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=C.U.P.S.I.=

The College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (C.U.P.S.I.) is a national college-level poetry slam held annually in the United States and hosted by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI). Referred to by some as the "March Madness" or "Super Bowl" of poetry, it features colleges and universities from all over the country and has been held annually since its conception in 2001. The number of universities participating has steadily increased over that time from seven initial competing teams to over fifty competing teams in each of the past two years.

The Competition
The most recent invitational was held in 2014 at the University of Colorado-Boulder with 53 teams participating and the University of Texas-Austin coming in first place. The next invitational is scheduled to be held on March 25-28th, 2015 at the Virginia Commonwealth University with over 50 teams expected to attend.

Eligibility
Any college that can gather a team and raise money to enter the competition is allowed to join. Teams are typically chosen through an internal poetry slam at each individual school, with the winners going on to become team members.

Format of the Slam
The format of the competition generally follows typical poetry slam regulations, with five judges giving ratings between 0-10, three minute time slots for original poems, and no props or other assists besides the poet's body and voice. The order of teams is chosen through a randomized process before the bout. Poets are not allowed to repeat poems. Group performances are allowed, but each poet is only allowed to claim the stage once as the "primary author" of a poem.

Stages
Teams first compete in two separate group bouts. The top teams from the group stage go on to compete in the semifinals, and the top team or teams from each semifinal go on to compete in the finals.

Online Presence
Certain performances from each year's slam are often featured in videos on various internet site and cover topics ranging from prejudice, heartbreak, and loss, to love, family, and art. Some videos of the poems have garnered as many as several million views on Youtube.

Community
Despite the competitive format of the event, many competitors and coaches attempt to cultivate an aura of expression and community, claiming that "the points are not the point". Participants generally strike a balance between trying to win and trying to make the experience a positive one focused more on team-building and helping students express themselves. In addition to the poetry bouts, contestants frequently participate in inter-team bonding ranging from nighttime freestyle cyphers to attending other bouts and supporting other teams.