By Journalist Lilian Fuchs (ECU)
Snapping and clapping the first joint session of the Spring 2024 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature, with the House, Senate, Executive Branch and Moot Court joined each other. There are 18 total delegations, seven of which are new this year. The first day of the session is always one of the busiest and this year was no different. The nominations for open positions ran over, but it was well worth it to hear everyone’s skill set and reasoning for being in their wanted positions.
Since OIL is one of the biggest student mock government organizations in the U.S., gathering so many people together can cause many problems. Delegates have their own opinions and views that might not line up with the people they are here with. Each delegate takes being respectful to one another to another level, working hard for everyone to be able to voice theiropinions without fear of being shamed or disrespected. Spring 2024 session opened with the first dress-up day being, “Political Party Day (wear the color of your political party)”.
The hotel situation for the Spring 2024 OIL session is already looking better than last year. So far there has been no mention of bed bugs and all checks have come back negative. The downside of this hotel versus the old one is how far from the capital it is. It is a 20-minute drive there and a 20-minute drive back to the hotel after a long day at session. Representative Rosenburg says, “I will now have to leave the hotel 45 minutes early just to get coffee before the session.”
All in all the first session went wonderful, and the next couple of days will be ones that everyone can remember. Rosenburg said, “This gets me out of my comfort zone and I think that it is amazing that I have this interesting opportunity that shows me the parts of the government I might not otherwise see.”