In a short, pre-UAA Stanford Debate interview, Brett Frazer shares detail on how debate has shaped him and how the critical thinking in debate might elevate our troubled public discourse. He also tells his inspiring story of returning to college after dropping out his freshman year. Please use the time guidelines to find the specific parts of this 20-minute interview that interest you. Kathleen McCoy is the interviewer and this podcast was recorded a few hours before the UAA Stanford Debate on March 29, 2012.

Timeline:

2:21 What does a Truman Scholar do?
3:15 Frazer began debate with Cabin Fever Intramurals
5:00 Globetrotting for debate
5:32 How debate challenged his convictions
6:32 How debate could improve civic discourse
10:32 How do you prepare for a debate?
12:30 Do you get butterflies before a debate?
13:40 Debate is not about winning or losing; it’s about being enlightened and learning more
15:45 Overcoming obstacles: Frazer was a college drop-out
20:15 What it feels like to get stumped in a debate
21:44 Frazer’s personal approach to debate: master strategy

Lastly, here is a quote from Frazer on how debate “makes you walk in the other guy’s shoes.”

“I have been forced to argue against my personal convictions. And one of the things that has done for me is make me realize there are reasonable people who will disagree with you. When someone disagrees with you, that’s not because they are less intelligent or categorically wrong; they value certain things more than you do. You can disagree with someone and still respect their intelligence and respect their position. You can tell that person that their view is a perfectly reasonable position, it’s tenable and I understand it, but I disagree with it for these reasons. That’s a more productive conversation than the perjorative platitudes that we toss around in the political arena today.”

Download MP3 (23:03min, 21MB)

For More Information:

ADN Focal Point Blog

Photographer Marc Lester's photos and description of UAA Stanford Debate

UAA Stanford Debate blog

Background on debaters, live-blog of the debate

UAA Seawolf Speech and Debate

Program website

UAA on UStream

UAA Stanford Debate recording. Begin with #2 @ 12:30.

UAA Stanford Debate live-Tweeted

Twitter.com members can search #uaastanforddebate to read live tweets from two Seawolf Debaters

Launched in 2006, the intramural debate tournament at UAA, called Cabin Fever Debates, is a February tradition. In round one, two teams for the proposition and two teams for the opposition interrogated the motion: States should require drug testing for all recipients of welfare.

TEAMS:
Opening Proposition: (Forget Me Not) Rosangelica Cuautli & Carolyn Layne
Opening Opposition: (Snap Judgment) Emily Kroeker & AJ Robinson (WINNER)
Closing Proposition: (CougNation) Nathanael Jenkins & Paloma Field
Closing Opposition: (Mikey & The Brain) Michael James & Jade Devens

This podcast was recorded Feb. 7, 2012.

Download MP3 (57:02min, 52MB)

For More Information:

Cabin Fever Debates

Homepage

2012 CFD Tournament

Updates on teams, motions and winners throughout the tournament.

Seawolf Debate Team

Website for UAA's award-winning team

Hear the award-winning UAA Speech and Debate Team and a faculty response panel take on a difficult dialogue: “The Tea Party is Right: The budget should be balanced exclusively through spending cuts.” Faculty panelists include Jim Muller (Political Science), Rhonda Johnson (Public Health), Kyle Hampton (Economics) and Terry Kelly (Philosophy).

This event was sponsored by the UAA Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence and the UAA/APU Difficult Dialogues Initiative.

This podcast was recorded on October 20, 2011.

Download MP3 (123:37min, 113MB)

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On March 24, the Irish national team challenged the Seawolf Debate program in an exhibition debate in Fine Arts, Room 150. The two teams faced off over a discussion of whether the Westboro Baptist Church’s message is worthy of the protection afforded to political speech.

In recent months, the church in Topeka, Kansas, has received significant press over its stance on homosexuality. They have received notoriety for their public protests and picketing of funerals, such as in Arizona where they rallied with signs saying, “Thank God for the shooter—6 dead!” They have also carried signs proclaiming “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” and “God Hates Fags.”

On March 2, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 decision that the First Amendment protects the church’s protests of military funerals. Join the Irish national and Seawolf Debate teams as they explore this controversial topic.

This podcast was recorded on March 24, 2011.

Download MP3 (56:38min, 52MB)

For More Information:

Seawolf Debate website

Details and news about the team

Nearly 100 people gathered to debate and discuss race-based preference for University admissions. The Seawolf Speech and Debate Team opened the event with a debate in the British Parliamentary format that presented both sides of the issue.

Colin Haughey and Michaela Hernandez voiced the proposition that race-based preference for admissions should end.  They argued that a focus on socioeconomic status would guarantee an equal chance for a college education.

The opposition team, comprised of Drew Cason and Brett Frazer, argued that the university needs a race-based preference to advocate for diversity. Listeners enter the debate a few moments after it began, with Colin Haughey speaking.

This podcast was recorded Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010 in Library 307.

Download MP3 (27:06min, 25MB)

For More Information:

Seawolf Debate Team website

Description of programs and debate competitions

Debate announcement

Green & Gold event announcement