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History & Africana Studies Minors Part of Award-Winning UTC Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature Team
The UTC Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) team that competed in November 2020 was the most successful team in UTC’s history of engagement with the program.
The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature is a forum for students to exchange ideas, express their opinions and learn how government works. TISL’s Senate and House of Representatives, which first convened in 1966, meet in the legislative chambers of the State Capitol each November. 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 moot court competition for non-law students. Colleges form teams of two to five members to prepare a brief and argue for the petitioner and respondent before the Court. Producers, editors and reporters of TISL Media communicate in a variety of ways about events at TISL. Current initiatives include videos, a printed newsletter at the General Assembly, blogging, and Twitter. Student officers, selected by their peers, play a primary role in running TISL programs throughout the year.
Dr. Chris Acuff, Assistant Professor, PSPS is the advisor of the group.
TISL awards for UTC delegation
Best delegation
Two Carlisle Awards (Amanda Forbes, delegate president, Communications major/PSPS minor; and Miles Mosby, PSPS major/Psychology minor)
Best Bill (Evelina Kertay, PSPS major/Africana Studies minor)
Best Researched Bill (Evelina Kertay, PSPS major/Africana Studies minor and Dae Alexander, PSPS major/Africana Studies minor)
Best Lawyer (Devin Joiner, PSPS major/history minor)
Elected to state-wide office for 2021
Supreme Court Justice (Maya Keith, PSPS major/Criminal Justice minor)
Lobbying Director (Julia Stranahan, English major/PSPS minor)
Attorney General (Rohan Thompson, PSPS major/French/Economics minors)
Secretary of State (Jannat Saeed, Computer Science)
Remaining members of our award-winning 2020 delegation:
Gabrielle Eilf (TISL delegate vice-President, 2020 Supreme Court Justice, PSPS major/Psychology minor)
Kameilia Landry (Mock Trial team, PSPS major/Business Administration minor)
Mateo Jose-Jimenez (House of Representatives, PSPS major/Sociology minor)
Lilah Afflerbaugh (House of Representatives, PSPS major/Psychology minor)
Lindsay Phares (Media, Marketing major)
Nicki Messer (TISL Secretary, Senate, PSPS major/History minor)
Jessica Pruitt (Co-Head of Lobbying, PSPS major/Criminal Justice minor)
Emily Linkous (Co-Head of Lobbying, Media Director, PSPS major/Criminal Justice minor)