Success at Model Illinois Government Simulation

From February 27 to March 1, five Principia College students—seniors Liam Anderson and Sarah Switzer, junior Hunter Hummell, and sophomores Dana Cadey and Delaney Gatine—participated in the 2020 Model Illinois Government (MIG) simulation in Springfield, Illinois. Political science professor and MIG faculty advisor Dr. Brian Roberts (C'88) joined them at the event, which drew more than 150 students from 14 colleges and universities.

Dana assumed the role of journalist, reporting multiple times each day for the printed MIG Journal, which covered proceedings in both the model House and model Senate. Among this year’s eight student journalists, Dana was selected by the awards committee as the Outstanding Journalist for the entire simulation and received widespread praise for the quality of her reporting and professionalism of her conduct. Describing the value of the experience, she comments, "Our editors treated us like professionals, setting hard deadlines and making us work long hours. It was a big job, but a perfect immersion into real-world legislative reporting.”

The other four Principia team members assumed the role of legislators in the model Illinois House of Representatives, debating a variety of pieces of legislation from the prior year's actual Illinois General Assembly. Delaney and Sarah were effective members in both committee and full House sessions. Liam was elected by fellow party caucus participants as the Assistant Minority Leader, and Hunter was elected as the Minority Whip. In the end, Hunter was selected by the awards committee as the Outstanding Whip for the entire simulation—out of a total of 10 whips between the House and Senate.

Enthusiastic about the value of the experience, Liam notes, "I learned a lot about how the Illinois House of Representatives functions . . . and how much is done before a bill is even put on the House floor." In addition, Liam found the debating practice especially useful: "This is a simulation, but you get real-world experience building talking points, stating your points, and having a healthy debate. This year was especially fun because there was a great deal of respect from both sides, and the debates were well researched."

Practicing professional skills, learning about the inner workings of state government, and expanding one's network are key benefits of MIG competition. On top of those gains, receiving two awards for outstanding participation confirms how successfully the Principia team performed.