On Tuesday, Oct. 27, students from two separate Public Speaking classes led by professors Casey Schmitt, assistant professor of communication, and Charlie Krebbs, associate professor of theatre and speech, took turns taking the stage of the Bradley Theater to speak about the universal topic of change. The students joined in groups of two to four to give verbal presentations concerning the topic for a modest audience of fellow students and faculty.

The broad topic allowed for a wide range of approaches among the 12 groups and 45 students, introduced by two designated emcees, freshmen Jake Johnston and Connor Grundman. Several groups took the inspirational route, including Johnston’s own group, which enforced their presentation’s titular message, “One Man Can Change the World.” Similarly, “You Can,” from the sole group of three, encouraged audience members to go out into the world and do great things.

Others spoke of specific lessons for preserving and bettering life. The cheekily-titled “Driving While Intexticated” was more glum than its title suggested, using the hypothetical example of the listener crashing into a car carrying a mother and her children while texting in order to discourage the potential habit.

A few standout groups used skits to further their messages and flaunt their acting prowess. In a humorous presentation called “Bathroom Etiquette,” freshman writing major Dan Janeshek shouted in disgust upon the imaginary sight of the aftermath of a Chipotle lunch to help students understand the importance of flushing.

In “The Impact of Modern Technology on High School,” junior exercise science and sports management major Mike Wynn pretended to check his phone in the middle of his speech as his groupmates chided him, displaying the distracting nature of ever-advancing technology.

Half educational, half entertainment, the informative hour was capped off with “Wandering Through the Decades,” a comparatively straightforward analysis of change over time illustrated through examples of music, slang, dress and technology in the recent decades.

Freshman KJ Odom led the audience through Britney Spears’ “Oops!… I Did It Again” shortly before the Public Speaking classes once again went their separate ways to await their grades.