2009 Cabin Fever Results

Championship Round

The 2009 CFD featured 28 teams from UAA's student body, from which eight teams advanced to the semifinal round. Four teams further distinguished themselves by advancing to the final round of competition. In the final debate, eight debaters discussed whether or not "the United States should prosecute the Bush administration for war crimes." Two teams were charged with supporting the motion. In the position of Opening Government was "Schrute Farms" (Kelcie Ralph & Faith Caparas). Supporting them in the Closing Government position was "The Vikings" (Nils Sandtroen & Eric Romig). Challenging the motion were the teams of "Nobama" (Ryan McKee & Hannah Scott) in the opening position and "Code Red" (Christy Strong & Kyle Benson) in the closing opposition. Ultimately, the team of Ralph & Caparas prevailed, each earning a $1,000 cash scholarship and a spot representing the University at the US Universities Debating Championships hosted by the University of Vermont.

Motions Debated

Round 1: The State of Alaska should invest its public funds according to the principles of socially-responsible investing.
Round 2: The NATO Alliance should negotiate with the Taliban to achieve stability in Afghanistan.
Round 3: Any stimulus package should require that materials and goods purchased with stimulus dollars be bought from American sources when possible.
Round 4: The State of Alaska should require either parental or judicial consent for minors seeking abortions.
Round 5: The United States should declare that a military strike to curb Iran's nuclear program is off the table.
Round 6: The US Federal Government should ban the advertisement of junk food in children's media.
Round 7: The University of Alaska should abandon academic tenure.
Semifinal 1: The State of Alaska should reinstate capital punishment.
Semifinal 2: The State of Alaska should offer direct financial incentives to individuals who become fluent in a dying Alaska Native language.
Final: The United States should prosecute the Bush Administration for war crimes.

2008 Cabin Fever Results

Semifinals

On March 4th, the Seawolf Debate team hosted two semifinal round debates. The first semifinal round dealt with whether the US federal government should apologize to its Native peoples. Following the recent decision of the Australian parliament to issue a formal apology to its Aboriginal peoples, the issue of how the US should interact with its Native peoples is again at the forefront. Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kansas) has sponsored such legislation for the past four years but has not been able to convince his colleagues that it should be passed. In the Cabin Fever Debates, the motion was defended by the teams of Puppies & Kittens (Michael Duffy & Zachary Johnson) and F Street (Zachary Mannix & Vasilios Gialopsos). On the opposition, the teams of Emma Goldman (Amie Stanley & Michelle Hart) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Tara Devlin & Ryan Starr) countered their arguments. In a very tight debate, teams F Street and Emma Goldman were selected to advance to the final round.

The second semifinal round focused on whether the US should boycott the Beijing Olympics. Given Steven Spielberg's recent decision to give up his post as an artistic advisor to the Beijing Olympics and ongoing concerns about China's human rights record, the political message inherent in this high-profile sporting event cannot be overlooked. Arguing in favor of the boycott were the teams of that won team (Brett Frazer & Marcus Welker) and Princes, Unicorn, Rainbow (Zachary Liszka & John Roberson III). On the opposition were Dimond (Faith Capras & Craig Valdez) and Sojourner Truth (Jonathon Sanchez & Solomeia Kojin). In this round, the opening teams (that one team & Dimond) provided a solid foundation for the debate and were chosen to advance to the final round.

Championship Round

On March 6th, the final round of the Cabin Fever Debates contemplated one of the most pressing issues of the day: should the US pull out of Iraq? The promised drawdown of troops following last year's "surge" seems stalled, with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates joining Gen David Petraeus in suggesting that the planned withdrawal be suspended to assess the security of Iraq. Given looming questions about the long-term role of US troops in Iraq and the number of families in Alaska affected by these decisions, this debate resonated with the local audience.

The final round found Dimond (Faith Capras & Craig Valdez) in the role of opening government and Emma Goldman (Amie Stanley & Michelle Hart) in the role of closing government. The opening opposition was represented by the team that won team (Brett Frazer & Marcus Welker) with F Street (Zachary Mannix & Akis Gialopsos) on closing opposition. This, too, was a hotly contested debate. In the end, Stanley & Hart convinced the five-member panel of adjudicators that they deserved to be the tournament champions. Meanwhile, Gialopsos was selected as the tournament's best speaker, having put on an impressive display of rhetoric throughout the entire event.

Tournament Champions Amie Stanley & Michelle Hart (standing left to right)

Top Speaker Akis Gialopsos

Motions Debated

Round 1: Polar bears should be added to the Endangered Species List
Round 2: Tax rebates are the wrong way to stimulate the economy
Round 3: Earmarks are an inappropriate way for Congress to distribute resources
Round 4: The State of Alaska should abandon the practice of predator control in its management of wild game populations
Round 5: The U.S. should end military aid to Israel
Round 6: No nation should have exclusive rights to the Arctic
Round 7: Torture is a legitimate tool in the War on Terror
Semifinal 1: The U.S. federal government should apologize to its Native peoples
Semifinal 2: The U.S. should boycott the Beijing Olympics
Final: The U.S. should withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by the end of 2009