Student speakers compete in November 27 ‘Olympics’
November 22, 2006
KOKOMO, Ind.—Audience members will be the judges when Indiana University Kokomo hosts its annual Speech Olympics Monday, November 27. Starting at 7 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, four students will present brief “problem speeches,” outlining a current issue and its potential solutions. The audience will then cast ballots for the top speaker. Admission is free and open to the public.
Competitors in the 2006 IU Kokomo Speech Olympics are
• Jesika Alexander of Logansport, a criminal justice major speaking on “Credit Card Debt”
• Greg Bowman of Rossville, a nursing major speaking on “School Shootings”
• Orey Pence of Noblesville, a dental hygiene major speaking on “Antibiotic Resistance”
• Chuck Rolfing of Westfield, an education major speaking on “Diabetes”
Earlier this fall, student judges selected the four finalists as the top orators from more than a dozen public speaking and Freshmen Learning Community classes at IU Kokomo. Rolfing and Alexander both studied public speaking under B. J. Siefert. Mavis Barnett instructed Pence, and Chris Darr instructed Bowman.
Having students judge their peers’ presentations was “a step toward engaging our students,” said Acting Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Raul Mosley, Ph.D., coordinator of the Speech Olympics. “We used a panel of ‘expert judges’ for past events, but this time we invited students to take a more active role in determining the competition’s outcome. Our faculty sees this as an invitation for students to think critically about the public speaking process.”
While the Speech Olympics ballots are being tallied, members of the IU Kokomo Speech Team will take the stage, offering oral presentations they have taken to intercollegiate speech competitions this fall.
For more information on IU Kokomo’s offering in communication arts, visit the Department of Humanities Web page www.iuk.edu/~kohman or call (765) 455-9248.
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