For the 17th year in a row, the world has ended in a fiery nuclear explosion. Through the fallout and debris, a lone plastic raft drifts through rivers of contamination and destruction. Those gathered in Palmer Hall at 7 p.m. on Oct. 9 will decide the final passenger on the raft, the decision dependent on that individual’s ability to argue for the indispensability of their academic expertise.

Last year, Dr. Scott Varagona won by arguing the stone cold logic that math was an essential tool to rebuild society. He currently holds the oar, but there are six new debaters who eye it with determination. They are…

(Click on each image to enlarge.)