Recognition For University of Texas at Dallas’ Moot Court Team, Honor Society Chapter

The University of Texas at Dallas moot court team recently completed its season with its best performance in program history with a second-place finish at the American Moot Court Association national competition.

The duo of political science senior Olivia Cooper and geospatial information sciences senior Paulina Hruskoci were among the 80 teams of undergraduate students who competed at nationals, which were held Jan. 14-15 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

The two students from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences prepared an overview of their constitutional law issue and then defended their stance to a panel of judges.

Hruskoci, a Eugene McDermott Scholar, said she and Cooper relied not only on each other, but also their other teammates.

“It definitely felt like an overall team win because the UTD team is so collaborative,” she said. “We had all been working together on our arguments the whole semester leading up to the competition.”

Moot court competitions simulate appellate oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, with teams of two arguing various points of view on a hypothetical case.

Dr. Barbara Kirby, director of the Pre-Law Advising Center and coach of the moot court team, said the competition is very helpful for students considering a legal career.

“Moot court is such an effective exercise for undergraduates as they are considering law school,” Kirby said. “You’re doing the research, reading and briefing the cases, making your presentation, and then you’re getting interrupted and answering questions. That’s law school.”

Kirby said the UT Dallas pre-law program is well known for its extracurricular advocacy teams, which include moot court, mock trial and mediation. The moot court team’s performance at nationals positions the University even better, she said.

“It enhances UTD so much,” she said. “We are now nationally recognized as a top moot court team, which thrills me.”

The University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, an international English honor society, has been selected as one of three chapters worldwide to receive the society’s Outstanding Chapter Award.

“I’m constantly telling the chapter members what a great job they’re doing, but it’s really nice when the international board and committees actually acknowledge all that the students have accomplished,” said chapter sponsor Dr. Carie S. T. King, clinical professor of communication and rhetoric in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology.

Sigma Tau Delta, with more than 900 active chapters throughout the world, is primarily focused on encouraging literacy on its member campuses and for the public. Society leaders said UT Dallas has done well achieving those goals.

“[The UT Dallas] application demonstrated exciting literacy-related programming, campus- and community-level engagement, and significant contributions to the annual convention,” said Dr. Leigh Dillard, chair of the society’s Regents Committee.

King, who also serves as managing editor of publications for Sigma Tau Delta, said the UT Dallas chapter has been very active since its inception more than five years ago.

Chapter projects have included the creation of a little library on campus, where campus community members can donate or borrow books, and “common reader” events that provide opportunities for students and the public to discuss a particular book.

In addition, the chapter has helped plan professional workshops and publishing seminars and has instituted a “book fairy” program, in which books are surreptitiously placed around campus for students, staff and faculty to find and read. In its short history, the chapter and its members have received more than $15,000 in scholarships, grants, stipends and chapter awards.

“I’m very proud of all the hard work and dedication that our small little group [of 36 members] has shown,” said Danika Hollis, a creative writing graduate student and a charter member and past president of the chapter. “We love literacy, and we love involving our community.”