DePaul Mid-Season Classic Morning Reminders

This weekend’s DePaul Mid-Season Classic is at the DePaul Lincoln Park Campus (right by the Fullerton CTA Red Line Stop). The address for the center of the tournament, the Schmitt Academic Center, is 2320 N. Kenmore Avenue. The tab room is on the first floor, in Room 154, near the judge table, where you can register.

1.       Please confirm with students and judges and note that all changes should be called/texted in to David at 8 4 7 -9 5 1- 9 6 6 2 as soon as you know of them (before you get on the bus and leave).

2.       Morning changes and registration: This morning, registration begins at 9 am and the opening assembly begins at 10 am, with pairings released not long after. Please call/text any changes and check in by 9:45 am at the latest or your team will be left off the pairing and forfeited.

On Saturday morning, breakfast begins at 7:30 am but do not plan to arrive at 8 am since Round 5 starts exactly at 8 am. Pairings will be available at 7:30 am and debates must START at 8 am, with a forfeit time of 8:15 am which will be enforced. Call/text me with any changes and check in by 7:15 am at the latest on Saturday or your team will be left off the pairing and forfeited.

3.       Forfeit policy: Our tournaments run on-time. We respect your time and value the contribution you make to the experience of students from your school and all the others that are a part of the league, it is a professional expectation that coaches ensure their students and judges arrive on time and are ready to debate at scheduled times. Those who are late for debates or have unannounced changes are asking for exceptions that would delay the tournament for everyone else’s students, which we can’t allow. Forfeits will occur 15 minutes after the start of each announced round. For Round 1 on Friday, 10:45 am. For Round 5 on Saturday morning, 8:15 am is the forfeit time. Losing your first debate of the day due to tardiness is not the way to go.

4.       Parking: There are two visitor lots you may use to park in: both offer $8 parking if you validate your ticket in the self-validation machine found in the Schmitt Academic Center (SAC):

2330 N. Clifton (between Fullerton and Belden)

2332 N. Sheffield (between Fullerton and Belden)

For any additional parking questions, you may call 773-325-7275.

5.       Travel plans: We know there’s a forecast of some snow this weekend, but everyone’s used to Chicago winters by now and weather will NOT be an excuse or a reason not to be forfeited. Please check/confirm with your judges that they are arriving on time and leave extra time for your vehicle or for the bus.

6.       Byes and supervision: All students will receive one bye round out of six where they are unscheduled for a debate. During this bye round, students must watch/flow a debate (quietly, without disruption) or work quietly in the pit of the Schmitt Academic Center (SAC). Coaches are responsible for directing their students to either a debate round or to organized preparation for an upcoming debate. No students are allowed to roam the campus unsupervised or use areas of campus buildings they are not scheduled to be in – any students who pose a supervision or conduct problem will be asked to call a parent or guardian and leave the tournament immediately.

7.       Building supervisors: We have a few assigned building supervisors in McGaw Hall, 990 West Fullerton, Byrne Hall, and Munroe Hall/2352 Clifton/McGowan South who will be collecting ballots and starting debates on time. If you have a locked classroom or missing judge/team in your debate, please do not leave your assigned building – tell the building supervisor in the building ASAP and they will inform us.

8.       Saturday departure and elimination judging: All schools will stay until departure at 3:30 pm following awards on Saturday – no school leaves before first departure at our tournaments and your students are certainly in contention for awards and don’t want to miss the excitement of the awards ceremony. All judges are obligated through octofinals.

Schools should plan to have one judge/coach available to stay with students in the event they debate in semifinals and finals and arrange alternate transportation other than the bus that leaves at first departure. One judge from each school is obligated a round past its elimination, meaning teams debating in quarterfinals are obligated to have one judge in semifinals and teams in semifinals are obligated to have one judge in finals.

9.       Respect the facilities: It is very important that we continue to respect the gracious and generous hosts at DePaul University who have made it possible to have a tournament on a beautiful college campus for the Mid-Season Classic. A few specific rules:

*Students and judges may not re-arrange or touch items in rooms – make sure all furniture is back where it was at the end of your debates.

*Students are NOT to enter or congregate in the DePaul Student Center – the center of the tournament is the SCHMITT ACADEMIC Center (2320 N. Kenmore). All students who are done with debates early should return to the pit of the SAC until their next pairing is released.

*No food is allowed outside the pit of the SAC.

*Please do not sit on the tables in the SAC. We know seating is scarce, but anyone who sits on tables will be responsible for paying for the damage to DePaul property and asked to leave the tournament.

We look forward to a great tournament in a great setting and to seeing the best that Conference “A” and “AA” have to offer.