. These keys will not be returned for any reason until a student is departing from NSD. NSD is not responsible for students who drive to NSD until students register and turn in their keys.
Driving directions to NSD—Interstate 25 is the major highway into Colorado Springs. Take Exit #143 (Uintah Street) and head East (away from the mountains) to Cascade Avenue. Turn right (South) and you will be on campus. After you turn from Uintah onto Cascade, the Summer Conference Office is located at 1130 North Cascade. It is the third house on the right side of the street. Parking is in the campus lot just south of the Summer Programs Office.
Meals on Arrival and Departure Days
Both lunch and dinner are available on July 5. Breakfast is available for departing students on July 19. Meal times for NSD are 7:30 breakfast, 11:30 lunch and 5:30 dinner.