Cedars, February 2018

February 2018 5 CAMPUS by Brianna Saucier T he Cedarville Moot Court team made it to nationals in just its second year as a program. Two of the eight members, senior Abi- gail Barnes and junior Levi Gross, traveled across the country to Dallas on Jan. 20 to compete at the University of Texas School of Law. Nationals was the culmination of Moot Court’s year-long series of courtroom-style debate competitions. Moot Court is an organization that competes against other schools through courtroom-style debates. Students are giv- en a Supreme Court case at the beginning of May to argue in late November before a panel of judges. “The whole experience is enjoyable,” said Marcus Waterman, a junior and return- ing team member. “It encompasses com- petition, learning, speaking in a courtroom setting, skipping school, going on a trip with a lot of good people, [and] being a part of a team. And, it’s a great résumé builder.” Cedarville’s Moot Court team formed last year under the guidance of professors Robert Vaughn and David Rich. The idea had been in the works for several years be- fore it came to fruition. Rich desired a competitive element to add to the Legal Society, a Cedarville org for prospective law students, and discovered the National Moot Court Association. Rich agreed to let Vaughn take charge of running the organization, as he had sev- en years experience under his belt work- ing as an attorney. Vaughn’s leadership helped guide the team to success, despite the team’s lack of experience surrounding Moot Court. In their first year, the team of junior Colby S. Johnson and Gross were quar- terfinalists in the regional competition at Wooster College, just one spot away from going to nationals. Waterman also placed as Individual Orator two years in a row, getting seventh place last year and fourth this past fall. This is an individual award based on the stu- dent’s performance abilities. According to Vaughn, while Moot Court was successful last year, it was very infor- mal. New organization and understanding of the competition led to improvements in both arguments and preparation. Students even received course credit in Vaughn’s class this past fall. “Last year, it was just come sign up if you’re interested, practice when you could,” Vaughn said. “This year we tied a class to it so [students] could get class credit for time spent, and we [also] had more regular prac- tice time.” Cedarville had eight members join this year. They were split into four teams to compete in both Ohio and Michigan. The team included Gross, Barnes, Johnson, Wa- terman, freshman Brianna Saucier, soph- omore Andy Arreguin, sophomore Scott Grimes and senior Tyler Fisher. All of the starting members from last year returned to compete again. The students worked in pairs in order to compete, each taking a separate issue in the same case. Each student then prepared two arguments, one for and one against the issue at hand, otherwise known as arguing on behalf of the petitioner or defendant.   This year’s case was based on a murder trial conviction. One student per team had to analyze whether the Functional Brain Mapping Exam used to convict the petition- er was a violation of the Fifth Amendment. The other student argued whether the sol- itary confinement sentence was “cruel and unusual punishment,” and therefore a vio- lation of the Eighth Amendment. Students were given a total of 20 min- utes as a team to sway the judges to their side, with the winning team of each round continuing on. Cedarville went up against dozens of other schools in late November and ear- ly December for regionals. The top four or eight teams (depending on the region) went on to nationals. Two of Cedarville’s teams went to the regional competition at University of Akron School of Law, and two at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. At Akron, the team of Waterman and Fisher were quarterfinalists, with Gross and Barnes semifinalists. “Levi and I were Cedarville’s first team to ever attend nationals, and I am really proud of that,” Barnes said. “I was able to grow a lot in my knowledge of Moot Court and the case that we were representing. I also had one judge tell me that one of my arguments was the most organized that he had ever seen in his career, and that was ex- tremely encouraging.” The duo had placed fourth out of 24 teams for the chance to compete in Dallas. Barnes and Gross won a round before losing a split-ballot against the team that ended up winning the entire competition. “There was some really good competi- tion and the talent was incredible,” Water- man said. “They did really well considering it was their first time. They won a few bal- lots, had some good comments, and they are determined to go back.” The team had several other accom- plishments this year, with two students win- ning Orator awards. Gross and Waterman placed ninth and fourth respectively out of 48 students. “Whether for fun, to learn, or to build relationships or résumés, it is definitely a worthwhile program to be involved in,” Wa- terman said. Students said the program helped them practice and gain experience in gath- ering information, understanding argu- ment, legal writing and presenting infor- mation in a professional manner. It also offered them a chance to talk to people with experience in their perspective field as all of the judges practiced law or went to law school. As a result, Barnes and Gross said their experience at nationals equipped them with skills and memories they will have for years to come. “At first, competing at Nationals was pretty overwhelming,” Gross said. “But as soon as the first round started all of my jit- ters were gone. The competition was intense ... but I think Abby and I did a great job and remained poised. I couldn’t be happier with our performance.” Brianna Saucier is a freshman English major and Campus reporter for Cedars. She enjoys soccer, photography, and Army ROTC. Moot Court Competes in Nationals Photo courtesy of Robert Vaughn From left to right: Tyler Fisher, Marcus Waterman, Levi Gross and Abigail Barnes, at the regional competition held at the University of Akron School of Law displaying their semifinalist and quarterfinalist awards.