Mediators need to be flexible, open, and creative problem solvers, and these qualities grow with the practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique.

MUM students place third in national mediation tournament
by Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, The Review
12 December 2011

A team of three Maharishi University of Management (MUM) students earned third place in the 12th Annual National Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament held at Drake Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this monthdespite being from the smallest school in the tournament.

Ken Ault, Elizabeth Fowler, and Josh Wilson earned their third-place trophy in the Mediation category, while Mr. Wilson also received an award as All-American Mediator for finishing sixth in the individual competition. In addition, the team as a whole placed eighth in the Advocate/Client category.

"This result showed the outstanding quality of the team," said team coach Vicki Alexander Herriott. "Few teams are in the top 10 in both the Mediator and Advocate/Client categories.

Twenty teams from 16 schools around the country competed in the tournament. Participating in the Mediation finals with MUM were teams from Boston University (fourth place), the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (second), and University of Texas—Dallas (first). The tournament is organized by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution.

In addition, MUM hosted a regional tournament at the end of October attended by eight teams from four schools. The competition was the culmination of a class in mediation and negotiation taught by Ms. Herriott, J.D., LL.M.

In the regional tourney, the MUM team of Chris Brooks, Liz Fowler, and Josh Wilson came in first in Mediation, and the MUM team of Grace Hartnett, Maddy Koch, and Sascha Kyssa came in second in both the Advocate category and in the All Around category.

Emanuel Schachinger and Yang Jingzi, who were on a combined team with two students from Dubuque University, came in third in the All Around category.

Liz Fowler, Shahn Randhawa, Josh Wilson, and Sascha Kyssa received awards as top mediators, and Maddy Koch and Grace Hartnett received awards as top advocates.

"Mediators need to be alert, calm, and supportive," Ms. Herriott said. "Advocates and their clients—that is, the parties to a mediation—need to be flexible, open, and creative problem solvers. These are all qualities that grow with the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique. We have a competitive advantage when it comes to mediation."

The mediation competitions are designed to help students understand the value of resolving disputes through mediation so that they can apply it in their personal and professional lives.

Ms. Herriott said that the goal is to unify the two parties in a mediation. "You have to unify them and get them to understand that it's in their best interest to come together for a solution. Mediation is a more sustainable form of conflict resolution, because it's more efficient, more effective, saves resources, and provides an opportunity for the parties to build bridges rather than walls."

© Copyright 2011 Maharishi University of Management