Stories

Competition Increases during Judicial Semi-Finals

On the morning of November 12th, the judicial semi-finals of the Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admission vs. University of North Carolina. Four attorneys--Emma Berwin, Milly Bertsch, Zayn Ahmed, and Giya Singh--argued whether or not to overturn University of North Carolina’s affirmative action application process. Furthermore, this debate elicited presentations about the constitutionality of race-based applications and whether race-neutral admissions processes negatively affect a student body.

The petitioners, Berwin and Bertsch, commenced the semi-final with the contention that some students were held to higher standards based on their race. For example, Asian American applicants had to attain higher test scores than other ethnicities. In addition, they contended that there are alternative factors to consider during the application process to contribute to a more diverse student body. Moreover, they argued that the application process was unconstitutional given that; “if even one student was discriminated against because of their race, it goes against the ideal that ‘all men should be created equal.’”

Ahmed and Singh took the floor to refute the petitioners' claim that the University’s affirmative action should not be overturned because it is protected under the Equal Protection Clause. Furthermore, they regard that while race is a factor in the application process, it is not a determining factor. As stated by Giya Singh; “Race is one of 40+ factors and race-neutrality harms diversity.” In addition, the respondents offered that the diversity on campus established by the affirmative action application process enhanced the well-being of students of color.

In their rebuttal, the petitioners responded to the respondents’ argument of the diversity gained by the affirmative action application process. They stated that; “UNC is less diverse than the surrounding area.”

In the end, the respondents won the trial and the court ruled to uphold the precedent at the University of North Carolina.

Roses, Buds, and Thorns

There are many ways to get feedback. One of which is the Rose, Bud, and Thorn technique. Rose is something that you liked about the convention, Bud is something you are looking forward to next year, and Thorn is something that you didn’t like about the convention or what you want to change for next year.

Media

Sarah Cook, Media Branch. Rose: Getting to know everyone and meeting new people. Bud: Getting to try out the Judicial branch next year, the good changes next year. Thorn: Going to bed super late.

Elizabeth Cleary - Media Branch. Rose: writing articles for media. Bud: running for Media Advisor next year. Thorn: level of confusion with the new members, last year I had no clue what was going on. I wish I had more knowledge coming into it last year.

Maya Chand - Media Branch. Rose: friendships and bonding between members and being able to express your creativity. Bud: Seeing how the winning candidates do next year and what changes they make. Thorn: stressful because one of our head media officers was gone.

Judicial

Gracey MacLaughlin - Judicial Branch. Rose: meeting a bunch of new people. Bud: learning more about Youth and Government and doing more things. Thorn: Not having much help for the people in the Judicial Branch.

Emma Friedman - Judicial Branch. Rose: Exploring the city with my friends and being able to be with them during this convention. Bud: do better with judicial, better my speaking skills. Thorn: no getting that much sleep and having to skip meals to work on my case.

Katherine Truetken, Judicial Branch. Rose: going to all the coffee shops and places downtown. Bud: trying the Legislative branch next year. Thorn: having to do a lot of research in the Judicial Branch.

Legislative

Emme Bernard - Legislative Branch. Rose: The Senate is super small and a really good opportunity for everyone to get their voices heard. Bud: the new POs, look good for legislative. Thorn: wasting a lot of time on certain bills.

Leadership

Megan Manaj - Governor. Rose: bouncing between the House and the Senate was fun. Bud: signing bills at the closing ceremony later. Thorn: not being able to watch trials because I’m so busy.

Adrian Mruckovski - Media Director. Rose: The entire convention was in the same place because it helped with the Media Corps. Bud: To see how the media department will change in the future. Thorn: Not having enough collaboration between Media and other branches.

Advisors

Juliana Dammrich - Advisor. Rose: getting to see the convention take place for the first time. Bud: building relationships with our community that we brought from the Y and that we partnered with. Thorn: not being able to see all the working parts this year.

Tim Deposki - Advisor. Rose: being back together in a full group past Covid restrictions. Bud: getting back in the Capital next year. Thorn: not being in the Capital this year.

Brandon Westlake - Advisor. Rose: seeing students who don’t normally speak up in class find their voice. Bud: possibly seeing current Juniors running for leadership positions next year. Thorn: not having video examples for new Judicial candidates.