Professor moons rival at debates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Officials at a Kansas university are looking into a YouTube video that shows a debate team coach mooning a room of spectators during an argument after a competition.
Fort Hays State University debate coach William Shanahan is shown on the video in a profane, in-your-face argument with his counterpart from the University of Pittsburgh, Shanara Reid-Brinkley. The exchange took place in Wichita, Kan., in March, after a debate between Fort Hays and Towson State University teams.
Erroneous reports on the incident said it happened at Emory University in Atlanta.
The video was posted earlier this month and shows Shanahan bending over and pulling down his khaki shorts, exposing his underwear.
A Fort Hays academic officer says the Pittsburgh professor had accused the Fort Hays team of dropping her as a judge because she’s black. The Kansas school is also looking into what an official calls the “racial element” to the episode.
Michael Hester, director of University of West Georgia debate and an assistant dean of the Honors College, judged the debate before the coaches’ argument. He likens the incident on the video to a fight among sports fans — a personal argument that got out of hand but didn’t directly involve the debate competitors or judges.
Hester, who in the video is sitting at a table behind the arguing coaches, says debate has a competitive atmosphere that’s usually congenial but can get rowdy. This fight was unusually intense and their reactions were juvenile, he says, but the incident blew up because of the video’s appearance and popularity on YouTube.
“I’ve seen fights just as bad, if not worse, during a Wednesday night church league softball game,” Hester says. “Two individuals wanted to holler at each other and vent and let off some steam. They’re debaters — they like to argue.”
— Jamie Gumbrecht and wire reports



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Comments
By Dixie
Aug 15, 2008 12:09 PM | Link to this
WOW - John Smith you need help with your issues! Hope you're blogging from a mental hospital. Does Emory have one?
By Dixie
Aug 15, 2008 12:03 PM | Link to this
WOW - John Smith you need help with your issues! Hope you're blogging from a mental hospital. Does Emory have one?
By Dixie
Aug 15, 2008 11:48 AM | Link to this
WOW - John Smith you need help with your issues! Hope you're blogging from a mental hospital. Does Emory have one?
By John Smith
Aug 14, 2008 10:19 PM | Link to this
Nice bigotted comment by the Christian hater Michael Hester;
ıIıve seen fights just as bad, if not worse, during a Wednesday night church league softball game,ı Hester says. ıTwo individuals wanted to holler at each other and vent and let off some steam. Theyıre debaters ı they like to argue.ı
Lets make sure that you get a knock in on Christians so your looney, atheistic side doesn't look so bad. Hester you suck as much as your molestor rhyming name.
By ms. hoo
Aug 14, 2008 9:01 PM | Link to this
He's a dumbass...
By benton
Aug 14, 2008 1:31 PM | Link to this
He probably figured that Emory is full of a-holes, so his would be right at home.
By Dixie
Aug 14, 2008 12:43 PM | Link to this
What do we need to say to get them to streak?
By ZigZagGirl
Aug 14, 2008 12:21 PM | Link to this
We children of Atlanta in the 70's don't really call it mooning unless we get to see the stars too.
By James
Aug 14, 2008 11:46 AM | Link to this
They teach students to moon at Georgia Tech.
By frank the tank
Aug 14, 2008 11:16 AM | Link to this
Now thats how you debate!
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