Thirteen members of Union’s Student Government Association traveled Nov. 14-17 to Nashville for the 44th General Assembly of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
The annual legislative session is conducted by college students from across Tennessee, provides students with an education about the state’s government and allows them to express their opinions on state issues.
Roles are filled in legislative, judicial and executive branches. Seats in the Senate and House of Representatives also are filled by students from various schools statewide.
This year, the students took 14 bills to present to TISL, and had nine of them passed.
Of these, TISL Bill 13, which was presented and passed, was a resolution to honor and recognize David Dockery, university president, for his accomplishments at Union and in higher education.
“A few of us that sponsored the bill in the Senate and House got to take a picture with TISL Gov. Alex Brown when he signed it,” said Brooks Brasfield, senior social work major. “I think we are working on getting a presentation copy at some point to give to Dr. Dockery.”
Last year, Brasfield, saw his bill, TISL Bill 84, pass in both houses and continue on to be passed by the Tennessee Senate. The measure was sponsored by Sen. Lowe Finney (D-Tenn.) of Jackson.
Brasfield’s bill was created after a friend, Jacob Nunley, from Brasfield’s hometown of Newbern, died after contracting meningitis while studying at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Of the members who attended this year’s assembly, six of them were new.
Logan Brasher, junior music education major, was elected Speaker of the House. Brasher will serve in the year long position for the next year, which is one of the top leadership positions possible within TISL.
Brasher decided to run for Speaker of the House on Friday, the second day of the conference, and Brasfield said, “won by a landslide.”
“I am so humbled that the House elected me as their next Speaker, and I am looking forward to working with the the Executive Council in the next year,” said Brasher. “There are a lot of new opportunities with this role, but I am most excited about expanding my skills in Parliamentary Procedure and networking with other Tennessee collegiates. This [position] also gives me an opportunity to learn all about Tennessee laws.”
As Speaker of the House, Brasher is “partially responsible for recruiting Tennessee colleges from river to river to participate in TISL that haven’t before.” He will also preside over the House during the 45th General Assembly next year and work with other members of the Executive Council to ensure that the next General Assembly runs smoothly.
Among other achievements for Union, Colby Benefield, senior history major, was awarded the Carlisle Award, TISL’s oldest and most prestigious award that is presented to 10 outstanding legislators selected by the Executive Council.
“I’m honored to receive [the Carlisle Award,] especially since this is my first time at TISL” said Benefield. “Even though I didn’t go into it focused on winning an award or to be recognized for the work that I was putting into it, it’s still nice to get some affirmation from it, knowing that I had performed to the best of my abilities.”
Other Union students who have received this award include Jenaye White, junior public relations major, and Jordan Wilson, an alumnus who graduated in May 2013.
Union’s team of the Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge, consisting of Anna Goodman, sophomore public relations and political science double major, and Stefan Rabenhorst, senior political science major, competed in the challenge, and were the first team from Union that has ever had make it to the finals of that competition.
The duo was beat out of the round by students from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
This program allows students to argue appellate cases with their peers from other participating schools. The Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court presides over these cases and is assisted by the Court-appointed magistrates in the preliminary round.
Finalists are selected to compete for the championship from a preliminary and intermediate round.
“We’re all very proud of them and what they have started that others can continue for that competition in the future,” said Brasfield.
Morgan Kroeger, junior accounting and Spanish double major, also ran for State Treasurer but was appointed Chief Clerk of the Senate for next year.
“All in all, I think that this was a successful weekend for TISL as a whole, and while we didn’t win Best Delegation, we learned a lot about how the political system works and had a lot of fun representing Union to other schools across the state,” Brasfield said.
