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That's My ClubMock TrialBy Jennifer Kostka '04 Two hockey players get in a fight that leaves one of them dead. Later it's revealed that the dead man was not only having an affair with the other man's wife, but he also had a condition that made him prone to an aneurysm. Was it murder? What sounds like the plot for next week's episode of Law and Order was actually the case researched and argued this year by Hamilton's Mock Trial Team, a group founded by Alex Kaufman '06 and Adam Gordon '06.
Kaufman and Gordon met when they were assigned as first-year roommates. ("I think ResLife looked at our housing preference sheets and said, "High school mock trial and they both like the Yankees...perfect!'" Gordon joked.) These fast friends soon decided Hamilton should offer more opportunities for students to learn about the legal system while honing their public speaking and logic skills. It didn't take them long to agree that mock trial was the answer. Competitions work like this: over the summer the group receives a case from the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). Working with local law clerks who offer tips on everything from courtroom etiquette to strategy development, the students spend the fall developing arguments for both the prosecution and the defense. They must also find volunteers to portray witnesses. "We needed a doctor, so we found a pre-med student who did a great job assuming that person's character," Gordon added. After scrimmages against Syracuse University and a practice meet at Cornell, the team traveled to St. John's University in Queens, N.Y., this spring for the regional tournament. "Real" judges render decisions in the trials and award teams points based on their performances. This year Hamilton placed in the middle of its grouping, with Michael Blasie '07 receiving "best attorney" honors. Last year, the team ranked among the top five new teams in the East. "Mock trial is meant for Hamilton students because of our broad liberal arts education and our emphasis on speaking and writing," Kaufman said. "And we're completely student-run," added Gordon. "Unlike some of the other schools where mock trial is part of the coursework, we do this on our own. It's been a great experience." |
Vox  Mock Trial 
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Atheists, Agnostics and Freethinkers Club  Rhymelab |
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