In its third consecutive year competing in forensics competitions, Spring Arbor University students placed against nationally-ranked schools this fall. Most notably, SAU took top honors at the novice forensics tournament at Oakland Community College in September as four of seven students placed in the prose area of the competition.

Becky Thiebaut (Munith), a junior advertising and public relations student received first place and Alicia Travis (Canal Winchester, Ohio), a junior camp-programming ministry major took second. Scarlet Shafer (Sears), a senior speech major, followed with a fourth place finish and Marissa Willerick (Homer), a senior advertising and public relations major, rounded out the honors taking sixth.

In forensics and debate, teams function much like track and field athletic teams. To be successful, many individuals compete in their own areas of expertise within the realm of competitive public speaking. Their progress is then scored as a team.

In the biggest of the three tournaments, University students traveled to Bowling Green University, where they competed against several big colleges like Central Michigan University and Miami University. SAU was led by Kurt Classen (Bronson), a junior speech major, who placed third in the novice “After Dinner” speech competition, and Kyle Thompson (Perrysburg, Ohio), a psychology and Spanish major, who placed first novice in the “Program Oral Interpretation” category.

Students also traveled to nearby Hillsdale College where four students competed in two pairs for a parliamentary debate competition. Willerick and Thiebaut placed as quarter finalists.

Three years ago, Paul Patton, associate professor of communication, filled the need for a forensics and debate program in the communication department by connecting then new-faculty member Becky Veydt as a coach and professor for the class. “Veydt is a forensics leader who has a pastor's heart and a coach's passion,” says Patton. This program began as a club-like atmosphere and then developed into a class. Now it also requires participation in a tournament. Veydt hopes students continue to grow in their speech ability as the program develops. "Competing against nationally-ranked schools is an excellent opportunity for our students,” says Veydt.

The process of creating a forensics piece is extensive. Veydt asks each student to present a piece that portrays human emotion, something the students themselves connect with emotionally. “Our team has placed well because of the effort we put into our pieces and the preparation beforehand,” says Thiebaut.

“Forensics benefits any student who plans to be in front of others using their voice and face as conveyers of messages (teachers, lawyers, pastors, business majors, obviously speech and communication students, etc.), by exposing them to a world where preparation, professionalism, poise and performance are necessary. It requires students to be creative on the developmental side, evaluative and purposefully concise during the tweaking portion of putting a piece together, and then the need for understanding performance and presentation during the implementation portion for competition,” says Veydt.

For more information about speech and communication at Spring Arbor University, visit www.arbor.edu.

Article provided by senior Beth Landis, an advertising/public relations major from Swartz Creek.