Six Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) communication studies students will compete for scholarship funds as part of the university’s biannual “SpeakEasy” speech competition at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 23.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Columbus Learning Center Lecture Hall & Auditorium. Light refreshments will be served immediately following the competition in the Student Commons, which is adjacent to the Lecture Hall.

Students will be judged on the basis of their delivery skills, speech structure, visual aids, and overall presentation style. Those selected for the competition, which is held once a semester, are nominated by classmates and their instructors. They represent some of the finest students enrolled in IUPUC’s public speaking classes, according to Professor Anna Carmon, who coordinates the university’s communication studies program.

The students will compete for a first-place prize of $200. The second- and third-place winners will receive $150 and $100, respectively.

The competitors, their majors, and the cities in which they reside include:

1. Nick Hundley, communication studies | Grissom Air Force Base (GAFB), IN
2. Tyffani Jewell, education major | Elizabethtown, IN
3. Christina Drake, psychology major | Taylorsville, IN
4. Melissa Helwig, pre-dental hygiene | Franklin, IN
5. Tracey Owens, sociology | Columbus, IN
6. Beth Mulry, majoring in history | Nashville, IN

Judges include:

1. Dr. Gary Felsten, interim associate dean of academic affairs at IUPUC
2. Emily Dill, executive director, University Library of Columbus
3. Janet Ward, midwest regional program officer, National CASA Association
4. Emily Hodnett, college recruiter, Cummins Inc.

For more information, visit www.iupuc.edu or contact Professor Anna Carmon at 812.348.7213 or acarmon@iupuc.edu.