Recovered from our old blog: February 5th, 2018 by Margaret Frank, a 2018 graduate who served as UTMT Vice President & Captain 

It’s August. A stack of graduate school applications, LSAT prep booklets, and potential job prospects are slowly piling up on my desk. My résumé looks like it has been crafted by an advanced 12-year-old, and I am receiving countless emails from the business department reminding me I am behind schedule for the real world (how is that possible? It’s only August). My mind should be focused on so many things other than Mock Trial, but here I am. The week after school starts I am reading through affidavits, putting off work and preparing a case. Coming into this past fall season, I thought I had learned everything there was to know about Mock Trial. I thought I had experienced and seen it all… and then Kennedy hid a coffee creamer in Grace’s retainer case and that all changed.

“I THOUGHT I HAD EXPERIENCED AND SEEN IT ALL…”

LET’S BACKTRACK! Because you are probably sitting there, reading this, filled with many questions. This past fall season, I was asked to be a co-captain with Kiersten Marsh. Kiersten Marsh can best be described as Elle Woods cranked up three notches on the political side of things. Our team was filled the most random assortment of humans. There was Kennedy, who loves to recycle and remind people home much she HATES the Yankees; there was Savanna who loved to remind Kennedy how much she adored the Republican party; there was Grace who can be seen dabbing anywhere and everywhere and Truman who was following closely behind to remind Grace he had far better dance moves; there was sweet Sam who just took in all the hysteria with Bill (whose age we still are not sure of) attached at his hip. Finally, there was Amara, but 99% of the time we had no idea where she was! All in all, the weirdest selection of humans to ever be placed together.

In October, we attended our first tournament at Elon University: The Carolina Classic. The Carolina Classic sneaks up on you fast. One moment you’re holding your first practice and then BAM! it’s the second week in October. People expect you to present a well-polished case, in front of two judges, dressed like you are twice your real age. Sound strange, I know, but it really is exhilarating. Round one came, we faced Duke A. Duke A won the National Championship for Mock Trial in 2012, and Duke A also won the first round against my team handily. As I pulled the team into the hallway following that round the only encouraging words I could find were, “Every team has a bad round, just make sure that is ours.” Inspiring, I know, but whatever I said must have struck some meaning with them because after that round they were not the same team.

After round two we were 2-2 (AKA doing decently) and we found out we were facing Washington and Lee for round three (because apparently, that’s a tradition now or something). At some point that weekend, I heard Kennedy and Grace talking about how funny it would be to “ice” each other with something other than alcohol. “Icing” is a game in which someone will hide an alcoholic beverage in someone’s belongings. Upon finding this beverage, they must drink it immediately. I didn’t think much of this until at the end of the first half of trial. Grace played a 13-year-old and to make sure the judges believed her, she wore a retainer. As she walked out into the hallway she grabbed her retainer case and popped it open to see a container of coffee creamer. Confused Grace looked at Kennedy who said “take a knee and chug it…you’ve been milked. Feel free to chase it with this muffin!” At that point, a phenomenon emerged. Some teams throwback shots, my team threw back coffee creamers anywhere and everywhere. You think I’m kidding? At Elon, I received an attorney award and as I walked back to my seat I saw a container of coffee creamer waiting for me. Three weeks later, we attended a competition at MTSU and Kennedy found a way to have the waitress hide coffee creamers in our napkins. It was a phenomenon that wasn’t contained in UT Mock Trial. Kennedy would hide coffee creamers in other team’s case boxes and watch in amazement as they stood there confused and unsure of what to do.

It sounds weird, but hiding coffee creamers in random places and watching team members be publicly humiliated brought my team together. I’ve been a member of UT Mock Trial for four years now — I’ve watched our organization win tournaments at every level, I’ve celebrated countless Mock Christmases, I’ve been to about ten different states for invitationals, I’ve laughed until I cried at a few direct examinations, and I’ve watched grown male judges be moved to tears from Amara Brown’s portrayal of a grieving mother. Having experienced all of this, some of my favorite memories from this organization are from the fall semester of 2017 as I watched my team members take a knee in front of opposing counsel, judges, and unsuspecting passersby and chug a shot of hazelnut coffee creamer while everyone else shouted, “you’ve been creamed!”

At some point during the fall semester, I took my résumé to career services and I made a decision on what to do with my life post-graduation (my parents were pleased). Looking back, I’m thankful that I spent my last first semester of college was spent making a fool of myself while wearing a suit with the strangest assortment of humans I have ever known, instead of stressing over what the future might hold.
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Margaret Frank
mfrank6@vols.utk.edu

Recovered from our old blog: February 1st, 2018 by Kennedy Sanders, 2017-2018 Public Relations Chair

We have all heard the saying “when you look good, you feel good” and this is especially true in a courtroom setting. Mock trials take place in courtroom settings and members certainly show up looking their best.
Common courtroom attire includes suits, dress shirts, ties, dress shoes, blazers, dresses, and more. For some students, acquiring these items can be a difficult process. Finding business clothes can be time-consuming, expensive, and difficult to do.

Thankfully, students at the University of Tennessee are benefitted by the university’s program known as Smokey’s Closet.

“Smokey’s Closet is an initiative coordinated by the Center for Career Development, the Student Government Association and the Office of Student Disability Services.”

Smokey’s Closet is an initiative that serves to provide students with professional business attire to support them in their professional endeavors. This opportunity occurs in the fall but Smokey’s Closet is available to assist students year round by appointment.

Students can email smokeyscloset@utk.edu to schedule appointments to receive free professional clothing.

Tennessee Mock Trial hosts members of a diverse background. We are thrilled to be able to connect with this university initiative to promote the success of our members in and out of the courtroom.
It’s not hard to feel your best when you have so many great opportunities to look your best and be supported here on Rocky Top!
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Kennedy Elaine Sanders
ksande34@vols.utk.edu

Recovered from our old blog: June 4th, 2017 by Kennedy Sanders, 2017-2018 Public Relations Chair

Whether you’re a captain, a returning member or brand new to the organization, you will serve as a leader in some capacity to those around you. We are constantly leading one another whether it is in how we conduct or practices or the attitudes we maintain during competitions. One of the purposes of mock trial is to produce productive and effective leaders to serve in both the Knoxville community and the world as a whole.

Not only is leadership an intended goal of mock trial, but it’s one of the many benefits of being part of our organization. Our current members are engaged as leaders in a variety of campus organizations and activities. These areas include Greek life, the honors program, student government, study abroad, internships, media, university housing, foreign language club, the pride center, leadership studies, Habitat for Humanity, RecSports and MORE.

Our members are able to be effective leaders because we are an organization that promotes using our individual strengths to build powerhouse teams.

One way you can utilize your strengths is to realize them so that you will be able to consciously enact them in any situation. Sometimes in mock trial, situations can become tense. This especially happens when members get stressed during competitions.

When looking at personality types, a lot of people tend to think that introverts and extroverts might not be the ideal pair. However, it is productive to have a solid mix of these personality traits on a team to give perspective. Extroverts tend to be action-oriented, meaning that if something goes wrong, they will spring into action to save the day. On the other hand, introverts are more thought-oriented, which is why they are able to formulate a plan that will lead us to success and triumph.

In the same respect, there seems to be a clash between those who are intuitive as opposed to sensing. Sensing leaders are highly focused and able to engage in what is presently happening. These are the members that are completely in check with where we are and where we need to be going. This is the team member that has the courtroom number in mind and is ready to set up the table for trial. Intuitive people are imaginative, curious and ready to explore the future possibilities of any situation. These are the members who come up with new ways for us to conduct our trials and give creative input when we are making decisions.

A lot of people say there should be a balance between the head and the heart. We agree. Thinking and feeling are both two different personality traits that come together to foster productivity in our organization. People who lean towards the thinking trait tend to put logic over emotions and boost efficiency wherever possible. These are the members that do not get upset over a low score but rather, push to making sure the next ballot has 10s across the board. Our feeling individuals are the ones pushing social harmony and cooperation. These are the people that are able to show empathy to new members when they get discouraged, resolve conflicts within teams, and make sure everyone is having the optimal experience.

Our final Myers-Briggs asset is the difference between judging and perceiving. Judging individuals- not that kind of judge- are drawn to structure, clarity, and organization. Without these members, our case boxes would be a mess and our practices would run rampant all night. Perceiving people are adaptable and prefer to keep their options open. These are the people that enable us to make plans when we are short on time (i.e. where do we EAT) and let in a lot of creativity.

A major component of leadership is engaging the strengths of those around us. Mock trial at the University of Tennessee is dedicated to accepting and optimizing everything about our students.
When your parents dropped you off at university and told you to learn somethin’ and become the best version of yourself, they meant it.
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Let us help you!


Kennedy Elaine Sanders
ksande34@vols.utk.edu
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Recovered from our old blog: June 3rd, 2017 by Kennedy Sanders, 2017-2018 Public Relations Chair

So, you’ve heard about Mock Trial before but you aren’t interested in becoming an attorney. You don’t want to major in political science and definitely aren’t interested in taking the LSAT.

Don’t worry!

Mock Trial is an organization that is proudly diverse in many ways, especially by not being major-specific. Our members have majored in: computer science, nutrition, cinema studies, English, journalism, psychology, and much more!

The goal of Mock Trial is to develop critical skills within students to prepare them for any and all challenges they will experience. Mock Trial helps develop communication skills, leadership, teamwork, confidence, sportsmanship, improvisation, preparation, attentiveness, and professionalism. All of these are highly marketable skills that come naturally during the process of participating in mock trial.

The process of a mock trial is fairly simple: we get a case, prepare our presentation of the case, practice, and present. To present this case, you will be placed on a team that you are specially selected to work with on the basis of everyone’s strengths, talents, and skills. These people will not only serve as teammates to you but as friends that help to enrich your experience at the University of Tennessee.

Being a Volunteer sets you apart from the rest of the world in so many ways but being a member of the UT Mock Trial team puts you in an even more elite group. Members selected to be part of our prestigious team join a nationally recognized, award-winning organization. The only prerequisite is a desire to be on a team and to work towards excelling in our organization and in your own personal life.
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So, you’ve heard about mock trial before but you aren’t interested in being an attorney. We hope to see you at tryouts.


Kennedy Elaine Sanders
ksande34@vols.utk.edu

Recovered from our old blog: June 1st, 2017 by Kennedy Sanders, 2017-2018 Public Relations Chair
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In the next four years at the University of Tennessee, you will be called to do many things. You will be called to lead, serve, understand, achieve, challenge yourself and yes, speak publicly. UT Mock Trial is an organization dedicated to preparing students to be able to do all of that and more. Our organization is composed of 25-40 students from all over the country who engage in competitions that are equal parts educational and entertaining.

While mock trial is primarily an academic organization, it is a great place to socially engage with other UT students and even students from other schools. As a member of UT Mock Trial, you will get the opportunity to travel to other universities to participate in Invitational Tournaments. It is during these tournaments that we get the chance to grow together as teammates, friends, leaders and competitors.

We celebrate birthdays together, place at tournaments, take road trips and spend time together outside of practice. Many of our members will attest to the fact that mock trial is an amazing way to meet new people and make close friends. Collegiate mock trial is the opportunity of a lifetime and we are constantly shaping new leaders.

For more information about us, check out our website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or send us an email!


Kennedy Elaine Sanders
ksande34@vols.utk.edu