CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University’s Forensics (speech and debate) Team attended the International Forensics Association’s (IFA) Annual Tournament in Tokyo, Japan, on March 11-17, 2023. This was the final tournament of the season and the first international tournament since the pandemic.
Senior Megan Baus, a Ecological Engineering major from Salem, and graduate coaching assistant Tasha Robinson, from Hillsboro, took first place in the tournament-specific Japanese Anime Event.
Baus was also a semi-finalist in Open Prose Interpretation and competed in Open Poetry Interpretation and Open Program Oral Interpretation. Robinson is a former student competitor for OSU and a current MAIS graduate student in the Speech Communication area of the School of Communication.
“Megan and Tasha represent what is best about our team and about OSU,” said Mark Porrovecchio, director of the team. “They are talented individuals who put a lot into what they do, while also striving to support the rest of the team.”
The tournament featured schools from across the United States and abroad, including Texas Southern University; Houston; Emerson College, Boston, Mass.; the University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and International Christian University, Tokyo.
“This season represented a partial return to normal,” continued Porrovecchio. “I am sure Megan and Tasha will inspire their peers as we look forward to next season and next year’s IFA tournament in Dublin, Ireland.”
Both students were chosen to represent OSU at the IFA tournament based on their commitment and contributions to the team. Baus was this season’s winner of the Minnette Phillips Espy and Popovich Forensics Scholarships. Robinson was also a Popovich Forensics Scholarship winner.
Celebrating its 130th season, OSU Forensics is one of the oldest clubs on campus and a member of the Performing Arts Board in the School of Communication. The team is open to all students in good academic standing regardless of experience or academic background. If you are a student interested in participating, or a member of the community who would like to support the team, contact Porrovecchio at mark.porrovecchio@oregonstate.edu.
CONTACT:
Mark Porrovecchio
205 Shepard Hall
737-8230
Photo (from left to right): Tasha and Megan at the famous Buddhist temple in the ancient coastal city of Kamakura..
Photo (from left to right): Megan and Tasha celebrating their wins after the awards ceremony at the Hilton Tokyo Bay.