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First-year students Michael Lestingi of Tallmadge, Ohio, and Jennifer Rusak of Ashley, Pa., were among the leading performers for the Lafayette Forensics Society in a swing tournament at Simmons College and Suffolk University in Boston Feb. 3 and 4.
Lestingi placed second in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Simmons and was a quarter-finalist in the same event at Suffolk. Rusak placed fourth in persuasive speaking at Suffolk, after finishing fifth in that event at Simmons.
Jim Azarelo ’03 (Stroudsburg, Pa.) and Rachel Korpanty ’04 (Summerville, S.C.) teamed to place fourth in dramatic duo at Simmons, while Alison Hindenlang ’03 (Randolph, N.J.) and Emily Murphy ’03 (Center Valley, Pa.) took sixth place in dramatic duo at Suffolk.
Also competing for Lafayette were Amy Carson ’02 (Pennington, N.J.), Kenya Flash ’03 (Coopersburg, Pa.), Jennifer Gibbs ’02 (Chatham, Mass.), and Devan Theiler ’04 (Bridgewater, N.J.).
A scoring error, later discovered, prevented Rusak from advancing to the quarter-final round (and, possibly, beyond) in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Suffolk, and may, in turn, have prevented Lafayette from qualifying for a team sweepstakes placement.
More than 20 teams participated in the tournament, including such powerful contingents as St Joseph’s, New York University, Cornell, Seton Hall, and St. Anselm’s.
Lafayette’s director of forensics is Bruce Allen Murphy, Fred Morgan Kirby Professor of Civil Rights.
Joining the team this year as director of individual events is Scott Placke, who holds a master’s degree in communications from Purdue University. Among Placke’s areas of special interest is the work of the late American literary critic Kenneth Burke, known for his studies of the relationships between language, literature, culture, and power. He is currently teaching the government and law course Political Speech in America.
Previous 2000-01 Reports:
Suffolk University, Oct. 28-29, and St. Anselm’s College, Nov. 4
Bloomsburg University, Sept. 30, and West Chester University’s Rose Bowl Tournament Oct. 14-15