Bailey Oratorical
The Bailey Oratorical is one of the most interesting and academic traditions that Juniata College has to offer. There were seven finalists this year and their speeches were so well researched and very well executed. The speech that left the most impact with me was the 2015 winner Julia McMurray, of Kensington, Md. She was such an eloquent speaker that every word that came out of her mouth was so convincing and so well written you couldn’t help but agree. The topic this year was: How can we enhance Juniata’s distinctiveness today and ensure its success in the future? Julia exhibited every aspect that the judges were looking for in a very convincing way.
Julia talked about the financial aid of Juniata College. She started off by painting the picture of Juniata. She described how nice the campus was and how we all take the face value of the college into account when choosing where we go. But she made the strong statement that most people would agree with. “I am here because I can afford to do so.” In the era we live today, money is such a big deal. Sometimes money can be the deciding factor on what exactly we do. She said how Juniata does offer large amounts of money in order to make college affordable to students. However she noted the increasing tuition rates. She said how at graduation a Juniata Student could owe around $33,000 after their four years here. Just looking at that number scares me. I know that the United States has one of the highest student debts in the world. When looking at other countries, us as students in the United States pay double or triple of some countries higher education. This is not right that we have to start our lives with so much debt in comparison with everyone else. There has to be a reasonable way for students to get the education that is pretty much required to do anything anymore. Without a degree there is not much you can do. You are looked down on in our society unless you have been very successful without one. She sums up her whole speech with how we may need to change the ways in which we spend our money as an institution. I fully believe that it is a genuinely great piece of advice. At some point Juniata will have to look at the way it is spending its money and change for the benefit of the students. She said that some money should be re-routed to students in great need of financial aid, and I think that it is not a bad idea. If someone has the talent and mind to do great things, money should not be the factor that contributes to them not being able to do so. Overall, I believe that Julia was the correct choice for the 2015 Bailey Oratorical. She fully embodied what the competition was about and gave Juniata some helpful advice when looking at its future.
