Speech and Theatre Department at Kutztown University

Many speech majors and public relations minors multiply Student poses with medieval sword the impact of their classroom learning in verbal communication, organization, writing and management through the many outlets for their talents on campus. The university depends on student talents of such organizations as the Student Activities Committee, which plans, contracts and implements events for students throughout the year, the Off-Campus Advisory Board, which maintains communication and helps build a working relationship between the university and such agencies as the police and mayor’s offices downtown. At KU, students maintain full, sometimes majority, membership on the committees that make the university run. The students get a chance to try out the communication techniques they are learning and the university benefits from their talent and commitment. Speech and/or PR students are also active in other campus activities such as varsity sports, fraternities and sororities, the volunteer center and many others.

The pictures included in this story are just a few of the speech and PR students that are taking a hand in making the university run and putting a good, hard, practical edge on their classroom learning in the process.

An Active group of actors on campus takes on roles as medieval knights, ladies, and knaves twice each year for renaissance events. In the sprint , part of the campus is taken over for armored (non-lethal) combat, recorder and madrigal concerts, juggling, medieval merchant booths and food, food and food in the Renaissance Faire. The Renaissance Dinner takes place at the end of the fall semester. Christine Tarlecki, member of the troupe, takes pictures for publicity and publication in the dinner program. Christine has been assigned to publicize and promote the dinner as part of her PR Workshop class. Later in the semester, she will report the results of her efforts to the class as a final project for the semester.
Brian Reilly (speech major, PR minor) earns extra spending money for college by working at the service desk in the Student Union Building. A smile and a joke often come with the service.
Suzanne Isphording (Speech major, PR minor) and Joe Hafner (TV major, PR minor) hone their skills on "Newsbreak," a daily news program produced in the telecommunications department and broadcast over Berks Cable, in Reading, PA.
Lauren Disanto (TV major, PR minor) works "the board" during production of a show that will be transmitted over Berks Cable.	Tara Johnson (speech major) wins one for the KU tennis team.
Suzanne Isphording, Vice President of the Student Government Board, listens to a point being made by SGB parliamentarian.

Dawn Gitler (speech major and PR minor) and Doug Holmes (professional writing major and PR minor) learn by doing in the Kutztown University public relations office. Stories by students often appear in area newspapers and in university publications, which provide impressive writing samples when it is time to apply for that first job.
Yet another opponent learns why it is not a good thing to face Angie Ridout (speech major) across a varsity volleyball net.
. Christine Tarlecki (speech major, PR minor) provides part of the aggressive offense on the KU varsity Lacrosse team.
Eunice Chege came to Kutztown all the way from Kijabe, Kenya to study Speech Communication. Getting to know Eunice, you might not realize that her ready smile and slight frame conceal a fierce competitor in the long-established tradition of powerful African distance runners. Now in her third season on the KU cross-country team, Eunice finished 10th place in the NCAA regionals and missed going to nationals by one spot. "Wait till next year," she says with a smile.
Speech major Cindy DuBosque found her niche at Kutztown as water person for the football team. A wide variety of duties include hustling water to the troops, being fast enough on her feet to duck a play that runs out of bounds, and occasional minor equipment repairs.