THE KEY FALL 2005 President’s Report Dr. Sandy Alspach Pi Kappa Delta National President Your National Council met during the summer in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, close to our national office in Ripon, and established our goals for the next biennium.  I am delighted with the contributions of all Council members, as you will see reported in their individual reports in this Key.  As I said in St. Louis, you gave me a strong crew to move the Pi Kappa Delta ship forward! We have set our course for the next two years to provide you with excellent experiences in forensic competition at Gatlinburg, March 9-12, 2006, under direction of Tom Huebner, President Elect and Tournament Manager, and in Mt. Pleasant, MI in 2007 under the guidance of Ed Hinck, Tournament and Convention Host.  Tom will also be conducting research about your needs and levels of satisfaction with Pi Kappa Delta operations. We have marked the course to achieve other organizational goals along the way.   Historian Michael Bartanen reminded us that our Centennial provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our history and traditions.  He offered provocative suggestions for how to appropriately celebrate our Centennial. Editor Nina Jo Moore explained how our publications reaffirm our values and reinforce our academic integrity in the forensic community and, for many members, in the communication community at large.  She will continue to challenge us to bring our best work forward in our journal, The Forensic and to maintain our community through this mechanism, The Key. Secretary Treasurer Bill HilI assured us that our organization is in sound financial health.  He continues to ensure that we proceed with appropriate consideration to our Constitution and By Laws; movement forward with caution and care for our history and traditions. In spite of our financial security at present, thanks to Bill’s prudent management, we need to explore financial development for our organization so that we don’t have to live on our tournament receipts from year to year.  Council member Phil Voight gave us a working document to plan the financial future of Pi Kappa Delta.   He also offered a vision for making Professional Development more vital for our members, coaches and students. Council member Amy Veulemen has taken on the challenge of bringing our communication into the 21st Century through our PKD listserve, web page and other technologies.  Better connections provide for more opportunities to maintain and grow our membership.  Connections also imply a “public relations” role for PKD:  Amy will help us explore how to promote who we are to the community at large. Council member Gina Jensen assumes the role of Province Coordinator.  Her task will be to explore the role our Provinces play in our organizational network and to find the best way to maintain our PKD connections at the grass roots level.  Expect her to be asking you to participate in the dialogue. Student Council-Member at Large Andrea Carlile (Gustavus Adophus) has brought fresh new ideas for student involvement in PKD, at both the local chapter and national levels.  We wish her well on her internship experience in India and look forward to her return after the Holidays. Student Council Member Shawna Nordwick (Central Michigan University) was unable to attend the Summer Council meeting, but she has already shown her eagerness to provide you with fun and relaxing activities at our 2007 Convention at Central Michigan University.  Look forward to meeting her at our meeting at the NCA convention in Boston. I am thrilled to be working with this dynamic Council.  I will try to keep a steady hand on the wheel and steer our ship to new harbors.   I treasure the presence of our Past president Susan Millsap at our meetings; and your advice and council, as well, will always be welcome. Chapter Civic Engagement Project Dr. Sandy Alspach Pi Kappa Delta National President The theme of the 2007 Pi Kappa Delta Convention and Tournament will be “Civic Engagement: the Heart of Democracy:  Speak from Your Heart”. Our commitment to the “Art of Persuasion, Beautiful and Just” invites us to become leaders in our communities, to be “engaged.”   We know that many members of Pi Kappa Delta use their communication skills to improve their communities during their college years and throughout their lives.  In celebration of the 2007 convention theme, President Sandy Alspach challenges each chapter to become “civically engaged” during this biennium by conducting a project on campus or in your community.    What constitutes “civic engagement”?  A civic engagement project accomplishes any or all of the following outcomes: 1.                 helps participants learn to be more responsible community members, 2.                 encourages respect for people whose backgrounds, cultures or beliefs differ from one’s own, 3.                 challenges participants to become more reflective about their own cultural backgrounds, 4.                 requires participants to learn how to deal constructively with competing interests within a community.                             (Educating Citizens, Colby, Ehrlich, Beaumont & Stephens) One place to learn what it means to participate in civic engagement is the American Democracy Project website at  www. aascu.org/programs/adp .   Another source of inspiration is Harry C. Boyte’s book Everyday Politics:  Reconnecting Citizens and Public Life. During the 2007 Convention we will recognize the outstanding civic engagement projects conducted by Pi Kappa Delta chapters across the nation. In the 2007 tournament invitation you will find details about how to submit a report of your chapter’s project for recognition. Start to prepare now Begin your planning this fall.  Work together as a chapter to make a contribution to your community.  Your efforts will not only make your world a better place to live but will also bring pride and recognition to Pi Kappa Delta. Vice President’s Report Dr. Tom Huebner Pi Kappa Delta Vice-President I can't believe the 2005-2006 year has already begun!  This is an exciting time of preparation for a busy and competitive year of forensics.   Winning trophies and garnering awards is a lot of fun, but don't forget to make friends along the way.  The people you connect with in forensics can become your best friends for life.  Work hard and build relationships--what a great theme for the year. We are actively planning our 2006 Pi Kappa Delta National Invitational tournament in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, March 9- 12, 2006.  Make plans to attend this event in one of the most beautiful locations in the country.  It will surely be an experience to remember. While you're at it, make sure you meet us at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan for the 2007 Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament and Convention.   If you have any interest in hosting the 2008 National Invitational or the 2009 National Tournament and Convention, please don't hesitate to contact me at thuebner@cn.edu for more information.   Recently Hurricane Katrina was absolutely devastating for thousands of people in the Gulf Coast region of the US.  In fact, more than one PKD school was negatively impacted.  Tragic events in the world cause us to pause and gain perspective.  I challenge each member of PKD to think of ways to use his/her talents and abilities to make a difference where you live.  Don't wait for someone else's tragedy to bring out the best in you. Secretary-Treasurer’s Report Dr. Bill Hill Pi Kappa Delta Secretary-Treasurer The organization is in sound financial order. The current net worth of PKD is $100.591.  Income and expenses during the 2004 tax year were  $70,463.10 and $53,586.08 respectively.  The National Convention and Tournament was very successful, with a net income of slightly over $20,000, due mostly to the hard work in generating local revenue and controlling costs by Scott and Gina Jensen. The Council commended and thanked them for their hard and very effective work. The National Office remains the most significant annual expense.  Bill Hill met with Scott Wun, the new Director of the NFL, about the relationship between the two organizations.  Scott is very supportive of PKD and is anxious to ensure that the PKD/NFL relationship continue.  Bill and Scott agreed that PKD needs to hire some part-time help for Joyce Krueger during the National Convention and tournament years. They also agreed that Scott will identify a person to begin working with Joyce to develop an understanding of PKD needs. Bill and Scott agreed that the person will accompany Joyce to the 2007 national Convention and Tournament. Joyce Krueger, who runs our national office, has purchased new soft ware to enhance the efficiency of our record keeping and ability to construct various data bases.   The minutes for the Summer National Council meeting can be found at this “link.” Join Us At NCA! Dr. Susan Millsap Pi Kappa Delta Past-President Below is a list of Pi Kappa Delta sponsored events at the National Communication Association Convention in Boston, Nov. 17-20.  Please try to support our scholars.  We will also be presenting our annual awards at the Friday Business Meeting, so please attend to congratulate our winners: Thursday, Nov. 17 2:00     Diagnosing the Health of Parliamentary Debate:  Papers on Reform and Re-Examination (Sheraton:  Clarendon B) Friday, Nov. 18 9:30     Telling the Success Story in Forensics:  The Roles and Impacts of Acclaiming in Intercollegiate Speech and Debate (Sheraton: Clarendon A 2:00     Undergraduate Honors:  Forensic Scholarship of Pi Kappa Delta (Sheraton: Clarendon A) 5:00     Pi Kappa Delta Business Meeting (Marriott:  Boston College) Saturday, Nov. 19 5:00     Ballots:  What Do They Communicate to and about the Forensics Community (Sheraton: Clarendon A) Call for Papers and Panel Proposals For the 2007 PKD Professional Development Conference Dr. Phillip Voight National Council Member – Professional Development Papers and panel proposals are being solicited for the 2007 PKD Professional Development Conference. Educators, students, coaches and alumni are all invited to apply. The conference will be held in conjunction with the Convention and Tournament and conference proceedings will be published. Papers and panels addressing the Convention and Tournament theme: “Civic Engagement -- the Heart of Democracy” are particularly welcomed. In addition to paper and panel proposals, members are invited to submit letters of interest to participate in two roundtable discussions. The first will focus on chapter-level fundraising and program development. Members who have successfully conducted endowment or fundraising campaigns are encouraged to share their knowledge and to submit “how-to” items to be included in a packet that can be distributed to individual chapters. Sample topics that will be considered include: ·        Developing a campaign plan. ·        Working with development professionals. ·        Fundraising and friend-raising activities. ·        Alumni relations and communication planning. The second proposed roundtable discussion will focus on tenure and recruitment for forensics educators. The “Quail’s Roost” tenure and promotion guidelines for forensics educators will be the starting point of a discussion of what sorts of information PKD can produce and distribute to assist forensics professionals who are undergoing the tenure process. Sample questions that will be considered include: ·        How can PKD help outside audiences understand coaching workloads? ·        How can PKD effectively mentor young forensics educators? For more information, please contact Phillip Voight at 507-933-7369 or via e-mail at pvoight@gac.edu. Paper and Panel proposals should be submitted to: Phillip Voight Director of Forensics Gustavus Adolphus College 800 West College Avenue St. Peter, MN 56082 Province Coordinator’ Report Gina Jensen National Council Member – Province Coordinator As province coordinator, it is my responsibility and privilege to serve as your liaison between province governors and the national office.   I have three goals that I would like to achieve to help better Pi Kappa Delta.:  (1) update and distribute the Province Officer Handbook, (2) create a recognition program at the provincial level, and (3) increase governor interaction with local chapters.  I believe that you elected me to honor the traditions of Pi Kappa Delta, while always striving to improve upon them, and I feel like these goals will help me to achieve this balance. I have often heard province officers say that they are a bit uncertain of what they are supposed to do between conventions or PKD gatherings.  In 1999, Eddie Skaggs created the Province Officer Handbook.  This handbook has helped to define the role of the province officer; however, since our organization has made some exciting changes in the last 6 years, I feel like our handbook should reflect those changes in order for our province officers to be as effective as possible.   My second goal is the one that I am the most excited about.  I have decided to create a recognition program at the provincial level wherein each governor can nominate a chapter in their province that they believe is worthy of recognition.  This chapter may demonstrate exemplary service such as tournament hosting, have an outstanding semester or even single tournament in a competitive sense, or meet any one of a number of other criteria.  Perhaps one of their educators or students has published a cutting edge article, etc.  The nominated chapter should, for one reason or another, be outstanding.  The chapter recognition will come twice each semester.  Be sure to get information to your governors, and don’t be afraid to self-nominate.  We want to spotlight you! Finally, I want to serve as a resource to the province governors.  I would like to help them find ways to increase their contact with you and to help them serve as a “go between” for local chapters and the national council.  I would also like to help them find ways to increase chapters in their province.  I also hope to aid governors in encouraging all of you to find ways to host provincial events, including and going beyond the province tournament. Overall, I am thrilled to be your province coordinator, and hope to serve you in as many ways as possible.  Please do not hesitate to contact: jensen@webster.edu   I want to work with each and every one of you to improve our honorary at all levels! Charter and Standards Report Amy Veuleman National Council Member – Charter & Standards Hello Everyone! I am extremely honored and excited to be the Chair of Charter and Standards. I am looking forward to several activities over the next two years serving you and Pi Kappa Delta. There are several things I spoke of during the Summer Council meeting that I have already begun to work on. We are working with Amy Meeks at University of Arkansas-Monticello to establish a domain name that will be easier for all individuals to remember. Amy and I are both working together on this project. We are very grateful to her for continuing to serve as our webmaster. We are also exploring the possibility of a message board being linked to the website for the updating of tournaments and results, in addition to any related Pi Kappa Delta announcements. In the last two years I was excited about recruiting new members to the Province of the Lower Mississippi. I will now be working on a National recruiting project hoping to bring new members to the organization as well as encouraging inactive member schools to renew their memberships. If you know of any schools in your province that you believe we need to contact, especially new programs, please encourage them to contact me or Joyce Krueger at the National Office. Thanks again to all of you that supported me in St. Louis. I’m honored to be serving with such an amazing group of individuals on the National Council. Please feel free to send any suggestions to me. You can reach me at McNeese at the following email address: aveulema@mcneese.edu As a side note, I wanted to encourage all of you to donate in any way that you can to your local American Red Cross. I can not tell you how it feels to watch a city you were so in love with, and spent so much time in, the way it is now.   I have been through many cities in north and south Louisiana in the last week and seen the impact it has had in this State, including Lake Charles. So again, I just ask you to take inventory to see how you can possibly help. Time, talents, food and of course cash J are accepted by the agency. All the best for you and your students to have a safe and successful forensics season! HISTORIAN’S REPORT Michael Bartanen National Council Member – Historian The Squaxin tribe (“People of the Waters”) selects one of its members to be “the rememberer,” the one who memorizes the tribe’s stories, its wisdom and traditions.  The theme for the Historian for 2005-07 is to identify, propose and implement strategies to strengthen the organization’s commitment to honoring and understanding PKD’s stories, wisdom and traditions. Proposed Initiatives for 2005-07 “Archives as Living History.”  Traditional Squaxin culture is oral, requiring memorization and oral recitation by the rememberer.  Traditional PKD culture is written, requiring preservation and dissemination of precious and precocious (fragile) written documents, pictures and objects.  The first initiative for 2005-07 is creation of a strategic plan for the PKD archives.  The plan would consider, among other potential ideas: SWOT analysis of PKD archives.   Digitalization of some or all archive materials. Comprehensive indexing of archives. Proactive acquisition of additional archival materials Creation of an archive endowment Creation of an archive network with other communication/forensics organizations Creation of a permanent position of PKD archivist. “A Hundred Years of Pictures.”  Visual symbols are a critical part of Squaxin culture.  Tribal masks, totems, jewelry are all means by which Squaxin culture is saved and shared.  This initiative would begin preparation for the PKD Centennial by soliciting the submission of pictures from individuals and chapters which visually document the history of the organization.  The photographs would be digitalized and made available on the web site.  A photographic display would be added to the traveling Hall of Fame exhibition.  The organization might also consider publication of a picture book as part of centennial observance. “The Legacy of Leadership.”  The Squaxin, like many other cultures, places great stock in the wisdom of their elders.   PKD has, on occasion, also attempted to capture and share the knowledge of its leaders.  A second initiative would be to develop and implement strategies for creating a more complete video archive or interviews with living PKD past- presidents and encouraging their use by chapters and scholars.  This would build upon prior efforts began in the 1980’s and more recently done in a video created by Webster University students and shown at a national convention. “Forensics and Vocation:  Celebrating Those Who Make a Difference.”  The Squaxin were, at their zenith, a large and diverse society of villages connected by fishing and gathering, whose success and health required contributions by all members.  Tribal members had many jobs, but their ‘vocation’ was the same:  contributing to the well-being of their community and honoring their values and traditions.  This initiative  would celebrate the ‘vocation’ of forensics training and PKD membership by creating an “Order of Attainment” to accompany the “Hall of Fame.”  The Order of Attainment [not conceived as a new ‘order’ in the usual PKD sense which would involve degrees, etc., not to mention Constitutional change, but merely as a use of parallelism] would honor PKD members who have used their forensics skills and PKD membership in their careers and lives to make a demonstrable difference in local, national or international contexts.   Each chapter would be invited, annually, to nominate individuals, living or dead, for inclusion in this order.  The nomination could include narratives or other evidence of how the nominee used their forensics training and PKD membership as part of their vocation in promoting “the art of persuasion, beautiful and just.”  Each convention (which are PKD’s version of the Squaxin ‘potlach’) might then honor (perhaps nine) individuals, share their narratives to illustrate the life-changing impact of forensics and PKD.  Perpetual awards could be created (similar to or different from H of F awards) and permanent awards could be provided to the nominating chapters for presentation to the individual or permanent appropriate display. Student Representatives Andrea Carlile National Council Member - Student Representative At-Large Hello!  As summer winds down and the leaves began to fade it is never too early to begin plans for the forensic season. Plans for the National Comprehensive Tournament (NCT) are already underway.  It is to be held March 9-12, 2006 in Gatlinburg, TN.  As the new Student Representative At-Large to the Pi Kappa Delta National Council, I am looking forward to working with you all to bring new and innovative ideas to the world of forensics. One of these new ideas is a national service project to take place at the National Comprehensive Tournament in Gatlinburg this March. The project can begin at any point during the season and will be completed at the end of the NCT. The national council and I are encouraging teams to collect gently worn business attire for the Dress for Success organization. This is a non- profit organization that collects and donates women?s business attire to low-income women. Women who partake in the program learn interview skills, resume writing and other essentials in landing a job. Each woman receives one suit before an interview and a second once she has landed a job. Each province will have a collection box at the tournament. At the end of the tournament the clothes will be shipped to Dress for Success locations in each of the Provinces. If you would like additional information regarding the program please go to: www.dressforsuccess.org. Hopefully many of you will find a way to participate in this great program.  This is a way for teams to take an active role in the communities in which we live. I look forward to working with you all in giving back to our communities and to put our old suits to good use. If you have questions regarding the service project feel free to e-mail me at acarlile@gac.edu. I will be studying in India for the fall semester; so I  apologize in advance for a delayed response. Why Pi Kappa Delta? Shawna Nordwick National Council Member – Provincial Student Representative As the 2006 forensic season begins, most of us are busy cutting cards for debate, frantically writing speeches, and finding the perfect piece to perform.  There are so many things to do in preparation for upcoming competitions that it becomes easy to lose sight of why we actually participate.  Why do we remain involved in Pi Kappa Delta when there are so many other extra-curricular activities for us to be active in? When I look at my own team from Central Michigan University, all the reasons that I do forensics become abundantly clear.  Watching my teammates obsess over the latest change in Asia makes me smile, because I know that people outside the forensic community do not share the same intense interest in small changes across the world.  Nor do most people use language such as “topicality,” “solvency,” and “inherency” within everyday conversations.  Seeing members of my team morph into different people for a piece makes me aware that I am in the company of some of the most creative minds of our generation.  The passion in the voices of team members as they speak on something they deem important makes me want to go into the world and make change.  Most importantly I love seeing new people come to our team meetings and become slowly absorbed into our family-for me this is the one that makes all my efforts worth it. While I may love being a part of a community, there are so many other benefits to being active within Pi Kappa Delta.   Where else do you get an audience that is forced to listen to whatever you feel like saying by an unwritten code of professional courtesy?  There is also the benefit of meeting people from a variety of states and backgrounds- the networking potential is almost limitless.  The sense of organized competition is a plus; most people like trophies.  The most obvious reason for being a part of Pi Kappa Delta is the improved communication skills that will naturally be acquired through practice and competition, hopefully preparing people to move on into the “real world.” On behalf of Central Michigan University, I wish you the best of luck as you prepare all of your events this year.  So much time and effort goes into becoming ready for competition, but that first time out with an event makes all of the work seem worth it.  I can't wait to compete alongside all of you, and I hope that you are ready for the new season and already thinking about next year.  See you at Central Michigan University in 2007. EDITOR’S REPORT Dr. Nina-Jo Moore National Council Member – Editor of THE FORENSIC & THE KEY Greetings folks, and here’s hoping your new semester is off to a great start! As most of you know, THE FORENSIC was sent out recently and you should have your copies of the Summer 2005 issue – we are back on schedule with that issue.  The next issue will be published in the Winter of 2006 – and look for some more enlightening articles.  I do plan to keep the “Shared Memories” theme flowing through the next few issues, so watch for a continuance of that theme, plus we have some good research articles out with our readers at the present time. I have made a decision that I will accept electronic submissions for THE FORENSIC.  I asked that you submit it in Word format (since that is what our printer uses), and that you do no special formatting – especially on paragraphs and lines (graphs and tables, of course, need the special formatting).  I have to be able to merge documents when I put the issues together, and it becomes almost impossible with some of the special formatting those of you who are computer gurus do, so please just type a regular document. As for THE KEY, if you’re reading this, you know the Fall 2005 issue is “up.”  We did hear your desires to still have it printed and sent, and we are pursuing that.  As a compromise, I will bring printed copies to both NCA in Boston, and have them ready for the National Comprehensive Tournament in Gatlinburg in Please consider submitting articles to THE FORENSIC – we have had some excellent ones, and I am looking for more!   Submit by e-mail to: moorenj@appstate.edu  or by snail mail to: Nina-Jo Moore, College of Fine & Applied Arts, Appalachian State University, 214 Locust St., Boone, NC 28608   Phone: (828)262-2171 SEE YOU IN GATLINBURG – MARCH 9-12, 2006