April 12, 1996

FOR RELEASE: Upon receipt          CONTACT: Elaine Harrington

UVM VARSITY DEBATE TEAM IS FIFTH IN NATION;
OTHER HONORS FOR INDIVIDUALS

     The University of Vermont varsity debate team placed fifth
out of 200 schools at the national tournament of the Cross
Examination Debate Association (CEDA), held the first weekend in
April in Long Beach, Calif.  
     UVM was the top school in the East -- ahead of all other
regional competitors, including sixth-place Cornell University.
Michigan State University won first place in the contest.
     The CEDA tournament has eight preliminary debates followed
by a 64-team elimination bracket, "much like the NCAA basketball
tournament -- only without regional sites," said Alfred "Tuna"
Snider, UVM debate coach and associate professor of theater.
Teams will compete many times over one grueling weekend, gaining
points for their performance at each level.
     Annalei McGreevy, a junior, and Jethro Hayman, a senior,
lost to Southern Illinois in the semifinals but defeated the
University of California at Berkeley and other schools during
their quest. Another UVM team -- Andrea Looby, a senior, and
Cleopatra Jones, a junior, finished 5-3 in their preliminary
debates and defeated the University of Wyoming before losing to
the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
     "This victory belongs to our entire squad," said Snider, who
cited "hard work, dedication and nerves of steel." UVM competes
against schools with large debate budgets that include
scholarships, he said, but "extra work and determination" -- even
during spring break -- makes the difference. "It is not our
pressure as coaches but their own drive for intellectual
excellence which motivates them."
     Other final achievements for the UVM debate season include: 
 Best Novice Debate Team in the nation -- Erica Albin and Shane   
Egizi.
 Debater of the Year in the East -- Jethro Hayman.
 Coach of the Year in the East -- Alfred "Tuna" Snider.
 All-American Debate Team member -- Jethro Hayman.
 Scholastic All-American Debate Team member -- Cleopatra Jones.
     A banquet is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, at 6 p.m. in
Waterman Manor to honor the Lawrence Debate Union for its
accomplishments during the year. For more information about this
event or the UVM debate program, contact Snider at 656-0097.

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