University of Texas at Austin Hosts American Forensic National Tournament

April 3, 2008

Event: More than 400 undergraduate students from 90 U.S. colleges and universities will converge on The University of Texas at Austin campus to compete in the 2008 American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET), which includes the collegiate national speech championships. All presentations are open to The University of Texas at Austin community.

The event culminates in the semi-final and national championship competitions, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 7, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Austin.

When: April 5-7. A complete schedule of events is available online.

Where: Multiple locations on The University of Texas at Austin campus. Specific locations will be posted in the Texas Student Union Ballroom. Campus maps are available online.

Background: The AFA-NIET will showcase the nation's best public speakers in categories ranging from persuasive and informative speaking, to literary performance and current political issues.

Sponsored by The University of Texas at Austin College of Communication, and housed in the Department of Communication Studies, the Individual Events speech team has won 24 individual national titles since it was established 19 years ago, making it the second winningest program in the history of the American Forensic Association. Team director Randy Cox was recently named the 2008 Texas Intercollegiate Forensic Association Educator of the Year. For more information, visit the UT Forensics Portal online.

For more information, contact: Erin Geisler, College of Communication, 512 475 8071;  Martin Cox, Department Communication Studies, College of Communication, 512-471-1957.