SGA approves speaking initiative

Author: Colin Foss

Senators of the Student Government Association (SGA) debated a public speaking initiative for the College curriculum during their meeting last Saturday. The initiative would apply a public speaking (PS) label to certain voluntary presentation-intensive courses that would be reflected on student transcripts.

Behind the initiative is a Senate committee whose members include Katie Hylas '09, John Reed '07.5, Vrutika Mody '10 and Alina Levina '09. The students suggested that the first step is to hire a professor of rhetoric who would be responsible for the whole program. The professor would teach specific rhetoric courses during the spring and fall semesters as well as organize training for other professors interested in offering public speaking instruction.

The PS program would be organized under many of the same guidelines as the current College Writing (CW) system. According to the committee's bill, PS courses would include in their curricula a minimum amount of oral presentations, as well as student and professor feedback.

The bill was passed unanimously with a number of reasons given for the initiative. According to Hylas, the plan is to train students for professional occupations.

"In most careers, whether they be business or academia, the ability to express oneself effectively in front of a group is crucial," said Hylas.

Furthermore, many of the College's peer institutions have already formally adopted public speaking programs. For instance, in 2003 and 2004, Bowdoin College began offering public speaking courses within its new Oral Communication Presentation Skills Project.

Pre-established courses may already merit the PS designation, according to Hylas.

"[It] might involve a change in the syllabus for some professors," said Hylas, "but for others it might notÖ. With the help of the Public Speaking program, discussion sections and other courses will be enhanced and enlivened."

The committee will continue its work by presenting the initiative to the faculty and administration before or soon after spring break. Good timing on the committee's part may facilitate the hiring of a new rhetoric professor, as it is a move consistent with the College's Strategic Plan, according to Dean of Student Affairs Ann Hanson. The committee hopes the administration would be willing to foster a move that would help expand the course offerings and scope of the general educational plan at the College.

"The College is already known for producing excellent writers and now," said Hylas, "this initiative will encourage the College to provide more opportunity for excellence in speaking."

The Senate discussed two other initiatives in addition to the PS bill. An initiative introduced by John Reed '07.5 proposed an official Senior Yard Sale Day, where upperclassmen with extra dorm room paraphernalia could offer their used goods to underclassmen. Where the sale would take place was a topic of debate. Possible locations include the yard outside McCullough, inside dorm rooms themselves and on Internet marketplaces such as Craig's List and eBay. One suggestion even recommended a BannerWeb-based posting system. Reed proposed that the yard sale take place on the weekend before spring term final exams, which opened the floor to debate whether incoming first-years or Febs would find the yard sale convenient. The Senate tabled the discussion for a later meeting.

In a symbolic motion, the Senate also passed a bill, authored by Reed, which called for a new footpath linking Coffrin Hall and Atwater Dining Hall.

The bill argued that poor terrain conditions posed a safety hazard to students.

"The quad between the two buildings frequently turns to mud," the bill read, "or is covered in dangerous ice."

According to the proposal's advocates, the College had already been considering construction there in recent years but had yet to act on the plan.