Seven students represented Troy University at the annual Collegiate Legislature (C-Leg) event in Montgomery from Thursday, March 2, to Saturday, March 4, where they joined with other Alabama university students to simulate the legislative and judicial processes of the House, Senate and Supreme Court.
Students submit bills prior to the event that they think would improve the quality of life, health, education or the state of Alabama in any way.
The authors of the bills are then grouped into committees according to the topics of the bills. Each committee votes to choose the most debatable bills to be presented the following day, and students are divided into the House and the Senate.
The chosen bills are then discussed and voted on by the students in the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate. Students must follow parliamentary procedures during the entire simulation.
When a bill passes, it might have to be defended by its author at the simulated Supreme Court for its constitutionality.
Alex Mote, a freshman chemistry major from Prattville, said that C-Leg was a rewarding experience.
“C-Leg was a great experience for myself and the others who went,” Mote said. “We were able to connect with many students across the state and share ideas about legislation in Alabama.”
Mote said that the goal of this event is to get students more familiar with the legislative process and parliamentary procedures and to create healthy and lively debates. Some of the bills discussed were unrealistic, but were great material for debate.
“While many bills were very well-written, researched and proposed real solutions to real problems, some of the bills that were proposed were outrageous like allowing a ‘purge’ or banning carbonated drinks,” Mote said. “People would debate them both ways and it was extremely cool to take part in.
“Being held to strict parliamentary procedures was a very interesting opportunity, while it shows the importance and purpose of an organized meeting.”
Laken Berry, a junior social work major from Athens, was elected as the new event coordinator for next year’s conference.
Berry said that she is excited for the opportunity and she encourages Troy students to consider going to the event.
“I am extremely excited to plan the conference this year and represent the school I love,” Berry said. “I love the conference, have met so many great people through it and have learned so much about government.
“I will be working hard with several people from other schools to make next year’s conference the best it can be. I would encourage many students to consider going.”
Berry said that she got compliments from the event organizers about how Troy students were reflecting a good image of themselves and the university.
“I love C-Leg because it gives Troy students an opportunity to shine among other universities and gives us the opportunity to learn what it is like to be active in government,” Berry said. “I got many compliments about the way our Troy students presented themselves at the conference.”
Berry said that this opportunity sparked her interest of possibly being involved in governmental proceedings in the future.
“It was fun, educational and allowed us to understand what it is like to play an active part of the government,” Berry said. “It gave me a desire to possibly be in government one day.”
Comments