Campus News
Continued from previous page project in St. Ansgar, Iowa. According to the U.S. EPA, Luther College’s green power
Something to talk about: Speech and Debate Center opens in Preus Library Last fall, Luther students giving class presentations may have had fewer butterflies in their stomachs. That’s owing to the recently opened Speech and Debate Center (SDC). The new center, made possible through funding from the Roberts Endowment for Debate and Forensics, found its permanent home this fall in a classroom in Preus Library. Kim Powell, professor of communication studies and SDC director, says that having a dedicated space for the SDC in the library will give the center more visibility and give users
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access to more materials as well as allow the center to partner with library staff and Student Support Services. The SDC is equipped with laptops that allow a speech tutor to film a student giving a presentation. The tutor and tutee then review the footage together and identify what was done well and what was done less than well. The SDC also provides a permanent home for the Luther Forensic Speech and Debate Team, which Jordy Barry ’15 initiated as a first-year student in 2011. “Now we have a haven to promote team unity and practice together,” says Barry, who acts as both the team president and coach. She notes that the Roberts Endowment also supplied the forensics team with funds to travel to collegiate tournaments,
and she hopes that some Luther students will qualify for nationals this year.
sary. These programs become a liability when the presenter addresses the slides instead of the audience, and the audience too often is reading instead of listening. If you decide to use PowerPoint, the basic guideline for slides is the five-by-five rule: for each slide, don’t use more than five lines of type or more than five words per line. 3. Focus on the audience. And, of course, the only way to do this is to practice, practice, practice (see tip 1). Powell also advises that a speaker should work an interaction into the presentation. One way to do this is by asking a question. It’s much easier to keep an audience’s attention, she says, if they’re required to somehow respond or interact with you.
Tips: How to give a presentation The Speech and Debate Center focuses on Luther students, but SDC director Kim Powell’s vision for the center includes faculty and staff and even outreach into the local community. In this spirit, she shared some tips on giving an effective presentation. 1. Practice, practice, practice. Powell advises running through a speech seven to 10 times to learn your material enough to avoid relying on notes and to build confidence in what you’re going to say. 2. Only use Prezi or PowerPoint if it’s really neces-
Parents Council holds fall meeting Luther’s 2012–13 Parents Council held its fall meeting Sept. 21–23. Parents Council is the representative body of the Luther Parents Association, to which all parents of Luther students belong. The council, a liaison between parents and the college, is a means for parents to express concerns and suggestions to the college, and raises money
Senior parent representatives, pictured with President Rick Torgerson and Judy Torgerson: Carrie (Phipps) '82 and Ray Harney '80, Todd and Linda (Larson) Kluge '84, Regan and Mark Allen, Mark and Shari Schultz. Not pictured: Cary and Mary Lewis, Michele (Mertens) '83 and Carter Stevens '83, Mark and Paula Voss.
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Luther Alumni Magazine
Junior parent representatives: Wende (Bunger) '81 and Dan Douglas, Alicia Anderson '86 and Bob Skelly, Kristi (Wahlberg) '79 and Kevin Josephson '79, Pete Cochrane, Tim and Pam Alpers. Not pictured: Sandy Cochrane, Chris and Jean Nolte.
for the Luther College Annual Fund through the Roots & Wings campaign. Council representatives send parents fall and spring letters that provide college news, updates, and contact information for council members. For information, call the Luther Development Office at (800) 225-8664 or visit www.luther.edu/parents.
Sophomore parent representatives: Tracey Hirst, Leofwin and JoBeth Clark, Mary Ann Kliethermes, Susan Anderson-Nelson, Mary Ellen (Palmquist) '84 and Jeff Anderson '84, Linda and Mike Norderhaug '77. Not pictured: Mary (Edwards) '76 and Rich Steinberg '74.
First-year parent representatives: Kristin Swanson '80 and Alan Hecht '80, Sandee (Neitzel) '87 and Jon Joppa '85, Laura and Doug Lambert, Phil and Kathy Pielage, Laura and Brad Nielsen. Not pictured: Jill (Voss) Wachholz '89.