Breaking News Updates a.k.a LiveDocs (Click here)
*** Check this section regularly during the tournament for changes and updates. ***
11:00 PM Friday -- Link to Opening Meeting Video (click here)
11:17 AM Saturday -- Be aware of the email from Tabroom regarding pickup of lunches from Roosevelt University and effective routing to avoid the Chicago music festival traffic.
11:20 AM Saturday -- The Tabroom reminds everyone that our schedule is set well in advance and we must run on time for a variety of reasons to avoid a cascade of unintended consequences. Sessions must begin as scheduled and end at the time scheduled. No presiding officer should permit a student to begin a speech when there is insufficient time to complete the speech within the allotted time for the session.
10:20 AM Sunday -- For clarification, by a majority decision at the NCFL Diocesan Directors' fall meeting SEVEN debaters will advance from Semifinals to Finals. This will be comprised of the top six debaters based on the judge ranks and the highest-ranked debater according to the Parliamentarian in each Semifinals chamber. HOWEVER, conflicting updates at various times during the year included a mention of EIGHT debaters advancing to a Finals chamber comprised of 24 members. To assure the highest level of opportunity for the most Student Congress participants, NCFL has opted to advance EIGHT debaters per chamber this year (seven highest from combined judge ranks and the highest remaining debater from the Parliamentarian's cumulative rank sheet) to Finals. In an effort to maximize available speaking time for additional participants, we will begin the Finals General Meeting at 12:45 PM in the Williford Ballroom. All judges and semifinalists should attend. Session 1 of Finals will begin by 1:00 PM and extend to 3:15 PM, with Session 2 from 3:30 PM to 5:45 PM. No additional recesses of the chamber will be permitted, however, an open chamber may be established. As usual, precedence and recency will continue from one Finals session to another and will NOT reset.
2:00 PM Sunday -- Due to a late start from judge availability, the schedule for the finals round has adjusted to 1:45 PM - 3:45 PM for Session 1 and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for Session 2. We apologize for encountering multiple schedule shifts.
Preliminary Sessions are our opening congressional sessions on Saturday, May 24, 2025. Every registered student competes in one of 10 chambers of 18 students each. Students will share the same cohort experience for the entire day. Building relationships and demonstrating oneself as a knowledgeable and open-minded decision-maker is a noble goal.
The top five legislators from each chamber, as ranked by all of the judges on Saturday and the Parliamentarian, are selected to participate in one of three chambers. Day Two involves new legislation and a new cohort of individuals, some of whom already know you from yesterday. Leadership skills and authoritative information sharing is the focus of this session.
The top eight legislators from each of the three semifinals sessions will demonstrate the "best of the best" for this tournament. A panel of judges will determine who is the top legislator present. Speeches are part of that, but so are participation, decorum, and authority. Connecting and noting references from colleagues is an important leadership skill.