Students Compete for Scholarships in Fall 2018 Speakeasy

by Jay Lesandrini
December 11, 2018
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On Friday, December 7, the Division of Liberal Arts at IUPUC hosted “Speakeasy,” a speech competition featuring eight students selected by classmates and instructors to represent their section of COMM-R 110 Fundamentals of Speech Communication. The top three speakers in the competition are granted scholarships for the spring semester in the amounts of $100, $150, and $200 respectively. 

Now in its 34th year, Speakeasy is the longest-running student program at IUPUC, taking place in both the fall and spring semesters. The students who participate come from a variety of majors, not just communications, eliciting a wide variety of topics covered during the one-hour competition.

 “Learning effective communications skills is important for every student at IUPUC no matter what their major course of study is,” said Dr. Anna Carmon,  Associate Professor and Program Director, Communication Studies. “The Speakeasy provides the university with a way to showcase the art of public speaking through a fun, student-focused event.”

The winners of the Fall 2018 Speakeasy include:

  • First Place – Andrea Gerth (Topic: Addiction and Recovery)
  • Second Place – Bushra Jameel (Topic: Fast Fashion)
  • Third Place – Emilee Biddinger (Topic: Feral Children).

Students are judged on a variety of criteria including delivery skills, speech structure, visual aids, and overall presentation style. Judges for the Fall 2018 event included: Andrea Gillett, Lecturer and Program Coordinator, Mathematics at IUPUC; Maggie Evans, Academic Advisor, Division of Liberal Arts at IUPUC; Liz Worthington, Director of Marketing and Programs, Columbus Chamber of Commerce; and Molly Connor, Deputy Director at the Columbus Human Rights Commission.

As the judges tallied up the scores, Gateway Fellow, Stephanie Vertrees, presented a keynote address instructing the more than 150 students in attendance on how to incorporate the principles of Bloom’s Taxonomy into their learning strategies – timely advice for students preparing for finals week.

Vice Chancellor and Dean of IUPUC, Dr. Reinhold Hill believes that the event is an important part of the student experience at IUPUC. “The fact that this competition has run continuously for 34 years is evidence of its popularity, and we look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come.”