DANBURY, CONN. — U.S. nuclear weapons policy will be the focus as Western Connecticut State University’s award-winning student debaters face off against visiting teams from 21 colleges across the Northeast in the 2009 Hat City Debates to be held on Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15, at WestConn.

The WCSU Roger Sherman Debate Society will be the host for a tournament competition featuring a series of policy and parliamentary-style debates continuing from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 14, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 15. The debates will be held in Warner Hall on the university’s Midtown campus at 181 White St. in Danbury. Admission will be free and the public is invited to attend.

Policy debates will address the resolution selected by the Cross Examination Debate Association for CEDA-sanctioned college debate tournaments during the 2009-2010 academic year. Competing teams will defend and oppose the policy statement affirming, “Resolved: The U.S. federal government should substantially reduce the size of its nuclear weapons arsenal, and/or substantially reduce and restrict the role and/or missions of its nuclear weapons arsenal.”

Six preliminary rounds of competition will be held in both the Policy and parliamentary-style Worlds divisions, with winning teams moving on to compete for top placements in the tournament.

Since its founding in 2003, the Roger Sherman Debate Society has competed widely in tournaments at the regional and national level, compiling an impressive record of high placements against teams from elite private colleges and large public universities. The 16 students who comprise this year’s squad are led by co-captains Sara Waterfall, of Danbury, who serves as RSDS president; and Debra Salvato, of New Fairfield, who serves as vice president. WCSU faculty advisers and codirectors of the Society for the 2009-2010 year are Associate Professor of History and Non-Western Cultures Dr. Wynn Gadkar-Wilcox and Assistant Professor of Communication Dr. D. L. Stephenson.

Wilcox observed that registrations received from colleges participating in the 2009 Hat City Debates are expected to make the WCSU-hosted event the fifth-largest CEDA-sanctioned tournament in the nation to date during the current academic year. In addition to WestConn, colleges that have registered teams for the tournament include: Adelphi University, Bard College, Binghamton University, Boston College, Cape Cod Community College, City University of New York, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Fordham University, The King’s College, Liberty University, Monmouth University, The New School, New York University, the University of Rochester, St. John’s University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Vermont, West Virginia University and Wilkes University.

For information, visit the Roger Sherman Debate Society Web site at debate.wcsu.edu.

 

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics
of New England’s best small private universities.