Holy Cross and Worcester High School Students Wear Legislators' Hats For A Day

In response to this, political science students in Professor Donald Brand's "Congress and the Legislative Process" course, hosted a legislative simulation on Saturday, April 3. Approximately 20 high school students from South High School and Doherty Memorial High School took part in the proceedings.

According to Brand, "the goal of the simulation was to allow college and high school students to personally experience the legislative process and thereby gain a greater appreciation for the skill and knowledge that is required to introduce bills and transform them into laws."

Preparations for the day's activities began months ahead of time. Holy Cross students met with students at the high schools on Tuesday afternoons, where they studied two bills, the Safe and Sober Streets Act and the Public Health Service Act, and proposed possible amendments to be argued at the hearings.

Brian Morrissey '04 noted that working with the high school students added a new dimension to the experience. "It was great to have them there. It would have been a lot stiffer if there were just a bunch of college kids trying to impress each other."

In addition, all participants were required to familiarize themselves with a legislative district and to balance the goals of representing district interests and securing the common good of the nation. Morrissey, who took on the role of Congressman John D. Dingell, a democrat from Michigan, said the simulation allowed him to experience firsthand, "the competing pulls of interest groups, political parties, and committee membership. At times, it was difficult to put personal feelings aside and vote according to what our parties expected of us."

After questioning witnesses in hearings, the committees resumed business in mock sessions where amendments to the proposed legislation were considered. The day concluded with a brief session on the floor of the "House of Representatives" to debate and vote on two proposed bills.

In the end, the proposed amendment to the Public Health Service Act failed with a 25-22 party-line vote. The proposed amendment to the Safe and Sober Streets Act passed with only one nay vote. Morrissey said that the simulation added a lot to their study of congress. "A lot of what happened was sloppy. People were passing notes during the sessions. We had to worry if people would change their votes at the last minute. But that's all part of the real process."

Donald Brand, professor of political science, says he "hopes that the students emerged from this experience with a better understanding of the American political system and will become more actively engaged as citizens."

Kevin Gallagher '05, who played the competing roles of Democratic Congressman Jim Oberstar from Minnesota, and Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, said he thought everyone got a lot of out of the simulation. "We were able to apply first hand what we had read in our textbooks and were able to see both the efficiency and inefficiency of Congress. Everyone had a great time."