A group of students in the Communication department’s Survey of Rhetoric class have taken learning to YouTube as part of coursework at Truman State.  Students launched a video this fall that features a “conversation” with Socrates.

For the fourth time in six years, Dr. Mark Smith presented a paper in October at the Great Plains Radio History Symposium. The theme of the sixth annual Symposium, held at Kansas State University, was “Remembering Radio’s Live Music Era.”

Smith’s paper, “With Joy and Gladness: Local Radio Entertainment on WJAG, Norfolk, NE, 1922-1934”, focused on live entertainment in the formative years of radio broadcasting on a Nebraska station that is still operated by same family since 1922.

In spring 2011, Smith co-authored an article with Larry Walklin that was published in Nebraska History journal: “The Early Years of Talk Radio: WJAG, Norfolk, Nebraska.”

The Truman State University speech and debate team took home four awards November 4-6 at “The Mule”—a tournament hosted by the University of Central Missouri.  The tournament consisted of separate debate and individual events competitions.

In the debate portion, freshman Maddie Ebert (Omaha, NE) made it to the semifinal round of Lincoln-Douglas debate where she lost on a close decision to the eventual tournament champion.  Sophomore Kristen Wright (Liberty, MO) made it to the final round where she earned the second place award. 

The second half of the tournament consisted of individual events (speech) competition.  The team earned two new qualifications for the national competition in April.  Kory Anderson (St. Louis, MO) earned his first individual events qualification by placing sixth in extemporaneous speaking.  Kristen Wright also qualified by taking second in the extemporaneous speaking.

The team has one tournament remaining this semester—The Ohio State University swing tournament in December, one of the largest tournaments of the year.

The Truman State University speech and debate team took home six championship awards at the MCC-Longview Central States Swing Tournament the weekend of October 29. The individual events (speech) competitors took second place overall in team sweepstakes the first day and third place at the second competition.

At the first tournament, the team qualified five new events to the National Tournament in April, and earned two tournament championship titles. Junior Jessica Petrie (Millstadt, IL) won impromptu speaking, took second place in rhetorical criticism, and fourth place in extemporaneous speaking. Senior Andrew Grojean (Blue Springs, MO) won informative speaking and took sixth place in impromptu speaking.  Sophomore Arielle Long-Seabra (Blue Springs, MO) took third in dramatic interpretation, and freshman Codi Caton (Lee’s Summit, MO) made it to semifinals in poetry interpretation.

In the second competition, Petrie won first place in both extemporaneous speaking and rhetorical criticism.  Grojean won first in dramatic interpretation and earned sixth in informative speaking.  Freshman Alex Eichstadt (Blue Springs, MO) broke into elimination rounds for the first time in his collegiate career, taking third place in extemporaneous speaking and fourth in impromptu speaking.  Freshman Kate Pillen (Rochelle, IL), also breaking into elimination rounds for the first time, placed fifth in prose interpretation. 

In debate, freshman Maddie Ebert (Omaha, NE) won the novice division of Lincoln-Douglas debate and won the first place speaker award. In the open division of Lincoln-Douglas debate, sophomores John Carney (Overland Park, KS) and Nick Gorman (Kansas City, MO) made it to the quarterfinal round of debate, while sophomore Kory Anderson (St. Louis, MO) made it to semifinals. Gorman won the first place varsity speaker award, while Anderson and Carney took fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Truman State Forensics Team travelled to both Western Kentucky University and Illinois State University in late September.  

At Western Kentucky University, Sophomore AJ Taula (Blue Springs, MO) earned 4^th place in Dramatic Interpretation, 3^rd place in Prose, and took first overall in Poetry during the first half of the swing tournament.  AJ also took 6^th place in poetry the second half of the swing tournament.  This was quite an accomplishment as several nationally competitive schools were at the tournament.  AJ is now qualified to compete at the national tournament in these three events.

 The debaters had all five competitors break to out rounds, a feat never accomplished before in Lincoln-Douglas for Truman’s team.  Sophomore Myra Milam (Elkland, MO) made it to the final round and took 2^nd place on a 2-1 decision.  This is the second year that Myra has made it to the final round at this tournament.  She was also the 3^rd place speaker at the tournament.  Sophmores John Carney (Overland Park, KS) Nick Gorman (Kansas City, MO) and Kristen Wright (Liberty, MO) made it to the octofinal round as did Freshmen Maddie Ebert (Omaha, NE).  All five debaters placed in the top ten in the field for speaker awards, which was also a first for the team.  All five debaters are now eligible to compete at the national tournament in April.

 The team also received several overall awards.  The debate team earned 2^nd place, which was quite a feat as there were other schools present that had significantly more competitors entered in the field.  Due to the contribution of the individual events competitors, the team also earned 2^nd place in the combined sweepstakes category. The team also took a small contingent to Illinois State University where junior Jessica Petrie (Millstadt, IL) won 2^nd place in Impromptu speaking.   

TSU students interested in competing in forensics should contact Dr. Kristi Scholten at kscholten@truman.edu.

The local chapter of the National Communication Association Student Club has elected officers for the 2011-2012 academic year:

President:  Shelby Wittmeyer
Vice President: Natalie Gieseke
Secretary: Markia Holt
Treasurer: Erica Munton
Profession Committee: Bethany Williams
Social Committee: Benroy Shimotani

The goal of NCASC is to promote the study, teaching, and application of the principles of communication through educational and social functions that are relevant to the membership of the club. NCASC is a scholarly society and as such works to enhance the research, teaching, and service produced by its members on topics of both intellectual and social significance.

Any Truman student who is enrolled in either a Communication major or minor and is in good standing with the university is eligible for membership in NCASC. For more information, go to the NCASC website.

Lindsay Lohan has slapped rapper Pitbull with a lawsuit for poking fun at her in the lyrics of his single “Give Me Everything.”

Here are 15 tips to help you become a confident public speaker.