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Students prepare for intercollegiate legislature
November 14, 2011

Ten Bryan students – four legislators, four lawyers, and two reporters – will get a taste of legislative and judicial aspects of state government Nov. 17-20 as they participate in the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
 

Students legislators from Bryan are pictured with Dr. Kevin Clauson, second from right, back.

The student legislators, a representative, a senator, and alternates for both, will consider bills in committee meetings and floor sessions. The student lawyers will argue a case before the student supreme court while being judged by sitting judges. And the student reporters will cover the session, all in an effort to gain practical understanding of the political and judicial process, according to Prof. Kevin Clauson.
 
Anna Haffner, who will be a senator, said preparing for the program has been a good experience. “I participated in a student congress in high school; this is more technical. We have to consider the legal technicalities of getting a bill passed, and how to make a good argument for your position.
 

Student lawyers pictured before the conference.

Samuel Gilbertson, who will be a lawyer, said the Bryan legislators will propose a bill concerning human trafficking, while the legal team will argue a case involving a wife’s responsibility to cover medical expenses incurred by her late husband. “This will be a four-day trial against (teams from) about 20 different colleges with some of the top legal minds in the state,” he said.
 
Dr. Clauson said the students “are going to come out with an intimate knowledge of how the legislative and judicial system in Tennessee works. If they are going to be involved in the judicial or legislative aspects of government, at least half the battle is knowing how things work. It will be an extremely valuable experience for them.”