2007 Cabin Fever Debates preliminary rounds conclude with debate over unrealistic female body images

Intramural debating tournament brings forth talented debaters Last week's session of the 2nd Annual Cabin Fever Debates, UAA's intramural debating tournament, continued with debates over Alaska's longevity bonus and the candidacy of Barack Obama.

A diverse crowd representing a variety of perspectives and ages showed up to enjoy an evening of public debate, spirited discussion and moments of well-timed humor.  The UAA students involved in the competition did an outstanding job testing the motions before a panel of judges that featured members of UAA's own Seawolf Debate Team, including four distinguished alumni.  Delivering their arguments and rebuttals with passion and flair, it was hard to believe that most of the students involved in the competition had never participated in a formal academic debate.

The 5th preliminary round is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 27 in the Student Union Den.  The motion for the 7:00 p.m. debate that evening is: "Government should prohibit the depiction of unrealistic female body images."

Teams selected to compete in the 5th round are:

Opening Proposition: (The Gonzo's Fury) Seth Holtshouser & Woodruff Luputka Opening Opposition: (Socrates is our Jesus) Jeremy Garner & John Spader Closing Proposition: (Thing 1 & Thing 2) Chet Hand & Dezirae Martinez Closing Opposition: (Undisclosed) Caitlin Burr & Matti Iveson-Dupré

The teams advancing to the final round will be announced during this session.  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.

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

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