Reminders and Announcements for Tomorrow's Chicago Debate Championship

A few reminders and announcements before tomorrow’s Chicago Debate Championship at Northwestern University:

1. Please check our current T6 registration and e-mail David with updates through tonight.

2. Schedule and bus dropoff/pickup:
The updated T6 schedule has the location for drop-off on Friday morning (Tech Institute, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston). Teams will also pick up their debaters for the Saturday departure following Awards at this location.

On Saturday morning, teams will want to drop off for the North campus at the same address (2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston) and for the South campus just north of the dorms at 1835 Hinman, near the intersection of Hinman and Sheridan Road (if possible on Hinman just south of Sheridan, where there’s a stop sign). These are also the locations for pickup on Friday night. Don’t try to drop off on Campus Drive, where there’s construction, or the busier parts of Sheridan across from The Rock.

3. Parking on the Northwestern campus: Friday, parking near campus should be available since the school is on spring break. Remember to carefully check all posted signs on the block you park on since many residential areas near campus have 2 hour parking limits or require a permit. For South campus you can find parking along Sheridan, Clark , Hinman and Judson or a pay parking lot at Chicago and Church. For North campus try side streets between Sheridan and Orrington (Library, Garrett, Haven, Noyes, Dartmouth and Colfax). On Saturday, you can park in any legal space in an on campus lot. Consult this campus parking map for the lot closest to the North (Tech Institute) and South Campus (The Rock, Fisk Hall) – look for the lots in grey. Please head all posted signage regarding parking restrictions.

4. Morning changes and registration: 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 Friday and Saturday).
Friday morning, registration begins at 8:45 am and the opening assembly begins at 9:45 am, with pairings released not long after. Please call/text any changes and check in by 9:15 am at the latest on Friday.

Also note that breakfast is not provided on Friday morning – teams should plan to have students eat before arriving for morning check-in on Friday morning.

On Saturday morning, breakfast and check-in 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 David with any changes at 8 4 7 -9 5 1- 9 6 6 2 by 7:10 am at the latest on Saturday.

5. 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, 10:30 am. For Round 5 on Saturday morning, 8:15 am is the forfeit time. Losing your first debate of the day at the most important tournament of the year due to tardiness is not the way to go.

6. Map of Campus Buildings:

Please see this annotated map of the buildings we’ll be using this weekend at Northwestern (click to enlarge):

We will split our tournament into two locations, with two tab rooms:

All JV prelims will be on the North Campus, centered at the (Tech Institute, 2145 Sheridan Rd., Evanston. There will be a judge table and all ballots/pairings will be released there.

The tournament director for JV on the North Campus is David Song, 8 4 7 – 9 5 1 – 9 6 6 2

Here is an annotated map of the buildings we’ll use on the North Campus in JV (click to enlarge):

All Varsity prelims will be on the South Campus, centered at Kresge Hall (Tech Institute, 1880 Campus. Dr., Evanston.

The tournament director for Varsity on the South Campus is Desiree Weber, 3 1 2 – 6 1 8 – 8 1 0 9

Here is an annotated map of the buildings we’ll use on the South Campus in Varsity (click to enlarge):

Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of printed-out copies of these maps at Northwestern too!

7. Travel plans and weather: We know there’s some rain scheduled weekend, but 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. Please bring umbrellas as well as there’s going to be some walking for our Varsity in particular.

8. Byes on Saturday morning:All Varsity and JV will receive one bye round during either Round 5 or Round 6 on Saturday. During theses bye rounds, students will complete student surveys on the first/ground floor cafe of Kresge Hall (Varsity) or Room LR3 of Tech (JV). Coaches are responsible for their students reporting to these locations during their byes and for ensuring students are not in any building or room not in use for debates.

9. Saturday departure and elimination judging: All schools will stay until departure at 4 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.

Schools should plan to have one judge/coach available to stay with students in the event they debate in elimination rounds 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 each school should be ready to have one judge called on to stay and judge quarterfinals. Teams in quarterfinals are obligated to have one judge in semifinals on Sunday at DePaul Loop Campus and teams in semifinals are obligated to have one judge in finals.

10. Respect the facilities: It is very important that we continue to respect the gracious and generous hosts at Northwestern University who have made it possible to have a tournament on a beautiful college campus for the Chicago Debate Championship. Students and judges should not rearrange rooms and should assist in throwing away all trash.

We look forward to a great tournament in a great setting and to seeing the best that the Chicago Debate League has to offer!