The mock trial team has received a bid to Nationals after finishing third in last weekend's Elm City Regional at Yale.
Senior Hailey Fitzgerald, one of the team's co-heads, called Tufts' placement in the American Mock Trial Association's national tournament an exciting accomplishment.
"We beat a lot of competitive teams out there, like Harvard and Yale," Fitzgerald said.
She emphasized that Tufts' team is entirely student-run. "It is rare for a college mock trial program not to have an attorney and witness coach to accomplish the program's goals," she said.
Every year, hundreds of universities participate in the annual tournament, fielding teams that consist of student "attorneys" and "witnesses" on each side of an assigned case. Teams across the country all work on the same case, which changes from year to year and always takes place in the fictional state of "Midlands."
"Students who participate in college mock trials become familiar with the judicial system and courtroom procedure," Fitzgerald said. "Students are also taught tools to help them think on their feet as well as improve their public-speaking skills."
According to Fitzgerald, this year's case is about a Child Protective Services worker named Francis who is stabbed with a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected needle by the defendant, Campbell. A "criminal penalty phase" follows after Campbell pleads guilty to the charge of Assault in the Second Degree.
"Teams must prepare a prosecution and defense side of the case," Fitzgerald said. "Attorneys are expected to memorize the Midlands Rules of Evidence, which [are] based off the Federal Rules of Evidence. Witnesses are supposed to embody their witness roles, which may include taking on the role of a victim or psychologist."
Fitzgerald said that Tufts' team, "Team 845," was recognized more than any other school in the awards ceremony at last weekend's regional tournament.
"I'm incredibly proud of our bid to Nationals," she said.
Freshman Jonathan Lautin received the highest ranks in the entire competition for his role as an attorney, and senior Ashley Bethel was the only witness in the entire competition to receive a perfect score. Bethel and Fitzgerald both won "best witness" awards.
The remaining members of the team include sophomore Rebekah Sokol, who is also the executive photography editor of the Daily, and freshmen Andrew Choi and Josh Hale.
In addition to Team 845, two additional teams compose Tufts' mock trial program, which hosts twenty students in all. The Experimental College also offers a mock-trial course, which is taught by Fitzgerald and junior Jeffrey Kiok, the program's other co-head.
"We only started the course this semester," Kiok said, explaining that it is still in its pilot stage. "It's a new thing for us."
Kiok added that he plans to teach an advising course for incoming freshmen next fall on the basis of the mock trial tournament.
The national tournament will be held at Miami University in Ohio from March 7 to March 9. From there, winning teams will qualify for April's National Championship Tournament at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.
