Dean’s war of words garners national attention BY N ATA S H A K AT C H U K
We have all been witness to a conversation
LIKE, UM ...
where the word “like” has been dropped more times than on a Facebook post. For then Dean Daphne Taras, it was after spending time in the hallways of the Edwards School of Business having overheard one too many frustrating conversations that she decided to take action. Annoyed by the use of verbal fillers such as “um, y’know, like, you guys, and hey,” Dr. Taras issued a matching challenge to her network of faculty, staff and donors. Donations quickly began pouring in, resulting in a $7,000 pool of funds from which prizes can be drawn for years to come. Aptly named the Dean’s Golden Tongue, the program is believed to be first of its kind in business schools. Targeted at first year students, the goal is to make an oral presentation without reliance on a script or using a crutch of wasted words and verbal fillers. The competition not only garnered the attention of media outlets such as the Globe & Mail and CBC, but sparked widespread discussion. Taras’ own son engaged in the conversation bantering back about his own experiences with generational filler words. The Edwards School of Business also received comments and confessions from alumni and donors of all generations. In the end, 23 students met the challenge and successfully competed to be among the inaugural group of winners, witnessed by classmates and industry judges. Recipients will be able to add this talent to their résumés, with employers sure to be grateful.
nn 2016 INAUGURAL WINNERS: Hannah Classen
Hayli Riach
Brianne Daviduik
Andrew Slusar
Joshua DeCorby
Levi Smith
Sarah English
Andrew Sproule
Sarah Firby
Emily Sweeney
Carl Fuentes
Taylor Thiessen
Jenae Funk
Katharine Tupper
Jackson Lowell
Jordan Turcotte
Aihua Mao
Brett Weiman
Leighton Nelson
Ethan Wingerak
Owen Peters
Huisi Wu
Melissa Reigert
... Y'KNOW?
Watch the video on our YouTube channel:
WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/ESBUofS
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