This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
The Forensics Society finished in sixth place overall at two public speaking tournaments hosted Jan. 31-Feb. 1 by Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
Trustee Scholarship recipient Erik Heins ’05 (Center Moriches, N.Y.), a double major in philosophy and government & law, led the way for Lafayette, earning the honor of being named sixth-place speaker on the second day of the competition, called the Cornell/Towson Alumni Set the Mood Swing. That day, he was second in impromptu speech, third in informative speech, and fifth in extemporaneous speech; he also competed in dramatic duo with Marquis Scholar Christian Dato ’07 (Poway, Calif.). On the first day, he teamed up with Dato to take third place in dramatic duo and finished fifth in extemporaneous speech and in informative speech. He also competed in dramatic interpretation and impromptu speech.
In addition to his dramatic duo performance with Heins, Dato took sixth place in that event on the first day of competition with partner Colby Block ’06 (Boca Raton, Fla.), a government and law major and Marquis Scholar. He also competed in dramatic interpretation and impromptu speech. On the second day, Dato took fourth place in impromptu speech and competed in dramatic duo with Heins and Block and in dramatic interpretation.
The other Forensics Society students on the trip were government and law major Paul Kritzler ’05 (Monkton, Md.), who finished in seventh place in communication analysis; Bill O’Brien ’07 (Elmont, N.Y.), seventh place in persuasion; and psychology major and Marquis Scholar Kim Moore ’06 (Longwood, Fla.), seventh place in persuasion.
Scott Placke, director of forensics, accompanied the students. “The second-semester schedule is hard since it is frontloaded with swing tournaments,” he says. “Swings are hard and grueling endurance tests. I think our team handled itself very well.As always, I am impressed.”
The final-round impromptu quotation for Heins and Dato on day two was by Lao Tzu: “The more laws and order are perceptible, the more thieves and robbers there will be.” Impromptu speech contestants receive short excerpts dealing with general interest topics or political, economic, or social issues. They have seven minutes to divide between preparation and speaking, but must speak for at least three minutes.
Heins’ final-round extemporaneous question on the second day was “Does this week’s trade of Hezbollah for Israeli prisoners mark a significant shift in policy for Israel?” In extemporaneous speech, contestants select one of three topics on current national and international issues or events and have 30 minutes to prepare a speech of five to seven minutes on it.
“I got some great feedback this weekend, and I am looking forward to getting out there again in a couple of weeks,” he says. “I think our team will be even stronger then.”
“Cornell was a very fun tournament,” says O’Brien. “It was a good way to get back into the swing of things and competing again. As always, it was fun getting to compete in a new event, and I thank Kim, my duo partner, for helping make it so much fun. I would like to congratulate the entire team for its success and thank Scott for his hard work getting the team ready. I am very excited about competing for the rest of the semester.”
“I am really impressed by the newest members of our team, especially Bill,” says Kritzler. “His attitude is always in the right place.”
“The Cornell Swing was one of the most enjoyable and competitive tournaments I have been to all year,” notes Dato. “It really gave me a sense of how well established the community is.”
Forensics Society will travel to Suffolk University in Boston for its next tournament Feb. 14-15.
The team is comprised of students who are active in the campus community.
Block, who serves as secretary of Forensics Society, is working with the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office to create a Youth Court Program. She is public relations chair for Student Government and adviser for Freshman Class Council, to which she belonged as a first-year student. She is in her second year as a member of the Dance Team and participates in College Theater, playing the role of Johnny in last year’s production of The Club. She is also a member of the Marquis Players, a student group that produces an annual musical to benefit charity, and is choreographer for this year’s production, Sugar. She also is a supervisor for Recreational Services, a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, and a resident advisor in South College.
Kritzler is president of History Club, Games Club, and Haven, a student group stressing an alcohol- and drug-free lifestyle, as well as a member of Lafayette Communications Union and various intramural sports teams.
O’Brien is the Residence Hall Council representative for McKeen Hall, a member of The Lafayette (school newspaper) staff, Marquis Players, History Club, and Arts Society, and a DJ on campus radio station WJRH.
Moore is president of the Dry Surfers, a special-interest living group whose members share interests in technology and a substance-free lifestyle, and a member of College Democrats and Psychology Club. She also plays violin in the orchestra.
Dato is vice president of College Democrats and a member of Lafayette Christian Fellowship, History Club, and Haven. He also is a Civil War re-enactor.
Heins is a member of the varsity fencing team, Haven, and Games Club.
Past forensics competitions:
January interim session tournaments
Dec. 6-7, University of Rhode Island
Nov. 15-16, New York University
Nov. 8, St. Anselm College
Nov. 1-2, Bloomsburg University
Oct. 18-19, Towson University
Oct. 10-11, West Chester University
Sept. 19-20, Purdue University and Sept. 27, Bloomsburg Novice Tournament
2002-03 National Tournament