Image: The Department of Communication Studies held its Spring 2018 Public Speaking Contest on Wednesday, April 18. The event, which was sponsored by Xanedu Publishing, was emceed by graduate student Steven Murray and showcased the following student speakers, listed alongside the names of their instructors: Taylor Bush, “UGA Policy on Pre-Health Student Shadowing” – Anna Walling Cassidy Fuller, “The Real P.T. Barnum Story” – John Banister Jake Dickens, “The Importance of Making Sure You're Active as a College Student” – Clint Graves Daniela Conroy, “Why You Should be an Organ Donor” – Jeremy Fajman Jacob Hopkins, “No Human Left Behind” – Jaclyn Nolan Tulsi Patel, “Carpenter v. United States” – Clay Stewart Amelia Smith, “Save the Animals” – Kristin Andersen Brianna Wallace, “Resident Assistants: Employees with Inflexible Meal Plan Options” – Allison Doherty Undergraduate Coordinator Roger Stahl, who co-organized the event with Marybeth Schaller, commented on the high quality of the speeches, reporting that the judges had a difficult time deciding on their final rankings. The winners of the contest were: 1st Place: Cassidy Fuller, "The Real P.T. Barnum Story" (Instructor John Banister). Cassidy made the case that Barnum was not so much "The Greatest Showman" but instead an ignoble character eager to exploit racism and ableism to turn a buck. 2nd Place: Daniela Conroy, "Why You Should be an Organ Donor" (Instructor Jeremy Fajman). Daniela took this well-worn persuasive topic and made it shine anew. 3rd Place: Tulsi Patel, "Carpenter v. United States" (Instructor Clay Stewart). Tulsi led the audience through the judicial precedent that led up to this case currently being heard by the Supreme Court regarding the right of police to seize GPS data from smart phones without a warrant. Honorable Mention: Jake Dickens, "The Importance of Making Sure You're Active as a College Student" (Instructor Clint Graves). Jake reminded listeners that if we just sit a lot, we lose out on sanity saving serotonin among the many other benefits of moving around. Many thanks to the volunteers (too many to name them all) who helped make this event a success! Type of News/Audience: Faculty/Staff Students
