BC's Self-Taught Forensics Team Sees Success at Pa. Competition

The Brooklyn College Student Forensics/Speech and Debate Team recently won 10 awards at the Fall 2009 Collegiate Forensics Tournament. The tough, two-day competition was held in mid-October at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. As a result of their success, four members of the team will go on to compete in a national tournament next spring.

"We were thrilled at the win and were not expecting to do so well since we were up against some difficult teams," said Jasmine Patel, a senior biology and economics major, and team treasurer. "The success of our first tournament has definitely inspired and uplifted us to continue this streak."

The team, which has been operating without a faculty advisor for at least half a dozen years, has largely taught itself the ropes, learning about the logistics and rules of the tournaments as well as the skills behind public speaking.

"I couldn’t even talk in front of a few people when I first started the club," said Juluana Rosentsveyg, a senior biology and health and nutrition major who serves as the team’s president. "In three years we went from not knowing a thing to actually being seen as a real competitive threat."

Rosentsveyg and Patel won a first place award for their entry in the “dramatic duo” competition, a reading from the book-turned-play-turned-movie, "Doubt," by John Patrick Shanley.

Facing off against teams much larger than theirs, the Brooklyn College team placed well in many other categories, including:

First Place Extemporaneous Speech: Mubashir Shabil Billah.
Second Place Parliamentary Speaker: Jasmine Patel.
Third Place Prose Interpretation: Loraine Rosentsveyg.
Third Place Persuasive Speech: Juliana Rosentsveyg.
Third Place Impromptu Speaking: Juliana Rosentsveyg.
Third Place Pentathlon Individual Sweepstakes: Juliana Rosentsveyg.
Sixth Place Informative Speech: Jasmine Patel.
Sixth Place Parliamentary Debate: Jasmine Patel and Juliana Rosentsveyg.
Sixth Place Team Sweepstakes.

Billah, Patel, and sisters Loraine and Juliana Rosentsveyg, all qualified for the tournament’s national competition next spring.