The Institute for Writing and Rhetoric is pleased to announce that the Benjamin F. Barge and Class of 1866 Prizes for Oratory speech contest was held on Thursday, April 28, 2016, at 4:30 pm in the Treasure Room (Baker Library). A reception and award presentation followed in the Ferguson Room (Baker Room 206).
Seven Dartmouth students presented original persuasive speeches to a public audience and a panel of judges. At the conclusion of the event, Sophie Hoffman '16 was awarded the Benjamin F. Barge Prize for Oratory, and Guillermo Amaro Chacon '18 and Max Parker '17 each received Class of 1866 Prizes for Oratory.
The other students participating in the contest were Syed Rakin Ahmed '18, Titus Kabega '17, Nathaniel Goss '16, and Leehi Yona '16.
The Benjamin F. Barge Prize for Oratory was established by Benjamin F. Barge (1832-1902) in 1901 and is awarded to a senior. The Class of 1866 Prizes for Oratory were established in 1905 by Waldemer Otis and Dr. James A. Spaulding, both members of the Class of 1866, and are awarded to a sophomore and a junior. The Benjamin F. Barge Prize for Oratory and the Class of 1866 Prizes for Oratory are sponsored by the Benjamin F. Barge Fund and the Class of 1866 Fund, respectively.
This year's judging panel included Jamie Horton, Associate Professor and Director of Theater, Dartmouth College; Paul B. Klaas, Principal, North Coast Arbitration Chambers, Minneapolis and Arbitrator Member, Maitland Chambers, London; and Jennifer Brooke Sargent, Visiting Associate Professor of Writing, Dartmouth College.
"This historic contest is uniquely Dartmouth," Speech Professor Josh Compton said. "It puts our students' work front and center, offering a forum for them to give voice to key issues and concerns. The study and practice of rhetoric is vibrant at Dartmouth and reflected in our students' speeches."
The contest was organized by Josh Compton, Acting Director of the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric; Darlene Drummond, Assistant Professor of Speech; and Svetlana Grushina, Visiting Assistant Professor of Speech.