Committee to select speaker

By Tara Warren

For the Daily

On April 28, graduating seniors will inevitably pause for a moment to reflect upon their personal experiences at the University, but one chosen student will have the chance to share that unique story with an audience of thousands.

A committee consisting of four students, two faculty members and one staff member will select this year's Spring Commencement student speaker from an expected pool of about 20 applicants.

The decision will be based primarily on the content of the applicant's proposed speech and consideration will be given to an audiocassette tape of the applicant's reading.

The speech should be no longer than five minutes and should emphasize the student's academic pursuits and experiences unique to the University.

Mary Jo Frank, University coordinator for executive communications and a committee veteran, said the speeches are judged anonymously.

"The names are removed from the speeches so the members can't tell who the speech was written by. The judges don't know if the author is a boy or a girl," Frank said.

Elise Schreck, chair of this year's Student Speaker Selection Committee, said the committee is looking for specific themes in the speeches.

"We are looking for a speech that highlights ways in which U of M has impacted a student's life," Schreck said. "Any graduating senior can submit a speech."

Schreck said extreme activism and straight As are not requisites for an applicant but strong applicants often possess such leadership skills.

Frank added that the speech itself is most important. "The quality of writing and clarity of ideas are important, along with delivery of the speech itself," she said. Successful speeches are often those that are well written, pertain to a large number of students and therefore captivate the audience.

The deadline for commencement speaker speeches and audiocassette tapes is 5 p.m. on March 7.

The applications can be turned into Frank in room 2040 of the Fleming Administration Building.

Senior Nursing student Bess Bertolis was unaware of the process of selecting a student speaker but upon learning about the contest expressed mild interest in entering.

"Speaking at graduation would be very exciting, but writing a speech would be time-consuming," she said.