FORENSICS RETURNS TO GEORGIA COLLEGE

By Hayden Flinn

Forensics is back at Georgia College & State University.

The Department of Communication program’s new(er) program is considered a co-curricular, meaning it is a competitive speech and debate team.

“Forensics is kind of a misnomer because a lot of people think about science or the TV show ‘Forensic Files,’ but forensics in this context means intercollegiate competitive public speaking,” said Rhetoric Professor Nathan Bedsole, director of GCSU Forensics.

The co-curricular aims to give a student routine practice on a particular speech, which is different than a class, which typically moves at the speed of “present information and then move on to the next module.”

“You get the opportunity to spend months working on a speech,” Bedsole, who joined the department in the fall of 2022, said. “(You get) months doing the research and refining it, delivering it, memorizing it. So, on the one hand, this gives you a product that I think is very impressive. It gives you that sense of accomplishment. On the other hand, I think along the way it betrays a sort of willingness to accept and work with feedback and criticism, that college, I think, sometimes doesn’t necessarily cultivate enough of.

Bedsole said the speech and debate program is competitive, which incentivizes students to improve.

“We have a strong campus and community focus in doing scrimmages, showcases and the embodied art of effect of oratory,” Bedsole said. “We also travel to other universities in our region to compete against other teams.”

In the fall of 2022, the speech and debate team debuted its inaugural fall event, “The Protagoran.” According to event publicity, the event was named after the “most famous of the older Sophists,” otherwise known as rhetoric and philosophy teachers in ancient Greece. The event allowed numerous students to exhibit their original writing and public speaking works, including oratory, interpretation of prose and student debate.

“Being a part of the forensics team means a great deal to me,” said McKenzie Weathers-Skinner, an English literature major. “The rhetoric department at Georgia College, specifically Nathan Bedsole, Michael Dreher, Colin Whitworth and Jan Hoffmann have personally invested in my success as a student.”

The modern GCSU forensics team is part of District 6 competition. This spring, members competed in North Carolina, Alabama and Northern Florida.

Unlike GCSU competitive sports teams, the forensics team is not limited to Division II competition, which means it will face multiple Division I schools, Bedsole said.

Bedsole said this year is about building the foundation of a program. He said he had invested countless hours recruiting team members. His pitch to potential members is somewhat simple: a student can make the forensics teamwork, no matter his/her/their skill level and/or schedule.

“We accommodate all sorts of skill levels, levels of commitment and intention,” Bedsole said. “There are members of the team who show up to our meetings on Mondays; they participate and that’s really the beginning and end of it. We welcome (participation) beyond the campus casual team. There are also the speakers who have been working on their speeches for the past months. We’re refining them for competition and that’s a lot of work. We will meet several times throughout the week and there’s the expectation of a lot of work on one’s own,” Bedsole said.

Additionally, he said, “If you have that competitive spirit, and you want to test your stuff and see what you’re made of against other talented students from other schools, we give you that opportunity. But mostly, I think about having the opportunity to get something like a graduate-level education in rhetoric and communication. (Forensics) is much more individualized instruction.”

For Weathers-Skinner, the team experience also extends beyond theories and strategies.

She said, “My peers that practice and compete alongside me, are quickly becoming my closest friends, who I can count on to support me in all of my endeavors. Being part of the forensics team means you have a safe space on campus and a family away from home.”