Forensics Team

Economics grad leaves their mark and legacy on forensics team

Katarina Benson — Thu, 15 May 2025 15:11:27 +0000

Economics grad leaves their mark and legacy on forensics team Katarina Benson Thu, 05/15/2025 - 11:11

When Dawn Lowry, the director of �鶹��Ƶ’s forensics team, recruits prospective students to join the university’s intercollegiate speech team, she reviews videos of high school competitions.

A competitive speech coach for more than 30 years, Lowry remembers being blown away the first time she watched footage of now economics major Prem Ganesan in action.

Prem Ganesan. Photo provided

“They reminded me of a hurricane—all power, all energy,” Lowry recalls. “It was like if we can figure out how to harness that and control that energy, then they would be a real force.”

Four years later, Ganesan left their mark and legacy on a George �鶹��Ƶ program already rich in history.

Ganesan, who is graduating this spring with a bachelor’s degree in economics, won individual national championships during their career in a record six different categories—the most by a student in the 75-year history of intercollegiate competitive speech.

They captured seven national titles in six different categories at national tournaments recognized by the American Forensic Association and the National Forensic Association: After Dinner Speaking, Communication Analysis, Duo Interpretation, Informative Speaking, Poetry Interpretation, and Program Oral Interpretation.

“They are a wonderful mix of artistry and analysis,” said Lowry, who is also an instructor in the Department of Communication. “They have a wonderful ability to find the story that hasn’t been told and show a complete diaspora of human experiences. They give performances that make people cry, but if you look at them closely, they are also technically beautiful.

While still in high school in Minnesota, Ganesan was drawn to George �鶹��Ƶ due to its economics program and the forensics team. The competitive speech program, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has ranked in the top five nationally since 2007.

Ganesan has added to that reputation, helping George �鶹��Ƶ finish as national champion runners-up three of the last four years. They often delve into LGBTQ+ issues; the Indian diaspora; and issues pertaining to diversity, economic development, and racial injustice.

“There are not a lot of people who look like me,” Ganesan said. “Or who believe what I believe in, who are in this field advocating for what I want to see the world moving toward.”

As a sophomore, their championship-winning speech in the After Dinning Speaking category focused on economics’ diversity problem.

The category, “persuasive in nature,” Ganesan said, requires competitors to present a societal problem, explain why that issue persists and then offer a solution—all within 10 minutes. Ganesan utilized humor, a device they turn to often in their speeches, to address the problem and finish atop a category with more than 100 participants.

“I don’t like aiming for results; I like chasing the process of speech,” Ganesan said. “How can we take new risks? How can we push the bar on performance choices? How can we write cool lines that the audience hasn’t heard before?”

Ganesan speaking. Photo by Eduardo Macedo.

Ganesan has emerged as a leader, serving as a co-captain of the forensics team and teaching at high school speech camps during the summer both at George �鶹��Ƶ and Illinois State University, along with coaching part-time at a high school back home in Minnesota.

They were also the senior student representative on the National Council for the National Forensic Association, serving as the voice of the students and pushing for accessibility for all participants at competitions.

“[Prem] is always at the other end of the phone if you need advice,” freshman Emma Schaible said. “They are probably one of the upperclassmen that has been there the most for me and the rest of the first years (on the team).”

Added Lowry: “They are a powerful advocate in making sure everyone has the resources they need.”

After graduation, Ganesan plans to attend Illinois State—Lowry’s alma mater—to pursue a master’s degree in communication. They will also work as a graduate teaching assistant for the university’s forensics team.

Reflecting on their time at George �鶹��Ƶ, Ganesan said their interactions with students, faculty, and staff in the Department of Economics and on the forensics team sparked “countless relationships, friendships, and mentors.”

“Diversity is such a cornerstone of my college experience,” Ganesan said. “Interacting with a variety of human beings has been so transformational. I am a lifelong student, so learning from as many different people as possible and then taking their experiences and trying to adapt them into my own little pedagogy has been super cool to do. And speech has taught me how to do that. To take in, not to just communicate, but to listen to other people and learn from them.”

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A relentless pursuit of excellence: 50 years of George �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team

Colleen Rich — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:34:19 +0000

A relentless pursuit of excellence: 50 years of George �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team Colleen Rich Tue, 08/27/2024 - 12:34

�鶹��Ƶ aims to provide students with a transformational learning experience that helps them grow as individuals, scholars, and professionals. George �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team has been dedicated to this priority and providing opportunities for students for more than 50 years.

More than 140 team alumni gathered at Horizon Hall, traveling from 16 states and overseas, to celebrate five decades of excellence alongside current Forensics Team members. Photo by Eduardo Macedo/Office of University Branding

On Aug. 17, more than 140 team alumni gathered, traveling from 16 states and overseas, to celebrate five decades of excellence alongside current Forensics Team members.

George �鶹��Ƶ’s intercollegiate speech team has represented the university at regional and national speech competitions since the early 1970s. They compete in a wide range of events designed to persuade or move an audience through public speaking or oral interpretation of literature.

For decades, George �鶹��Ƶ has been regarded as one of the top forensics teams in the country. In 1979, the team won the American Forensic Association’s national championship. The team has placed among the top 10 programs at nationals 25 times in the past 33 years, and they have ranked second in the country for the past three years.

“Fifty years ago, a group of visionary individuals, Margaret Duffner, Bruce Manchester, and Sheryl Friedley, laid the foundation for what would become a powerhouse of talent and intellect,” said Dawn Lowry, current director of the team. “We honor their legacy and the countless contributions of students, coaches, and supporters who have carried the torch forward.”

Alumni and team members in attendance shared stories from their experience on the team: commitment to hard work, discipline, friendship, and above all—an enduring community.

At the reunion, Professor Emeritus Bruce Manchester announced a landmark gift to the Forensics Team. Photo by Eduardo Macedo/Office of University Branding.

“Looking back at my time as part of the Forensics Team, the experience prepared me for my career as a peacebuilder and conflict negotiator. I will never forget the lessons I learned, and I continue to learn every day,” said Manal Omar, BA International Studies ’96.

“Being part of the Forensics Team provided incredible formation for my personal and professional life,” said Victoria McDermott, BA Speech Communication ’90, JD ’93.

At the reunion, George �鶹��Ƶ junior Freya Hutton treated alumni and guests to a performance in Impromptu Speaking. Hutton was given a quote and 90 seconds to craft his performance, which he did while on stage with nothing more than a pencil and small note card.

The quote Hutton received—“We are stronger together as a team than any one of us has to be as an individual”—was provided by Professor Emerita Sheryl Friedley, known to the team as “Docette,” who served as assistant director for 16 years.

He tackled the assignment with ease, which is a testament to his experience and skill. Hutton, a philosophy major, is a tournament champion in Impromptu Speaking and was a national finalist in Rhetorical Criticism at the 2024 National Forensic Association’s National Tournament.

This message was repeated by both alumni and students throughout the event. “The community behind our team is strong and palpable,” said Prem Ganesan, a George �鶹��Ƶ senior studying economics. “I always have the opportunity to keep learning and to keep working toward improvement with our team.”

Ganesan exemplifies the team’s dedication to continued learning and a shared pursuit of excellence. They earned the prestigious title of National Champion in Poetry at the 2024 National Forensics Association National Tournament and secured five national titles across a variety of categories, in addition to placing as a finalist in several events.

Ganesan presented a poetry interpretation, an exploration of gender through the lens of reincarnation. Their performance was a powerful tribute to the strength of the team, the quality of their work, and dedication to this craft.

The Forensics Team celebration was accentuated by the announcement of a landmark gift to the team from Professor Emeritus Bruce Manchester and his partner of 46 years, James “Fred” Emory. This planned gift from Manchester and Emory is the largest commitment to date pledged by a George �鶹��Ƶ faculty member. Their gift will establish endowments to support the director and assistant director of forensics positions and provide lasting support to the program.

Manchester reinforced how this team has, for decades, provided strength and community to countless George �鶹��Ƶ students.

“The team was a place for people to be their authentic self and this created a positive experience that made a difference for so many,” said Nicolette Stearns, BA Speech Communication ’85, MEd Curriculum and Instruction ’92.

“In addition to learning public speaking and how to craft persuasive arguments, I learned how to be a supportive team member,” Stearns added. “I brought these skills to my work in training and consulting, and I was able to teach others.”

Stearns shared that George �鶹��Ƶ Forensics became the foundation for her life, both personal and professional. Her teammates became her closest friends—they have shared life together for the past 40 years—raising kids, holding monthly dinners, and have even officiated each other’s weddings.

The outcome is clear. George �鶹��Ƶ Forensics has achieved excellence in preparing our students to thrive, cultivating their sense of curiosity, and building lasting community for generations.

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Historic gift speaks volumes about George �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team

Colleen Rich — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 17:34:55 +0000

Historic gift speaks volumes about George �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team Colleen Rich Fri, 08/23/2024 - 13:34

Decades of success for the �鶹��Ƶ Forensics Team are being rewarded through a landmark gift from Bruce Manchester and his partner and husband of 46 years, James “Fred” Emory. During Manchester’s tenure as director of forensics at George �鶹��Ƶ, students won more than 10,000 individual and team awards in intercollegiate competition.

This historic planned gift from Manchester and Emory is the largest commitment to date pledged by a George �鶹��Ƶ faculty member.

Professor Emeritus Bruce Manchester stands next to a photo of himself in the Horizon Hall exhibit: "Past, Present, Future: �鶹��Ƶ's Core Remains Constant." Photo by Eduardo Macedo/Office of University Branding

Their gift will establish endowments to support the nationally recognized team in perpetuity. The pledge, in the form of a future bequest, will create endowed funds to support the positions of program director and assistant director, as well as provide lasting student support to the program through an existing endowed fund. Creating endowed faculty positions helps attract the best professors in the nation to George �鶹��Ƶ to teach and lead this prestigious program.

“I could not have asked for a more rewarding career than I had at George �鶹��Ƶ. I know how incredibly valuable the forensics program is to students, and I simply want to give back as much as I can to that program,” Manchester said. “As an educator, I want to make sure that George �鶹��Ƶ students will always have the opportunity for a strong forensics education.”

Manchester arrived at George �鶹��Ƶ in 1975, a time when the young university was eager to find exemplars of success to establish its reputation and credibility. He served as the director of the forensics program from 1975 through 1993, aided by assistant director Sheryl Friedley. The named endowed faculty positions honor Manchester, the George �鶹��Ƶ team’s longest serving director, and Friedley, the team’s longest serving assistant director.

“I came here because I was fascinated by the idea of the challenge that George �鶹��Ƶ was offering,” recalls Manchester, who is now retired and living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Here was a chance to be on the ground floor in a place that didn’t even have a communication degree, and to be directly involved in developing the degree program.”

Sheryl Friedley and Bruce Manchester, holding the trophy, and the winning Forensics Team members celebrate their national championship victory in 1979. Photo provided

The previous forensics director, Margaret Duffner, who started the program, had been affectionately called “Ma” by her students, Manchester says. “So when I got there, the team decided to call me ‘Doc’ since I had a PhD and was too young to be called ‘Pa’!”

Together, Manchester and Friedley put George �鶹��Ƶ forensics in the national spotlight, winning the East Coast Championship an extraordinary 18 consecutive years. George �鶹��Ƶ finished in the national top five for 16 of those years, including winning the American Forensic Association national championship in 1979. The pair coached a total of 119 national finalists.

Remarkably, the teams achieved these results even though at least half the team members over the years had no previous forensics experience, Manchester said. “In all the years I was director, we did not have a single student on scholarship for forensics. They were just regular students—they would see our recruiting signs on campus and decide to give it a try.”

“Forensics made them better speakers, better writers. They got better at their academics, their time management,” said Manchester. “If they were willing to put in the work and grow, I was willing to work with them. And I’m very proud of what they did and were able to achieve.”

Professor Emeritus Bruce Manchester (seated) gets a standing ovation at the Forensics Program's 50th anniversary celebration. Photo by Eduardo Macedo/Office of University Branding

“Cocurricular programs such as George �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team give students the opportunity to learn and collaborate across disciplines, to uncover insights and gain rich experiences that will contribute to their success after graduation,” said Ann Ardis, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “This extraordinary commitment from Manchester and Emory represents the ideals of how philanthropy can support teaching, students, and programs, to ensure support over generations.”

In the years since, the Forensics Team has continued its outstanding showings and is currently under the direction of Dawn Lowry.

After stepping down as forensics director, Manchester continued as a full-time faculty member in the Department of Communication through 2004, serving as associate chair. He was twice named Faculty Member of the Year by the �鶹��Ƶ Alumni Association and also received George �鶹��Ƶ’s David J. King Teaching Award, among other honors. The Communication Department’s student award for outstanding academic achievement is also named in his honor.

For more than 20 years, Manchester was the vice chair of the American Forensic Association’s National Speech Tournament (AFA-NST) Committee. In 2004, the association permanently renamed its annual scholarly research grant as the Dr. Bruce Manchester Scholar Series.

Many of his Forensics Team members remain in touch with Manchester to this day. “Whether you were new to the team or a four-year veteran, the expectations were the same, and you were valued the same,” Manchester said. “We had a saying: ‘The most important thing is not to win, but to struggle.’ That was a motto we lived by. I wanted my students not necessarily to win, but to struggle—both on the team, and in the classroom. And if you do, I promise you that success will come from that.”

For 50 years, the team members have had as their highest goal a top five team award at the national championship. Manchester added, “As a result, teammates learn to count on each other, to help and support each other. The strength of George �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team is definitely its camaraderie.”

The gift from Manchester and Emory was announced at a reunion event marking 50 years of the forensics program at George �鶹��Ƶ, which was attended by more than 140 alumni who traveled from 16 states and overseas.

“I feel so incredibly blessed to have experienced a career path and location for my work that was so fulfilling,” Manchester said.

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Ian Candy’s First Year: Combining Politics, Neuroscience, and Forensics—to Help Others

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 14:00:36 +0000

Ian Candy’s First Year: Combining Politics, Neuroscience, and Forensics—to Help Others Andrew J Schappert Wed, 08/14/2024 - 10:00

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Ian Candy’s interest in politics developed early, at age 10, when he found he enjoyed watching political news shows with his parents instead of cartoons.

“My parents love watching the news,” he said. “And oddly enough, I enjoyed it. I ended up becoming very invested with the political side of the news…. This love for democracy that was planted in me as a child has only grown. The roots of this seed have cemented, making the study of government and international politics dear to my heart.”

Ian Candy: ‘It is no secret that our democracy can light up a room in a second, but just as quickly cover it in shadows.’

As a first-year student at the Schar School of Policy and Government at �鶹��Ƶ, Candy will major in government and international politics at a Carnegie Research 1 institution that happens to be located just a few miles from Washington, D.C. Both of those were “huge check marks on my list” of potential schools, he said.

“It is no secret that our democracy can light up a room in a second, but just as quickly cover it in shadows,” he said. “No stranger to governmental legislation targeting my communities, I have and will continue to advocate for anyone facing those shadows.”

The South Dakota native will double major in neuroscience at George �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Science, a program that prepares students for medical and health-related fields.

“I truly believe that the breadth of both fields lends themselves to a great deal of intersectionality not seen in many other double majors,” he said. “Neuroscience captivates me, but imperatively, I feel a duty to study this field.”

Candy said that “the people in my life that are closest to me have and continue to struggle with mental illness and brain function disorders. Researching the causes and solutions to ‘give back’ [to those in need] would be incredibly fulfilling.”

Candy is convinced that he can overcome what he calls “the ambiguous intersectionality between neuroscience and government” with a third interest of his: storytelling. In fact, the University Scholar and Honors College student will hone his storytelling skills as a member of George �鶹��Ƶ’s forensics team, which placed second in the nation in 2024.

“What I found most remarkable about him was that he is very engaging and likeable,” said forensics director Dawn Lowry, who recruited Candy at the National Speech and Debate Association’s high school expo in Des Moines, Iowa. “He has a great energy and when he is into something, he wants to know everything about that subject.”

Meeting Lowry and other members of the team made Candy feel “welcomed and at home, just from the few conversations I had,” he said.

While a career path is still uncertain for the new college student, “I hope to achieve what 10-year-old me envisioned: to help other people.

“Whether that looks like a career defending others in the courtroom, providing psychiatric assistance to patients, drafting science and technology-based policy, or working on something that doesn’t even exist yet, helping others—while hearing and advocating for their stories—is my main goal.”

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George �鶹��Ƶ’s summer forensics camp created a pathway for this rising sophomore

Shayla Brown — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 18:54:29 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ’s summer forensics camp created a pathway for this rising sophomore Shayla Brown Wed, 07/31/2024 - 14:54

Samuel Dalachinsky could have attended college tuition-free in Florida. But his experience at the George �鶹��Ƶ Institute of Forensics in the summer of 2022, before his senior year of high school, convinced him to look at �鶹��Ƶ.

Samuel Dalachinsky. Photo provided.

“[The summer institute] definitely helped build a bridge to transition from high school into college for me, so I had a lot of hope in the university,” he said.

For 20 years, the Institute of Forensics has been helping high school students from around the United States practice and improve their speech and presentation skills to become tournament ready. George �鶹��Ƶ has one of the top forensics teams in the country and regularly lands in the top five nationally. This is year they placed second out of almost 60 schools at the American Forensics Association Tournament.

The summer institute also brings awareness about the university’s forensics program to potential future students as about 20% of high school students who attend this camp subsequently attend George �鶹��Ƶ.

“The camp was such an important experience to me. It let me find this way to radically embrace my identity,” he said.

George �鶹��Ƶ’s reputation for inclusiveness in the LGBTQ+ space was supported by Dalanchinsky’s experience at the summer institute.

“I came to camp with the intention of writing an angry piece about how I was feeling, and they showed me all of these beautiful poems written by trans people. It made me reevaluate the way I was thinking about things,” said Dalanchinsky, who is an Honors College student.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences faculty members and forensic team coaches Dawn Lowry and Tyler Watkins, who is also a George �鶹��Ƶ alum, mentored Dalanchinsky while he was at the camp.

“Dawn really uplifts me and gives me so much confidence,” said the psychology major. “She had known me for about a week and said that she already knew she wanted me on the [George �鶹��Ƶ] team.”

Dalanchinsky’s family had invested in Florida’s Bright Future Scholars program, which would have guaranteed him free in-state tuition, he said. But the forensics team coaches helped him find scholarship opportunities that made it possible for him to attend George �鶹��Ƶ, as well as offering him financial aid.

“The coaches definitely helped me out a lot with the scholarship application process,” said Dalanchinsky.

Dalanchinsky, who wants to combine his major in psychology with social justice topics, specifically LGBTQ+ rights, has found the routines and practices taught at the institute helpful in preparing speeches. Dalanchinsky uses research topics and information from his classes at George �鶹��Ƶ to write his speeches, which allows him to practice the application of psychology to the LGBTQ+ community, which he hopes to one day do professionally, he said.

“George �鶹��Ƶ is very open-minded when it comes to picking your own topics of research and speech,” said Dalanchinsky. “Speech has not only given me confidence with public speaking or communicating with others in general, but also a lot of research abilities, which I think is very important.”

Dalachinsky appreciates the coaching he’s received since joining the George �鶹��Ƶ team. “The coaches are very quick to tell you if you come off as a little too quiet, and they get it out of us really quickly,” he said. “They’ve also helped me with networking, and I've gotten to meet some really interesting people throughout the speech circuit.”

Dalachinsky is considering graduate school at George �鶹��Ƶ. “I’d love to do graduate assisting coaching for Dawn and Tyler. I think it would be great to continue my education here,” he said.

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George �鶹��Ƶ Students Secure Second in the Country in Collegiate Speech

Andrew J Schappert — Wed, 01 May 2024 15:37:22 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ Students Secure Second in the Country in Collegiate Speech Andrew J Schappert Wed, 05/01/2024 - 11:37

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The �鶹��Ƶ Forensics Team poses with its 2nd place trophy at the National Forensic Association Tournament.

On any given Saturday, you might find the members of the �鶹��Ƶ Forensics Team, or intercollegiate speech team, huddled together in an empty classroom.

After a rousing round of vocal warmups, the students—nearly half of them students in the Schar School of Policy and Government—join hands and recite “The Covenant,” a poem passed down since the team’s founding more than 50 years ago. At the completion of the poem and a after a round of pep talks from coaches and captains, the team disperses to compete against teams from across the country for the title of most persuasive, informative, or poetic speaker (among other titles).

With a glance at the “wall of champions,” students can trace their competitive lineage decades back—with Schar School students scattered throughout the wall. One alumnus, former captain Jacob Thompson and two-time national champion, credits the Schar School for its seamless integration with the team.

“Being a Schar School student and competing on the �鶹��Ƶ speech team is really the best of both worlds,” he said. “You get a chance to travel the country and practice your advocacy with the team then directly apply those skills to help change the country through the connections and opportunities the Schar School provides.”

The Forensics Team has existed longer than �鶹��Ƶ itself. With a focus on both competitive success and education, the team has attracted Schar School students since its founding. Its current cohort of 10 Schar School students compete in a wide range of events, from poetry interpretation to extemporaneous speaking—an event in which the speaker is given a political question and 30 minutes to prep a seven-minute memorized answer with sources and argumentation. Students hail from across the country with varying prior speech experience, but one thing binds them together: a passion for advocacy.

Evanna Koury, a first-year Schar School government and international politics major, sought the speech team as an avenue for both personal and academic passions.

“Being a queer, disabled woman interested in government and political advocacy is challenging because I can't often get my foot in the door,” she said. “The Forensic Team changed that. I get seven to 10 minutes of uninterrupted talking time to amplify my voice with an amazing community.”

�鶹��Ƶ’s speech team has been among its most successful competitive teams of all time. The team has been a Top 5 national program consistently since its founding, taking second in the country at the national championships for the past three years.

With advocacy as a focus, it is unsurprising the teams student population is so dominated by Schar School students, including seniors Molly Izer and Eleni Mercer, who share the team’s captainship and are both students in the Honors College. In fact, Schar School students earned an impressive array of awards at this year’s 2024 American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament, held in April, as well as taking second place in Division I at the National Forensic Association Tournament, its sister tournament held just a week later.

Eleni Mercer, senior government and international politics major
- Semifinalist, Informative Speaking (AFA)
- 2nd place, Program Oral Interpretation (AFA)
- National Champion, Program Oral Interpretation (NFA)
- Semifinalist, Poetry Interpretation (AFA)
- 9th place Individual Sweepstakes (AFA)
- 2nd place, Duo Interpretation (AFA)
- Octofinalist, After Dinner Speaking (NFA)
- Octofinalist, Informative Speaking (NFA)
- 3rd place, Duo Interpretation (NFA)
Molly Izer, senior government and international politics major
- Semifinalist, Impromptu Speaking (AFA)
- 4th place, Impromptu Speaking (NFA)
- National Champion, Informative Speaking (AFA)
- National Champion, Informative Speaking (NFA)
- National Champion, Poetry Interpretation (AFA)
- Quarterfinalist, Persuasive Speaking (NFA)
Grace Martinez-Cora, freshman government and international politics major
- Octofinalist, Poetry Interpretation (NFA)
Lexi Martinez, sophomore government and international politics major
- Quarterfinalist, Prose Interpretation (AFA)
- Octofinalist, Prose Interpretation (NFA)
- Semifinalist, Informative Speaking (AFA)
- Octofinalist, Dramatic Interpretation (NFA)
- Quarterfinalist, Informative Speaking (NFA)

“It is always exciting to have Schar School majors on the team,” said Dawn Lowry, director of the Forensics Team and lifetime forensicator. “They possess the unique combination of idealism and practicality. They can see a better world, but they also understand the institutional and societal structures that shape our lives.”

While the team continues to attract many Schar School students, each Forensics Team alum leaves the experience a passionate advocate, citizen, and human being.

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�鶹��Ƶ’s “small but mighty” Forensics Team takes second place at national competition

Colleen Rich — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 12:02:20 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ’s “small but mighty” Forensics Team takes second place at national competition Colleen Rich Thu, 04/14/2022 - 08:02

�鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team recently recently competed at the 43rd American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament. Photo provided

�鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team recently added another prestigious honor to its long list of successes: national runner-up at the 43rd American Forensic Association National Speech Tournament (AFA-NST).

“It was the most gratifying experience I’ve had in my whole speech career,” said Prem Ganesan, a freshman economics major at �鶹��Ƶ who participated in five tournament events.

From April 2-4, 14 students from �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team competed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the AFA-NST, which brings students together from across the nation to compete for national championships.

�鶹��Ƶ's team, which won the 1979 national championship, has been ranked in the top five nationally every year since 2007, and in the top 35 nationally since 1975.

Ganesan said the team worried it wouldn’t hold its top-five ranking with a smaller competing squad of 14 students compared with up to 25 members in previous years.

Dawn Lowry, �鶹��Ƶ’s director of forensics, said that with the pandemic, “It has been a tough two years on everybody, and to have something that we could all work on together means a lot.”

Forensics' Eleni Mercer, Prem Ganesan, and Izzie Larson at the national competition. Photo provided

The 11 competitive events are categorized in three genres: prepared public speaking (informative speaking, persuasion, communication analysis, and after dinner speaking), limited preparation public speaking (extemporaneous speaking and impromptu speaking), and oral interpretation performance events (prose, poetry, dramatic interpretation, program of oral interpretation, and DUO, which is the only interpretation event requiring two performers).

Several students received individual honors, including José Quinones, 20th place; Izzie Larson, 18th place; and Eleni Mercer, 11th place.

Mercer, a sophomore government and international politics major, and Larson, a senior integrative studies major, were also named national champions in the DUO event. Their piece, they said, is about how health care providers are not equipped to care for transgender bodies, and how modern medicine ignores and mistreats transgender people.

“We care so deeply about our topic, so creating something we were passionate about came really easily,” Larson said. “Going into nationals, we were already so proud and excited about what we had created that the win was just the cherry on top.”

The coaches, Lowry said, “have really tried to create an environment where students can talk about issues that have a profound effect on them.”

Ganesan used his program of oral interpretation event, in which he placed fourth, to speak on how British colonialism in India has impacted the Hindu faith in promoting homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and colorism.

The students began preparing in August and have been competing mostly online since October.

The team is coached by Lowry and Tyler Watkins, the assistant director of forensics, as well as graduate students Brenna Fuhr (MFA Creative Writing) and Peter Figueroa (MA Interdisciplinary Studies), and alumni Kate Polit (BS Public Administration ’12; MA Communication ’14) and Lucas Muratore (BA Film and Video Studies ’18).

“Every single person on this team has an incredible story, message, and personality behind them. I always feel like I’m winning when I’m with them,” Mercer said. “Getting second place overall for the first time in over 10 years just validated that experience for us.”

Next on their schedule is the National Forensics Association's National Tournament for both speech and debate from April 14-18 at Illinois State University.

To see a list of all �鶹��Ƶ results, click here.

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Spirit Fall 22

A debater’s path to �鶹��Ƶ

Colleen Rich — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:00:16 +0000

A debater’s path to �鶹��Ƶ Colleen Rich Tue, 09/01/2020 - 05:00

Juliette Reyes. Photo provided.

Despite a path to �鶹��Ƶ that was challenging and, in her own words, “unconventional,” incoming freshmen Juliette Reyes moved on to campus this fall.

The Parkland, Florida, native will be double majoring in government and international politics and conflict analysis and resolution, a decision based on an initial interest in politics in high school that grew into a passion.

“It’s just something that I’m really passionate about,” Reyes said. “And I felt as though getting a degree in government and international politics will allow me to really understand the institutions in which policies are drafted while also getting access to that international affairs curriculum.”

Reyes’ first time on campus was at a summer debate camp with �鶹��Ƶ’s Forensics Team, an experience she called “amazing.”

“It’s funny, because when I went to the camp I was like, ‘I’m never going to go here, you know? I’m going to try to go to an Ivy,’ ” Reyes said. “But the more and more I stayed at the camp, the more and more the school grew on me.”

Her high school teachers discouraged her decision to attend �鶹��Ƶ, despite her familiarity and fondness for the school.

“I think that was the biggest problem with me going to �鶹��Ƶ,” she said. “It was me choosing between a college I really liked, I really had a good connection with, and then everyone else pressuring me to choose a school that was more quote-unquote elite in nature.”

Now that Reyes is here, she has big plans.

As a part of both the Honors College and the Peacebuilding, Justice and Conflict Resolution Virtual Learning Community, Reyes said she is excited to get involved on campus and work with the Forensics Team, which helped inspire her decision to attend �鶹��Ƶ, as well as with other on-campus organizations.

“I’ve been in a lot of various writing jobs and publications so definitely joining something like that would be on my radar,” she said. “And if I do happen to have the time, which I probably won’t, I’d like to do Model UN again.”

Reyes wrote for Student Change, a now-closed nonpartisan high school organization dedicated to informing fellow students about the spectrum of politics. She has also written for The New Voice, a nonpartisan news organization, since her sophomore year of high school.

When looking to the future, Reyes is keeping her options open.

She has considered being an international human rights lawyer. Other options are to work as an analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense or for an organization such as the World Bank or the U.S. Institute of Peace in developing countries. She said she plans on using her time at �鶹��Ƶ to see “which one fits the most.”

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