Seawolf Debate Results

2011 CUSID BP Champs

2011-11-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

Seawolf Speakers compete in major Canadian tournament

The Seawolf Debate Program fielded a competitive squad of three teams at the Canadian British Parliamentary Debating Championships, hosted this past weekend by Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON. The tournament featured competition from the top teams in Canada and the US and was the last major North American tournament before the World Championships.

The Canadian debating circuit traditionally features extremely competitive teams, and this tournament delivered on that expectation. Many of the teams in attendance at this weekend’s tournament are expected to perform well at the upcoming World Championships, to be hosted by De La Salle University in Manila, the Philippines over the Christmas break.

UAA’s students once again proved that they hold their own with the best, when two of the three teams Alaska entered in the competition advanced to the elimination rounds. After debating preliminary topics considering whether members of the military should be allowed to unionize and whether museums and galleries should practice affirmative action when considering whether to display works from female artists, the teams of Brett Frazer (senior, Natural Sciences) & Colin Haughey (senior, Philosophy) and Amie Stanley (senior, Political Science) and Amy Parrent (junior, Business) were seeded 5^th and 6^th, respectively, out of the over 60 teams participating in the championship.

In the quarterfinal round, both Seawolf teams were assigned the Opposition side of the motion “This House would prohibit elective home births.” Though they mustered compelling arguments about women’s rights and medical autonomy, neither team was selected to advance beyond that round. Eventually, a team from the Hart House debating society of the University of Toronto won the tournament.

Two Seawolf speakers were also honored for their speaking over the weekend. Frazer was the 4^th ranked individual speaker out of the over 120 debaters in the competition; Haughey was the 7^th overall speaker.

The team next heads to Australia to compete in two of the most competitive invitational tournaments in the world: the Sydney and Melbourne Intervarsity tournaments. These two events will expose the UAA debaters to competition from the nation that has won the World Championship more times than any other, and will be excellent preparation for the World Championships. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson at 786-4391.

2011 UBC IV

2011-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

On October 28-29, 16 members of the Seawolf Debate Team traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, to compete in the University of British Columbia Intervarsity debate competition. This year's event, boasted 36 of the top teams in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

Over the course of five preliminary rounds and two elimination rounds, the debaters engaged one another on a diverse set of topics ranging from whether salary caps should be standard practice in professional sports to whether gay politicians have a personal duty to out themselves to whether ecoterrorism is a legitimate form of opposition to economic activities.

At the conclusion of five preliminary rounds, the top eight two-person teams advanced to the semifinal round. Earning 13 of 15 possible points in preliminary rounds, the teams of Brett Frazer (senior, biology) & Amy Parrent (junior, business) and Colin Haughey (senior, philosophy) & Drew Cason (senior, environment & society) found themselves atop the pool of talent as the 1st and 2nd seeds in the tournament.

After a superb showing in the semifinal, Frazer & Parrent narrowly missed the cut as one of the four teams in the final round. The team of Haughey & Cason, however, dominated their opponents in the semifinal and assured themselves a spot in the championship round. After a lengthy deliberation, a team from the University of Calgary was eventually crowned champion of the final round.

Nevertheless, seven Seawolves distinguished themselves in the top 20 of more than 70 speakers in the tournament: Frazer (top speaker), Haughey (4th speaker), Parrent (5th speaker), Cason (7th speaker), and -- in a four-way tie for 16th speaker -- Wiley Cason (junior, undeclared), Jon Stinson (junior, political science), and Zac Johnson (senior, aviation technology).

In two weeks, the Seawolves will compete in the Canadian circuit’s championship tournament. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson (786-4391) or Shawn Briscoe (786-4354). You may also visit the team's website at www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate/.

Hart House IV

2011-10-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

Over the past weekend, members of the Seawolf Debate Program participated in what is regarded as one of the most competitive debating tournaments in North America. This year’s Hart House Intervarsity, hosted by the University of Toronto, featured competition from 65 teams from around the US and Canada. Some of the top teams and adjudicators from North America attended the tournament.

The debaters tackled topics including whether targeted assassination of US citizens by the United States was a legitimate act in the war on terrorism; whether states should preference the applications of immigrants who are culturally similar; and whether aid should denied to nations that persecute individuals for sexual orientation.

After the preliminary phase of the tournament, 12 teams advanced to elimination rounds. For the first time in the history of their participation in the tournament, the Seawolves advanced two teams to the elimination rounds. Following five preliminary rounds, the team of Colin Haughey (senior, Philosophy) & Drew Cason (senior, Environment & Society) were the eighth seed and the team of Amie Stanley (senior, Political Science) & Sarah Carpenter (senior, Culinary Arts) were the eleventh seed.

While neither team made the final round, the Seawolves did distinguish themselves individually as speakers. Five of UAA's debaters finished in the top quarter of the competition: Brett Frazer (senior, Biology) was the 11th best speaker in the tournament, Haughey (16th), Carpenter (23rd), Cason (24th), and Stanley (26th).

Next up, the Seawolves travel 16 debaters to Vancouver for a tournament at the University of British Columbia. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson (786-4391) or Shawn Briscoe (786-4354). You may also visit the team's website at www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate/.

University of Victoria IV

2011-10-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Seawolves Display Depth At Canadian Debate Tournament

On September 30-October 2, the Seawolf Debate team traveled to the University of Victoria debating tournament in Victoria, British Columbia. The squad traveled 12 members, including new team members making their first tournament trip with the Seawolves: Andrew Kerosky (junior, Economics), Matthieu Ostrander (freshman, Political Science & International Relations) and Matt Fox (junior, Economics).

Over the course of seven rounds of competition, 48 debaters from across North America engaged one another on topics as diverse as whether or not the European Union should forgive the debts of Greece, whether we should prohibit minors from testifying in court, and whether we should prioritize culture over international standards of human rights.

At the conclusion of five preliminary rounds, the top eight two-person teams advanced to the semifinal round. Of those, UAA teams comprised half the field with four out of eight semifinal teams. In seedings for the elimination rounds Seawolf teams held the first, second, fourth, and fifth seeds. Those teams were, respectively, Colin Haughey (senior, Philosophy) & Drew Cason (senior, Environment & Society), Amie Stanley (senior, Political Science) & Sarah Carpenter (senior, Culinary Arts), Wiley Cason (junior, Justice) & Brittany Bennett (junior, Natural Sciences and Environment & Society), and Fox & Kelsey Waldorf (junior, Justice).

From the semifinal round, the top four teams advanced to the final round. Again, UAA teams were well represented. Of the four finalist teams, three were from Alaska. In the end, Haughey & D. Cason, Stanley & Carpenter, and Fox & Waldorf had to content themselves with finalist honors as a team from the University of British Columbia was named champion.

In addition to the team awards, the Seawolves also garnered individual recognition by sweeping the top three speaker awards: Haughey (top speaker), Carpenter (2nd speaker), and D. Cason (3rd speaker). Rounding out the top ten speakers were: Stanley (5th speaker), Fox (7th speaker & top Novice speaker), and Waldorf (in a three-way tie for 8th speaker).

Next up, six Seawolves travel to the University of Toronto for the Hart House IV, North America's most competitive intercollegiate debate tournament. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson (786-4391) or Shawn Briscoe (786-4354). You may also visit the team's website at www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate/.

Seawolves Continue to Shine in Canadian Competitions

2010-12-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd and 4th, eight Seawolf debaters travelled to Edmonton, Canada, for the Hugill Cup. After five preliminary rounds of competition, the team of Drew Cason (senior, environment and society) & Sarah Carpenter (junior, culinary arts) demonstrated their prowess by advancing to semifinals as the top seed in the field of 32 teams. Although they did not advance, the team of Brett Frazer (junior, biology) & Amy Parrent (sophomore, political science) missed the cut by a single point.

Cason & Carpenter continued to shine in the semifinal by advancing to the championship round of competition. In the final, they debated teams from the University of Alberta, the University of Saskatchewan, and McGill University. In the end, they did not win the tournament title and had to content themselves with a "top four" showing. During the tournament, debaters engaged one another on a variety of current controversies such as whether or not we should impose regime change on North Korea, whether we should prosecute those who bully homosexual adolescents, and whether the US government should address Wikileaks.

Next up, the Seawolf Debate program travels four teams to the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC), which is being hosted University of Botswana in Gaborone. This is the largest international debating competition and the culminating event of the Seawolves' season. The tournament will draw over 300 teams from across the globe, and UAA will be defending its 12th place ranking in the world. The teams of Cason & Carpenter and Colin Haughey (senior, philosophy) & Michaela Hernandez (senior, philosophy) are each travelling to the WUDC for the third team. Amie Stanley (junior, political science) & Akis Gialopsos (senior, international relations) are making their second trip to the championships. Finally, Frazer & Parrent are each making their first trip to the world championships.

Seawolves Excel in Canadian Competition

2010-11-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

On November 5th and 6th, 16 Seawolf Debaters attended the University of British Columbia Intervarsity debating tournament in Vancouver, British Columbia. This was the largest contingent of Seawolves to travel this season, as the team used this opportunity to travel a number of new to the Alaska squad. Making their debut in intercollegiate debating were the teams of Catherine Helle (junior, English literature with a minor in Alaska Native studies) & Brittany Bennett (junior, natural sciences and Environment & Society) and Megan Rodgers (junior, political science) & Libby Smelker (sophomore, business administration with a minor in philosophy).

Over the course of five preliminary rounds, 40 teams from across North America engaged in debates on a number of controversial topics. The debaters sparred over the proper role of extradition policies, whether or not we should remove barriers that limit access to transition-related surgeries for transgendered individuals, and whether or not we should allow scientific research and experimentation on children. After five preliminary rounds, the top eight teams in the tournament qualified to advance to the semifinal round.

The Seawolf debate team faired extremely well, advancing four teams. The top seeded team was the team of Akis Gialopsos (senior, international relations) & Amie Stanley (junior, political science), Colin Haughey (senior, philosophy) & Michaela Hernandez (senior, philosophy) as the third seed, Drew Cason (senior, environment & society) & Sarah Carpenter (junior, culinary arts) as the fourth seed, and Brett Frazer (junior, biology) & Amy Parrent (sophomore, political science) were qualified for the semifinal round as the eighth seed. Although they did not advance to the semifinal round, the team of Helle & Bennett was recognized as the top novice team in the tournament.

In the semifinal, the squad had an equally strong performance, advancing two teams to the championship round: Gialopsos & Stanley and Frazer & Parrent. Despite a stellar performance by all four debaters, a hybrid team from the University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary was crowned the champion team. In addition to these awards, several Seawolves garnered individual honors, as nine of them finished in the top 20 for speaker award placings. These included: Gialopsos (top speaker), Hernandez (4th speaker), Stanley (5th speaker), Haughey (6th speaker), Frazer (8th speaker), Parrent (15th speaker), Carpenter (18th speaker), and in a two-way tie for 20th speaker were Drew Cason and Wiley Cason (sophomore).

The Seawolves next tournament takes them to the Hugill Cup in Edmonton in early December. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson (786-4391) or Shawn Briscoe (786-4354). You may also visit the team's website at www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate/.

Seawolf Speakers round out East Coast trip with another strong performance.

2010-10-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Over 140 teams from the US and Canada attended the Yale Intervarsity Debating Tournament in New Haven last weekend, including squads from Stanford, Harvard, M.I.T. and a host of other Ivy League schools. The Yale Debate Association prides itself on gathering the strongest adjudication team of any tournament outside the World Championships, and this year’s effort didn’t disappoint. Among the experts evaluating the teams’ performance were two World Champions, several finalists from the World Universities Debating Championships, winners of the Oxford and Cambridge IVs and a number of judges who have served on the final round panel of the WUDC. Undaunted, the group of eight students representing the University of Alaska Anchorage turned in another outstanding performance to cap their trip East.

Over the course of five preliminary rounds, the debaters faced their competition over topics like whether socioeconomic disparity in K-12 education would be solved with bussing students to different schools and whether democracies should ban parties with militant wings from participating in elections. Continuing their amazing run that began with a final round showing at the Hart House Intervarsity hosted by the University of Toronto on the weekend of October 15-17, the team of Akis Gialopsos (Senior, International Relations) and Amie Stanley (Senior, Political Science) ended the preliminary phase of the competition ranked 9th out of 148 teams. Their strong showing qualified them for the quarterfinal elimination round.
There they squared off against a group of adversaries that included the team from McGill University (Montreal) who took first place to Gialopsos and Stanley’s second at the Hart House tournament the weekend before. In a particularly satisfying turn, the Alaskans not only advanced from the quarterfinal to the semifinal round, but beat the McGill team in doing so.

In semis the Seawolves opposed the motion “Parliamentary democracies should reserve a quota of seats for underrepresented minority populations.” Though UAA’s team argued that doing so would pervert the principles of democracy and would likely encourage extremism among groups who wouldn’t need to moderate their positions to earn popular support, the adjudicators found more compelling arguments for the motion from teams from Vermont and M.I.T. Though they didn’t earn the opportunity to argue in the finals, Stanley and Gialopsos were among only four teams out of the 148 at the tournament to earn semifinalist recognition. Beyond that, to turn in back-to-back performances of this quality served to reinforce the reputation for excellence for which the Seawolf Debate team is becoming known.

The team’s next competition is closer to home, with a regional tournament hosted by the University of British Columbia. For more information, please contact Director of Debate Steve Johnson at 786-4391.

Seawolves Repeat as Champions of the US Open

2010-10-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

For the second straight year, the Seawolf Debate Team opened its season by winning the US Universities Open hosted by Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles, CA.
On October 1st-3rd, ten UAA debaters travelled to southern California to kick off the squad's season. There were 88 debaters representing 15 institutions of higher learning in attendance at this year's tournament.

Over the course of the weekend, the debaters engaged other students from across the US on topics as varied as whether or not we should end birthright citizenship, whether human caused environmental catastrophes should be classified as crimes against humanity, and whether labor unions should be denied the right to strike. After eight grueling preliminary rounds of competition all five of UAA's teams finished in the top third of competition. Of those, three advanced to the semifinal round of competition. Earning semifinal honors were the teams of Brett Frazer (junior) & Amy Parrent (sophomore) and Drew Cason (senior, environment & society) & Sarah Carpenter (junior, culinary arts). Further distinguishing themselves was the team of Colin Haughey (senior, philosophy) & Michaela Hernandez (senior, philosophy) whose performance in the semifinal round earned them a spot in the championship round.

In the final, Haughey & Hernandez squared off against competitors from Loyola Marymount University who had, in previous years, advanced to the elimination rounds at the World Universities Debating Championships. The teams in the final round argued whether or not Pakistani sovereignty should be protected against NATO military operations. The Seawolf debaters laid out a compelling case regarding the indiscriminate operations of the US and NATO forces in Pakistan, arguing that these operations jeopardize our relations with a crucial ally in the region and further delegitimize the Pakistani government and military. The strength of their arguments held off attacks from their opponents and the judging panel declared Haughey & Hernandez tournament champions.

The team next travels to the University of Toronto for the Hart House Intervarsity tournament. The team is focused on preparation for the eventual World Championships, to be held in Botswana over the holiday break. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson (786-4391) or Shawn Briscoe (786-4354).

USUDC 2010, Denver, CO

2010-04-20T10:05:00.001-07:00

Seawolf Speakers take top honors at the U.S. Universities Debating Championships
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
The Seawolf Debate team demonstrated once again their depth and excellence at the recent U.S. Universities Debating Championships (USUDC), hosted by Regis University in Denver, Colorado on April 8-11. The USUDC is the nation’s largest and most competitive tournament hosted in the British Parliamentary (BP) style. UAA entered eight two-person teams in the competition, half of which earned honors in the competition.

The UAA students faced tough competition from Stanford, Yale, Cornell and over 120 other teams from 40 schools on topics ranging from whether the U.S. should make aid to Israel contingent upon an agreement to stop building settlements in contested territories, to whether the federal government should adopt a constitutional amendment to prohibit deficit spending. At the end of the preliminary phase of the competition, the Alaska squad advanced four teams to the elimination rounds of the competition, more than any other school at the tournament.

The teams of Wiley Cason and Brett Frazer, Akis Gialopsos and Amie Stanley, Drew Cason and Sarah Carpenter and Colin Haughey and Michaela Hernandez qualified for the “break” to single-elimination rounds. As the final day of the tournament unfolded, Cason and Frazer made it to the octofinal round, Gialopsos and Stanley advanced to quarterfinals and Cason and Carpenter and Haughey and Hernandez qualified for the semifinal round. A senior team from Claremont College eventually won the tournament.

In British Parliamentary debating, students win or lose debates as a team, but individual speakers on those teams are ranked for the quality of their presentational and strategic efforts. These speaker awards recognize the individual efforts of debaters regardless of the record of their teams. In an historic accomplishment, the top four speakers at the tournament were Alaska debaters, prevailing over a field of over 280 competitors to secure those top four spots. Amie Stanley, Michaela Hernandez, Akis Gialopsos and Colin Haughey were honored as the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and top speaker, respectively. Brett Frazer rounded out the Seawolves claim to half of the field of top 10 speakers with his 6th place overall ranking and was also honored as the top rookie speaker at the tournament.   All members of this powerful Seawolf contingent will return next year to compete as they prepare for the World Universities Debating Championships to be hosted by the University of Botswana.

World Rankings, January 2010

2010-01-20T10:11:00.001-08:00

Seawolf Debaters rank 12th in the World, tie for 2nd in the US

The World Debating Website (flynn.debating.net) has just released their 2010 world rankings for university debating programs. UAA’s Seawolf Debate team has, for the first time, been ranked in the top 20 programs in the world and is tied for second place in the US. The team’s strong showing puts them in excellent company, as the top 20 is populated by such major institutions as Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and Harvard.

The rankings, based on the performance of a university’s debating program over the past five years at the World University Debating Championships (WUDC), are the most comprehensive rating system in intercollegiate debating. The WUDC is an international competition that attracts teams from around the world. This year’s tournament, hosted by Koc University in Antalya, Turkey featured teams from nearly 200 universities from 43 nations. Teams accumulate points at the WUDC by winning debates in pairings against other universities. Over 300 colleges and universities have earned spots in the rankings compiled by the World Debating Website.

UAA entered four teams in the competition who, as a squad, accumulated more points than any other contingent the Seawolves had ever sent to the WUDC. Their phenomenal showing catapulted them into a 3-way tie for 12th place, sharing a spot with Harvard and St. Andrews of Scotland.

The 2010 rankings also establish the Alaskan debaters as one of the top three teams in the US, behind only Yale and tied for second with Harvard.

Rank University Nation Points
1 University of Sydney Australia 505
2 Oxford University England 465
3 Yale University US 422
4 University of Cambridge England 397
5 University of Queensland Australia 386
6 University of Toronto Canada 321
7 Monash University Australia 312
8 Ateneo de Manila University Philippines 272
9 University College Dublin Ireland 271
10 University of Alberta Canada 262
11 University of Queens Canada 260
12 University of Alaska Anchorage US 253
12 Harvard University US 253
12 St Andrews University Scotland 253
15 McGill University Canada 243
15 University of New South Wales Australia 243
17 Colgate University US 240
18 Melbourne University Australia 239
19 University of La Verne US 236
20 Princeton University US 233
Members of the Seawolf Debate program now turn their attention to the Cabin Fever Debates, UAA’s intramural debating tournament. The introductory session for the CFDs is scheduled for Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00 pm in SSB 118. More information about the Cabin Fever Debates may be found at cabinfeverdebates.uaa.alaska.edu.

WUDC 2010, Turkey

2010-01-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

Seawolf Speakers take on the World in Turkey

The Seawolf Debate program just returned from the most competitive tournament of their season, the World Universities Debating Championships hosted by Koc University December 27, 2009 – January 4, 2010 in Antalya, Turkey. The competition featured 400 teams from almost 150 universities representing 43 nations from around the world. First time competitors at this year’s world championships included teams from Iraq and Venezuela.

The Seawolves entered four teams in the competition:

Alaska A: Michael Imeson & James Kilcup
Alaska B: Colin Haughey & Michalea Hernandez
Alaska C: Amie Stanley & Akis Gialopsos
Alaska D: Sarah Carpenter & Drew Cason

The WUDC is structured into two phases: the preliminary rounds and the elimination rounds. In the preliminary rounds, all teams in the competition face off over the course of nine rounds to determine the ranking of all 400 teams entered. Following the preliminary rounds, the top thirty-two teams move into the single-elimination phase of the tournament. The selection of these teams—the top 32 of 400 teams—is, at 8%, the toughest break in any of the tournaments the Seawolves attend.

Though none of the Seawolf teams were selected to participate in the elimination rounds, two of the four teams ended with records only one point shy of the record needed to advance. Alaska A—who had racked up an outstanding record during the Fall semester—ended with 17 team points and sufficient speaker points to break had they grabbed just one more team point in the competition. Alaska D also ended on 17 points, a solid performance that demonstrates the depth of this year’s debate squad. Alaska B and Alaska C ended on 16 and 15 points respectively.

The Seawolves overall performance was record-setting for UAA’s debate program. Never before have all teams ended on 15 or more points; never have three of UAA’s teams ended in the top 25% of the competition; and never before have the Seawolves earned so many total points as a squad in the competition. In fact, the Seawolves’ performance at this year’s WUDC should put them in contention for a top-20 position in the world debate rankings and may establish them as the second-best team in the US. Those rankings will be released later in January.

The Seawolf speakers now turn their attention to the Cabin Fever Debates, UAA’s intramural debating tournament. That event will open with an introductory session on Tuesday, January 26th and will close with the final round on March 4th. More information may be found at cabinfeverdebates.uaa.alaska.edu. The next competition for the debate team will be the US Universities Debating Championships to be held by Regis University in Denver on April 11-13.

Cork IV, 2009

2009-12-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

Seawolf speakers claim major European title

By: Staff Dec 7, 2009

UAA debaters are first North Americans to win Cork Intervarsity tournament

ANCHORAGE, AK – James Kilcup and Michael Imeson, the Seawolf Debate program’s top debating duo, claimed top honors over the weekend at the Cork Intervarsity, the last major debating competition in Europe prior to the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC). The Cork IV draws teams from the UK and Western Europe for three days of intensive competition in the British Parliamentary debating format—the same format employed at the World Championships.

After debating five preliminary rounds on topics ranging from whether the West should negotiate with a divided Palestine to whether the U.S. should fund abortions through public health insurance, Kilcup and Imeson advanced to the single-elimination phase of the tournament ranked 2nd of the 72 teams entered in the competition. They were the only North American team in an elimination round field that included teams from Trinity College Dublin, Kings College London and Cambridge.

The Seawolves faced a tough team from Cambridge in their semifinal round, where they were assigned to oppose the motion “The state should assist citizens seeking a cure for homosexuality.” Arguing that current “treatment” programs for homosexuality are based more in ideology than medical science, the Seawolves advanced and left the Cambridge team behind.

The final round was a formal affair, set in the great Aula Maxima hall on the University College Cork campus. Kilcup and Imeson were not only the sole North American representatives in the final round, but also the only non-Irish team that made the cut. The proposition, “This house would emigrate,” was designed to consider the stark economic realities in Ireland. Following a decade that saw the dramatic rise of the “Celtic Tiger,” Ireland—like much of Europe—has fallen on hard times during the global economic downturn. The Alaskans were assigned the opposition position to the motion and expected to argue that young Irish, in particular, should not leave their home country in search of better economic opportunities.

Arguing that the Irish Diaspora has faced significant hardship outside of Ireland in other economic crises, and that the economic conditions in Ireland, while dire, are likely to improve given Ireland’s heavy investment in education and information technology infrastructure, the Alaska team received a standing ovation at the end of their effort. When the adjudication panel announced the Alaskans as the tournament champions, the audience again rose to its feet. Kilcup and Imeson are the first North American team ever to win the prestigious Cork IV.

The Seawolves are home for three weeks of intensive practice prior to their trip to the WUDC in Turkey. That tournament—the largest debating competition on the globe—will feature student competitors from around the world gathered for a week of debating some of the most pressing issues of the day. Given their performance over the fall semester—which has included three tournament championships and second place in the other three tournaments they’ve attended—the UAA students are optimistic about their chances against the best in the world.

CUSID BP Championships, 2009, Vancouver

2009-10-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Seawolves Strike Fear at the Canadian National Championships

Over the weekend, the Seawolves travelled seven debate teams to the University of British Columbia for the Canadian Universities Society for Intercollegiate Debating British Parliamentary National Championships. Four debaters represented Alaska for the first time as collegiate debaters: Wiley Cason (freshman, undeclared), Brett Frazer (junior), Amy Parrent (freshman, political science), and Christy Strong (junior). In total, 52 teams from 20 institutions of higher learning descended upon Vancouver for three exhausting days of debate.

During the tournament, the debaters engaged one another on such controversial issues as whether or not Native lands should be distributed to private individuals rather than being held collectively, whether the European Union should have a standing army, and whether we should legalize euthanasia.

Throughout the weekend, one could overhear whispers of concern and defeat every time competitors realized they were about to debate a team from UAA. When the dust settled after five preliminary rounds, UAA placed six of its teams in the top half of the tournament, and two found themselves in the top quarter. The team of Michael Imeson (graduate student, public policy) & James Kilcup (junior, languages) continued their display of dominance as the top seeded team in the tournament. While only the top 8 teams advanced to the semifinal round of competition, three additional teams from UAA narrowly missed the cut. The team of Colin Haughey (senior, philosophy) & Michaela Hernandez (junior, philoophy) missed advancing as the eighth seed on tie breakers. Additionally, the teams of Akis Gialopsos (junior, international relations) & Amie Stanley (junior, political science) and Drew Cason (junior, environment & society) & Sarah Carpentar (sophomore, sophomore, international studies) missed advancing by a single point.

In the semifinal round of competition, Imeson & Kilcup quickly dispatched with teams from Carleton University and a dream team of the top debaters from McGill University & Osgoode Hall Law School. In the final round they found themselves debating the top Canadian teams from York University, Queens College, and Hart House (University of Toronto) on the topic of whether or not prosecution of sexual assaults should continue regardless of the victim's consent. While four teams debated in the final round, it quickly became apparent that the real competition was between the team from Hart House, defending the motion in the opening government position, and Alaska, opposing the motion in the closing position. After an intense hour-and-a-half discussion, the seven member judging panel was unable to reach consensus on who should be crowned the Canadian national champion. Thus, they resorted to a vote. In the end, five members of the adjudication panel believed Hart House had done the superior job, while two judges--including the tournament director and former World Universities Debating Championship top speaker--believed Alaska demonstrated the superior job of debating on the topic. This, effectively, awarded second place to UAA's Imeson & Kilcup.

Individually, three Seawolves received recognition. In Public Speaking, Gialopsos advanced the championship round, where he delivered a rousing speech in front of over 100 debaters at the championship banquet. Kilcup was recognized for his individual efforts as a debater when he was recognized with the second place speaker award in debate. Imeson received a standing ovation and shouts of agreement from the entire pool of adjudicators and competitors when he was named the top speaker in the tournament.

After Imeson & Kilcup travel to the University College Cork, honoring a special invitation to one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe, the Seawolves travel their top four teams (Imeson & Kilcup, Gialopsos & Stanley, Haughey & Hernandez, Cason & Carpentar) to the World Universities Debating Champions in Antalya, Turkey, over the holiday break.

Yale IV, 2009

2009-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Seawolves storm the East Coast

Members of the Seawolf Debate team competed in the Yale Intervarsity debating tournament over the weekend, completing the last leg of an East Coast tour that began at the University of Toronto the weekend of October 17 & 18. Building on their final round appearance at the U of T tournament, the Seawolves again distinguished themselves at the Yale, dominating a competitive field that featured over 120 teams from Stanford, Harvard, Princeton and a host of other American and Canadian universities.

The Seawolves entered two teams in the competition; both competed in five preliminary rounds contesting motions that ranged from drawing down troop levels in Afghanistan to whether Medicare should provide funding for abortions. At the end of the preliminary rounds, the team of Michalea Hernandez (Jr, Philosophy) and Colin Haughey (Jr, Philosophy) had amassed nine points, one point shy of that needed to advance to the elimination rounds. The Seawolves’ other team—Michael Imeson (Gr, Public Administration) and James Kilcup (Sr, Languages)—repeated their performance from the previous weekend by ending the preliminary phase of competition as the top seeded team in the tournament. Even more impressive was that Imeson and Kilcup had compiled a perfect record, having not lost a single point in any of the preliminary rounds.

In the Quarterfinal round, Imeson and Kilcup quickly dispatched with teams from their competitors by challenging a motion that proposed to pay punitive damages from civil lawsuits directly to the government. In Semifinals, the Seawolves were assigned to advocate a complete withdrawal of Israeli settlements West Bank and advanced to the Final round on a unanimous decision. At that point in the competition, the Alaska team was the only American team left in the tournament and faced a final round made up of teams from McGill, the University of Toronto and Queens University, all from Canada. In the final, Imeson and Kilcup opposed a motion that considered substantial reform to the laws that protect endangered species and, although they established a compelling moral position about the consequences for our stewardship of the earth they had to be satisfied with finalist honors at the tournament, as the second seeded team from the University of Toronto was the judges’ favorite in the final round. Kilcup and Imeson were also recognized as the 4th and 3rd speakers at the tournament out of the over 240 debaters entered.

These two tournaments are the largest and most prestigious North American debating competitions held in the format of the World Universities Debating Championships. Kilcup and Imeson’s performance arguably establishes them as the top team in the US, and certainly among the top teams in North America.

The Seawolves next travel to the Hugill Cup hosted by the University of Alberta in Edmonton. That’s followed by several other regional and national tournaments in preparation for the World Universities Debating Championships to be hosted by Koc University in Turkey over the Christmas break.

Hart House IV, 2009, Toronto

2009-10-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Seawolves Begin Tour of East Coast Debating Circuit

Over the weekend, the Seawolves travelled two debate teams to the University of Toronto for the Hart House Intervarsity debating tournament. In attendance were 84 teams representing some of North America's top debating institutions, including the esteemed programs of Yale, Cornell, MIT, and Colgate from the United States as well as traditional Canadian powerhouses such as the University of Queens, McGill, and the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Making the trip for UAA were the teams of Michael Imeson (graduate student, public policy) & James Kilcup (junior, languages) and Michaela Hernandez (junior, philosophy) & Colin Haughey (senior, philosophy). At the end of five preliminary rounds, the team of Imeson & Kilcup topped the field as the highest ceded team in the competition, joining 15 other teams in the quarterfinal round of competition, where they soundly defeated their American colleagues from Swarthmore and Claremont. In the semifinal, they once again persevered against teams from Yale and UBC. As the lone American team in the final round, they defended the principle of non-interference with indigenous cultures. Alas, after an hour-long discussion by the nine members of the adjudication panel, it was narrowly determined that a team from UBC had successfully demonstrated a compelling instance of where intervention in native cultures might be justified.

Nevertheless, the Seawolves could content themselves that they advanced to the final four of this prestigious tournament. Furthermore, Imeson and Kilcup distinguished themselves individually as the second and fourth place speakers in the tournament.

This week, the Seawolves remain on the East coast so they may attend the Yale Intervarsity competition. This tournament will not only draw the top North American debate institutions, but also several of the best debaters from Europe.

Claremont Open, 2009

2009-10-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

A 3-2-1 opener for the Seawolf Speakers

Members of the Seawolf Debate program opened their season at the US Universities Open this weekend hosted by Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA). Almost 50 teams from around the US—including teams from Vermont, Texas, Washington and Oregon—entered the competition.

The Seawolves had an outstanding showing, advancing three teams to the semifinal round, two of whom qualified into the final round and, finally, one of which won the tournament outright.

After six preliminary rounds featuring debates about issues as far ranging as Net Neutrality and the role of private security contractors in military operations, the Seawolves entered the elimination rounds of the tournament with the first, second and fourth ranked teams. The teams of Drew Cason and Sarah Carpenter and James Kilcup and Michael Imeson faced off in one semifinal round, while Amie Stanley and Akis Gialopsis faced three tough teams in the other semifinal round. While all the teams argued valiantly over the motion “Voting rights in international financial institutions should not be determined by a nation’s monetary contribution,” Cason and Carpenter had to be satisfied with a semifinal finish that tied them for fifth place in the tournament.

UAA’s other two teams—who had entered the elimination rounds ranked first and second—squared off on different sides of the motion “The Organization of American States should sanction Honduras for the recent coup” in a final round that also featured competitors from the University of Vermont and the University of LaVerne (Los Angeles). After the dust settled, the team of Imeson and Kilcup were crowned the tournament champions and the Seawolves took top honors as a squad.

The next test for the Alaskan arguers comes with a 10-day tour of the East Coast, where UAA’s top teams will compete in tournaments at the University of Toronto and Yale University.

Portland State IV, 2008

2008-12-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Portland State University World Championship Warmup, Portland, Oregon

Seawolves Assert Hegemony in America's Final Tune-up for World Championships

The Seawolf debate team travelled its entire squad of 16 debaters to Portland, Oregon, on December 5th-7th, to join 36 debate teams in the United States' final tune-up for the World Universities Debating Championships.

At the end of six preliminary rounds, six of UAA's eight teams finished in the top half of the competition. Four of those teams advanced to the semifinal round, placing them in the top twenty-two percent of the competition. Representing UAA in the semifinal debates were the teams of James Stinson (senior, history) & Michaela Hernandez (sophomore, philosophy), Ben Ferguson (senior, philosophy) & Severin Randall (senior, philosophy), Colin Haughey (senior, philosophy) & Sarah Carpenter (freshman, international studies), and Jennifer Lucas (graduate student, English) & Vasilios "Akis" Gialopsos (junior, international studies). Stinson & Hernandez ultimately represented UAA in the final round, where they placed a respectable second place.

In addition to team awards, UAA also earned six of the top ten speaking awards: Stinson (1st place), Hernandez (3rd), Randall (4th), Ferguson (5th), Gialopsos (8th), and Haughey (10th).

Over the weekend, the debaters engaged one another on such controversial topics as whether developed nations should be obligated to take in environmental refugees, whether NATO should expand to the Russian frontier, whether affirmative action is still needed, and whether indigenous peoples should have a seat in the United Nations.

Next up, the Seawolves travel three teams to the World Universities Debating Championships. Making the trip to Cork, Ireland, the teams of Stinson & Hernandez, Ferguson & Randall, and Haughey & Carpenter will compete against over 300 other teams at the University College Cork.

CUSID BP Championships, 2008, Kingston, Ontario

2008-11-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

On November 21st-23rd, 2008, the Seawolf Debate Team travelled to Queens University in Kingston, Ontario for the Canadian Universities Society for Intercollegiate Debating British Parliamentary national championship tournament. Over the weekend, 64 teams from Canada and the United States engaged one another in debates on such topics as whether western liberal democracies should adopt constitutional amendments granting a minimum standard of living for all, whether insider trading should be legalized, whether governments should allow dying languages to die, and whether NATO should engage in negotiations with the Taliban. Representing the University of Alaska Anchorage were the teams of Ben Ferguson (senior, philosophy) & Severin Randall (senior, philosophy) and James Stinson (senior, history) & Michaela Hernandez (sophomore, philosophy). Stinson & Hernandez were the highest placing American team, while Randall was the top American speaker in the competition. Next up, the entire UAA squad travels to Portland, Oregon, for the Portland State University intervarsity tournament on December 5th-6th.

US UDC, 2008, Portland State

2008-04-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

Seawolf Debate Team Excels at US Universities Debating Championships

The Seawolf Debate team showed its depth this past weekend at the US Universities Debating Championships. Hosted by Portland State University, the tournament drew over 60 teams from universities from Vermont to Hawaii. Over the course of the weekend, UAA students engaged their peers on a number of controversial topics such as whether the International Olympic Committee should award future Olympic Games only to nations which are democratic and respect human rights, whether the government should legalize polygamy and whether the US should ban homeschooling,

The team traveled an unusually young squad to this tournament; of the ten students who spoke for the Seawolves, eight were in their first year of competition. The strength of the Seawolf’s bench became evident when the team of Michelle Hart (Freshman, English & Political Science) and Amie Stanley (Freshman, Political Science & Human Resources) took top honors in the Novice division. This USUDC was Stanley and Hart’s first intercollegiate competition; they were the top team at the Cabin Fever Debates, UAA’s intramural debating tournament. So far, they’ve taken first place in every tournament they’ve entered.

In the main event, hard work and dedication paid off for the Seawolves. James Stinson (Junior, History) and Michaela Hernandez (Freshman, Philosophy) advanced to the quarterfinal round, placing them among the nation's top 16 teams. Meanwhile, the team of Ben Ferguson (Junior, Philosophy) and Severin Randall (Junior, Philosophy) was edged out in the semifinal round, placing them in the top 8 teams. Randall was also recognized as the 8th best speaker out of the over 120 students entered in the debating competition. Nicholas Byrne (Junior, English) advanced to the final round of Public Speaking.

This tournament concluded the Seawolves competitive season but they are eager to start preparing for next year's World Universities Debating Championships in Cork, Ireland.

WUDC 2008, Thailand

2008-01-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Seawolf debaters travel to Thailand to compete in the 28th World Universities Debating Championships
By: Staff Jan 25, 2008

ANCHORAGE, AK – The Seawolf Debate Team traveled six debaters to Bangkok, Thailand over the winter break to compete in the 28th World Universities Debating Championships. In attendance were 396 teams, hailing from 150 colleges and universities and 47 nations.

Representing UAA were the teams of Michael Rose (senior, political science) and Ben Ferguson (junior, philosophy); David Childers (junior, political science) and Jennifer Lucas-Duffy (graduate student, psychology); and Nick Byrne (junior, English) and Drew Cason (freshman, biology). This was the fourth trip to the world championships for Rose and the second for both Ferguson and Childers. Duffy, Byrne and Cason attended their first "Worlds" tournament.

Over the course of nine preliminary and four elimination rounds, the 792 debaters at the tournament engaged one another on numerous controversial topics. They included whether governments should rescue failing private industries, whether we should deny terminally ill patients access to scarce medical resources, and whether religious adoption agencies should be required to place children with homosexual couples. Over the course of seven days, the Seawolf debaters exchanged ideas and perspectives with individuals from many of the world's top academic institutions while they interacted with people from varied educational, social and cultural backgrounds.

As an example, Round 1 of the tournament found Childers and Lucas-Duffy assigned the role of Opening Proposition to defend the motion "This House would allow the use of torture." UAA’s team was pitted against teams from Harvard, the University Teknologi Malaysia and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Serving as adjudicators and engaging the competitors in a thorough analysis of the debate upon its conclusion were representatives from UCC Law School (Ireland), Duke, Swinburne University of Technology (Australia), the University of York (U.K.) and the University of Western Australia.

Throughout the tournament UAA's debaters interacted with delegates from such universities as Bandung Islamic University (Indonesia), the Beijing Language Academy, Cambridge, Dubai Aerospace Engineering University, Hanyang University (South Korea), International Islamic University of Malaysia, Oxford, Princeton, Seikei University (Japan), Stanford, the University of Aukland (New Zealand), the University of Cape Town (South Africa), the University of Hong Kong, the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), the University of Santo Tomas (Philippines), the University of Zagreb (Croatia) and Yale.

While the upcoming semester includes four tournaments, the team's primary focus will be hosting the campus intramural debate competition: the Cabin Fever Debates. Any UAA student enrolled in at least three credits is eligible to compete. For more information visit the Cabin Fever Debates Web site at www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate/CabinFeverDebates/.

UBC IV 2007

2007-11-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

UBC Invitational, Vancouver, BC

Seawolves Shine in Final Tune-up for World Championships

The Seawolf debate team returned to international competition in its final tune-up for the World Universities Debating Championships. On November 30th and December 1st they travelled 12 debaters to Vancouver, BC, for the University of British Columbia Invitational Tournament. The competition hosted 88 debaters representing 9 universities from the United States and Canada.

At the end of five preliminary rounds, four of UAA's six teams finished in the top half of the competition. Leading the pack, as the top seeded team in the tournament was the duo of Ben Ferguson (junior, Philosophy) and Michael Rose (senior, Political Science). Of the eight teams advancing to the semifinal round, Ferguson and Rose were one of only two to advance to the Semifinal round and the only US team to make the final round. Freshman Michaela Hernandez (Philosophy) and James Stinson (junior, History) were only a single point away from joining them in the Semifinals. The Seawolves' top team then went on to earn an unofficial second place in the tournament.

The Seawolves also earned a number of individual honors, placing 7 in the top half of the field. Of significance, three placed in the top 15: Stinson (15th), Ferguson (7th), and Rose (2nd). Proving they have many talents, a handful of competitors chose to compete in Public Speaking in addition to their debate responsibilities. For their efforts, both Nick Byrne (junior, English) and David Childers (junior, Political Science) earned spots in the final round of competition.

Over the course of the weekend, the team debated such controversial topics as whether or not votes should be weighted according a person's level of education, whether we should repeal sanctions against Cuba, the right of self-determination for indigenous people, and whether the Roman Catholic Church should play a role in political diplomacy.

In the semi-final round, Ferguson and Rose were pitted against teams from Regis University (Denver), the University of Saskatchewan, and the University of British Columbia. The teams debated whether we should support government reparations for past transgressions, and UAA was assigned the role of opening the debate for opposition side. They broke the debate into two lines of argument: the practical and the philosophical. On the philosophical front, they argued that reparations are problematic since it is often difficult to identify a recipient group. That is, who should be awarded reparations? They also argued that it is impractical to assess the level of damage; and, therefore, how much groups should be compensated. When looking to the philosophical side, they looked at the nature of restoration. First, they made the case that our government should be prospective rather than retrospective in its actions. Second, they argued that we should build on existing ties--focusing on our commonalities. However, reparations focus on the differences between groups and often alienate the victims of past transgressions. Therefore, they argued in favor of alternatives such as Truth & Reconciliation Commissions and promoting active political participation of all groups.

Next up, the Seawolves travel three teams to the World Universities Debating Championships. Making the trip to Bangkok, Thailand, the teams of Ferguson & Rose, Childers & Jennifer Lucas-Duffy (graduate student, Psychology), and Byrne & Drew Cason (freshman, Biology) will compete against 397 other schools at Assumption Univeristy. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson (786-4391) or Shawn Briscoe (786-4354). You may also visit the teams recently updated website at www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate/.

Mahaffey Invitational, November 10th-11th, 2007

2007-11-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

Mahaffey Invitational, Linfield College, McMinville, OR, Nov. 10th-11th, 2007

CUSID BP Championships, Nov. 3rd-4th, 2007

2007-11-05T14:34:00.001-08:00

The Seawolf Debate team extended their record of international success this weekend with their trip to the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate’s (CUSID) National British Parliamentary Debating Championship tournament hosted by the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The tournament, sponsored by the governing authority for intercollegiate debating in Canada, featured competition from both Canada and the United States in the British Parliamentary style—the format of debating used at the World Universities Debating Championships. Canada produces some of the best debaters in the world, with the World Champions from 2005 and 2006 and the 2007 Top Speaker at the World Championships all from Canadian universities. In other words, the competition at this tournament is first class.

The Seawolves entered two teams in the tournament. Both teams squared off against teams from the University of Toronto, McGill University and Claremont University and others in five preliminary rounds of competition. Tackling topics ranging from whether binding faith-based arbitration should be an acceptable alternative to civil courts to how to respond to China’s increased investments in African nations, the team of Michael Rose (Senior, Political Science) and Ben Ferguson (Junior, Philosophy) accumulated enough points to advance to the Semifinal Round of the competition.

In that Round, the Seawolves faced Toronto, Carlton and the University of British Columbia on the motion “This House believes the United States should sever ties with the Musharraf regime.” Arguing that Musharraf’s increasingly autocratic rule has made him more of a liability than an asset to the US in its fight against radical Islamist terrorists, Rose and Ferguson were selected to advance to the Final round—the first US team to make the final round of the Canadian BP championship tournament. In the Final, the Seawolves argued fervently against requiring that public funding be used to provide fertility treatments to those who can’t afford them. Unfortunately, the panel of adjudicators ultimately were convinced by the opposing side and voted against the motion. The Seawolves had to content themselves with Finalist honors.

The Seawolves next travel to the Mahaffey Invitational hosted by Linfield College in McMinville, OR. The team will soon announce its delegates to the 2008 World Universities Debating Championships to be hosted by Assumption University in Bangkok, Thailand in January.

Claremont Colleges, Oct. 6th-7th, 2007

2007-11-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

US Universities Invitational at the Claremont Colleges