To qualify for the $200 discount, the application and deposit are due by April 15, 2012. Otherwise, the normal application and deposit deadline is May 15, 2012.

If possible, you should email your application to georgiadebateinstitutes@gmail.com. Mail your deposit (or paper application) to Georgia Debate Institutes, c/o Athena Murray, 110 Terrell Hall, Athens, GA 30602. Subsequent paperwork should be send to this address as well.

Yes—a $500 deposit is required with all applications.

Checks should be made out to “University of Georgia.” It is also helpful to write the student's name in the memo line of the check.

For now, we cannot accept credit card payments. If you are interested in a payment plan, please contact us at georgiadebateinstitutes@gmail.com

No. Deposits are non-refundable.

Tuition includes a dorm room, three meals per day, instruction, library and internet access, and access to all evidence produced at the GDI.

Any recreational or spending money is not covered by camp tuition. Any sources of food or beverage from outside the residence hall cafeteria is not covered by the camp tuition.

Unfortunately, once tuition is paid we cannot refund it. If a student is expelled from camp for breaking the rules, they will NOT receive a refund.

The balance of the tuition is due on or before registration on June 17, 2012 for Policy debaters and one or before regisration on June 24, 2012 for Public Forum debaters. 

Policy debaters should plan to arrive in Athens on June 17, 2012 between 12:00pm and 5:00pm.

Public forum debaters should plan to arrive in Athens on June 24, 2012 between 12:00pm and 5:00pm.

The last day of camp is June 30, 2012. Students should plan on checking out before 5:00pm.

We recommend arriving and departing during the scheduled times, but contact us in advance if this is not possible.

The best airport to fly into is Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson (http://www.atlanta-airport.com/).  The best way to get to Athens from Hartsfield-Jackson is to arrange a shuttle (http://www.airportshuttles.net/ga_atlanta.shtml). Unfortunately, the GDI cannot provide travel to the camp.

The GDI will be housed in Creswell Hall, a dormitory on campus. Students will eat in Bolton Dining Commons, which is right next door.

Yes. The dorms are very safe. All students are required to be in the dorms by 10:00pm. Students are required to stay on their floor after 11:00pm bed check. We have four Residential Assistants who patrol the floors at night and are available to assist students. There will be at least two full time staff members living in the dorms, as well as UGA dorm staff.

Two students live in each dorm room.

No. Floors are segregated by gender and students will not be allowed on floors of the opposite gender. Staff living on the floors with the students will be the same gender.

Potentially. Students may request roomates if the requests are mutual, the students are the same gender, and the students are staying for the same length of time. We will do the best we can to honor these requests.

No. Campers will live in a dorm with other high school students and university staff only.

Yes. When the student registers on the first day of camp and is assigned a dorm room, you will have the exact address for mailing purposes.

Please do not send student mail to the Terrell Hall address. This is our debate team office, and will not be staffed during the camp.

If you live near Athens, you can commute. Commuter price is $1300 and includes everything (including meals) EXCEPT a dorm room to stay in. If you apply early and pay the $500 deposit by April 1^st, the total price would be $1100.

Yes. Please include this information in your acceptance packet so the cafeteria can accommodate you.

Most days will be full for the students. The exact schedule will change day to day, but most days will go from 9:00am to 9:00pm including lectures, practice speeches, lab discussion, meal times and some free time for the students to relax. Our small student-to-staff ratio means that we can easily tailor our schedules to students’ needs.

Lab will take place in the Miller Learning Center (http://mlc.uga.edu/).

Students will have access to the MLC computer labs as well as computer access in the UGA library (http://www.libs.uga.edu/).

If you plan on debating paperless, you must bring a laptop with MS word. Also, pack for a variety of temperatures. Georgia summers are hot, but all buildings on campus are air-conditioned. Cell phones, alarm clocks, and linens are all high-priority items. Bringing expensive items like jewelry and electronics are not recommended if they aren't necessary. Unfortunately, the GDI cannot be held responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged property. Please do NOT bring: weapons, animals, drugs or alcohol, fireworks, game systems/tvs, or cars.

If you are planning on debating paperless, bringing a laptop is required. If you are not planning on debating paperless, a laptop is optional but not required. Unfortunately, the GDI cannot be held responsible for lost or stolen laptops.

Bringing a laptop with Microsoft Word is required if a student wants to debate paperless. Unfortunately, the GDI cannot provide laptops or copies of Microsoft Word to students. If you have a Mac laptop, you need MS Word 04 or MS Word 11.

Students can bring either cash or debit/credit cards. We do not recommend that students bring cashier’s or traveler’s checks because of the difficulty of finding locations close to campus to cash these forms of currency.

If a student is injured or sick, we will take them to the UGA University Health Center (http://www.uhs.uga.edu/). The camp cannot pay medical costs, so please bring a copy of your medical insurance card (or send us a copy to keep on file). If a student is seriously injured, we will call 911.

Visits are certainly possible. Anyone who plans on visiting the student, or checking them out for a few hours, must be noted on the Check-Out form in the acceptance packet. The best times to visit are weekends, but alternate times can be arranged. Please let us know in advance if you plan on checking out the student during the camp and check in and out in the GDI office when you arrive. We will not release a student to anyone except parents and those explicitly authorized on the student's check-out form.

Yes! Simply let us know in advance which type of church services you'd like to attend so we can arrange transportation.

The executive director of the GDI is Dr. Ed Panetta. The co-directors of the camp are Hays Watson, UGA head coach and Athena Murray, UGA assistant coach.

We are always available at georgiadebateinstitutes@gmail.com. Before the camp begins, we can receive mail at Georgia Debate Institutes, 110 Terrell Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Before the camp begins, our phone number is 706.542.9420 and our fax number is 706.542.8302.

After the camp begins, our camp office will have different contact information. As soon as this becomes available, it will be posted here.