UNews - Selin Bilgin

Student speakers take the challenge

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:04:08 +0000

The discourse was lively, the questions pointed and the answers unscripted – just what you'd want out of a public debate.

The second incarnation of the now annual Student Speaker Challenge kicked off in early January as a field of eight students began quarter-final rounds en route to determining a champion in March. For participants James Falconer and Selin Bilgin, the challenge serves as an opportunity to engage in a timeless and pure form of education.

"It's the old style, classic Greek conception of the university," says Falconer, a fourth-year sociology major. "The stadium, the discourse, the back-and-forth dialectic, that's what I thrive on and this is a wonderful example."

This year's question, "What is the value of post-secondary education to the world?" is especially relevant to students and attracted Bilgin, a first-year education student, to the competition.

"I know that there is a prize for the winner but more than anything, I wanted to do it for my personal experience," says Bilgin. "I do want to be a teacher so I have to get used to talking in front of a bunch of people, and it's a topic I care about and something I knew I could talk about."

The Student Speaker Challenge is a collaboration of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA), the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG), and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU), with support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"We've been trying to make inroads on campus for a few years now and this idea, having a speaker challenge, works for us because it involves students and will hopefully attract some attention to what SACPA does in the city," says spokesperson Knud Petersen.

The format is simple, pitting two speakers against one another as they present their views on a predetermined topic. Each participant is given 15 minutes to speak, after which they answer questions from both the audience and the three-person judging panel. Following both presentations, the judges vote on who prevails and advances to the next round. A $500 award goes to the eventual champion, with $300 and $100 awards handed out to the second and third place finishers respectively.

"It's great to see off campus groups like SACPA join on campus organizations like LPIRG and the ULSU in presenting this because we all are interested in educating the public on important policy issues," says ULSU Vice-President Academic Alex Masse. "We do it much better collaboratively than we would be able to alone."

Falconer defeated Bilgin in their quarter-final matchup but she was roundly praised for taking on such a daunting task in just her second semester of post-secondary study.

"It was definitely tough and a little scary, especially when you make a mistake," says Bilgin. "I learned that the people here are very supportive. When I looked out I could see smiling faces, and they were paying attention to me, so that made me a lot more comfortable. It was definitely a great experience."

Masse says the challenge benefits everyone who takes part, including the audience.

"It's a great learning experience. I know I learn a few things from every speaker I hear because they present arguments I hadn't thought of before."

The challenge continues through to the Mar. 9 final at Andy's Place. Check the Notice Board for session dates and times.

Student Speaker Challenge continues

trevor.kenney — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:18:12 +0000

The second of four quarter-final sessions of the Student Speaker Challenge is ready to go, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 12:15 p.m. in Ballroom A of the Students' Union.

The annual event is in its second year and with eight talented student speakers taking part, has begun to capture an audience and, at the same time, some profile on campus.

"It's a very valuable place for students at all levels and stages of their university careers to develop their public speaking and presentation skills and to generally be able to stand up to audience scrutiny in a positive way," says Alex Masse, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union vice-president academic.
"We learned last year that if we put an effort into recruiting good students, we get very good speakers and I believe we've got an excellent lineup this year."

The How Education Benefits the World Student Speaker Challenge is a collaboration of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA), the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG), and the Students' Union (ULSU), with support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The challenge began Jan. 13 when speakers James Falconer and Selin Bilgin squared off in the first quarter-final, addressing the question, "What is the value of post-secondary education to the world?" After making 15-minute presentations, each speaker then opened the floor to another 15 minutes of questioning from the assembled audience as well as the three-person panel of judges. Falconer was declared the winner of the first matchup and will advance to the semifinal sessions, Feb. 23 and Mar. 2.

The final session will be Tuesday, Mar. 9, 7 p.m. at Andy's Place. The winner of the event will receive a $500 award, second place $300 and third place $100. All sessions are open to the public.

"It's the old style, classic Greek conception of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Falconer, a fourth-year sociology major. "The stadium, the discourse, the back-and-forth dialectic, that's what I thrive on and this is a wonderful example."

Following is the challenge lineup.

Session Schedule

Session 2 - Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 12:15 p.m. in Ballroom A, SUB
Speakers - Cashe Erskine and Keith McLaughlin

Session 3 - Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 12:15 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Speakers - Vanessa Lodermeier and Keith Gardner

Session 4 - Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 12:15 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Speakers - Kate Nesbitt and Saikat Basu

Semifinal Sessions
Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 4:30 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Tuesday, Mar. 2 at 4:30 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Speakers - TBA

Final Session - Tuesday, Mar. 9 at 7 p.m. in Andy's Place (AH100)

Student Speaker Challenge begins

trevor.kenney — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 19:08:12 +0000

The second annual Student Speaker Challenge is set to kick off on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 12:15 p.m. in Ballroom A of the Students' Union Building.

A total of eight students are scheduled to take part in this year's event, addressing the question, "What is the value of post-secondary education to the world?"

The How Education Benefits the World Student Speaker Challenge is a collaboration of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA), the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG) and the U of L Students' Union (ULSU), with support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

There will be four initial sessions each with two speakers. Two semifinal sessions will then be held, followed by one final session to determine who can best present and defend their ideas on the value of post-secondary education.

The challenge begins this week with student speakers Selin Bilgin and James Falconer as they square off for a chance to advance to the next round of the competition. A panel of judges and the audience will determine who advances to the second stage of the event and the chance to win the first prize of $500, a second prize of $300, or a third prize of $100.

The initial sessions will be held weekly, concluding Tuesday, Feb. 2. Semifinal sessions are scheduled for Feb. 23 and Mar. 2 with the final session on Tuesday, Mar. 9 at Andy's Place. Everyone is welcome to attend the sessions.

Student Speaker Challenge Session Schedule

Session 1 - Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 12:15 p.m. in Ballroom A, SUB
Speakers - Selin Bilgin and James Falconer

Session 2 - Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 12:15 p.m. in Ballroon A, SUB
Speakers - Cashe Erskine and Keith McLaughlin

Session 3 - Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 12:15 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Speakers - Vanessa Lodermeier and Keith Gardner

Session 4 - Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 12:15 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Speakers - Kate Nesbitt and Saikat Basu

Semifinal Sessions

Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 4:30 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Tuesday, Mar. 2 at 4:30 p.m. in Galileo's, SUB
Speakers - TBA

Final Session - Tuesday, Mar. 9 at 7 p.m. in Andy's Place (AH100)

UNews - Selin Bilgin

Student speakers take the challenge

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Student Speaker Challenge continues

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