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The American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) is an intercollegiate, individual events based forensics tournament held in conjunction with the first Saturday in April, beginning on the prior Friday and continuing through the subsequent Monday. Of the two most prominent college-level IE (individual events) national tournaments (the other being National Forensic Association Nationals), the AFA-NIET has significantly more stringent qualification procedures and a smaller, but more exclusive field of competition. The AFA-NIET represents the culmination of the forensics season for many collegiate speech teams. The 2014 AFA-NIET was hosted by Arizona State University over the course of April 4–7. 83 Schools attended the 2014 AFA-NIET, fielding 1,570 entries in the 11 offered events. == History == Formed in 1949, the American Forensic Association was created with the goal of teaching students to utilize the skills of argumentation and advocacy. In the first decades of its existence, the AFA was primarily focused on promoting debate competitions, with little to no interest in individual events. As a result in the rapid rise of interest in individual events in the late 1960s, Dr. Seth Hawkins of Southern Connecticut State University, Dr. Raymond Beaty of Ohio University and Dr. Jack Howe of California State University, Long Beach began to propose ideas of an organized national tournament focused on individual events. Dr. Beaty reported that his proposals were entirely disregarded by the debate community.〔 During the 1970-71 forensics season, Dr. Hawkins made the decision that, despite the lack of support from the debate community, the increased interest in IEs justified the establishment of a national championship tournament. This tournament was held on the campus of Ohio Northern University, 23 schools participated, and the annual IE tournament that would eventually become known as NFA Nationals was established. Realizing that the NFA's new IE national tournament could perpetuate the already existing split within the community regarding the competitive validity of IEs, the AFA began working towards a solution in 1972. Jerry Anderson, the president of the AFA at the time, began calling meetings to address measures that could be taken to incorporate IEs into the AFA's agenda. Anderson proposed a change to the AFA's constitution to allow for the inclusion of IEs, this change was ratified in 1973. Anderson, along with E.R. Tame, the Chair of the Educational Policies Committee, proposed that the AFA enact institutional changes to accommodate IEs. In 1973, the AFA voted to establish the AFA Committee on Individual Events. In the three years following its establishment, the Committee worked towards developing an inceptive procedural standard for the AFA-NIET. This effort was bolstered in 1976, as James Weaver assumed the presidency of the AFA. Weaver proved to be a staunch advocate of the NIET's establishment. Within the first year of taking office, Weaver established the National Individual Events Tournament Committee, and appointed Larry Schnoor of Minnesota State University, Mankato as Chair. Shortly thereafter, Schnoor and the committee began making preparatory arrangements for the inaugural AFA-NIET.〔 In April 1978 the inaugural AFA-NIET was hosted by Illinois State University. 58 schools attended the 1978 AFA-NIET.〔 * Eastern Michigan University won the team sweepstakes championship at the 1978 AFA-NIET * Meg Langford of George Mason University won the individual sweepstakes championship at the 1978 AFA-NIET * Six schools who attended the 1978 AFA-NIET have never been absent from any subsequent AFA-NIET through 2013: # Bethel College (Kansas) # Bradley University # George Mason University # Kansas State University # Minnesota State University, Mankato # University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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