UCF cutbacks result in fewer speech classes

Students may no longer  learn to overcome speech anxiety because UCF is cutting back sections of speech courses this summer and fall.

UCF is having to drastically reduce the number of overall sections offered by the College of Sciences and the Nicholson School of Communication from 75 to 30 starting this year, said Boyd Lindsley, a fundamentals of oral communication professor.

Rita Graham, the GEP and speech coordinator at UCF, said roughly 1,000 students are currently enrolled in SPC 1608 and SPC 1603. SPC 1608 is the new statewide course number for what was originally listed as SPC 1600, and SPC 1603 is the new number for the technical speech classes.

"We hope the number of sections of [speech] will eventually be increased so that more students will be able to choose this option to satisfy the ‘oral competency' requirement," Graham said.

As these classes are a part of the communication section of the general education requirement, these changes are starting this summer.

Because of this change, the COM 1000 class, introduction to communication, will have a revamped importance.

According to the undergraduate catalog, COM 1000 is a class that introduces students to theory, research and practical principles associated with human communication in interpersonal, public and professional contexts.

It is taught in a lecture environment, usually with no speeches required of the students.
SPC 1600, on the other hand, is a class in which every individual is required to compose and perform a number of speeches in front of the class. 

These speeches include a cultural diversity speech, an informative speech and a persuasive speech.

Fewer available speech classes lead to a greater chance for those two courses to fill up.
This leaves the COM 1000 course as a more readily available option for some students to fulfill part of their communication foundation requirements.

Some students who have taken the SPC 1600 course said they feel this cutback in classes is a major step down because the COM 1000 course doesn't require students to give speeches.

"People are going to have to talk in front of groups of people at some point in their lives," said Brooke Anderson, a junior who took SPC 1600 in fall 2008. "And if all they ever did was learn ways to give a speech instead of actually giving one they aren't ever really going to know how to give a proper speech.

"Experiencing actually giving a speech and talking about how to give one are completely different things."

Shauna Mikulewicz is a sophomore studying international business and is planning on becoming an ambassador, a job that puts a heavy emphasis on public speaking.

"Actually doing the speeches in front of the class was the most beneficial aspect of the class itself," Mikulewicz said. "I didn't see the book and tests important or beneficial, but the class speeches definitely proved to be a needed skill to know. I do not believe you can learn to give a successful speech just from reading a textbook; it's one of those skills that needs to be put into practice in order to understand it completely."

Sophomore Sally MacDonald said she feels she already knows that she can study well and get As by taking notes and retaining information, but she often gets nervous for speeches.
"It's just less stressful to pick up the book for me, at least," MacDonald said.