Senior Thesis Presentations: Class of 2023

All students who will complete a thesis will enroll in Rhetoric. This course meets twice weekly for an hour. There are daily speaking exercises to refine the students’ public speaking presence. Additionally, students are taught effective research methods and how to craft winsome arguments for their speeches.

Each student will be assigned an advisor. The advisors are volunteers whose goal is to help the student along the way. Students are required to meet with their advisors six times throughout the course of the year, but they should feel free to meet more frequently if desired.

Each student will be assigned a grader. The grader will assess each checkpoint and ensure that adequate progress is being made. There will be three main drafts that will receive a full mark-up by the grader.

The final draft of the research paper is due at an assigned date around the end of March or beginning of April. At this point, some students will be selected (Note: students will be graded using the Senior Thesis rubric; any who submit a passing paper at this deadline will be “selected”) and invited to participate in the Senior Thesis Competition. Students who are not selected for the competition or decline the invitation will present either in the evening the following week or during the day throughout the month of May. The students are then seeded by their grade in the course, and the nightly schedules are based off of that seeding. Details of all three tracks are as follows:

The students who accept the invitation will present on a public stage the last week of April. Their speeches must be memorized and their panelists will include one or more experts in their fields of study. The winners from each night will present again in the Final Fourum at the end of the week. Each nightly winner will receive a small scholarship to be credited to his/her college bookstore, and the Final Fourum winner will receive an additional $2,000 scholarship that has historically been sponsored by the Reid, Collins & Tsai team of trial attorneys in Austin.

Students who successfully present in the April competition will receive credit on their transcripts for “Advanced Senior Thesis,” and their GPA will be weighted as an advanced course. These students will also be eligible for the Distinguished Diploma if they meet all the other criteria for this honor.

Judging Criteria – Winners for thesis are selected by a team of four (the Final Fourum quorum) that deliberate late into the night each night of the competition (discussions usually last for three or more hours). Presentation quality is definitely a factor in determining who wins, but it is not the factor, as the thesis is a yearlong project requiring deep research, quality writing, and the thoughtful crafting of the message to be delivered. The four members of the panel consider the five canons of rhetoric, the Q&A session, and other factors. They are outlined below:

INVENTION - The crafting of argument: Has the student used all means available to him/her to craft his/her arguments? Are the arguments sound and convincing? How is the logic? Are the arguments supported by a wealth of evidence? Are they well wrought?

ARRANGEMENT - The ordering of the speech: Is the argument easy to follow? Is the proposition clearly stated? How are the transitions? Did the listener ever feel lost? Was each section clearly separated from the others? Was there a piece of evidence or an argument that was in the incorrect place or would have worked better elsewhere?

STYLE - The, well, style of the speech: Are there memorable phrases? Was the speech fun and easy to listen to? Did the speech ever become boring or burdensome? Was the student winsome? Were the sentences carefully crafted? Did the student use any notable tropes orschemesin crafting his/her words? Was it repetitive? Was it, in a word, sonorous?

MEMORY - This one is pretty self-explanatory: Did the student have ready, fluid recall of his/her speech? Did s/he ever have to check his/her notes (this doesn't hurt the grade, it's just for comparison)? Were the student’s "hiccups" large or small?

DELIVERY - The quality of performance: How were the gestures? How was the cadence? Was the delivery wooden? Did the audience feel nervous for the student, or put at ease? Did the student seem natural and at home on stage? Did s/he make eye contact with the audience? How was his/her poise?

Q&A PORTION - Did the student answer the questions to the satisfaction of the judges? Did s/he demonstrate deference and humbleness? Did s/he interrupt? Did his/her answers reveal a depth of research, or did it reveal holes in the research? Did the student have ready answers for the most pressing questions (the ones s/he should really know)? Did s/he have knowledge of the source material and pertinent studies? Did the Q&A period reveal any large holes in the student’s reasoning?

"OSES" - These are measured for both the speech and Q&A portion. They are the three modes of appeal:

Ethos - Did the speaker establish him/herself as trustworthy, well read, informed, and morally upright? Did s/he make moral arguments from this already established solid ground?

Pathos - Did the speaker craft his/her arguments in such a way as to tug at the heartstrings of the audience? Did these arguments seem contrived? Did the student stealthily guide (in a moral way, of course) the emotions of the audience?

Logos - Was the student’s speech and Q&A free of fallacy, and was it logically sound?

Some students may elect to present during the school day in the month of May. Veritas will not publicize the schedule for these presentations, but students may invite anyone they want to attend. The presentation quality should be excellent, but the speech does not have to be memorized. The panel of judges will consist primarily—or perhaps entirely—of members of the Veritas faculty, staff and/or board. Students presenting in May will be eligible for the Veritas diploma if they meet all the other criteria for this honor. Their papers and presentations will be assessed using the same rubric applied to the advanced senior theses (sans Memory), however, they will be afforded a 10-point curve. Their transcripts will read “Senior Thesis,” and their GPAs will not be weighted for this class.

TRACK IV: EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH THESIS (XRT)

Students who have a stronger leaning towards STEM related fields may choose to participate in our XRT program. These students spend the year executing their approved research plan, preparing a paper, and presenting their experimental research in a public forum. Throughout the school year, they meet regularly with the Science Department Head or another appropriate member of Veritas staff serving as their Research Advisor. Experimentation must be completed in time to compete in the Austin Energy Regional Science Festival (AERSF) in mid-February and any other science fair competitions that they advance to, including the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Presentation and defense of work will occur at approximately the same time as the other thesis tracks under guidelines established by the Science and Thesis Department Heads.

The backbone of the Democratic Republic of Congo's economy are their mineral deposits, which are vital to modern day technologies. Unfortunately, however, these mines are riddled with workplace violence and severe abuse of human rights. Halle's thesis is about repealing Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which requires SEC-listed companies to disclose whether they use minerals in their products originating from the DRC.

There’s a new narcotic in town—addictive like cocaine, damaging like fentanyl, and more ubiquitous than cigarettes and vapes. It’s online, always in your face, and one hundred percent free. In his thesis, Josh won’t beat around the bush, directly calling out porn for what it is: a drug. Texas should ID its citizens before accessing internet porn, protecting kids in the unregulated online jungle by using what every responsible adult carries in their pocket: a Driver’s License.

Eve’s thesis covers the topic of increasing carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. She proposes a retail carbon tax on items proportional to their carbon footprints in order to reduce emissions. The unique design of a retail carbon tax will help to influence consumers and businesses to incite change in the free market rather than ineffective government programs.

As artificial intelligence seems to appear everywhere we look, humanity must ensure that the rise of AI results in good, not in evil. Autonomous weapons are armaments controlled by artificial intelligence, and the UN should ban their development and use worldwide. Otherwise, soldier and civilian alike will be exposed to the consequences of wars fought by machines. Before artificial intelligence killing men becomes commonplace, the world should consider the price it will exact.

In his thesis, Jacob will argue that to improve access to specialty care for rare disease patients, the U.S government should implement a comprehensive public-private partnership program.

Ben is arguing that the UIL should change their concussion protocol to adapt some of the NFL protocols. He is arguing for the introduction of baseline tests; concussion training for students and parents; and lastly, accountability for teams to ensure players don't play injured.

Sadie will argue that Affirmative Action should be abolished in higher education. She contends that Affirmative Action is unjust discrimination in the name of inclusion, it perpetuates feelings of resentment by diluting the success of those selected for affirmative action, and it hinders future success after admission. Every race should be guaranteed equal treatment when applying to higher education institutions.

In Hope's thesis, she will argue for adding art therapy to the Texas public school system in order to help kids who could benefit from it. This option would provide the many benefits of art therapy while saving money for families and maintaining the convenience of in-school counseling.

With coaches playing a huge role in athletes' lives, requirements should be put in place to ensure coaches have the proper training to help athletes become the best they can be. Ensuring a minimum of nine hours of continuing education credits for TAPPS coaches in the areas of mental health, character development, and physical health will help coaches to have  an impact in the lives of athletes.  

Stephen's thesis is about prioritizing light rail development over highway development in Austin. The reasons to prioritize light rail are these: to reduce congestion on highways, to give the city a source of passive income, and to create opportunities for low income neighborhoods.

In his thesis, he will argue for why schools should reduce the amount of homework assigned to high school students by adhering to Dr. Harris Cooper's "Ten-Minute Rule." He will discuss how excessive homework isn't effective, how it consumes too much time and creates an imbalance in the lives of the students, and how stress caused by it is detrimental to both physical and mental health.

The U.S. government should update cosmetic regulation and consider a system like the European Union's to strengthen the FDA's ability to ensure safe cosmetics for consumers. The EU has a successful framework that the United States can follow to improve the industry, and the FDA already regulates other similar industries more heavily. More thorough government oversight will also give consumers more confidence when buying "clean" cosmetics.

Quinn will argue that wolves should be reintroduced into Rocky Mountain National Park as soon as possible. Wolves would help eliminate the spread of diseases in wildlife and help maintain the balance of the ecosystem. Furthermore, wolf reintroduction would have an economical benefit on areas in and around the Park.

Oil is a vital part of our economy, and rising oil prices significantly impact our day to day lives. Despite public perception, pipelines are the safest, most economical, and most environmentally friendly way to transport oil. We need to reevaluate our nation's stance against new oil pipelines.

There’s a new narcotic in town—addictive like cocaine, damaging like fentanyl, and more ubiquitous than cigarettes and vapes. It’s online, always in your face, and one hundred percent free. In his thesis, Josh won’t beat around the bush, directly calling out porn for what it is: a drug. Texas should ID its citizens before accessing internet porn, protecting kids in the unregulated online jungle by using what every responsible adult carries in their pocket: a Driver’s License.

Maggie will argue for reopening government funded mental institutions. She claims that community care, general hospitals, and the prison system are avenues that people with mental illness are forced to take since the closing of psychiatric institutions. These paths are counterproductive to the well-being of people with mental illness and their loved ones. Mental institutions offer a more financially viable, safer, and hands-on alternative for psychiatric care.

The orphan crisis is not as severe as the U.S. is led to believe, and a lot of corruption thrives on westerners’ desire to adopt. For this reason, adoption agencies should be required to own the orphanages with which they currently contract. Doing so will reduce corruption and help encourage better alternatives, like domestic adoption and foster care.

In his thesis, Aidan will argue that children under fifteen years of age should not have smartphones. Smartphones put children at risk of  being  exposed to inappropriate material, cyberbullying, and online predators. They also reduce an academic mindset and can cause developmental issues.

The backbone of the Democratic Republic of Congo's economy are their mineral deposits, which are vital to modern day technologies. Unfortunately, however, these mines are riddled with workplace violence and severe abuse of human rights. Halle's thesis is about repealing Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which requires SEC-listed companies to disclose whether they use minerals in their products originating from the DRC.

Grace will argue that the city of Austin should continue to reduce speed limits and upgrade road design in an effort to improve roads for all users and better our community. Lower speed limits and safer roads will decrease fatalities, injuries and expenses related to crashed throughout our city. Slower, safer streets also improve the quality of life for the city's residents. Finally, better and slower roadways will foster economic development and create a more vibrant Austin.

Claire will be arguing that feminine hygiene products should be exempt from both state and local sales tax in the state of Texas. These products technically already qualify as a part of a non-taxable category, the financial impact on the state is almost unnoticeable, and under the Equal Protection Clause, the tax fails to be equitable towards women. Out of our fifty states, twenty-four states have already exempted these products from sales tax, and Texas should be next.

Drew's thesis addresses the dangers of fentanyl and how the crisis can be combated in America. Specifically, the Federal Communications Commission should require social media outlets to post warnings about fentanyl-laced pills being sold on their platforms. The younger generation is being targeted by drug dealers, and social media users can better spread the word about the drugs being sold. Requiring warnings on social media will also  help to stop the rise of illegal online pharmacies.

As parenting is both the hardest and most important job in the world, it is important to always use the safest and most beneficial disciplinary tactics. While spanking has been used for generations, it is important to constantly look at research and opinions from experts. Generations of research have shown the short-term and long-term negative effects of spanking. There have also been countless studies and stories proving the validity of other disciplinary methods.

As artificial intelligence seems to appear everywhere we look, humanity must ensure that the rise of AI results in good, not in evil. Autonomous weapons are armaments controlled by artificial intelligence, and the UN should ban their development and use worldwide. Otherwise, soldier and civilian alike will be exposed to the consequences of wars fought by machines. Before artificial intelligence killing men becomes commonplace, the world should consider the price it will exact.

Gifted and talented programs are an inneffect part of the modern public school system. Getting rid of them—as this thesis argues—will help socioeconomically disadvantaged students who are neglected in this program as well as improve the general mental health of students.

Hayden argues that states implement laws prohibiting minors from receiving gender affirmation surgery. The rates of gender dysphoria and surgical procedures have skyrocketed just over the last few years. Transgender children are looking for a solution to their mental disparities and plenty of states offer them procedures. However, the research is conclusive that there is no reason minors should even be in consideration for surgery.

Attention for the four-day workweek has grown significantly in the last four years, but some still aren't convinced. Americans need to know that a shortened or compressed workweek is compatible with the hardworking American spirit. From better quality of life for workers to improved productivity for businesses, the four-day week is a natural step forward for the modern working world.

The United States is on the brink of a population crisis. For decades, birth rates have been below the replacement rate and the baby boomer workforce is aging out. To avoid economic and social collapse, the U.S. should seek to increase birth rates by offering scaled benefits that alleviate the financial burdens on large intact families.

Eve’s thesis covers the topic of increasing carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. She proposes a retail carbon tax on items proportional to their carbon footprints in order to reduce emissions. The unique design of a retail carbon tax will help to influence consumers and businesses to incite change in the free market rather than ineffective government programs.

Bronwyn will advocate for the implementation of Emergency Risk Protection Order laws in Texas. These individualized orders are utilized to prevent crises while preserving one's rights. They fill in the gaps left by Texas' current risk-based gun violence prevention laws, empower key people, and have been proven to reduce suicide. Please note this thesis includes discussion of potentially triggering topics, like school shootings and suicidal ideation.