A glimpse into the history of Boise State University Forensics...

For more than six decades, forensics competition has offered academic enrichment to hundreds of students at Boise Junior College, Boise College, Boise State College, and now Boise State University.
        

Dr. Eugene B. Chaffee, the second president of Boise Junior College, was the founder of  the college's debate team in the fall of 1937.  He considered the enterprise so important to campus life and the quality of education at the institution, he volunteered to serve as the team's coach during its inaugural season.
    

In the years that followed, the debate program diversified, adding opportunities for inter-collegiate competition in public speaking and oral interpretation (or "Declamation" as those individual events were then called), and later took on the title "Forensics Program."
    

By 1941, the BJC Forensics Club boasted 21 members under the direction of  Dr. C. D. Myers.  Member s competed in debate, parliamentary procedure, oral interpretation and speech.
    

The second World War restricted travel and diverted much of the Nation's human resources to the war effort.  By 1943, Boise Junior College was left with so few faculty  members that most activities and many classes, including debate, were suspended.  President Chaffee himself left campus in 1942 to serve as a naval officer.      

Lying do rmant until 1953, the forensics program was revived by Professor Harold Wennstrom.  By the 1 955-56 season, Professor Wennstrom's debate teams were regular winners on the Northwest circuit.  The team of Neil Scott and Rod Walston placed third at the Tournament of Champions at Linfield College and appeared in the finals of the 1956 National Junior College Tournament. 
      

Under the direction of Professor Joseph M. Dolph from 1958 until 1961, the BJC program traveled widely and became one of the most successful community college programs in the Northwest.  In 1959, Boise Junior College was inducted into Phi Rho Pi, the forensic honorary for two-year institutions, as the Idaho Alpha chapter.
      

In 1965 the school was accorded four-year status and became Boise College.  Professor Robert T. Miller, director of forensics from 1962-67, guided a successful transition from junior college to four-year program.  In 1969 Boise College was incorporated into the state of Idaho's higher education system.  The following year the Idaho Epsilon chapter of Pi Kappa Delta was established at Boise State College.
      

Boise State's winning tradition continued under Professor C. Harvey Pitman, who served as Director of Forensics from 1967 to 1972.  In 1971, BSC enjoyed its first taste of national success as a four-year institution, earning an Excellent Award in Overall Sweepstakes at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament in Houston, Texas.
      

In 1973, BSC became Boise State University.  Two years later, the Idaho Epsilon chapter earned its first Superior in Overall Sweepstakes at the Pi Kappa Delta Nationals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Under the direction of Dr. James DeMoux (1972-76), Professor James Reilly (1976-78), Dr. Marvin Cox (1978-81) and Dr. Suzanne McCorkle (181-87), Boise State University sustained that tradition of excellence.
      

Thanks largely to its strong historic foundations, the Idaho Epsilon chapter continues to enjoy great success.  Over the past decade, that succe3ss has included seven Northwest Forensics Conference Championships, three Pi Kappa Delta Great West Regional Championships and four Superior awards in Overall Sweepstakes at the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament.  In the past ten years, Idaho Epsilon has produced more than two dozen sweepstakes championships at invitational tournaments and 60 Boise State students have been named to the All-Conference Team of the Northwest Forensic Conference.
      

More significantly, members of Idaho Epsilon have presented hundreds of speeches, readings, and debates to classes and other groups throughout southwest Idaho;  hosted dozens of forensics tournaments for high schools; and performed scores of hours of public service for the University and the Boise community.  In 2001, Boise State was honored to host the Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament and Convention, and was named the Outstanding Chapter in the Province of the Great West.

Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament  (Biennial)

1991 - Monmouth, New Jersey - Twentieth Place
1993 - Tacoma, Washington - Sixth Place
1995 - Shreveport, Louisiana - Third Place
1997 - Covington, Kentucky - Fifteenth Place
1999 - Fargo, North Dakota - Fourth Place
2001 - Boise, Idaho - Fifth Place
2003 - Baltimore, Maryland - Third Place
2005 -  St. Louis, Missouri - First Place
2010 - Minneapolis, Minnesota - 4th Place Overall

President Robert Kustra writes:
     "During spring break, our debate and speech team won the 2005-06 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP with a first-place finish in the team standings at the Pi Kappa Delta National  Tournament in St. Louis.  The Talkin' Broncos dethroned the six-time defending national champions from Southwest Baptist University in Missouri.  What an outstanding achievement beyond the blue!
     "Congratulations to Coach Marty Most and his 14-member team.  Boise State also finished first in debate sweepstakes, second in speech sweepstakes and brought home 22 individual awards.  John Petti, a senior from Meridian, won the individual national championship in the broadcast journalism division.  Debaters Lacey Rammell-O'Brien, a senior from Eagle, and Nancy Henke, a senior from Boise, earned All-America honors.  We are very proud of the Talkin' Broncos' accomplishments this season.  Please Join me in congratulating them on their accomplishment and their stellar representation of Boise State University."
     "For more than six decades, the Boise State University Forensics Program has offered students individualized instruction and intercollegiate competition in debate, public speaking, and oral interpretation.  The Forensics Program is housed in the Department of Communication and is an important component in the Rhetoric and Communication Education offerings of the department.  However, forensics can enrich the liberal arts educations of students from all disciplines and in a typical semester fewer than half the team members are Communication majors.  Forensics participants can compete in six different speaking events, five oral interpretation events, and Parliamentary debate.  Full-time students maintaining at least a 2.80 GPA are eligible to try out for the Forensics Team.  Members of the team receive one or two credits per semester for their participation.  Forensic students' travel and tournament expenses are paid by the university.  Scholarships in varying amounts are available to outstanding competitors who maintain Idaho residency and a minimum GPA of 3.00.  Boise State competes as a member of the Northwest Forensics Conference (NFC), an affiliation of 42 colleges and universities from five states.  Boise State is also home to the Idaho Epsilon Chapter of Pi Kappa Delta National Forensic Honorary Society, the nation's oldest and largest forensics honorary organization, and is an active member of the National Parliamentary Debate Association and the American Forensics Association."