LINCOLN, NE – The Lafayette Forensics team kicked off the postseason last week when they attended the National Speech Championship at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. The field was extremely competitive, with over 40 schools from around the nation competing in the second installment of this new national tournament. Lafayette will be a fixture at this tournament for years to come.

Every single member of the team that traveled to this tournament won awards. Several members of the team advanced to elimination rounds, with sophomore Jennie Richardson making quarterfinals in After Dinner Speaking, sophomore Saeed Malami making quarterfinals in Prose Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation, and senior Aaron Walker and sophomore Chris Mayer making quarterfinals in both Extemporaneous and Impromptu speaking. Kaitlin McNamara advanced to the novice final showcase in Poetry Interpretation and Scott Kamen advanced to the novice final showcases for Persuasive Speaking and After Dinner Speaking, an impressive start to their national careers.

Next up – the National Forensics Association’s National Tournament, the last – and largest – comprehensive national tournament of the season. This year, we will be traveling to the University of Wisconsin-Oskhosh for this memorable experience.

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OH — Four debaters (Chris Mayer, Luisa Gunn, Elias Saric, Tergel Khatanbataar) travelled to John Carroll University this past weekend (March 10-11) just outside Cleveland, Ohio.  The tournament represented the sixth and final tournament of the Northern Tier Debate Conference season.  Over the course of the season, Lafayette has fared very well in both the open and novice division.

At the John Carroll Tournament, Chris Mayer was a semifinalist in the open division and finished as 4th speaker.  Elias Saric was also a quarterfinalist in open.  Tergel Khatanbataar had a 6-0 record in the novice division, and was a semifinalist.  Tergel was also top speaker in the novice division.  This was a great finish and was exactly what the team needed to end the conference season.

These results ended a fantastic run for the team.  Lafayette took home 8 conference awards at the season-ending ceremony.  Chris Mayer finished as the second best open debater and the second best open speaker.  Luisa Gunn finished as the top novice competitor and the second best novice speaker.  Tergel Khatanbataar was the second best novice competitor and the top novice speaker.  Victoria Puglia was the third best novice speaker.  In the team category, Chris Mayer, Ansh Mishra, and Luisa Gunn placed Lafayette second in the conference behind only John Carroll University.

Debate Coach John Boyer had this to say, “I’ve been at Lafayette for 12+ years and this is on the shortlist for my proudest moment coaching.  Watching Chris take on a leadership role as a sophomore, and watching this group of young competitors grow and improve over the course of the season has been nothing short of amazing.  I’m excited to watch them take the next step as debaters.”

In April, Lafayette Forensics Society’s debaters will take that next step at the National Forensics Association’s championship tournament at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

BOSTON, MA – On March 9-11, 5 members (Emily Boyle, Scott Kamen, Kaitlin McNamara, Ansh Mishra, and Sid Vijay) of the Lafayette Forensics Society travelled to Suffolk University for the Novice National Forensic Association’s Novice National Tournament. Four of our competitors advanced to final rounds in their respective events. Two were named National Champions!!! The team won 4th place overall in the Large Entry division.

Sid Vijay advanced to the final rounds in Impromptu Sales, Impromptu Speaking, and After Dinner Speaking. He finished first and was named the Novice national Champion in Impromptu Sales! Sid also took 3rd place in both Impromptu Speaking and After Dinner Speaking. Ansh Mishra was the Novice National Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking. He answered the question, “Will President Ghani bring needed stability to the Afghan government? “Scott Kamen took 5th in Persuasive Speaking. Kaitlin McNamara was 6th place both Impromptu Sales and Slam Poetry Interpretation..

Director of Forensic Activities, Scott Placke, said, ”I’m really proud of these students. They’ve come so far this year. I’m super excited for what this group has achieved.” Scott travelled with the students to Boston.

by John Boyer

EAU CLAIRE, WI – In April, 5 members (Chris Mayer, Saeed Malami, Meredith Randall, Aaron Walker, and Luke Yamulla) of the Lafayette Forensics Society travelled to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for the National Forensics Association’s Championship Tournament.  Three of our events advanced to the elimination rounds in their respective events.  Saeed Malami advanced to the final round in novice Dramatic Interpretation.  He finished first in the final round and was named national champion in novice DI!  Saeed Malami was also an octofinalist (top 48 in the nation) in After Dinner Speaking.  Luke Yamulla advanced to the finals of novice Extemporaneous Speaking, where he took 5th place.

This marked the inaugural year for the novice division at the NFA Championships.  The category was a resounding success and Lafayette is proud to have one our students named as an inaugural national champion!  On the strength of these performances, the Lafayette Forensics Society placed 5th place as a team in Division III.

Director of Forensics, Scott Placke had this to say: “Lafayette College continues to excel at Forensics on a national scale.”

by Scott Placke

EVANSTON, IL – On March 25 and 26, 5 members (Yazmin Baptiste, Chris Mayer, Saeed Malami, Jennie Richardson, and Aaron Walker) of the Lafayette Forensics Society travelled to the National Speech Championship at Northwestern University.  Four out of the five students, in seven events, advanced to the elimination rounds.  Three of those seven events advanced all the way to the final round!  Lafayette has never had more than one finalist at a national tournament, and this year the team had three!

The full results are as follows:

Yazmin Baptiste: Poetry – Quarterfinalist
Chris Mayer: Extemporaneous – Semifinalist; Impromptu – Quarterfinalist
Saeed Malami: After Dinner Speaking – 4th place; Dramatic Interpretation – 6th place
Aaron Walker: Extemporaneous – Quarterfinalist; Impromptu – 6th place

This marked the inaugural year for the National Speech Championship.  Twenty six teams from around the country attended.  It is an honor to be recognized along side of some of the very best in the nation. Next year the tournament will be held at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Director of Forensics, Scott Placke had this to say: “Lafayette had a really great weekend.  I am very proud of these guys.  This was a difficult competition with a truly national draw.  As always, I am excited to see what they do next.”

by Scott Placke

Top Row (L to R): Luke Yamulla, Aaron Walker, Daniel Gonzalez, Scott Placke, Chris Mayer, Kaitlin Kinsella, Saeed Malami
Bottom Row (L to R): Yazmin Baptiste, Olivia Coughlin, Emily Boyle, Jennie Richardson

WEST CHESTER, PA – On February 18-19, the Lafayette Forensics Society attended the Pennsylvania Forensics Association’s annual championship tournament.  Lafayette placed second as a team over all and earned three state championships in Dramatic Interpretation, Impromptu Speaking, and Poetry Interpretation. Ten students, Director of Forensics Scott Placke, and alumni Beth Wehler attended the competition.  The tournament was hosted by West Chester University.

Coach and Director, Scott Placke said, “I am extremely proud of these students. They worked really hard and have built a strong team spirit. They make every tournament fun. Many of them are first year competitors and I can’t wait to see what they do next!”

Here is a list of the awards that Lafayette took home from the competition:

After Dinner Speaking – Saeed Malami – 4th
Dramatic Interpretation – Olivia Coughlin – 1st; Saeed Malami – 5th
Dramatic Duo Interpretation – Yazmin Baptiste / Olivia Coughlin – 2nd
Extemporaneous Speaking – Aaron Walker – 3rd; Chris Mayer – 4th
Impromptu Speaking – Aaron Walker – 1st
Informative Speaking – Kaitlin Kinsella – 5th
Persuasive Speaking – Kaitlin Kinsella – 6th
Poetry Interpretation – Yazmin Baptiste – 1st ; Daniel Gonzalez – 6th
Prose Interpretation – Yazmin Baptiste – 3rd; Olivia Coughlin – 4th

Seven schools attended the competition including: Saint Joseph’s University, Penn. State University, Wilkes University, Cedar Crest College, Luzerne Community College, West Chester University, and Lafayette College

Catch up with Ryan Benjamin (’10) as he talks about his time at Lafayette and in the professional world with Moody’s Analytics.   Congrats Ryan!

https://news.lafayette.edu/2016/08/02/puzzles-and-people/

by Kimberlee Runnion

EASTON, PA – This year, we are introducing a new award among our own team: the Pi Kappa Delta award. This award recognizes a member of the Lafayette College Forensics Society who best embodies the spirit of Pi Kappa Delta through a balance of competitive success, academic excellence, team mentorship, dedication to service and community, and commitment to building and maintaining a positive team environment. We are thrilled to announce the first recipient of the Pi Kappa Delta Award: our Supreme Overlord, Vanessa Milan ’16.

Vanessa is a Government & Law and English double major, with an inexplicable passion for art history. She is reluctantly graduating this May but is excited to begin a new adventure at Temple University Beasley School of Law in the fall to pursue a career in immigration or constitutional law, or both. Although her favorite activity is debate, Vanessa also enjoys completing research as an EXCEL Scholar, representing the student body on the Board of Trustees Committee on Educational Policy, and working as President of the Kirby Government and Law Society. Vanessa is best known for her unique laugh and for watching too much Shark Tank.

Here’s what Vanessa’s teammates have to say about her:

“I think Vanessa shows the most dedication to the team and compassion/care for its members as well as the most genuine joy for the activity.”

“I vote Vanessa because she always has a positive attitude and is incredibly dedicated to forensics, even when she gets called too liberal.”

“I am voting for Vanessa because of her dedication to the team, not only as President but also as a member who helps promote a welcoming and inclusive environment. As a graduating senior, she has served as a great role model and mentor and through recent fundraising activities has showed a dedication to service and the greater Easton community.”

“ She’s been impressive at balancing the activity with academic (and planning for her future) life, she’s done a ton of outreach to make the freshmen feel welcome, and she’s been very successful competitively to boot.”

“Vanessa cares for others. With a quick smile and a blurt of laughter, Vanessa can shoo away the blues. She has a quiet leadership that many would not even notice. Yet there’s Vanessa… right in the thick of everything lending her voice to truth. An ability to make a decision is an important trait for a leader. Vanessa can do this. Even more critical, though, is a willingness to reconsider that decision after stepping away from the situation’s immediacy. Vanessa has this humility. I cannot think of a better or more fitting person to be the first recipient of the Pi Kappa Delta Team Award.”

by Kimberlee Runnion

EASTON, PA – “The art of persuasion, beautiful and just.” That is the motto of the oldest public speaking honorary in the United States: Pi Kappa Delta. Every individual on our team is a member of this organization, and each one of us, no matter what event we compete in, practices the art of persuasion. In forensics, language and form is beautiful in both sound and intent.

As members of Pi Kappa Delta, we are encouraged and empowered to use our voices as advocates for justice. Membership in this organization goes beyond competition. Competing in forensics is about communicating with others and building relationships with a community. While we receive honors for competitive excellence, we also share in fellowship and opportunity to strengthen and shape the communities we inhabit.

This year, we are introducing a new award among our own team: the Pi Kappa Delta award. This award recognizes a member of the Lafayette College Forensics Society who best embodies the spirit of Pi Kappa Delta through a balance of competitive success, academic excellence, team mentorship, dedication to service and community, and commitment to building and maintaining a positive team environment. When we gather for our end-of-the year celebration this Thursday, we’ll be presenting this award. Check back to see who our team members and coaches believe best embodies “the art of persuasion, beautiful and just.”

by Elaine Huang (’19)

MUNCIE, IN – After an entire academic year of writing and delivering speeches, perfecting performances, and accumulating research, the Lafayette Forensics Society ended their competitive season at the National Forensic Association’s championship tournament.  Hosted this year by Ball State University, the tournament featured 80 colleges and universities from around the nation.  Seven students qualified and accompanied the three coaches and one alumni volunteer to the prestigious tournament.

In debate, Seniors Vanessa Milan and Joseph Rothschild qualified for the elimination rounds with 4-2 records.  First-year competitor, Elaine Huang, narrowly missed with a 3-3 record in her first nationals.  Vanessa Milan advanced to the octofinal (final 16) after defeating Truman State University’s Dillon Laaker.  In the octofinals, Milan ended her fantastic career against Western Kentucky University’s Damon Brown.  Brown would go on to finish second in the entire tournament.  Joseph Rothschild advanced to the quarterfinal round (final 8).  Joseph defeated students from Western Kentucky University and Truman State University.  In the quarterfinals, Rothschild fell on a 2-1 decision to the eventual national champion, Alex Glanzman from Kansas City Kansas Community College.  These results were enough to place Lafayette in 4th place as a team in debate sweepstakes.  This is the fourth year in a row that Lafayette has placed in the top 5 and the 9th year in the top 10.  With only three students entered in debate, this is an amazing accomplishment for the team considering that the first and second placed teams had 8 and 14 entries respectively.

Five students participated in speech events at the national tournament.  Cassidy Reller (’16) and Vanessa Milan (’16) joined Aaron Walker (’18), Fayola Fair (’19), and Michael Wellnitz (’19) as qualifiers.  Despite not advancing any students to the elimination rounds, a couple of near misses and strong performances were enough to place Lafayette 5th in Division III team sweepstakes.

The students weren’t the only ones to win awards, Assistant Director John Boyer, was inducted into the National Forensic Association’s Hall of Fame.  The Hall of Fame considers three primary criteria for inclusion, competitive success, contributions to forensics, and contributions as a professional.  John competed at Otterbein College from 1997-2000 and has excelled as a coach at Lafayette and has made countless contributions to collegiate forensics.  He currently serves as a member of the NFA National Council as the Chair of NFA-LD Debate.  20 individuals were nominated this year and John was one of six to be inducted.  It is one of the highest honors that a coach can receive and the team is very proud.

Lafayette Forensics Society will return in the fall to welcome a brand new crop of students at the fall retreat in September!