Hello:
My name is LaTonya Starks and I am an alumna, and current coach, of the Northwestern Debate Society. Many of you have probably seen me around at tournaments. If we have not yet met, we will soon. I will be helping to run 54th Owen L. Coon Memorial Debates from February 4th-6th, 2017 on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. We are pleased to be able to bring back the OLC this year, after a long absence while our campus was under construction.
While I will likely be wearing many hats during the tournament (all of them stylish, of course), I will also be directing our accessibility initiative. We strive to serve as the chief point of contact for is heading up the accessibility initiative. I will be serving as the main point person, so any tournament participants with disabilities and/or health-related needs should contact me.
The goal is to do all that I can to make our campus as accessible as possible for each and every tournament participant and guest. I have, and do grapple with my fair share of health, accessibility and transportation issues, and I can guarantee you that I take this matter quite seriously. With that in mind, please feel free to contact me directly. I can be reached by phone at (312)316-6102, or by email at:
latonyastarks@gmail.com (all letters are lowercase). Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to avail yourself of this initiative, so that we can plan accordingly.
I am happy to announce that members of the Northwestern Debate Society will be happy to provide accessible transportation, limited room movement, and anything else we can reasonably accomplish to make the tournament experience as best as possible for all our guests. We recognize that the scale of the tournament and the weather conditions at this time of year In Evanston pose unique challenges – please let us know what we can do to make this an exceptional experience. We have committed extraordinary resources to accomplish this goal and aim to exceed your expectations in this regard.
The debate community thrives because of its diversity. Please join me in helping to continue the culture of inclusion and accessibility during the 54th Owen L. Coon Memorial Debates. I look forward to hosting you all here in Evanston in February!
Best,
LaTonya K. Starks