Under the authority of Provost David Whalen, the rhetoric and public address department announced the topic of the Edward Everett Oratory Competition this week. Participants will respond to the prompt, “Is the Supreme Court the Final Arbiter of the Constitution?”
In the competition, students write and perform a speech based on the topic in an attempt to win prizes of $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 made possible by an endowment from the Saul N. Silbert charitable trust. Undergraduate students will be able to apply online beginning Jan. 30.
Professor of Rhetoric and Public Address Kirstin Kiledal said a committee of faculty decided upon the topic unanimously.
“We believe that this topic is timely, avoids becoming limited to the current political moment, and that it affords the competitors numerous avenues for the development of their speeches,” she said.
Last year, Digital Content Manager Kokko Tso improved the online application process for the competition, and he is working on the current one, Kiledal said. It will be accessible on the college website’s Rhetoric and Public Address page.
Sophomore Josh Hoover, who placed third in last year’s competition, said he encouraged students to participate in the contest.
“I realized that not only had I prepared something for a competition but developed and solidified my own beliefs on the subject matter,” Hoover said.
The application deadline is Feb. 9.
