The T.O.H. Karl Forensic Forum is committed to enhancing and invigorating community debate on matters of public concern. As part of that mission, the Ruth Anderson Public Debate series brings experts to campus to discuss contemporary issues relevant to our community. If you are unable to make it to PLU, you can watch the event online and follow along on Twitter with live tweets.

Fall 2019 Debate: Rent Control

Should Tacoma institute a policy of rent control?

The Seattle Times declared Tacoma’s housing market the hottest in the U.S., in part because Seattleites in search of more affordable homes have started buying up property. Yet Tacoma’s job market is not competitive with Seattle’s, and as a result, many local residents cannot keep up with the rising cost of housing. Given these trends, the 2019 Ruth Anderson Public topic was: This house believes Tacoma should institute a policy of rent control.

The debate probed a wide range of issues from multiple angles, such as the efficacy of government intervention into the market versus market-based solutions and balancing the rights of both tenants and property owners. The 2019 debate was moderated by Q13 News Anchor and Host of The Divide, Brandi Kruse, and featured Representative Andrew Barkis from the 2nd District in Washington’s House of Representatives and Dinah Braccio from Tenants Union of Washington. The debate took place in Regency Room in the Anderson University Center  on October 1st, 2019.

Previous Debates

2013 Drone Debate
2014 Meat Debate
2015 Minimum Wage Debate
2016 Third Party Debate
2017 Bipartisanship Debate
2019 Rent Control Debate

Note: PLU was proud to host the October 2018 Washington State senatorial debate between Senator Maria Cantwell (D) and her challenger, Susan Hutchinson (R). A recording of their debate can be watched online on C-SPAN’s website.