Each spring nearly 300 students from over 20 colleges and universities meet at the Illinois State Capitol to participate in one of the nation’s top intercollegiate government simulations.
Model Illinois Government (MIG) is a state-wide, student operated organization which coordinates and manages the annual governmental simulation.
2008 will mark the 30th such simulation, to be held Thursday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, Mar 2.
The MIG simulation is structured into two parts, a legislative simulation and a moot court competition. Through various roles in the simulation, students have an opportunity to experience firsthand how it feels to walk in the shoes of our state officials and gain an understanding of how much hard work goes into running the Illinois State Government.
Within the legislature, students can choose to participate in a wide variety of roles ranging from: state representative, state senator, lobbyist, journalist, attorney, budget analyst or serve as a staff member to one of the executive board members elected by all of the student delegates at the end of the simulation.
The “elected officials” are then assigned political parties and districts and choose to serve in committees that interest them. One great thing about the simulation is that it is very realistic. For example, the legislators actually get to simulate the legislative processes in the real committee rooms and chambers of the Capitol building.
During the simulation, those students who wish to do more for the organization campaign for various spots available on the executive board. MIG’s executive board consists of a governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, speaker of the house, president of the senate, chief justice, attorney general, comptroller, and secretary of state.
Bound by a constitution, each executive board member is responsible for overseeing their respective portion of the simulation, and running it according to the rules and regulations set within the constitution of MIG.
This year, as in previous years, Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) will also participate in the annual Moot Court competition. The competition is conducted in the chambers that used to be the home of the Illinois Supreme Court. NEIU is sending three two-person teams of attorneys to argue before a panel of student justices, (which includes two Pre-Law Society members) and legal professionals. The competition is then scored and awards are given in recognition of outstanding performance.
There is also a simulated budget. The Office of Management and Budget the process of compiling a budget. Students analysts and are grouped in divisions. Their job is to “balance the state budget by cutting the inflated requests of the individual departments, in addition to balancing the priorities of the Governor and the departments.”
I know what you’re thinking; if only our “real” elected officials could do that, right?
MIG has seen a dramatic turn-around in the performance and perception of what a NEIU delegation is supposed to look and act like.
Historically, NEIU had, for years, been disgraced and embarrassed as to how the delegates had behaved during past simulations. With the exception of a few bright spots, NEIU would walk away with the label of “laughing stock” or that dreadful moniker “North-easy.”
That is, until three years ago when a small group of leaders, including myself, set out to change all of that.
With no budget (the Student Government Association cut funding for 2004) and no idea how it worked, we forged a path forward that would see student interest increase from 13 delegates in 2004, to the more than 30 members the club has today.
In just under 3 years, NEIU has seen two students elected to the executive board of MIG. Steve Jerome is chief justice and I am speaker of the house. We both plan to run for office again, hopefully along with other club members who wish to take their participation to the next level.
Stay tuned to this column to meet the members of the team and to follow how we prepare for and progress through the simulation.
For more information about the MIG-NEIU club, please contact me at ACordero@neiu.edu. Or you can join our facebook group or our newly created NEIUport group online at http://neiuport.neiu.edu. For more information about the NEIU Pre-Law Society, contact President Carlton Lawson at, lawson_executive@hotmail.com.
Albert Cordero can be reached at A-Cordero@neiu.edu