The Rogers State University delegation of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature recently earned several team and individual awards, including top recognition for one student’s proposed bill.
The RSU delegation won first runner up best senate delegation and second runner up best overall delegation. Preston Shatwell, a public administration freshman from Collinsville, won best freshman delegate. Abby Peters, a public administration freshman from Adair, received an honorable mention for best freshman delegate. Matthew Rahn, a communications sophomore from Claremore, won first runner up journalism as RSU’s first ever delegate for the OIL journalism competition.
Andrew Hocutt, a political science junior from Claremore, received the best legislation in the senate award for his bill that focused on preventing sexual assault and sexual violence on college campuses.
Hocutt’s bill, titled “One Is Too Many,” mandated that institutions of higher learning require students to participate in a sexual assault and sexual violence prevention program during their first semester on campus. He said that only about 60 percent of students age 18-24 report incidents of sexual assault or violence, a statistic he would like to see change.
“My goal is to educate students of higher education on sexual assault and sexual violence so they can have the tools they need to handle and prevent it,” Hocutt said.
OIL is a student-run mock government that replicates all three branches of Oklahoma’s state government. The competition took place April 22-26 at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City with sessions held in the House of Representative and Senate chambers.
Hocutt, who serves as the chair for the RSU delegation, says people of all majors can be involved in the OIL.
“Our state leaders have a wide variety of educational backgrounds,” he said. “You can study anything and be in OIL.”
For more information, visit the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature website.