| THE KEY SPRING 2004 PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Susan Millsap, Otterbein College I hope that you have had a rewarding forensic season. This has been a busy but exciting year in Pi Kappa Delta. The meetings and panel presentations at NCA in Miami Beach were very productive. As always, it is good to make contact with our membership and to see old friends from around the nation. In January, the third National Collegiate Honorary Tournament, sponsored by Pi Kappa Delta and hosted by Middle Tennessee State University was a great success with 34 schools in attendance representing all three forensic honoraries. Greg Simerly and the MTSU program were wonderful hosts, providing us with great facilities and numerous judges. Scott Jensen and his tabroom staff worked quickly and efficiently for an accurate and smooth running tournament. Thank you to all who contributed to making this a successful event. As the forensic year comes to a close, it is a good time to review your chapter’s activities and plan for next year. Be sure to invite students in all communication activities to join your chapter of Pi Kappa Delta. Recognize graduating members by presenting them with honor cords to wear at graduation. And plan to attend to the 2005 national convention/tournament in St. Louis, March 16-19, 2005. Webster University is working hard for this to be the best national convention/tournament ever. We will once again be offering Broadcast News and To Honor Women as events as well as an exciting new approach to the convention aspects to make it easier for all to participate. Look for more details in this newsletter and for the invitation in the Fall. And please take the time to invite another non Pi Kap school to consider joining us in our efforts to support the importance of oral communication in our world. We are only as strong as our membership. National Council members have been working hard on their individual tasks. We will be surveying our membership to determine future changes of the organization as well as assessing current policies and procedures. So please look for this survey this Spring and take the time to respond so that we may continue to meet your needs. If you have any concerns or suggestions I strongly suggest you contact anyone on the national council. As reported at our meeting at NCA changes to the election process will be presented at the 2005 convention/tournament. So be looking for future mailings. I wish everyone a safe and restful summer and look forward to seeing you all with the new academic year. As always, if you need to reach me please e-mail me at smillsap@otterbein.edu. To contact the President, e-mail: smillsap@otterbein.edu PRESIDENT-ELECT’S COLUMN Sandy Alspach, Ferris State University The most important charge for the President-elect is to locate the sites for the PKD tournaments and national convention. I am happy to report that we have received a bid from Central Michigan University (Mt. Pleasant) to host the 2007 PKD National Tournament and Convention. The bid will be formally presented to the Convention for acceptance at the 2005 Convention in St. Louis. The state of Michigan forensics schools: Central Michigan, Ferris State University, and Hillsdale College, are excited about welcoming you all. We are also actively recruiting our Michigan forensics colleagues to join PKD so they, too, can join in the fun and celebrate the PKD spirit. I am still soliciting bids for the 2006 PKD National Honorary Tournament. This event has been held during the winter semester on a weekend selected by the host. We have held “hotel” tournaments and, most recently, a “campus” tournament at Middle Tennessee State University. If you are interested in hosting an all-events weekend tournament, sponsored by Pi Kappa Delta, go to the PKD website: (www.uamont.edu/Organizations/PiKappaDeltaNational/) and scroll to the last few pages of the National Tournament and Convention Site Selection Bid Checksheet for specifications for hosting the Honorary Tournament. I would appreciate hearing from you before the summer National Council meeting in July. To contact the President-Elect, e-mail: alspachs@ferris.edu * * * * * * PI KAPPA DELTA FOUNDATION REPORT Sandy Alspach, Ferris State University The members of the PKD Foundation Committee: Tony Allison (Cameron University), Gary Horn (Ferris State University), and Sandy Alspach (Ferris State University), chair want to remind you that our support of PKD scholarships and the economic health of the organization can be demonstrated by making a financial contribution to the PKD Foundation in care of Secretary/Treasurer Bill Hill. We invite chapters to plan a fund-raising event next year specifically ear-marked for a donation to the Foundation. Any contributions to the Foundation made during the 2004-2005 biennium will be recognized at the 2005 National Convention. Accept the “chapter challenge” and make a contribution! Our long-range goal is to solicit financial support to minimize costs to chapters to attend the National Tournament and Convention. To this end, we are seeking sponsors who would consider making a significant contribution to support the mission of Pi Kappa Delta to provide a national event to celebrate “The Art of Persuasion, Beautiful and Just”. If you, or someone you know, is interested in learning more about becoming a Convention sponsor, please contact Sandy Alspach. To contact the President-Elect, e-mail: alspachs@ferris.edu PAST-PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Glenda Treadaway, Appalachian State University Nominations: Pi Kappa Delta Annual Educator Awards An important part of what Pi Kappa Delta does is to recognize excellence throughout our organization. One way we do that is by presenting a set of annual awards at the fall convention of the National Communication Association to outstanding forensics educators and scholars. This is a call for nominations for these awards. Please let us know about outstanding forensics professionals deserving of recognition by providing names of nominees (you may also provide a brief explanation for that nomination). You may be contacted to provide additional information on your nomination(s). Send your nomination(s) to Glenda Treadaway by mail/fax/email by June 1, 2004. Department of Communication Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 (828) 262-2543 (fax) treadwaygj@appstate.edu Here is a simple description of these awards: E.R. Nichols Award for Excellence in Forensics Teaching – Presented to a forensics professional who is an outstanding educator. L.E. Norton Award for Outstanding Forensics Scholarship – Presented to a forensics professional who demonstrates outstanding scholarship. John Shields Award for Outstanding Contributions to Pi Kappa Delta – Presented to a forensics professional who demonstrates outstanding service to Pi Kappa Delta. Bob R. Derryberry Outstanding Young Educator’s Award – Presented to a forensics professional in their first five years of forensics education who demonstrates excellence and promise as a forensics professional. To contact the Past- President, e-mail: treadwaygj@appstate.edu Professional Development & Public Relations Shannon Dyer, Southwest Baptist University There is a time to speak and a time to write! This year, the PKD Professional Development Committee is taking the academic nature of our Honorary to heart. To challenge students to extend their scholarship beyond the acquisition of forensic skills, Pi Kappa Delta will be sponsoring the first annual Undergraduate Forensic Scholars Competition in Chicago, next fall. The “Best Undergraduate Papers” will be given a place among the top scholars of our field as a panel of presenters at the National Communication Association’s annual convention. The “Top Paper” will receive an award of $150. Papers will be judged on writing quality, on grounding from the literature in the field, originality of ideas, and contribution to the field of forensics. Any area of research or writing which directly relates to the field of forensics either in scholarship, performance or pedagogy is appropriate (see The Call, this issue). All papers should conform to APA form and style, and all reference to the author’s identity should be restricted to a removable cover sheet to facilitate blind review. All papers should be submitted by email attachment (Microsoft Word files if possible) to: sdyer@sbuniv.edu The winning papers will be posted on the National Communication Association’s web site before the convention, so that the interested members of NCA can view the papers and be ready to discuss the ideas and scholarship presented at the panel. All six finalists will be present their papers on the “Top Undergraduate Scholarship in Pi Kappa Delta” panel. Each of the six students will give a brief overview of their work and be ready to engage in discussion. The panel will be scheduled for a 1 hour time slot during the four days of the convention, November 11-15, 2004. Students will be notified in August, 2004 if their paper is a finalist. With approximately 7,000 members, the National Communication Association is the largest and oldest organization of communication educators and professionals. Around 4,000 of the nation’s leading communication scholars attend the annual convention where panels of outstanding, cutting-edge ideas in communication are exchanged and discussed. The Pi Kappa Delta Division of NCA is a forensics special interest group. (see natcom.org for more information) Any student in the Pi Kappa Delta membership is encouraged to join NCA and attend the PKD panels presented at the convention. This is an outstanding opportunity for students to attend a panel presented by the author of a class textbook, to ask the author of a article a question, and in general, to network and explore the field of professionals and educators in communication. Graduate programs from all over the country will be recruiting at the convention. To contact the Professional Development & Public Relations Chair, e-mail: sdyer@sbuniv.edu A Call for Papers For the 2004 Pi Kappa Delta Undergraduate Forensic Scholars Competition In conjunction with Pi Kappa Delta Division activities at the National Communication Association National Convention (NCA) to be held in Chicago, IL, November of 2004. Paper Submission Deadline: April 30, 2004 Purpose: This competition is designed to encourage forensics students to extend their scholarship beyond the boundaries of the speech and debate performance. Paper Content: Papers should focus on forensic scholarship (e.g. an idea used in a communication analysis may be developed into a paper), practices (e.g. the symbolic use of black books in interpretive events) or pedagogies (e.g. the implications of counter plans on academic debate). Papers should conform to the guidelines listed in the Pi Kappa Delta Call for Papers, for NCA 2004 found at www.natcom.org Presenting the Paper: Submission of a paper implies the author’s commitment to attend the conference if the paper is selected as one of the top six papers. All six finalists are expected to register for the convention (student fee $65, pre- registration) and become a member of NCA (student membership $55). All travel arrangements and expenses (hotel, meals, etc.) are the responsibility of the student. Benefits of student membership and convention information are found at www.natcom.org Award: The “Top Student Paper” will be officially recognized at the PKD business meeting at NCA and the author will receive a cash award of $150. The top six papers will be presented and discussed at NCA on a “Top Student Scholarship” panel. The top six papers will also be submitted for publication consideration as a theme issue of the PKD journal, The Forensic. Additionally, the top six papers will be featured in a poster session (honored through a display) at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament held in St. Louis, Missouri in March of 2005. Additional information about Pi Kappa Delta can be found at http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/PiKappaDeltaNational/ Eligibility: Any currently enrolled undergraduate student is eligible to submit a paper. Both single-authored and coauthored papers are welcome, although no student may be listed as an author of more than one paper. To Enter: Submit papers electronically (preferably as a Word attachment) to Shannon Dyer, Pi Kappa Delta Professional Development Chair, sdyer@sbuniv.edu Province Coordinator & Alumni Relations Column Helen Karchner, Ursinus College West Chester Univ. PKD Alumni Chapter In the year 2000, several of our Pi Kappa Delta Provincial regions were restructured. Now that it’s 2004, sufficient time should have elapsed allowing for settling and maybe two Provincial Tournaments...right? Well, our province was one of the ones restructured, combining the Province of the Lakes with the Province of the Colonies, in hopes to align some of the smaller provinces with larger ones. In theory, this sounded great! In fact, I looked forward to attending not only as the new PKD National Province Coordinator, but also, participating with my recently chartered Ursinus College forensics program. So in February, my team traveled to Bowling Green State University, to attend our 2004 PKD Provincial Tournament for the Greater Northeast. Their campus was beautiful, the amenities accommodating, lodging close and reasonable. However, only 13 schools participated from this newly combined region boasting almost a 30-school membership. So, I broached this subject with Susan Millsap, PKD National Council President. She thought this would make a great research project. Now, I have now been assigned to poll all of you to determine your thoughts. Please, email your elaborative and detailed responses to the following polling device regarding how effective the province restructuring effort was for you and your particular province to helenkarchner@aol.com QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT PROVINCE RESTRUCTURING 1) Of which Province are you currently a member? 2) Did you attend your region’s Provincial Tournament? __YES / NO____ If you answered YES, then please skip to question #4. 2) If not, what specific reasons prevented you from doing so? 3) If you answered travel distance or budget concerns to #2, then were there any other concerns that prevented your attendance? 4) Was your Province one of those recently restructured? If No, skip to question #11. 5) Do you think the restructuring of your region had an effect on general attendance at your Provincial Tournament? 6) How did the restructuring affect general participation at your Provincial Tournament? 7) What type of impact did the restructuring of the Province have on the tournament? 8) What specifically attracted you to participate, if indeed you did attended? 9) Were original PKD traditions upheld or lost during development of a new regional provincial tournament? 10) Were new traditions created during development of a new provincial tournament? 11) What do you feel makes your Provincial tournament special? 12) Did your region host a Provincial Tournament in conjunction with another tournament or swing? 13) How was hosting a Provincial Tournament in conjunction with another tournament beneficial to your Provincial region? 14) Would you recommend this experience to other Provinces? If yes, why? 15) Did schools attend from other PKD Provinces? 16) Which non-PKD schools attended your PKD Provincial? 17) What changes would you recommend to increase attendance at PKD Provincial Tournaments? 18) How many students did you take to the Provincials? 19) Is this your first Provincial Tournament? 20) How many Provincial Tournaments have you attended? Thank you so much for your time and attention. If you have any questions, please contact me via my forthcoming contact information. I look forward to assimilating your responses soon! RETURN YOUR RESPONSES TO: Helen R. Karchner Director of Forensics & Adjunct Professor for Ursinus College PKD National Province Coordinator Communication Consultant H.K.Consulting 202 Paperbirch Dr. Collegeville, Pa. 19426 E-mail: helenkarchner@aol.com Campus Office: Ritter Center Room 103 Cell: (610) 564 – 9624 Voice Mail: (610) 409 - 3000 x 2631 Home: (610) 489 – 7587 Fax: (610) 489 - 6939 Charter & Standards & Institutional Research Column Tom Huebner, Carson-Newman College We have been receiving applications for chartering new programs all year, but we would love to have more new programs join. If you know of someone who is asking about Pi Kappa Delta, and you know being contacted by our organization would be helpful, please contact: thuebner@cn.edu You might also direct them to our website: http://www.uamont.edu/Organizations/PiKappaDeltaNational/ To contact the Charter & Standards/ Institutional Research Chair, e-mail: thuebner@cn.edu Student Representative: At-Large Tomeka Robinson, McNeese State University It’s been a wonderful year in forensics and now that we are getting into the post season I would first like to extend my sincerest congratulations to all of those that have made it to nationals; you have certainly earned it. Next, I would like to wish you all the best of luck in these national competitions. The Honorary Tournament that was held at Middle Tennessee State University was a huge success. It was really good to see so many Pi Kappa Delta students in attendance. A special thanks should go out to Scott and Gina Jensen for the tournament running so smoothly. Now it is time to start preparing for the National Tournament and Convention that will be held in St. Louis, Mo. in 2005. Tina Wheeler and I are working hard, along with the students at Webster University, to make this a huge success and a memorable experience for all Pi Kappa Delta students. But we can’t do it without your help! If you have any ideas of what you want to see done at our National PKD Tournament next year, please feel free to e-mail me at tanbarbiedoll@aol.com. Again, I wish all of you the best of luck in all of your post season competition and I hope to see some of you at NFA in a few weeks. To contact the Student Representative At-Large, e-mail: tanbarbiedoll@aol.com EDITOR’S COLUMN Nina-Jo Moore, Appalachian State University This year has been an interesting one for me so far, as far as my role as Editor for Pi Kappa Delta goes!!! I have learned some new things, used some old ideas, and am always looking for new and different ideas. As you know, we are a little behind in our publishing of THE FORENSIC. The reasons are not relevant to my discussion here, but it appears that we will be “caught up” by the beginning of the summer, and will be back on track for the actual “Summer Issue.” I need your articles – that is, if we are to get caught up!! Part of the reason that we are behind is that we have not received articles that the reviewers felt were ready to be published, so many of the articles are back out with the authors. If you are one of those authors, I invite you to make the revisions and re-submit your articles. We made a decision as a National Council that we would only publish articles that were deemed ready by the “Reviewers” of articles, that we would not publish ones that were not ready to go just to say our journal is out and is out on time. This makes the journal remain what it has always been and most professors are looking for – a refereed journal with strong standards for publication acceptance. If you have an article that you wish to be considered, I also ask that you submit it to me. We are looking for all types of articles: scholarly articles, forum pieces, and book reviews. The more we receive, the more quality the journal is!! Finally, if you know someone who needs a “paper copy” of THE KEY, just let me know, and we’ll send them one immediately!! Directors of Forensics and Coaches might want to run a “paper copy” off of your own and make copies to share with your students, or to take with you to pass out to others who might be interested in joining us. I look forward to hearing from you soon! To contact the Editor, e-mail: moorenj@appstate.edu OTHER CONTACTS Since some of the members of the National Council did not have articles in this issue of THE KEY, their contact information is included here: To contact the National Secretary/Treasurer, e-mail: bjhill@email.uncc.edu To contact the Historian, e-mail: ray@uamont.edu To contact the Student Representative Provincial Rep., e-mail: wheelertl@hotmail.com * * * * * * * * In addition, if you wish to contact the National Office, housed in Ripon, Wisconsin. Please contact Joyce Krueger at: Nflpikappa@centurytel.net Nina-Jo Moore, Editor April 19, 2004 Return to PKD |