UK Places Fourth in National Persuasion Contest

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 1, 2016) — The University of Kentucky Forensics Team placed fourth in the national persuasion contest "Pitch it to PKD," held by Pi Kappa Delta.

Pi Kappa Delta is the national honorary for speech and debate competition at the collegiate level. The "Pitch it to PKD" contest solicited video presentations from colleges and universities across the nation that advocated for change at the local, national or global level. The best pitches, as judged by the national council of Pi Kappa Delta, would be supported financially over the coming year as a model for engaging the speech and debate community in real world change.

Senior Logan Hurley and freshman Matt Karijolic’s pitch video advocated for increased support for local refugee resettlement agencies like that of Kentucky Refugee Ministries here in Lexington. In the video, Hurley notes that refugee resettlement agencies’ “advocacy focuses on realizing the full extent of human potential, which is something we can all get behind.”

Pi Kappa Delta would seem to agree. The video pitches were due in February of this spring. After being assessed and ranked by the national council of Pi Kappa Delta over the summer, the winning videos were announced this fall.

The UK Forensics Team is committed to training the next generation of civic leaders who are passionate about effecting change in their communities. To foster these skills, the team takes part in competitions throughout the Southeast region of the United States.

UK Forensics is a student organization in the School of Information Science in the College of Communication and Information. The team regularly competes in 12 public speaking events and three forms of debate. To find out more, visit www.ukforensics.com.