About the contest
Each participant steps to the lectern to deliver an 8- to 10-minute speech
on their chosen topic relating to peace, in a universal or specific context,
including war and violence, political policies, agencies of justice and
peace, peacemaking strategies or current events. The addresses are judged
on originality, the integration of topic and a peace position and general
standards of delivery.
Participants compete for cash prizes and the top winner may enter the
U.S./Canada Mennonite Central Committee-sponsored C. Henry Smith Peace
Oratorical Contest. The trust of C. Henry Smith, a Mennonite historian
and professor at Goshen and Bluffton (Ohio) colleges, funds the contest,
which gives students an opportunity to become involved with the peace
cause while cultivating rhetorical skills. Speech contests have been part
of Goshen College's history since the early 1900s; the C. Henry Smith
contest allows the campus community to hear more about relevant, contemporary
issues.
2004-05
Contest
winner
Junior
Elizabeth M. Miller (Danvers, Ill.), a history major, spoke
on “
Community Nutrition: Long-Term
Solutions, Stability and Sustainability.”
Miller’s call for
a community-centered approach to end hunger wins the annual Goshen College
speech contest, Goshen College press release, Jan. 21, 2005.
Runner-up
Sophomore
Dawit Kebede (Goshen), a peace, justice and conflict studies major,
spole about “The Darfur Saga: Another Rwandan Genocide in the Making.”
2003-04
Winner
Hanna Yesuf wins
Goshen College peace speech contest by talking about poverty in her native
Ethiopia – First-year student,
Hannah Yesuf (Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia), a communication major, spoke about "Poverty in Ethiopia: What
Can You Do?"
2002-03
Winner
Tim Nafziger
invokes college’s peace legacy while encouraging activism; Senior wins
Goshen College C. Henry Smith speech contest – Senior,
Tim
Nafziger (Goshen, Ind.), an English major, spoke about “It Takes
a College to Raise an Activist.”
