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New on Campus: VCSU Speech Team

Oct 9, 2024

VCSU Speech Team members gather on steps at a recent tournament.

VALLEY CITY (VCSU) – Valley City State University (VCSU) has started a new speech team for the 2024-25 school year.

Under the guidance of assistant professor Tammy Jo Taft, the VCSU speech team was reformed this fall after a near 20-year hiatus from campus. VCSU Speech will compete in five tournaments across the region this year and is actively recruiting members for the current and upcoming year. VCSU had five students attend a recent speech tournament in Brookings, S.D., where Grady Hornung reached finals in Dramatic Interpretation and placed sixth overall.

“Competing in collegiate forensics is one of the best ways for students to build their skills as public speakers and make lifelong connections,” said Tammy Jo Taft, assistant professor in Communication Arts and coach of the VCSU team. “It’s exciting to see so many students on campus interested in participating in collegiate speech. We have a great team lined up and good momentum early in the season. I’m excited to see what the year brings.”

Collegiate speech events are conducted as part of the American Forensic Association. There are 11 different events including Informative Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Prose Interpretation, Dramatic Duo, Extemporaneous Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Program Oral Interpretation, After Dinner Speaking, Communication Analysis, Dramatic Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation.

Upcoming events include a nationwide online tournament, several in the region through the Valley Forensic League, and the Icebox Classic in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

For more information about the VCSU speech team, contact Tammy Jo Anderson Taft at tammyjo.taft@vcsu.edu.