Bluffton University will hold its annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, in Yoder Recital Hall.
Students selected to participate will prepare an oration, no more than ten minutes in length, that applies a peace-church perspective to an issue of contemporary concern.
• Eric Beachy ’17 of Millersburg, will present a speech titled, “Making Peace Through Restorative
• A speech titled, “Studying History as the Path of Peace,” will be presented by Kenny Beeker ’18 of McComb.
• Claire Clay ’18 of Van Wert, Ohio, will present a speech titled, “Social Media and Conflict: Eradicating Online Drama Through Compassion and Peacemaking.”
• Katey Ebaugh ’18 of Holtwood, Pa., will present a speech titled, “Muslim People: Terrorized, not Terrorists.”
• A speech titled, “Violence and Video Games: Building Peace Through Virtual War,” will be given by Joshua Leatherman ’17 of Goshen, Ind.
• Olivia Poole ’17 of Shaker Heights, will present a speech titled, “Restoring Peace by Challenging White Privilege.”
The student who is awarded first prize will receive $175. The second and third prize speakers will receive $125 and $100, respectively.
The first prize winner will advance to compete with winning students from other North American Mennonite colleges. The bi-national competition awards $250 for first place, $150 for second place and $75 for third place.
The contest is named in honor of C. Henry Smith, an early 20th-century Mennonite historian and a professor at Bluffton as well as at Goshen College.
