2007 Cabin Fever Debates begin with debates on spanking and free speech

Registration for the 2nd Annual Cabin Fever Debates, UAAs intramural debating tournament, attracted more than 40 UAA students dedicated to improving their critical thinking and advocacy skills.

Students who registered for the competition range from freshman to graduating seniors enrolled in Political Science, Biology, Justice, Psychology, Physical Education, Elementary Education, Liberal Studies, Philosophy, History, Art, Languages and Auto Technology, among other majors.

The first two preliminary rounds are scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13 in the Student Union Den. The motion for the 6:30 p.m. debate will be "Spanking children should be illegal."

 

Reflecting upon the legislation proposed by assemblywoman Sally Lieber in the California State Assembly, this debate will contemplate the appropriateness of corporal punishment and the state's role in parenting our children. There's no doubt this will produce a heated and insightful debate.

Teams selected to compete in the first round include:
Opening Proposition: (The Che Guevara Brigade) Peter Davies & Michael Roderick
Opening Opposition: (King) Casey King & Lindsay Washek
Closing Proposition: (Goose Me) Behnaaz Irani& Michelle Steffens
Closing Opposition: (The Debators) William Hutchings & Claire Knudsen-Latta

The second debate that evening, scheduled at 8:00 p.m., will address the motion "Active military personnel should be allowed to publicly criticize their superiors."

This issue grows from the court-martial of First Lieutenant Ehran Watada who publicly refused to fight in Iraq and criticized the war. A key issue in the trial is whether Lieutenant Watada has the protection of the First Amendment while he is an active member of the armed services. This debate will examine the bounds of free expression for those men and women charged to defend it.

Teams selected to compete in the second round include:
Opening Proposition: (The Didactic Duo) Mia Sethi & Natalia Mejia
Opening Opposition: (Mannix Depressive) Jaime Anderson & Zachary Mannix
Closing Proposition: (TKO) Thomas Craig & Kenji Gailey
Closing Opposition: (Team Rainbow) Jeffery Henderson & John Roberson III

Members of the UAA student body, faculty, staff and the larger community are invited to attend these public debates; all events are free and open to the public. Preliminary rounds will also be held Feb. 20 and 27. The top ranked teams will participate in the final round on March 6. Each member of the champion team will receive a $1,000 award and the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Universities Debating Championships in Los Angeles from March 30 to April 1.

The Seawolf Debate Team, the Alaska Debating Society, the Office of the Chancellor, the College of Arts and Sciences, and CAFÉ sponsor the Cabin Fever Debates.

For more information visit http://cabinfeverdebates.uaa.alaska.edu or contact Steve Johnson at 786-4391, or Andrew Gardner at 786-4354.