MC Students Participate in TISL
On Nov. 17 Maryville College students represented Maryville College at the 47th annual Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature – most commonly referred to as TISL. TISL is a forum for top level campus leaders to exchange ideas, express their opinions and learn how government works.
The MC students that participated are: Hannah Kirby, Virginia Johnson, Molly Ridgeway, Joshua Anderson, Mariah Franklin, Kory Martinez, Nicholas Peterson, Riley McMillan, Beau Branton, Corrinne McClure, Jacob Williams, Ciara Humphrey, Mariah Franklin, Claire Snyder, Coral Thayer, Sarah Gregory, Zach Cardwell and Georgia Miller.
All TISL participants traveled to Tennessee’s state capitol and participated in mock legislature and judiciary processes. Participants joined the program under several different positions such as a senator, representative, lobbyist, lawyer or media personnel. The conference provided undergraduate students experience in passing legislature, pushing bills or defending someone in court.
The Judicial Branch of TISL is the Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court, which presides over the Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge (AMC3) at the same time the TISL legislature is meeting. AMC3 is a mock court competition for non-law students. Colleges form teams of two to five members to prepare and argue for the petitioner and respondent before the court.
This year, Maryville College did exceptionally well as a whole delegation. At the end of the four-day adventure, awards were presented for outstanding participation, and Maryville College took home Best Delegation in East Tennessee. Maryville College rose above several colleges in East Tennessee and received this award due to hard work and diligent leadership within the group.
In addition, Virginia Johnson, who participated as a Lobbying CEO, led her firm to winning the Best Lobbying Firm Award. Her firm consisted of Maryville College students, as well as other students from colleges all around the state of Tennessee.
Not only is TISL a great place to dive in and learn about government processes, but it is a great opportunity to network with other students with similar interests in the state of Tennessee. Students who participated felt strongly about their experience.
“I’m really grateful I was able to participate in TISL for two years now,” said Riley McMillian, senior Economics major at Maryville College, “I would have done it for all four years if I could have. TISL has helped me affirm that I want to go to law school, meet and work with great people and it’s great to represent the school in such a prideful way. It also looks great on a resume.”
TISL is a great opportunity for students in any major interested in any aspect of government. If you would like to participate in 2017, be on the lookout for information in the MC Today.