The Kent State University School of Communication Studies hosted its annual Hyde Park Forum on April 12, 2016, in the Kent Student Center Ballroom of the Kent State Campus. The forum is an opportunity for students enrolled in the Introduction to Human Communication class to engage in persuasive public discourse for an audience of peers, family and faculty.
Students enrolled in the class during the Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semester of the current academic year are eligible to compete in Hyde Park, providing a slate of speakers that can best present a persuasive speech within a five minute time frame.
Judges rated student performances to designate first, second and third place as well as honorable mentions. This year’s forum included six speakers from a variety of majors to present to an audience of 900 students and guests.
Speakers were presented scholarships ranging from $500 to $50. Winners of this year's Hyde Park Forum, their topic and instructors included:
- First place, Nicholas Larson: Modern Slavery and Fair Trade: Being a Voice to the Voiceless (Phillip Reed)
- Second place, Faith Medlock: On Drugs and Addiction: End the War, Start the Fight (Zachary Humphries)
- Third Place, Arkayla Tenney: Laughter is the Best Medicine (Shayna Fischer)
Receiving Honorable Mentions were:
- Dartalia Alati, Stigmatization of Mental Illness (Shayna Fischer)
- Molly Evans: The Sour Side of Sweet School Lunches (Kristen Hilfiger)
- John Wroblewski III: Too Little, Too Late (Sanguk Lee)
Nicholas Larson was also selected as the recipient for the People’s Choice award. For the first time, attendees were able to vote for the People’s Choice award using the online app, Vox Vote, which made the voting process faster and more efficient.
Judges for the panel included:
- Jeff Child, Interim Director for the School of Communication Studies
- Erin Hollenbaugh, associate professor for the School of Communication Studies at the Stark Campus
- Amy Reynolds, Dean of the College of Communication and Information
- Dave Trebing, associate professor for the School of Communication Studies
- Lori Wemhoff, Executive Director of the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce and Central Portage County Visitors and Convention Bureau
The video recording of the speeches can be found online.