2026 Missouri State Debate Institute (MSDI) - Spicer Debate Forum - Communication, Media, Journalism and Film - School of Commun

2026 Missouri State Debate Institute (MSDI) - Spicer Debate Forum - Communication, Media, Journalism and Film - School of Communication - Missouri State
Spicer Debate Forum
2026 Missouri State Debate Institute (MSDI)
A CX-Policy camp at an affordable price
The 2026 MSDI two-week policy will be offered LIVE. The live camp is June 28 - July
11. The commuter option costs $700, and the price is $1500 if the dorm/meals option
is selected. If you submit both enrollment
and
deposit by March 31, there will be a $50 discount ($650/$1450).
In 2026, event camps will be offered during our third week July 12-17 (Online Policy,
LD Debate, Novice Policy, PF Debate, Individual Events). Except Online Policy, the
instruction alone costs $350, and the price is $700 if the dorm/meals option is selected
for a live camp. Once we reach June 5, we will confirm which camps have made. In 2025,
PF, LD & online policy made, but Novice & IE did not. If a camp does not make, you
can choose between a refund of the deposit or moving to a camp which makes. We encourage
attendees to avoid purchasing airlines tickets until we confirm.
The date ranges above include Sunday check in - instruction always begins at 9am on
the next day (Monday).
We added a
Fellows program
to the two week policy camp, and we will continue that in 2026. The Fellows program
is for experienced students who are willing to do some additional prep before/after
camp to facilitate demo rounds during camp. The event camps are not large enough to
support a Fellows program at this time.
Also, we do have some scholarship support. The questions we need to consider your
application are discussed in the FAQ section, but the
scholarship application form can be accessed here
. Students will know if they have received a scholarship offer by June 1, and can
wait on the $100 deposit until they know. Scholarship applications received by May
1 will receive initial consideration, and applications addressing each question are
also prioritized. The MSDI scholarship program is funded from donations by MSU Debate
and MSDI Alumni as well as other supporters. If you are an interested donor, details
can be found on the
Debate homepage
You can read much more about MSDI by
consulting our online brochure
. We thank you for helping make MSDI one of the fastest growing camps in the nation,
and we are eager to serve you next summer!
If you are applying to attend MSDI, refer to the
Camp FAQ
2025 Online Registration Form
You need to
send in your deposit
to complete your registration.
Read below to find out why MSDI is the fastest growing camp over the last few years!
We've grown at a rate of about 20% in most years (more in 2024), based largely on
word of mouth. If you don't find the answer you are seeking, or if you want more detailed
information, please contact us at
EricMorris@MissouriState.edu
We are offering 2 week LIVE policy & 1 week ONLINE policy institutes in 2026. Here
are all the policy debate camps in summer 2026:
2 Week Policy, (June 28 - July 11) ($700 Commuter, $800 additional if room & board
required)
1 Week Policy ONLINE, (July 14 - July 18) ($200 Online, 10am-3pm daily)
The live camps move in on Sunday (June 28) but instruction begins at 9am on Monday.
Registration Deadline is June 5, 2026.
Registration requires
both
the online application (see above link) and $100 nonrefundable* deposit. The deposit
applied to the camp fee, so a typical student in the 2 week residence hall program
would submit $100 when they register and the balance would be due by registration
on June 28th. The deposit protects us against fixed costs we cannot avoid when enrollees
withdraw. Any money beyond the $100 would be refunded if you cannot attend the camp,
but paying online by credit card makes refunds more efficient. If events force us
to change modality online, we will offer to return deposits. We encourage students
flying in to a live camp to postpone buying plane tickets until we can confirm your
camp has made.
If you complete the application as the deadline approaches, but are unsure if your
mailed check will arrive in time, please contact this email:
EricMorris@MissouriState.edu
. If you were hoping to attend MSDI but cannot meet the deadline, please contact us
with further details. We want you to attend, but the deadline helps us to finalize
staffing arrangements and avoid housing over-charges.
Secondary Packet, 2026
Please make sure your email address is correct in your online application!
The initial two-week secondary packets will be sent by email around May 15, 2026.
Event camp packets will be sent by email around June 12, 2026.
After that day, new applicants should receive a secondary mailing within a few days
after application. The secondary mailing will also be available in our
Dropbox
, but it will show last year's secondary mailing until we have final confirmation
on this summer's arrangements. If you pay online, you will get an immediate emailed
receipt. If you pay another way and need a receipt, just ask.
Please note - you are not yet fully enrolled in the camp until a deposit has been
received
If you apply, but are not able to send your $100 deposit within a week through
CASHNet
, please be in touch with Eric Morris about the details.
New dates, same high quality in 2026
The MSDI at Missouri State University is an excellent high school debate camp providing
in-depth instruction at an incredible value.
MSDI graduates have consistently dominated the local debate circuit, and several other
circuits. Many have qualified to NSDA nationals, the tournament of champions, and
received sizeable college debate scholarships - in several cases, far above their
cost of attending MSDI.
Our institute tournaments use a unique approach that allows for deep strategic planning.
Although different from the tempo of normal season tournaments, past camp attendees
have enjoyed this format because it teaches them everything they should do before
a tournament to prepare for known opponents.
Our staff/student ratio is 8/1 or better, and many of the staff are current college
coaches that have coached at the top levels of college debate. It's rare to get to
work with such a staff at a camp price comparable to MSDI, and rarer still to have
such staff as lab leaders.
Our camp size is typically near 48 CX Policy students - plenty for a good tournament,
but not so many that you get lost in the crowd.
Event Camp Programs, 2026
Here are all the event camps options for summer 2026. Each camp except online policy
runs 9am-5pm, but we use evenings for reinforcement/drills instead of new content.
Dorm students check in on July 12, and have supplemental evening activities, but all
NEW content happens before 5pm. Register early by March 31 for a $50 discount.
Public Forum Debate ($350 commuter, $350 more if room & board required)
July 13-17 (9am-5pm)
Lincoln-Douglas Debate ($350 commuter, $350 more if room & board required)
July 13-17 (9am-5pm)
Novice CX Debate ($350 commuter, $350 more if room & board required)
July 13-17 (9am-5pm)
Individual Events ($350 commuter, $350 more if room & board required)
July 13-17 (9am-5pm)
ONLINE Policy Debate ($200 online)
July 13-17 (10am-3pm central time)
The nonrefundable registration deposit is $100, which covers any number of MSDI camps
that you sign up for. Students who sign up for the first 2 week session can add event
camps without paying a 2nd registration fee. The registration fee is
not
in addition to camp fees - it is just a partial pre-payment of the fee. Remaining
camp fees, if any, are collected at the beginning of each camp. In the event that
any individual camp does not "make," the registration fee may either be applied to
other camps you select or will be refunded (your choice). Because of the "make" policy,
event camp secondary mailings will go out by June 12th, and we will notify anyone
whose camp did not make by then or before.
Except online policy, each event camp runs 9am-5pm with a lunch break.
The Missouri State Policy Debate Institute is an appealing camp because:
1. Strong camp faculty
Since Dr. Eric Morris became Director of Forensics at Missouri State, MSU reached
elimination rounds of the National Debate Tournament for seven consecutive years,
including semifinals and top speaker in 2008. Missouri State debate teams have consistently
qualified to the NDT, with two teams reaching most years this century. Six Missouri
State students have received prestigious "1st Round At Large" bids to the National
Debate Tournament, and eight others have reached the final four in NFA-LD. Collectively,
our staff has coached students to NSDA Extemp Debate finals in three separate years.
Anticipated 2026 staff members include:
Dr. Eric Morris:
MoState Director, NDT Coach of the Year (2008), NDT Ziegelmueller Research Award,
CEDA Brownlee Award, Former KU JDI Director, over 30 camps of teaching experience.
Dr. Nathan Rothenbaum:
MoState Assistant Director, Coached U Georgia in NDT finals (2018), Special Issue
Editor, Argumentation & Advocacy, teaches graduate & undergraduate courses in argumentation.
Heather Walters, J.D.:
Former MoState Assistant Director, Greenwood High School Coach, over 25 camps of teaching
experience.
Kristen StoutHart:
MoState Assistant Coach, Qualifier to CEDA Elimination Rounds, & former High School
Coach (Republic & Greenwood), MSDI coach since 2012.
Parker Hopkins
: MoState Assistant Coach, Lawrence Free State High School Coach, MSDI coach since
2018.
2. Low Tuition
The Two-Week Policy Camp Tuition is only $700 for commuters (or online). This covers
instruction, distribution of camp evidence, and access to the Missouri State library
and computer facilities. The residence option ($800 additional) covers all of these,
plus room and board. Our prices are cost competitive with all major camps, despite
our strong faculty and staff! You could easily save $1000 or more by selecting MSDI.
Tuition is even more of a bargain if you use a
"return on investment"
perspective. Missouri State provides about 16 college debate scholarships whose yearly
value dramatically exceeds MSDI tuition, and they are renewable. In some instances,
debate has arranged out of state waivers worth around $8000/year ($32k over 4 years).
Although not required for a scholarship, attending a camp (particularly in CX Policy)
is a great opportunity to showcase your potential to the program hosting it. Collectively,
we are aware of MSDI alumni receiving over $700,000 in college debate scholarships
from various schools in the past two decades.
The breadth of Missouri State's college debate scholarship support sets us above nearly
all camps.
You can also apply for a scholarship to attend MSDI. You need to send an email addressing
five specific questions (see FAQ page). You can wait until after hearing from us (usually
by June 1) before sending your deposit to finalize your registration with your deposit,
but we do ask scholarship applicants to complete the online application before applying.
3. Emphasis on Practice Rounds
Typically, participants in the live 2-week policy camp compete in over 20 rounds each
between practice rounds and the tournament. Our college debaters have their own separate
college lab, but help provide judging for frequent HS rounds. We have fewer rounds
in the one-week options, but still more than most one-week camps. The online policy
camp will be lecture-only in 2026.
Our philosophy is that skills develop with effective practice, so we design our camp
schedule to facilitate it. Students are given an evidence packet on the opening Sunday
to allow rounds on the first Tuesday. There are several cases & negative positions
written during the camp, progressively added before the tournament. Finally, students
are given time for substantial strategy planning, including hands-on coaching, prior
to each practice round. Several former students have commented that our approach to
practice rounds made MSDI a uniquely transformative experience.
4. Strong staff-student ratio
We plan around a student-staff ratio of 8:1 - or better. Our advertised ratio does
not include the Missouri State Debaters who may judge such rounds - if they were included,
the ratio would be much lower!
Research and work time is supervised and collaborative with staff; all staff members
– not just lab leaders - are available to students for research assistance, theory
advice, practice rounds and practice speeches. The directors are closely involved
with every phase of the camp.
Our small camp size makes everyone easily accessible.
5. Great housing options
The camp housing is usually in Missouri State's Hammons/Hutchens Hall complex, a modern
facility using suite-style arrangements. Each room has high speed internet access
and a full kitchenette. It is a short - and flat - walk from the library and campus
instructional facilities.
6. Continuing assistance
Historically, many MSDI students stay in contact with the staff during their seasons,
getting argument ideas and other coaching insights. We take an interest in students
after they leave our camp.
Endorsements
1. Nick Ramsey
Nick was a semifinalist at NSDA Nationals. He said: "After having gone to a big national
camp, I came to truly appreciate what makes Missouri State's camp special. The lab
leaders are really knowledgeable, and the camp is small enough that you get plenty
of personal attention. They proved willing and able to work with debaters from all
backgrounds and experience levels. Also, this camp is not an evidence mill - there
is a strong emphasis on practice rounds, so a debater gets an incredible amount of
experience in a short amount of time. Even though Missouri State's debate institute
is cheaper than larger camps, the value is exponentially greater."
2. Samantha Nichols
Samantha was the top speaker at NSDA Nationals (2011), and a multi-year NDT qualifier.
She said: "MSDI was by far the best debate camp I ever went to. The focused practice
rounds and great lectures set me up for a very successful debate season. Rather than
being forced to a learn a style that may not be conducive to your region, you get
smart advice that can be applied anywhere. The entire atmosphere of MSDI was awesome.
You will leave MSDI with sharper skills, more confidence, and definitely some great
friendships!"
In addition to Nick & Samantha, MSDI has also produced numerous students who qualified
for NFL in policy debate, cleared at NFL in policy debate, accumulated Tournament
of Champions bids, and competed at the TOC. Nonetheless, the camp is designed to accelerate
the learning curve of students who may have considerably less experience or success.
3. Recent Feedback
We conduct camp evaluations each year - anonymous respondents gave us permission to
share the following:
2022 "Liked the emphasis on practice rounds, loved the instructors and judges all
were nice." "I liked the one-on-one time we got to have with the instructors during
lab time." "I really liked getting the chance to redo speeches - I felt like it was
the way that I improved the most, and honestly there wasn't anything that I can think
of that I disliked. I've improved so much just from day one and I have everyone here
at camp to thank for that." "I loved the lab rooms, I had so much fun with the people
in my group and the lab leaders. Everyone was so nice and I loved that we were able
to joke around. I loved the one-one help that was always offered. Anything I had questions
on was explained clearly and I’m a way that I could comprehend."
2021 "I think that the camp was run super well, it felt super engaging and I not only
learned a lot about the new topic but also had a lot of fun doing so, even made some
new friends in the process :)." "The practice tournament was also pretty fun - it
was nice to get a sense of how things might be in the regular season (and also debate
with someone who you aren't necessarily familiar with)." "Something I really liked
about MSDI was the level of engagement that it offered with the topic. There was a
lot of hands-on work and speaking which was very helpful." "I really loved all of
the personal feedback I got from each judge/staff member. They all helped me grow
as an individual and as a debater."
2020 "I really liked how much I learned throughout the camp, about new cases and evidence
as well as strategies. I also really liked the drills that we did, I thought they
were really helpful. The practice rounds were super beneficial and the feedback was
really great." "I liked the support we got from the camp instructors and encouragement
to ask question - the environment that was set up made it really easy to learn more.
I also liked the number of drills and practice debates we did. I think this camp is
great for a novice debater."
2019 "I don’t have any questions, but you all should know the impact this made on
me. I went from being a novice to having the same level of skill that I see in debaters
I aspire to be. You all gave me that, and I am so grateful. The entire debate staff
is amazing, and I would love to come back to MSDI in the future and maybe even Missouri
State Debate." "I thought camp was overall a very good jump start to the topic, and
the practice rounds made it so that I will probably have a significant leg up on the
competition." "This camp was very fun and it was a very good learning experience!
Everyone is very nice and helpful."
2018 "This is my last year and it's incredibly bittersweet. It's a lot of hard work
and the days can be long. I would change nothing about the experience though. All
of the staff are really encouraging and understanding! You learn so much in two weeks
about debate and you make plenty of friends along the way. Thanks for the lovely three
years." "Having the ability to interact with amazing camp staff, the great price,
and having extremely frequent practice rounds makes this probably one of the best
camps in the Midwest." "Keep up the good work. I’m most likely coming back next year.
It was an amazing learning experience and I had a lot of fun." "Camp really feels
like a close knit community, there’s no way you can leave without making new relationships
and some great memories." "The camp was a great experience over the 2 times I attended.
I got great experience and made some lasting friendships." "The overall camp experience
was amazing, I felt like I truly improved and got a full understanding of the topic
for next year. It makes me really want to get involved in debate at my school, and
come back next year." "This camp might seem hard, and don't get me wrong, it is, but
it will all pay off. This camp has taught me more than I would have learned in 2 years.
You will feel like you need to give up, or that everyone is better than you, or that
you are just not good enough, but everything will work out in the end and it will
all be worth it. Take it from someone who had no debate experience before this camp
and still came and learned a lot." "MSDI was a great experience and I would recommend
it to anyone that can go." "MSDI will help you advance in debate exponentially. Attending
this camp as a post-Nov is a huge benefit." "I enjoyed the camp! It taught me a lot
and gave me an opportunity to meet and become close to other people who do policy
debate."
2017 "This camp really trained me to become better and more understanding. Most camps
that I have gone to have done mostly evidence research but here the round training
is the focus and develops your skills in ways that lectures cannot." "MSDI has a residence
hall board game program that's unmatched." This was an absolutely amazing experience.
I learned an incredible amount of stuff that I can't wait to take into my sophomore
year!" "This is now my second year attending MSDI and I feel like it keeps getting
better. This year is by far the best." "MSDI is a enriching experience that teaches
you about debate, allows you to meet new friends, and be exposed to a entirely different
world of debate." "Definitely one of the best summer experiences I've ever had. The
kids here are smart and very cool! I've been here two years in a row and each experience
has been better than the last. I felt included and I've made friends that I still
keep up with a year later. The staff here is very knowledgeable and capable (also
very friendly). MSDI helps my social and debate skills. I won't forget my time here
at MSDI anytime soon." "This is a great camp to help you improve in-round skills and
better understand theories you may not have heard of. I would definitely recommend
this to anyone in a lay district."
2016 "MSDI is a great experience. It lets you learn finer details about not only the
topic, but policy debate as a whole. Specific lectures about K's, CX, how to write
AFFs, CPs, and debate strategy are very helpful to understand how to debate better.
Advice given from the camp staff really helps you improve while you're at camp and
even afterwards." "I was a student at MSDI 2016, I did 3 week CX camp and If I had
to say one thing about MSDI it would be that this camp will change your life, and
not just in the sense that you will learn a lot about debate you will make so many
new friends and have the best experience of your life." "I had a great experience
as MSDI. The staff are all great and fun to be around and I met a lot of really great
people. Moreover, the lectures were great and I learned a lot. Between debating twice
a day everyday and speech redoes almost every night, everybody improved a lot." "If
you're looking for the extra step you need to further your debate experience, register
for the MSDI debate camp!"
2015 "I loved my two weeks at MSDI, and I plan on returning." "This camp was intense
at times but it created a successful precedent. I wish I could have stayed for the
third week!" "MSDI is overall an amazing experience that taught me multiple different
skills that helped me grow both as a debater and a person. I made so many amazing
memories that inspired me to consider debate in college." "It was amazing. I did some
calculations and 2 weeks of camp at MSDI equal to 172.8 days of debate class. It is
worth it." "This camp is the best place to break past all the small mistakes you may
be hung up on, and exponentially boost your skills." "MSDI was a really great and
I learned so much. I feel like this is going to be a great season."
The Missouri State Debate Institute: CX Camp Philosophy
Many of the students attending our camp debate in areas where lay judges are common.
Although we consider debate valuable in all forms, we are particularly focused on
camp practices with encourage
sustaining and expanding debate
in such settings. Although our camp staff is associated with our college debate program,
the staffers understand and appreciate that successful approaches vary by the judge
and circuit. Since there are many camps which cater to TOC-style debating, our primary
mission is to create a middle-of-the-topic institute taught by highly qualified staff.
We post camp files on the NDCA's Open Evidence Project website, and looking at our
camp's past files will give you a feel for our camp experience. We generally write
cases in each of the novice-areas (suggested by the National Federation), as well
as other major cases in the middle of the topic. Although students select their case
for camp tournaments, we rotate the cases in practice rounds so that students have
both affirmative and negative experience on a range of cases.
While our debaters read counterplans & kritiks in NDT/CEDA debate, they are a minor
emphasis during MSDI. We generally have only a couple of each in the camp files (encouraging
students to understand instead of fear them) but we encourage students to focus primarily
on debating the case and disadvantages in a line-by-line approach.
Our camp is also skills-heavy, in comparison to theory- or research- heavy camps.
Although the camp files are impressive, we emphasize practice speeches and debates.
Over the 2-week camp, students may have 2 practice debates per day (starting from
the 2nd day). A typical day also includes several speeches, and several of the camp
discussions are reinforced with drills.
Although many MSDI students debate in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, or Oklahoma, we
believe there are many other regions of the country whose students would benefit from
this approach. Recent camps have included students from Louisiana, Montana, Indiana,
South Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, and California. Please feel
free to contact
Dr. Eric Morris
for follow up questions or clarification about the camp's philosophy.
Also, we will offer a discount of $50/student if 4+ students from the same school
attend our 2-week policy debate camp, and if 8+ attend the discount becomes $100/student.
For one week camps, we will reduce fees by $20 (4+ students) or $40 (8+ students)
per person. This is in addition to any early enrollment discount.
Find out more, or sign up now!
Here are links to other pages that will help you decide if MSDI is right for you:
Camp Staff
: This page provides a list of MSDI anticipated staff members, and will be updated
as the camps' size grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
: This page can provide you will answers to many of the common questions, and many
be updated in response to student questions.
Endorsements: Here are comments from past attendees discussing their experience. We
collect student feedback each year, and the ratings average over 9 stars (our of 10).
Online Registration Form
You will still need to
send your deposit
to complete your registration.
If you don't find the answer you are seeking, or if you want more detailed information,
please contact us at
EricMorris@MissouriState.edu
Please write, phone or email us:
Eric Morris, Director
Missouri State Debate Institute
Dept of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film - Craig 375
Missouri State University
901 S. National Ave
Springfield, MO 65897
Phone:
Director's Cell: 417-496-7141
Communication, Media, Journalism and Film Department Office: 417-836-5218
Email:
Eric's Email:
EricMorris@MissouriState.edu
Heather's Email:
HeatherWalters@MissouriState.edu