Skip to main content

Attendee Information – Debate

Congratulations!

You are attending the Virtual Northwestern Debate Institute, and we are so thrilled! Please bookmark this page as a helpful resource as you prepare for the summer.

All of the to-do items on this page must come after accepting your spot in the program. If you are viewing this page before you and your parent/guardian have signed your formal acceptance letter via DocuSign, please look for the link sent to your email to sign your letter ASAP and email us if you don’t see it.

Students seeking financial aid need not submit a deposit until you’ve received an update regarding aid. You can wait to submit the forms as well, but please do active your student account.

To Do List: See details further down

  • Student Account Activation (ASAP)
  • Submit Deposit (ASAP)
  • Read the Student Handbook
  • Obtain Required Technology/Materials
  • Complete Registration Forms (due May 22)
  • Submit Final Payment (due May 22)
  • Prepare for Online Check-In (June)

2-3 weeks after you’ve accepted your spot in the Institute, we will send your NetID and a validation code, as soon as we receive them from the IT department. Your validation code expires one week after we send it to you.

  • Keep an eye out for those emails, and plan to activate your student account as soon as you receive your NetID and Validation Code.
  • Be sure to check spam/junk/promotions folders.
  • The NetID and Validation Code emails are sent to both the student and the parent. We encourage you to set it up together if possible, due to Northwestern’s security standards.
  • Your NetID will be your username, and the validation code will be your password for the first login. You will then be prompted to create a new password and set up security questions.
    • If your code is not working, check in with your student/parent to see if they have already validated and set a new password. Otherwise, you may need to clear your browser’s cache before validating.
  • Once your account is activated, you’ll need to set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Please do this immediately after activating your account. Northwestern uses an MFA app called Duo Mobile. Please download this app as it is the only approved multi-factor authentication that Northwestern allows. Here are instructions for setting it up.
    • You must complete the MFA process once started; if you exit before registering a device, the student will need to call IT to gain access the next time you try to log in (or email if you are an international student). They can be reached at (847) 491-4357 or consultant@northwestern.edu.
    • Once you’ve registered the first device (parent’s) for MFA, you can register another (student’s).
  • If you have activated your account but you’re not sure what your password is, you can test it or reset it here.

Unless you are applying for Financial Aid, your are required to submit a non-refundable, $1,000 deposit to secure your spot as soon as you have activated your student account.

  • The deposit is applied to your summer tuition bill
  • Log into CAESAR, Northwestern’s platform for student billing. You will log in using your NetID and the password you set after activating your student account.
    • Students can setup a guest account for their parents to pay their bill, but many parents simply log in as the student.
  • Northwestern does not set up deposits for our summer programs, meaning you will make this payment on your student account before you are enrolled and, therefore, before you will see a bill on your account.
  • Instructions for submitting payment- You will need to manually enter the amount of $1,000 while following the below instructions:
  • If you are applying for financial aid, you may be required to submit a discounted deposit. Details will be included in your financial aid award notification letter in FACTS, but the instructions for doing so are the same as described above.
  • Your remaining tuition will be due May 22, and your bill will be posted on May 2 with your deposit (and any other payments made) applied.

Your Student Handbook is your guide to the summer. This is also referred to as your “Info Packet.” Everything from schedule information to important policies are included. Familiarize yourself with its content, and you should have a very good idea of what to expect this summer.

The Student Handbook will be linked here and emailed to you once available; likely in April.

To aid our students in online learning, the NHSI has established certain minimum technology requirements for participation in the virtual Debate Institute. These requirements are in place to ensure that everyone can have a smooth and effective institute experience, and to minimize the amount of time during the institute devoted to technological troubleshooting.

Importantly, your registration for the institute requires your agreement to procure the necessary technology to meet the minimum standards. The NHSI cannot provide tech nor offer tuition refunds if the state of a student’s technology makes their participation in the institute infeasible. Please reach out to the NHSI via email at nhsi@northwestern.edu ASAP if you have any questions regarding these technology standards.

Minimum technology requirements include:

  • High speed/broadband internet access
  • A laptop computer with a webcam and microphone (ideally built-in, but external webcams and microphones will also suffice). Chromebooks and Tablets such as iPads are not sufficient, as they do not enable the use of the full-featured versions of Microsoft Office products and other required software. Phones are also insufficient, as they lack the set of features we will need for the institute.
  • Microsoft Word, necessary for viewing and editing debate files
  • A quiet place at home from which to deliver practice debate speeches.
  • Zoom; make sure your Zoom is updated and working properly. Double-check your audio and video devices are working with Zoom.
  • Verbatim software, which you will be asked to download during orientation if you don’t already have it. Verbatim is a program that makes using Microsoft Word more debate friendly. Download here: https://paperlessdebate.com/verbatim/

Suggested* additional technology includes: *Items in this “suggested” list will help optimize the online institute experience but are not required for participation.

  • Ethernet connectivity to a high-speed internet router, usually requiring an ethernet-to-USB adapter for the student’s computer
  • A backup method of recording speeches, such as the Voice Memos app for iPhone, or Audacity for the PC
  • Over-the-ear headset. Headphones such as AirPods are sub-optimal for debate, even an inexpensive headset is a large upgrade
  • A TableTote or other telescoping podium on which to deliver speeches
  • An external monitor, to enable simultaneously viewing multiple programs during debates

These forms are required to consider your registration fully complete. We must receive these forms by May 22, 2026. Any major delay may jeopardize your spot, so please communicate any questions or concerns you have with us early and often.

  • Signed Agreement Forms (Sent via DocuSign)
    • Both the student and the primary parent will receive unique links via DocuSign to sign these forms. You must both access the forms via those unique links in your email, just like you did for the acceptance letter.
      • Standard Operating Procedures and Rules
      • Photo & Likeness Approval
      • Community Guidelines
      • Video & Audio Recording Agreement
  • Make sure you have your NetID and know the password correlated with it. You can check your password and reset it if forgotten here.
  • Review the Technology Requirements above to ensure you have everything you need.
  • View & Setup your Discord Profile (link will be emailed in June)– this is where the bulk of communication will happen between you and your instructors outside of class, including links to join the virtual sessions and labs. The deadline to join the Discord is Friday, June 26th by 5:00 PM. After joining the Discord, be sure to change your ‘nickname’ to your preferred name so people can easily be identified for attendance purposes. 
  • Pre-Institute Diagnostic – Please complete this diagnostic to help your lab instructors get an idea of what areas of improvement and skills we should focus on during our time at the NDI. The link to the diagnostic and a deadline will be sent via email in June.
  • Review the Student Handbook above, as well as the Standard Operating Procedures, and Community Guidelines that you signed via DocuSign
What to Expect during Orientation:
  • Check-in will take place promptly at 9:30 AM Central Time on the Institute-Wide Zoom link (emailed).
  • 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM will be our Welcome Orientation to the online portion of the camp.
  • In the afternoon at 2:00 PM, we will meet for a technology workshop to help everyone meet the tech requirements. Please note: we will not be holding the usual full-length afternoon lab session this Sunday. Our full, official day of camp will be June 29.