Forensics Team Captures Multiple Honors at National Conference
Three Truman students had stellar performances at the Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha national forensics honorary's annual national conference, held March 3-5, at the University of Houston.
Elizabeth Hobbs, a senior biology major from Newton, Kan., placed in four national conference final rounds. Hobbs placed second in informative speaking, third in impromptu speaking, fourth in rhetorical criticism and sixth in persuasive speaking. For Hobbs, this caps an individual speaking events career that has included three previous years in elimination rounds of national championship tournaments.
"Elizabeth has the distinction of making national elimination rounds each of her four years of competition, in three different national tournaments or conferences, and it is particularly gratifying to see her in these four final rounds," Kevin Minch, associate professor of communication and Truman's Director of Forensics, said. "We are looking forward to her final performance in individual events at the Interstate Oratorical Contest next month."
Additionally, two Truman students captured speaker awards in parliamentary debate, having been narrowly edged-out of semifinals. Trevor Alexander, a senior economics and English double major from Gladstone, Mo., was seventh speaker in the tournament, while Chris Dove, a sophomore biology and sociology/anthropology double major from Chesterfield, Mo., placed fourth.
Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha (DSR-TKA) is one of two national honoraries students in four-year forensics programs can participate in, the other being Pi Kappa Delta (PKD), of which Truman is an affiliate. Pi Kappa Delta holds national conferences in alternating years. DSR-TKA's open-attendance policy at its national conference has offered students an alternative nationals opportunity in off-years and enabled students to broaden their range of national competitive experiences.
In two weeks, each of these students will join nine others to represent Truman at the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) national championships at Oregon State University. Truman's season will conclude with Hobbs' appearance at the Interstate Oratorical Contest in late April.
Elizabeth Hobbs, a senior biology major from Newton, Kan., placed in four national conference final rounds. Hobbs placed second in informative speaking, third in impromptu speaking, fourth in rhetorical criticism and sixth in persuasive speaking. For Hobbs, this caps an individual speaking events career that has included three previous years in elimination rounds of national championship tournaments.
"Elizabeth has the distinction of making national elimination rounds each of her four years of competition, in three different national tournaments or conferences, and it is particularly gratifying to see her in these four final rounds," Kevin Minch, associate professor of communication and Truman's Director of Forensics, said. "We are looking forward to her final performance in individual events at the Interstate Oratorical Contest next month."
Additionally, two Truman students captured speaker awards in parliamentary debate, having been narrowly edged-out of semifinals. Trevor Alexander, a senior economics and English double major from Gladstone, Mo., was seventh speaker in the tournament, while Chris Dove, a sophomore biology and sociology/anthropology double major from Chesterfield, Mo., placed fourth.
Delta Sigma Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha (DSR-TKA) is one of two national honoraries students in four-year forensics programs can participate in, the other being Pi Kappa Delta (PKD), of which Truman is an affiliate. Pi Kappa Delta holds national conferences in alternating years. DSR-TKA's open-attendance policy at its national conference has offered students an alternative nationals opportunity in off-years and enabled students to broaden their range of national competitive experiences.
In two weeks, each of these students will join nine others to represent Truman at the National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA) national championships at Oregon State University. Truman's season will conclude with Hobbs' appearance at the Interstate Oratorical Contest in late April.
