Seawolf Debate
20122013
POINTS OF INFORMATION
For the People by S T E V E J O H N S O N
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rior to the late 1940s, academic debating didn’t look much like it does today. Early American academic debating was an important part of the collegiate experience, but the travel and tournaments that are a hallmark of modern debating of competitive debating—with weekend-long competitions scheduled for nearly every weekend of the academic year—is a relatively recent development, travel that emerged in the 1960s. So what did debate look like before every weekend was consumed with a tournament attended by multiple universistudents: intramural competition and contract debates. Intramural competition grew from organized student clubs that were established to promote educational opportunities beyond the classroom. Students interested in literature, law and politics would gather to discuss current events; Princeton’s Whig and Cliosophic Societies are prime examples of this. Founded in the 1760s, Princeton’s societies served as a training ground for aspiring leaders. From the Princeton Debate Panel’s history available online: [American] Revolution were active an arena in which many future leaders of the Republic, such as James Madison (Whig) and Aaron Burr (Clio) developed and sharpened the skills of persuasion, exposition, peers.
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UAA junior
during the UAA vs. Harvard exhibition debate
The UAA Harvard Debate by A M Y P A R R E N T & W I L E Y C A S O N event at the Bears Tooth, it isn’t an opportunity to pass up. During the second amendment debate I was struck with realization of just how important a good audience is to our activity Second Amendment. Defending precarious and the integral part it plays in a good positions is nothing new to these seasoned debaters, but doing so in front of an event was a top half British Parliamentary Alaskan audience of roughly 400 people who all paid to see them take on the champion Harvard team of Josh Zoffer and Coulter King was not only new but by members of the audience. intimidating to say the least. Here are the
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n April 25, UAA debaters Amy Parrent & Wiley Cason found themselves on stage at the Beartooth
what was perhaps the most challenging and exhilarating debate of their lives. Wiley Cason: Academic debate is not something that should be done in a small room, or with a small audience. Unfortunately, large audiences are hard to come by; and more often than not it is only coaches and competitors in the room when we speak. When you have the privilege to speak to an audience of several hundred, in a sold out
Harvard team, Amy and myself were pretty and the stage, and made good arguments for and against the second amendment. But the crowd in attendance, all of whom had purchased tickets at least a week in advance, generally was not a were older, more educated, and listened to than people on stage generally hope to see (continues on pg. 5)
For the people... debating clubs, though: Whig and Clio, like similar literary societies at other American colleges, were the main focus of undergraduate life for much of the nineteenth century. Elaborately organized, self-governing youth groups (though often receiving advice from alumni constructed and taught their own curricula, selected and bought their own books, operated their own libraries (often larger and more accessible than that of the college itself ), and developed and enforced elaborate codes of conduct among their members. Intense competition for members and for college honors led to creative emulation between the undergraduates easy access to the world outside; their debates trained generations to consider the great public issues of the day, from slavery to American expansion, from women’s rights to the dismemberment of the union.
Matt Stinson speaks on behalf of his teammates, Matthieu Ostrander, Andrew Kerosky, and Matthew Fox during the 2012 Ethics Bowl
When university debating societies did reach beyond the walls of their own campuses, they tended to imagine not a sequestered tournament attended by multiple universities and featuring numerous rounds in 2 or 3 days, but a major occasion that was more akin to a
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contract debates, would draw large crowds and were an important part of the college’s social calendar. Yale, Princeton and Harvard’s Triangular Debates are an example of this
the tournament model accelerates skill acquisition in ways unparalleled by any
The Seawolf Debate Program’s intiatives are designed to recapture some of the connection between debating and the non-debating public.
Debate Association’s online history
other academic experience. But the
well: Yalies began to debate competitively in the 1890s, with ad hoc debates against Harvard. A more formal association of Ivy League debaters began in 1908, when Harvard, Princeton, and Yale agreed to hold three annual debates, known together as Triangulars. Debaters at each
Outside, in an environment not conducive to public access (do non-debaters really want to watch four rounds per day over three days that stretch from 8 am until 10 pm?)—sometimes makes it hard to remember that debate is, and must be, for the people.
faculty members for the coveted slots. debate, and judges and presiding
recapture some of the connection between debating and the non-debating public. intramural debating competition for students not active on the competitive team, is now approaching its 10th year and was, for the third year in a row,
presidents, mayors, U.S. Court of Appeals judges, and even the former
90 students registered for just over 60
debates were avidly watched by the public, even reported on by widely
round was an excellent debate over whether we should strip churches of their
York Times. One Times journalist remarked in 1896, "It is generally as important to win this debate [Yale v. Harvard] as to win the football game in the fall." Each Triangulars debate was three-on-three. Resolution topics ranged from current political and economic events, such as the independence of Panam (1904) or the repeal of the prohibition amendment (1919) to social questions like
pub, combined a compelling issue (repeal the 2nd Amendment?) with great food and beer for an atmosphere that rivaled the description of Yale’s Triangular debates. We not only were successful in
purpose of a college education (1985). Much of the Seawolf Debate focused on recapturing this connection between debating and “the people” who do not eat, sleep and breathe debate. Don’t misunderstand: I believe that competitive tournament debating is an intensity and frequency of debating in
but we sold out the over 400 seats in the theatre and discovered—much to our delight—that tickets were being scalped for double their face value on Craigslist. Debating is, and has always been, a potent educational activity. But it’s important to remember that it’s also the default model of collective decision-making in our culture—whether in the legislature, boardroom or community group. We’re proud of what we’ve done to honor the tradition of debating and believe that the best debates are those arguments, but also those who engage with the arguments they observe through critical consideration of the issues at hand. ◊
Taking the Plunge: From DDF to BP by B L A K E S T E E N H O V E N
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ast February, I registered for the Cabin Fever Debates, UAA’s intramural debate tournament. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but it ended up being one of the college career. While Cabin Fever is designed to allow novices to have an opportunity to compete, I wasn’t entirely new to debate. I spent a lot of time debating in high school as part of South Anchorage High School’s Drama, Debate, and Forensics team. High School students in Anchorage have the opportunity to compete in a variety of formats: Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, and Policy, the style I most enjoyed. I went from competing in local tournaments to
to travelling to Harvard for their national invitational tournament in early 2008.
unfamiliar. I wasn’t sure if the skills I had learned in previous styles would be
develop important skills that have been immeasurably valuable, I didn’t debate
decided to compete, I knew I needed to
I had heard about the Cabin Fever Debates when I started at UAA, but I had a few reservations. My biggest concern was competing in the British Parliamentary style, with which I was very
concerns were legitimate. If you ask a veteran debater or debate formats, the most frequent response is, “Good debate is good debate.” (continues on pg. 6)
Veteran DDF students (from left to right) Ruth Miller, Paige Perez, Johanna Richter, Elizabeth Jackson, Jacob Parish, Nicole Eldred, Terek Rutherford, and Skylar Hektner compete in the final round of the 4th Annual Northern Lights British Parliamentary Tournament held at UAA on April 19-20th. 32 Anchorage area high schoolers competed in this year’s tournament.
Making Debaters Out of Middle Schoolers by J U D Y J E S S E N
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hen I volunteered to help out the Clark Middle School debaters, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was thinking to myself, “I’m new to the UAA program, I’m new to the format terrible idea.” I didn’t feel like I was involved, so I essentially took a I really did not want to look stupid in front of the middle school students. With one other volunteer from the team (Emerson White), I entered a room full of students who were pretty sure I knew everything about all things debate. Oh, and their teacher. I thought to myself, I
snow a bunch of pubescent newbies, but I together, I was feeling much more was likely not going to be able to fool the optimistic. My feelings, though, were nothing compared to the level of excitement the students had. together a debate and Emerson and I Watching the students go through suggested strategies that would help their tournament was so much fun for included, was thankful, and I made plans to come back and help them some more. rounds and thank me for helping them, When I came back a handful of our and tell me that they won because of suggestions had been integrated, and the sign-posting, or because they answered students were enthusiastic to work more “the why?” Beyond their fundamental on their materials. Turns out enthusiasm skills, though, these students were way accomplishes a lot. We worked on building a stronger foundation in their preparation material, and talked about a week, and it was nothing short of having more substance to frame and incredible. Clark broke one team into we talked about structuring prep documents to be more user-friendly. Suddenly their speeches were longer, the material had more context, and they were just way better. When I left after that last session
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Jon Stinson, Andrew Kerosky, Matt Ostrander, and Matt Stinson speak before a full house during our fall exhibition debate.
Alumni Spotlight by E R I K P E D E R S O N EDITOR’S NOTE: Erik Pederson competed for UAA from 1995-1998, and represented the Seawolves at the 1997 World Universities Debate Championship in Cork, Ireland.
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Johnson was in 1994 as a sophomore at a small Jesuit University in Omaha, Nebraska called Creighton University. As the Creighton debate coach, Steve called me to ask if I wanted to come to participate in the debate practices. I thought that any debate team that would have me was probably not a debate team with which I wanted to be associated. I declined and, of course, thought it was the wise choice at the time because as far as I knew beer was not served in debate. More importantly though, my high school debate coach in South Dakota had warned me that college debate focuses less on persuasion, logic, and the construction of arguments and is more focused on research and speed reading. Steve was persistent and I eventually went to one of his practices. It was evident immediately that Steve was not the policy debate bogey man I was warned about and he was focused on communicating arguments logically and persuasively. He even steered his programs towards types of debate, like parliamentary, that reward persuasive arguments. I then went to a couple of tournaments. A few months later, Steve said that he and Shawnalee were moving to
Anchorage to teach at the University of Alaska. Before I had a chance to say “well, it has been nice knowing you,” Steve asked if I wanted to debate at UAA for him. I really did not have to think about it too long because my Dad made the snap-decision for me when I told him I had an opportunity to move to Alaska. I will never forget the exchange…
very talented debaters that I remember fondly. Oh, and debate even dispelled one of the stereotypes I had about the event. We went to the World Debate tournament in 1997 which was held in Cork, Ireland. Murphy’s Irish Stout sponsored the event and I learned that beer IS served in debate. Since I moved from Alaska in 1999, I have lived in the Washington, D.C. area. I currently live in Arlington, Virginia with my wife Shannon. In 2009, I was appointed by President Obama to serve as part of his Administration at the Department of Bureau as the Legislative Director. Part of what I do is to determine on a daily nicate Department views on pieces of legislation introduced by the Congress that have an impact on U.S. foreign tion, I worked on Capitol Hill for former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle on his Democratic Senate Floor 2004 until 2009, I worked as the Congressional Liaison at the congressionally created and mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. In each of these jobs, communication skills learned from debate have been crucially important. ◊
opportunity to debate at another school in…” He interrupted, “you are going.” “But dad, I haven’t even told you yet where…” I replied. To which he interrupted again, “it doesn’t matter, you are going.” I think he, in part, counseled this approach because he also made the assumption that beer was not served in debate. 1995. In addition, to the wonderful experience of living in one of the most beautiful places on earth, going to UAA for debate was one of the best opportunities of my life. From UAA debate, I learned a lot about communication that I take with me in every interaction that I have. At UAA, I met some great friends, unique people, and
Senior Kelsey Waldorf sspeaks in the semifinal round of the US Open at Claremont Colleges. Kelsey was selected to be the 2013 UAA Student Commencement Speaker.
The UAA Harvard Debate means doing anything wrong- applauding and pounding the tables when appropriatebut no one was going to mistake the event for a 2008 Obama campaign stop either.
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Amy Parrent:
both passion and compassion and real active listening.
Whether it comes from our frontier roots, or simply because when it is dark and the debate is for two particular reasons. cold we like to argue, Alaskans know how First, the goal of debate is to explore ideas in an intelligent and respectful manner. I have been committed to the activity of dialogue in our great state. As half of the debate for eight years, and I am happy to relatively reserved was asked to stand up be a part of bringing the value of debate to and speak their minds, and people lined up my community. Second, I feel that dialogue From the participation is crucial to democracy and when we learn and feedback during our wide range of comments, but all from those to participate and be mindful of one speeches, to the floor who believed in what they were saying, and another, we become better people and speeches from the afterwards, the dynamic of the room audience... I was so better citizens. appreciateive of the As Alaskans, we know that we are a part up, the personal investment in sides was engaged citizens who of something special. In addition to the there, and the whip speeches (by Amy and came to the event. beautiful land we get to have home, we also Josh) were delivered with a sharpness and have strong communities. I have been intensity level that had been previously UAA team speaking that evening, I was overwhelmed by the support shown to me lacking from the perfectly competent most impressed with the audience at this and the debate programs I have had the opening four. event. From the participation and feedback privilege to be a part of, both in my hometown of Sitka, and in Anchorage. We from watching the energy of the audience from the audience, and the friendly exist in a symbiotic relationship, as debate shift after the public comment, from the interactions after the debate, I was so way in which it impacted not only the appreciative of the engaged citizens who one another. I hope that the UAA vs. delivery, but the clarity of content in the came to the event. Most impressive to me, Harvard debate is a spring board for was the respect shown by everyone. It is continuing respect, engagement, and thankful when anyone is willing to watch easier, I think, to attack the ideas of others more debates in Alaska. ◊ and discourse are not activities that can be had in a vacuum. Collegiate debate can at times be insular, and it can be tempting to think of yourself as being better or smarter than the average citizen. For at least half the world, that’s a
even easier to attack other people who disagree with you. I saw neither of those things from the audience. Instead, I saw
Pictured below: (from left to right) Coulter King and Josh Zoffer of Harvard confer during the UAA versus Harvard debate.
people around you who are engaged and participating in the discussion opens you up to their thinking; and makes your thinking immeasurably better as well, not to mention your stage presence. I’m thankful to the UAA and to those who showed up to watch us debate for the opportunity, and can think of no better academic program worthy of support at our school than the Seawolf Speech and Debate program. ◊
“I was impressed by the community turn out and engagement we received. It is refreshing to see people outside the debate community come out participate in an event like this, both as spectators and participants in floor speeches. Debaters have a tendency to become absorbed in our relatively insular community, and it is a wonderful reminder of why this activity is so important to see people so engaged. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.” - Josh Zoffer, Harvard
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From DDF to BP this response, I found it to be as frustrating as it was useful. On face it seems to be redundant at best; you could literally substitute any noun for “good debate” and the statement would hold true. However, the core of the message is that in any style of debate, the goal is the same: to uncover the truth behind an idea through in-depth argumentation. Whoever best achieves this goal in a debate round is the because there certainly are distinctions and understanding these dissimilarities is necessary for success. But the similarities between styles of debate far After being awarded Top Speaker for the Cabin Fever Debates, I was invited to practice with the team and travelled to the US Universities National Debating Championships in La Verne,
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and tournaments that UAA competes in is the preparation time for each round. For Cabin Fever, teams have a week to prepare their best arguments for the proposed motion. In normal competition, they get 15 minutes. Coming from policy debate in high school, where the motion stays the same for the whole year, this was a bit of a shock. However, it is exactly this shock that has made collegiate debate so appealing to me. While debating in the British Parliamentary style seems to constantly take me out of my element, the skills that I have begun to develop as a result are incredibly valuable. Being put on the spot with only important issues uniquely mirrors the way we people make decisions on countless ideas every day. My work with the debate team has helped me learn to ask the important questions, to make informed decisions, and ultimately to be a better citizen. ◊
Dean John Stalvey of the College of Arts and Sciences congratulates the 2013 CabinFever Debate Champion Team of Judy Jessen and Heather Guthrie with Director of Debate, Steve Johnson.
Hannah Foreman and Brittany Bennett prep for a demonstration debate round.
Making Debaters Out of Middle Schoolers
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Leaving the tournament at the end of the day I was struck by what I had gotten from the experience. First, the students made me a t-shirt thanking me for helping them. Who doesn’t love a free t-shirt? More importantly, though, they taught me a lot about what I’ll be going through in the coming years with the of their journey just like I am, establishing new relationships with new coaches and new peers, navigating a new format in an environment where they just want to succeed. In one week I took what they knew about debate and changed almost every part of it. I was hard on them, and I asked for a lot from them, much like this program will demand of me. Instead of folding and being frustrated new ones, an attitude I will have to adopt championship that came at the end of a losing debate season. I can only similar result in my time on the team. ◊
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Another Year for the Trophy Case by A M I E S T A N L E Y
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his year was a remarkable new beginning for the Seawolves. Having graduated 6 of the team’s top debaters last spring, there were a lot of opportunities and high expectations set for the rising stars and fresh faces of our program. With 9 tournaments under our belt, and a few new trophies to boot, there is no doubt in our mind that the Seawolf Debate team is as strong as ever and has demonstrated the depth of its competitiveness to everyone in the debate community.
traveled to the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) 50th Forensics Classic in Colorado, alma mater of former assistant coach Shawn Briscoe. All three teams advanced to the including Brittany Bennett & Kelsey Waldorf, Matt Fox & Amy Parrent, and Matthieu Ostrander & Hannah Foreman as the 1st, 5th, and 7th seed teams respectively. Bennett & Waldorf competition. At the end of an intense weekend of debating, our six debaters took home 5 of the top 10 speaker awards with Bennett taking 3rd, Waldorf, Ostrander, and Fox tying for 5th, and Parrent taking 7th. Riding the high of the early season success at USAFA, the team excelled once again at the Claremont US Open in California. Of the nearly 100 speakers present at the tournament, our debaters claimed 3 of the top 10 speaker awards. Parrent received 3rd, Bennett & Fox represented UAA alongside the team of Waldorf & Bennett in the same international tribunals to try serious labor violations in developing nations. Having made a clear name for them on the west coast, the team then traveled to the Yale Invitational on the east coast eager to demonstrate their ability. While
Seawolf Debaters at the awards ceremony of the US Air Force Academy 50th Forensics Classic. From left to right: former assistant coach Shawn Briscoe, Matt Fox, Amy Parrent, Matthieu Ostrander, Hannah Foreman, Brittany Bennett, Kelsey Waldorf, assistant coach Amie Stanley.
neither team of Parrent & Fox nor Bennett & Waldorf were able to secure a spot in the elimination phase of competition, the lessons learned from facing tough competition became invaluable as the east coast reconvened at the Huber Debates hosted in Vermont. We were fortunate to travel both our top teams and a plethora of novices vying for the chance to prove Parker Dahl & Emerson White were Stinson & Matthieu Ostrander round, along with Bennett & Waldorf teams. Parrent & Fox prevailed even further as they took home Finalist awards. In addition to the team awards, Bennett was recognized as the 5th place speaker and Waldorf as the 2nd among the 160 individual speakers present. Following their impressive performances and recognition as top speakers, the team of Bennett & Waldorf were chosen to represent UAA at the World Universities Debating Championship in Berlin. In preparation for that tournament, they traveled to Cambridge University to face top European teams. For Waldorf this was
America, and for Bennett only the again key to their success back home in the US when they competed at the Davis Debates in California. At the Davis Debates, we were pleased to advance 3 of the top 8 teams Waldorf, and Stinson & Ostrander all fought valiantly to earn a place in the of Parrent & Fox who represented us in privatization in space exploration, Parrent & Fox earned the 2nd place award. Nevertheless, four Seawolves distinguished themselves in the top 10 of more than 80 speakers in the tournament once again demonstrating the depth of talent on our team: Parent (2nd speaker), Fox (3rd speaker), Waldorf (5th speaker), and Bennett (9th speaker). After an extended break taking the exception of Bennett & Waldorf who competed admirably at the World Universities Debating Championship in the pond to the Trinity Intervarsity in Dublin. Parrent and Fox advanced to (continues on pg. 8, TROPHY)
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Bringing Debate to Life by K E L S E Y W A L D O R F
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ooking back on four years of participation on the Seawolf Debate Team brings back a lot of memories. Memories of late nights in the squad room organizing brief books, competing in out-rounds at national tournaments, tearing my hair out trying to make sense of the European Stability Mechanism, and of course, hours and hours of arguing and deconstructing and asking points of information. But all these memories translate into real skills that will launch my future career, whatever that may end up being. out of spending six or seven hours a week debating for four years. Some of the most important are critical and analytical thinking skills, public speaking skills, development of critical and analytical thinking, but debate is one of them. It teaches you to think about issues not in an I-believe-in-that or I-do-not-believe-in-that kind of way, but in a way and harms on both sides. It limits the amount of black and white in the world, but also helps you to quickly identify what needs to be black and white for purposes of clarity: what issues are we talking about? What issues are we not talking about? Do we all background in debate will tell you to to set up the framework for the rest of the conversation. Public speaking skills are crucial for many things in life. Interviews are public speaking, presentations are public speaking, and group meetings are public speaking. How you speak is how you present yourself, and partly how others will judge you. Most public speaking I will do after my debate career will pale in comparison to the stress and anxiety of coming up with
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anxiety of coming up with arguments on a subject I may or may not know anything about, presenting those arguments, and then watching as other individuals actively tear them down in front of me. If I can give a persuasive speech to a room of debaters, armed with pens and the most recent Economist, I can give a speech to any audience.
Seawolf Debate POIN T S OF INFORMA TION
Steve Johnson Director of Debate (907) 786.4391 steve.johnson@uaa.alaska.edu Amie Stanley Assistant Coach (907) 786.4354 astanle6@alaska.edu ADM/Humanities Bldg, Rm 262 3211 Providence Drive Anchorage, AK 99508
www.uaa.alaska.edu/seawolfdebate
TROPHY
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the single-elimination phase of the tournament, ranked 14th of the 84 teams entered in the competition. Also noteworthy, the team of Ostrander & Stinson were only a single preliminary point away from advancing to the
Matt Fox, another graduating debater, speaks to his partner Amy Parrent.
Developing a presence is having control over how others see you. I can be calm and unemotional, or I can be conversational, or formal. Combined with good sense and social skills, having an appropriate presence can lead to countless opportunities. Closely related to composing oneself is having the debate circuit, in rounds against Yale and Harvard and Cambridge, gave me something. I am good at this.” Everyone you room to take risks, knowing that you may make mistakes, but also knowing that you may succeed beyond your wildest expectations. I learned a lot at UAA. I earned a B.A. in Justice, with minors in Communication and Political Science. I graduated from a rigorous honors college. My resume grew by about two pages. But out of all the classes and extra-curricular activities I engaged in, debate taught me the most valuable skills, applicable to everything I will do. ◊
tournament. Lastly, we rounded out our season at the US Nationals Championship hosted by La Verne University. In the elimination rounds. After six preliminary rounds, Parrent & Fox advanced with Wiley Cason & Bennett. Alaskan teams were taken out facing tough competition from teams from Cornell, Stanford, and Yale among others. In addition to the hard-earned accolades our senior teams garnered, we had a particularly young squad this US Universities Debating Championship. At the end of preliminaries 3 of our novice teams were still in contention to make it to the break, and at the end of competition 3 of our novice speakers placed in the top-third of the able performance, combined with the various successes of the entire season, speaks to the depth of our program and holds high promise for the 2013-2014 season. As a very proud coach I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the talented debaters who call this team home. ◊