By Jennifer Baker
When asked to write a piece on the importance of Mock Trial, it is difficult to know where to begin. UP Mock Trial is an academic club, a competitive team and a class. In the fall, Mock Trial is a one-credit course that meets twice a week for about three hours, and also requires team members to work with their teammates outside of class to hone their skills and prepare for trial.
We continue to meet during the spring, which is when our most important competitions take place. Mock Trial not only prepares student who are interested in law for law school, it also gives them a competitive advantage in the law school application process.
Professor William Curtis, one of the team's coaches, was told by admissions officers at some of the most prestigious law schools in the country, including University of California Berkeley and University of Michigan, that they actually set aside applications that show Mock Trial experience for special consideration.
My experience with Mock Trial has provided me with knowledge about courtroom procedure and the federal rules of evidence that never fails to impress even the most preeminent attorneys.
Countless times in my four years of participating, I have heard from the attorneys and judges who preside at our competitions that we have advocacy skills and knowledge of the law that far surpasses not only that of a typical third year law student, but even that of some practicing lawyers.
The skills we learn in Mock Trial are not merely relevant for students who want to go to law school. While some of our alums have gone on to top law schools, such as Duke University, New York University and Berkley, and have subsequently become successful law clerks, attorneys and judges, others have taken the knowledge and professional experience that they have gained through Mock Trial and extended it to other fields, including nursing, music, education and engineering.
A large number of these alums stay active in the program and the university after graduation, continuing to give back to the UP community as a whole.
Steven Taylor, head coach of the program, has maintained a very strict no cut policy. Although the team is a competitive one by nature, the program is open to all students who are interested in gaining knowledge about litigation and the professional world in general. Steven and Professor Curtis foster an environment for the members of the team that allows not only academic growth but personal growth as well.
Despite the dedication and hard work of both the coaches and the students involved in Mock Trial, the team is suffering more and more each year due to a lack of funding. The funding for the program continues to decline each year while the number of students is increasing enormously. This, my fourth and final year on the Mock Trial team, will prove to be the hardest year financially that the team has faced. In the face of budget cuts we are being forced to forgo our one and only fall competition.
Although the team can work hard and still stand a chance at the regional competition without having traveled to a fall invitational beforehand, it significantly decreases the team's chances of moving beyond the regional competition to compete at a national level. This is not reflection of the amount of talent or dedication on the behalf of the team either. It is strictly a matter of resources and support.
In the last ten years Ivy League schools have begun competing in Mock Trial. And while our students never fail to give them a run for their money and even out compete them in a single round, nothing can supplement for the greater competition experience that these schools accumulate because they can send their teams to more competitions. Some of these teams have budgets well over $20,000 or $30,000 to work with. This allows them not only countless traveling opportunities but also ability to purchase some of their success. They come in looking more polished with their matching suits, ties and portfolios, all bought and paid for courtesy of Stanford University. When it comes down to a close match, this more prepared and polished team will prevail over a smaller school that cannot afford these sorts of things.
A budget like this is clearly unrealistic for the University of Portland. However, if ASUP continues to cut the Mock Trial team's funding like they have the past few years, I am not sure how long the team will be able to survive. This being my final year at UP, one might wonder why I am so concerned about the future of the team anyway. The University of Portland Mock Trial team has provided me with countless skills that I wouldn't have been able to have gained had I not been involved with the organization. Mock Trial is not only responsible for the competitive edge I have over other law school applicants, the breadth and depth of knowledge I have acquired of the law, and the professional connections that I have made; it is also responsible for priceless relationships that I will maintain and value far beyond my college years. It has impacted my professional career for the better and will continue to do so long after I leave UP. Ten years from now when I look back at my college career, Mock Trial will stand out above anything else. Should a club that has the ability to impact students this much, not to mention make the University of Portland graduates more successful after they leave the university, be forced to disassemble due to a lack of financial support from ASUP?
Should future UP students be denied this incredible opportunity? Times are hard for all clubs and organizations around campus this year, but a club that is valuable to the community as a whole should not be lost due to financial hardships.
Jennifer Baker is a senior
political science major
