Faculty champions return for Raft Debate All-Stars

They’ve already won the Raft Debate before. Now, they’re back to defend the title and settle the age-old question once more: which academic discipline should survive for the sake of humanity?  

The four William & Mary faculty members — Chuck Bailey, Anne Rasmussen, Peter Vishton and Andrew Fisher — will take the stage in the Commonwealth Auditorium on Tuesday, Oct. 27, starting at 6:30 p.m., with renewed energy for a special edition of the beloved W&M tradition, Raft Debate All-Stars. 

In an imaginary scenario where each of the professors, who represent the sciences, the social sciences, and the arts & humanities, are stranded on a deserted island, they must fight, figuratively, for the life raft that will bring only one of them back to civilization. While three of the faculty members argue that their discipline is the one humanity needs most, the snarky Devil’s Advocate pessimistically argues that none of them are worth saving. 

The debaters are known to don costumes and props on stage as they each take their turn to poke fun at the other disciplines. While all in good fun, the Raft Debate fosters intellectual dialogue on the merits of each academic area, its role in addressing society’s most pressing challenges, and why a liberal arts education matters. 

At the end of the debate, a noise dosimeter measures the volume of applause in the audience for each professor to determine the winner. 

The event is free and open to the public. Please fill out the RSVP form in advance. Can’t make it in person? Tune into the livestream here. 

The 2026 Raft Debate All-Stars includes: 

Sciences: Chuck Bailey, Professor of Geology 

Professor Chuck Bailey is a structural geologist and an inveterate rabble-rouser. His research takes him from the Desert Southwest to the mountains of Oman. In addition to structural geology, he teaches courses focused on the Earth’s environmental systems, planetary geology, as well as weather and climate.  His classes are infamous for their high ‘stoked factor.’ At the 2003 Raft Debate, Chuck carried the day, safely returning from the forsaken island to his day job at William & Mary. 

Social Sciences: Peter Vishton, Associate Professor of Psychological Sciences 

Peter M. Vishton, winner of the 2015 Raft Debate, is a psychological scientist interested in how action control influences perceptual and cognitive processes. He is the inventor of the BabyKart, a device that enables 4-month-old infants to drive. He recently published an article suggesting that some plants can count to two. Given his love of arts, humanities and natural sciences, he is reluctant to harshly criticize them in the Raft Debate. That said, he will.    

Arts & Humanities: Anne Rasmussen, Professor of Music/Ethnomusicology, Bickers Professor of Middle Eastern Studies 

She skis, she hikes, she bikes, she sings and plays music, and she had a previous life as a lounge lizard in Paris. Ethnomusicologist and Bickers Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Anne Rasmussen has ongoing research projects in the U.S., the Arabian Gulf, and especially in Indonesia, the land below the Monsoon Winds. Given her vast previous experience at sea, she is incredulous at being stranded (again) on a deserted island with a passel of adversarial shipmates, but is ready, once again, to defend the humanities! 

Devil’s Advocate: Andrew Fisher, Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies, History 

Andrew Fisher considers history to be a humanistic discipline, yet he was somehow compelled to represent the social sciences during the 2011 Raft Debate. This time, as the Devil's Advocate, he aims to burn down all the disciplines in a blaze of glory that should disqualify him from further service on all college committees. Raised in Portlandia before it was cool, he specializes in the Indigenous and environmental history of the Pacific Northwest. Someday he hopes to retire to Portland and open a home for recovering hipsters.  

Judge: Trey Mayo, Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies, School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics 

Assistant Dean Trey Mayo (Ed.D. ’22) oversees graduate studies support and operations in the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics, managing admissions, academic progress, and all things paperwork. He previously served in a similar capacity in the College of Arts & Sciences at W&M.  

While his lifelong dream of being a TV game show host didn't pan out, he found a perfect consolation prize: serving as The Judge of the Raft Debate, moderating four academics who fight for survival after a hypothetical shipwreck. When the spreadsheets are filed away and the robe is hung up, Mayo enjoys nature walks, spending time with his mother and his feline fur-daughter, Chewie, and finding the perfect YouTube clip or meme for the occasion.