In today’s digital age, texting and e-mailing seem to be the most popular means of communication.
Recently, 18 UT students did something different by participating in The University of Tampa’s campus-wide speech contest.
“It is a great opportunity for students to speak in a venue other than the classroom,” Christopher Gurrie, professor of speech said.
Gurrie established the contest in April 2006.
Friends, other interested peers and students are part of the event that is held every semester and awards $150, $50 and $25 prizes.
Those prizes are awarded by a jury consisting of Gurrie, Ann Marie Coats, instructor of speech, her sister Virginia Wester and Jenna Labadie, adjunct professor of speech and global issues.
After all the participants presented, the judges chose six students to present again to compete for the first three spots.
A few of the topics presented to the audience were Lisa Barton’s “Are We All Dumb?,” Verner D’Souza’s “The Future of Green Technology,” and Stacy Vieux’s “Internet Shaping the World.”
Barton, winner of last semester contest, found a good reason to participate again.
“I am currently applying to graduate school theater programs that incorporate speech. I see an advantage in practicing and being comfortable speaking,” Barton said.
Her speech, “Are We All Dumb?” dealt with the stereotype that blonde women are not as intelligent as other women.
She shared her historical research about the Middle Ages, where royalty did not spend much time outside and therefore, had darker hair, while peasants spent most of their time outside.
Due to their sunlight exposure, they had much lighter hair, which led to the idea of labeling blondes imbeciles.
Nevertheless, stereotypes are just assumptions, as proved by Lady Diana, former Princess of Wales, who was one of the brightest blonde philanthropists.
“Never underestimate a blonde, especially if there is more than one of them,” concluded Barton.
D’Souza, a junior advertising and public relations major, presented “The Future of Green Technology” which gave the crowd an idea about sustainability efforts taking place in the next few decades.
A variety of inventions were presented, from batteries that recharge themselves by being shaken, to ecological air purifiers and cars that can drive 200 miles on just one gallon.
The presentation included pictures that supported the ideas.
D’Souza, was glad he participated.
“It was a good experience that made me more confident in my roles on campus, such as being an RA and a campus senator,” D’Souza said.
“It helps facing the public and overcoming fears.”
Vieux, also a junior advertising and public relations major, shared her views on how social networks affect communication and perception in her speech “Internet Shaping the World.”
One topic she raised was that genuine moments are often staged for pictures.
She also talked about a new tool that MySpace introduced, which enables users to correct uni-brows and sweat stains, giving users the illusion of perfection and promoting self absorption.
Although the topic was controversial, Vieux enjoyed the competition.
”It was a great opportunity to practice public speaking, which made me think more students should be required to take speech classes,” Vieux said.
Barton won this semester contest for the second time in a row, and Vieux gained third place.
After two and a half hours of listening to and judging speeches, Gurrie was still in a good mood.
“I enjoyed the diversity of speeches. I would appreciate more faculty involvement in the future and [hope to] increase the number of participants, so we can fill three rooms with contestants.”
The next contest is planned for the spring semester and is open to all students.
Registration will be available through professor Chris Gurrie at cgurrie@ut.edu or professor Ann Marie Coats at acoats@ut.edu. Look out next semester for details.
Special thanks to the Tampa Rotary Club for their support, as well.