The Collegian

Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Marieke van der Vaart Two students deliver speeches during the first preliminary round of the Edward Everett Prize in Oratory competiton last Friday.

All morning, freshman Elliot Gaiser was nervous about his economic analysis, his speaking style and hearing all his competitors for the first time. He was not, however nervous about what he was going to wear.

"I planned ahead of time to wear the most patriotic outfit I could muster," Gaiser said.

He showed up to the Edward Everett Prize in Oratory competition wearing a red tie, a dark blue suit and a flag lapel pin ready to compete against 20 other students, speaking on "Economic Crisis and the Constitution."

Two preliminaries and one semi-final round later, Gaiser heard his name read on the list of finalists. He had made it to the final round, about a month away, in which he could win as much as $3,000.

"When they were announcing finalists I didn't even notice my name," he said. "It didn't really sink in until later that evening."

Former contestant Dan Burfiend '08 won $10,000 over the years he competed. A participant four years running, Burfiend won the competition as a freshman, junior and senior. This year, Gaiser and his fellow competitors will have their own chance at the prize money.

This year, junior Brandon Carmack, senior Michael David, senior Allen Shoff, senior Gennady Stolyarov III and alternate senior Evvy Gnabasik, will face off against each another and Gaiser before President Larry Arnn and two outside judges.

The contestant who wins first place will receive $3,000; second place, $2,000; third place, $1,000; and fourth and fifth place and the alternate, $100 and a plaque.

Prizes aside, however, contestants and faculty consider the event a forum for students to learn to communicate complex ideas.

During the preliminary and semi-final rounds last weekend, judges from the faculty and administration rated participants on their time management, presentation, clarity, logical flow, adaptation to audience, appearance and persuasiveness.

Ultimately, Assistant Professor of Speech Kirstin Kiledal says the competition trains students to be effective speakers.

"What we're really looking for is a speech that is not an academic essay on two legs," she said. "Ivory tower thinkers [are] not the scope of the competition. We need to be able to communicate these ideas to real people."

For senior Gennady Stolyarov III, clearly explaining the link between the Constitution and economics is more important than the competition's results.

"Unless these ideas are laid out in [an understandable] fashion and prioritized over the charm and the rhetoric, they're not going to prevail," Stolyarov said.

Three-time winner Dan Burfiend '08 said the speech topics usually force students to re-examine the foundational teachings of Hillsdale.

"They will always have to go back to fundamental principles," Burfiend said.

For Gaiser, the next few weeks will include lots of practice to keep him in top condition for the final round.

"I'm going to practice [my speech] every day from here on out," he said. "I plan on giving my speech to my English professors, my history professors and my economics professors to make sure it's sound. And, I'll probably get my suit dry-cleaned."

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