Seawolf debaters make waves on the West Coast

Members of the Seawolf Debate Team traveled to Seattle to compete in the Seattle University Intervarsity debate competition Dec. 7-8. The competition featured 32 teams from the Northwestern U.S. and Canada, with the Seawolf Debate Program standing out as one of the strongest.

After five preliminary rounds of competition, half of the Seawolf debaters found themselves advancing to the next phase of competition. As the top-ranked team in the entire competition, Seawolves Andrew Kerosky and Hannah Foreman earned themselves a spot in the semifinal round, where they faced tough competition and were charged with debating whether or not the state should financially incentivize women to not have abortions.

Although Kerosky and Foreman put up a strong argument, they did not advance and topped off the night with semifinal trophies. A second team from Seawolf Debate, Johanna Richter and Jonathon Taylor, advanced to the final round and, on the same motion, won the title of Novice Champion. Both Richter and Taylor are in their first semester of intercollegiate debate.

Other topics debated throughout the weekend ranged from whether or not online currencies like Bitcoins should be prohibited to whether parents should be held liable for the serious injuries their children receive playing dangerous sports.

The team is now preparing for its final and most challenging competition of the year, the World Universities Debating Championships to be held in Chennai, India at the end of December. Upon their return, the debate program looks forward to hosting the Ninth Annual Cabin Fever Debates, UAA's intramural tournament for students not actively involved in the competitive debate team. For more information, please contact Steve Johnson at (907) 786-4391 or Amie Stanley at (907) 786-4354. You may also visit the team's website at www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate.

December Archive