Students Participate in Mock State Legislature

Colleges and Universities from across Oklahoma met Nov. 5-9 for a conference at the state capitol, where they explored the role of state officials and got a better understanding of how the legislative process works. Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, or OIL, is one of the oldest mock-legislatures for college students in the United States.

“I am convinced that this is the best organization in Oklahoma,” OIL Governor Joe Hartman, UCO ‘08, said. “We’re in a position to do what no other group can, and that is to deliver legislation passed by students to actual lawmakers on issues that we find important.”

During the second session of the fortieth legislature, eighteen pieces of legislation were heard on the House floor as well as twenty-one in the Senate. Serious issues were discussed, such as the proposition of banning Gardisil to women.

“I felt the Gardasil bill was important just because we don’t know the long term effects of the vaccination,” Sen. Calen Cabler, OCU ‘12, said. “Young women need to know that this is not a vaccination for cervical cancer, but rather for HPV.”

Legislation wasn’t the only focus during the duration of the session, however. As many of the leadership stated over the five day span, it is also about the relationships that are built.

“I want this to be an orginization that members can wrap their lives around,” OIL Secretary of State Casey Miller, UCO ‘07, said during her ‘retirment’ speech. “It is my hope that the people you meet here can be some of your best friends. Sure, you learn how to write and pass bills when you’re here, but it’s the friendships that you will take away with you once you leave.”