NSU’s Mock Trial Team Housed in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Won Bid from Regional Competition and Competes in the ORCS

The NSU Mock Trial Team housed in NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), made history by competing in the second round of competitions. They participated in the Regional Mock Trial Competition held in Orlando in February. Two NSU teams competed and one of the teams, Team B, received a bid to compete in the Outstanding Regional Championship Series (ORCS) held in Atlanta. This was the first time an NSU team went beyond the Regional Mock Trial Team Competition.

Mock Trial asks students to assume the roles of witnesses and attorneys, asking them to learn a long and complicated fact pattern that contains depositions, affidavits, rules of evidence, case law, etc.  The students began working on this in the fall, culminating with the regional tournament.

Student participants included: A Team members: Darby Thompson, David Arias, Anum Sameer, Claire Goedde, Josie Cuoco, Emma Heineman, Melanie Chapilliquen, Zoe Stein, and Aisha Jeshaludi. B Team members: Miriam Mahmoud, Kaitlin Ciavardone, Allyson Sanchez, Kaitlyn Castro, Ashton Bryan, Nate Brown, Sanya Rashad, and Melissa Velasco.

Since the team had never progressed this far, they did not have funds budged for the trip to Atlanta. They raised over $2,000 and received supporting funds from PANSGA and from Dean Honggang Yang.

Gary Gershman, J.D., Ph.D., professor and advisor to the Mock Trial Team indicated that, “While the team did not advance to the nationals, this first trip beyond regionals has already whetted the appetite for next year.”

Mock Trial is a yearly competition that enables all students (no matter their major) to work on speaking skills, critical thinking, working as a team, and maybe most importantly having FUN.  For more information, please contact Gary Gershman, J.D., Ph.D., faculty advisor via email at ggershma@nova.edu.