Hultman takes top honors at Great Forester Speak Off
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, December 17, 2002
Huntington, Ind. "The Huntington College Great Forester Speak Off, held at the end of each semester, showcased the persuasive skills of Huntington College's finest student speakers. Classmates voted participants into the competition based on their outstanding oratorical skills from the fall semester's speech classes. Each contestant was then evaluated by the judging panel made up of Prof. Susie Burson, student Audre Engle and community leader Jan Williams, executive director Youth Services Bureau. Katie Hultman, a senior music major from Spring Arbor, Mich., took first place with her persuasive speech on Christians' attitudes toward homosexuality. Placing second was Noah Varness, a sophomore theatre-performance major from Morris, Ill., as he spoke against home internet access for families with children. Third place went to Susan Guilkey, a sophomore journalism major from Noblesville, Ind., for her persuasiveness toward abortion for rape victims only. Sarah Neace, a sophomore youth ministries major from Fort Wayne, Ind., and Bridget Earles, a sophomore youth ministries major from Findlay, Ohio, tied for fourth-place. Neace spoke against giving gifts for Christmas while Earles spoke for the teaching of both abstinence and contraceptives in sex education.
Other participants included Amy Cuthbert, a junior broadcast communication major from Dowagiac, Wis., who argued that the world is not billions of years old; Scott Maddock, a senior business-economics major from Ypsilanti, Mich., who said that Huntington College students should be allowed to drink off campus; Rachel Bushong, a sophomore oral communication major from North Manchester, Ind., who spoke against Ritalin for children; Sarah Harper, a sophomore psychology major from Silver Lake, Wis., who spoke in regards to the U.S./Mexican border problem; and Lori Merkle, a sophomore elementary education major from Walton, Ky., who argued for partial inclusion in school systems.
Huntington College is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 60 academic concentrations. US News & World Report ranks Huntington among the Top 10 comprehensive colleges in the Midwest. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington College is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in Huntington, Indiana.
