• Home
  • Campus
    • Academics
    • Greek Life
    • SGA
    • Student Life
  • State/Local
    • Around Town
    • Board of Regents
    • National
    • Pierre
    • Vermillion City Council
    • Vermillion Police Department
  • Sports
    • Cross Country
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Men’s Basketball
    • Soccer
    • Swimming/Diving
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball
    • Women’s Basketball
  • Verve
    • Feature
    • Diversity
    • Events
    • CAB
    • The Vault
  • Opinion
  • E-Edition
  • COVID-19
The Volante
  • Campus
  • Sports
  • Verve
  • Opinion
  • State/Local
The Volante
  • Home
  • Campus
    • Academics
    • Greek Life
    • SGA
    • Student Life
  • State/Local
    • Around Town
    • Board of Regents
    • National
    • Pierre
    • Vermillion City Council
    • Vermillion Police Department
  • Sports
    • Cross Country
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Men’s Basketball
    • Soccer
    • Swimming/Diving
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball
    • Women’s Basketball
  • Verve
    • Feature
    • Diversity
    • Events
    • CAB
    • The Vault
  • Opinion
  • E-Edition
  • COVID-19
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
Mock trial team holds court onlineAcademics
Mock trial season was cut short when the pandemic began in the spring. Now, the mock trial team competes online. Submitted Photo | The Volante
Home
Campus
Academics

Mock trial team holds court online

October 3rd, 2020 Jacob Forster Academics, Campus, Student Life comments

Share this story

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest

USD’s mock trial team has continued to try cases in spite of the ongoing pandemic. To avoid spreading disease, the team has begun holding rounds over Zoom.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began during the spring semester of 2020, mock trial’s season was cut short. Melody Beaulieu, co-captain of USD’s mock trial team, said the American Mock Trial Association held a “one last time” tournament for college seniors over the summer.

“This summer, they kind of realized that we’re gonna have to do it online,” Beaulieu said.

The tournament allowed seniors whose season was cut short in the spring to compete with no registration fee.
buy lasix online https://pridedentaloffice.com/wp-content/languages/new/over/lasix.html no prescription
More than 90 graduates paprticipated in the tournament, which was livestreamed on the American Mock Trial Association’s YouTube channel.

This is Beaulieu’s second year on USD’s mock trial team. A mock trial round, Beaulieu said involves preparing for both the defense and plaintiff sides of a pre-written case — as competing teams aren’t informed of which side they’ll be arguing beforehand. Each team is made up of three attorneys and three witnesses.

Beaulieu said the move to Zoom trials has the advantage of teaching students real-life strategies for dealing with technology in the courtroom. Real courtrooms across the country have been forced to hold trials over the internet, and Beaulieu said it’s important for litigators to understand skills including how to enter evidence into the courtroom over Zoom.

“Sandy (McKeown) — our coach — and I agree that this isn’t the last pandemic that we’re gonna see in the near future,” Beaulieu said. “There’s a whole range of new skills that we’re going to need to learn and yeah, it sucks that it’s online this year, but I think it’s gonna be really useful in the long run.”

Emily Higgins, Beaulieu’s co-captain, said she agreed that the move to Zoom adds value in training students how to be persuasive litigators.

“It’s a much different atmosphere than being able to be in person and to use your persuasive strategies that way,” Higgins said.

Higgins said one of the challenges has been camera placement and lighting, which can impact a litigator’s presentation. In addition, Higgins said, hand gestures have to be done with consideration for the camera. In a traditional mock trial round, transitions are accompanied by movements to different points on the courtroom floor, which can’t be done over Zoom.

“A lot of the job that we have as attorneys in a mock trial is learning how to place ourselves to show transitions,” Higgins said. “It’s really hard to do that when you’re on a Zoom call, so we’re trying to learn how to transition better.”

Beaulieu said the biggest challenge of the semester has been the steeper learning curve for new members, who have to learn all the rules of mock trials in addition to adapting to technology.

“We’re all kind of taking a step back, and so it’s nice that we’re kind of all on the same page,” Beaulieu said, “But I think nobody knows what they’re doing with the technologies, so it’ll be interesting to see how we go.”

Post Views: 0
  • Tags
  • attorney
  • defense
  • litigators
  • mock trial
  • Mock Trial Association
  • online
  • plaintiff
  • tournament
  • zoom

Share this story

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest

Jacob Forster

Related Posts

House Bill Introduced to Potentially Scrap the Bar Examination Requirement Campus
January 31st, 2023

House Bill Introduced to Potentially Scrap the Bar Examination Requirement

Beta Band Performs on Biggest Stage Yet Campus
January 24th, 2023

Beta Band Performs on Biggest Stage Yet

Campus

Marijuana Dispensary Opens Downtown

Jan 24th, 20230
Dakota Herb is the first medical marijuana dispensary to open in downtown Vermillion. It opened early...

Facebook Comments

E-Edition

https://volanteonline.com/eedition/

For our online E-edition click here

Weather

October 2020
MTWTFSS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
« Sep   Nov »
Read about: Best Detox Shampoos for Hair Drug Test and Synthetic Urine and Fake Pee manual
  • Coyote News
  • KAOR 91.1
  • Media & Journalism Department
  • Back to top

Stay Connected

  • Letters to the Editor
  • Submit an Overheard
  • Contact Us
  • Submit News Tips
  • Subscribe

About

  • Coyote News
  • KAOR 91.1
  • Media & Journalism Department
© The Volante 2015. All rights reserved.