The competition is serious and intense. We find such competition less appropriate for the undergraduate liberal arts experience. We prefer to promote connected scholarship, dialogic encounters with professionals. To do so, we invite local judges and lawyers to return year after year throughout the rounds, so that they become a sponsoring network of professionals. The students know them, and they know the program.
Connected dialogue becomes possible.
We also need the connected scholarship of sharing the responsibility for the administration and supervision of the program with the students. Although the program has been funded for ten years, there are not adequate funds to provide the requisite staff. Students must share the work. But once again, this is excellent experiential learning for the undergraduate liberal arts curriculum. Along with the work, the student board members share the responsibility for funding proposals and budgeting, excellent practical experience.