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SPEAKING BEARCATS FINISH SEASON WITH NINE MORE NATIONAL TITLES
Northwest's chapter of Pi Omega Pi was named the top chapter in the nation at the National Business Education Association Convention. Left to right in the front row are Cari Cline, Melissa Potter, Allie Stanley and Dr. Nancy Zeliff. In the back row are Eddy Kraber and Trey Kothe.
BUSINESS ED HONOR SOCIETY EARNS FOURTH NATIONAL TITLE IN FIVE YEARS The Beta Chapter of Pi Omega Pi is the best in the country again, taking first place in its national competition for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in five years. Competition results are based on chapter involvement in the national organization and local chapter activities throughout the 2018 calendar year. The Beta Chapter’s community service projects last year included school visits during which members presented computer science concepts to elementary and high school students in rural districts. “You could just see the excitement and joy on the students’ faces,” Eddy Kraber, a senior business education major from Prole, Iowa, and Beta Chapter member, said. “When this is the case, the students are more likely to retain the information we are teaching. Another impact it had on the students was it intrigued them. We were successful in hooking 6
the students on computer programming. This is important because of today’s business’ desire for programming skills.” Cari Cline ’04, ’09, ’11, and Dr. Nancy Zeliff ’81, who teach in Northwest’s School of Computer Science and Information Systems, serve as the Beta Chapter’s faculty sponsors. The organization creates a fellowship among teachers of business subjects while encouraging interest and promoting scholarship in business education. “At a time when experienced teachers are seeking assistance in beginning computer science programs, Northwest is graduating Pi Omega Pi members who have professionbased learning experiences and are ready to hit the ground running,” Cline said. Northwest’s Beta Chapter, now in its 95th year, is the oldest active Pi Omega Pi chapter in the nation.
NORTHWEST ALUMNI MAGAZINE I FALL 2019
The Northwest forensics team, known as the Speaking Bearcats, completed its season by claiming nine national championship titles, including two team awards, in April during the Public Communication Speech and Debate League (PCSDL) National Tournament at Butler University in Indianapolis. The Speaking The Speaking Bearcats earned 21 awards, including nine Bearcats brought national titles, at the Public Communication Speech and Debate League National Tournament. Left to right in home team the first row are Gillian Stanley, Hailey Vernon, Baylynd championships Porter and Rhiannon Hopkins. Pictured in back are Jesse in Debate Reed, Dylan Fuchs, Joshua Williams and Gavin Hopkins. Sweepstakes and Combined Sweepstakes for all speech and debate events as well as a second place award in Speech Division I Sweepstakes. Of the Speaking Bearcat’s seven individual national titles, Jesse Reed, a freshman cybersecurity major from Topeka, Kansas, accounted for three, winning the contests in Humorous Political Commentary and Pecha Kucha, a speaking event involving 20 PowerPoint slides that change every 20 seconds. Reed also earned the top prize in College Public Forum Debate with his partner Baylynd Porter, a junior communication major from Nixa, Missouri; they tied for the title with teammates Gavin Hopkins, a senior speech and theatre education major from Jamesport, Missouri, and Rhiannon Hopkins, a sophomore speech and theatre education major from St. Joseph, Missouri. In addition to her co-national title in College Public Forum Debate, Rhiannon Hopkins was the top finisher in the College Public Forum Speaker Awards, a contest that had Porter placing second and Reed placing third. With Kevin Nguyen’s Top Superior award at the Pi Kappa Delta Biennial in March, the Speaking Bearcats earned 10 national titles during their 2018-19 season. The Speaking Bearcats are winners of 39 team and individual national titles since 2011. “I couldn’t be more proud of the Speaking Bearcats,” Northwest Director of Forensics Brian Swafford said. “This team has demonstrated that they can excel in all kinds of speaking events. These national awards speak to their hard work over the course of the season. Since most of the team is first and second-year competitors, the future looks especially bright.”