What is O.I.L.?
The Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (O.I.L.) hosts a five-day mock legislative session in the Oklahoma State Capitol once a semester consisting of delegations from over twenty universities across the state. It also includes a moot court competition and model executive branch. Providing outstanding networking opportunities and a wide array of experience to all participants, O.I.L. is unparalleled for students with an interest in politics, law, or Oklahoma state government
O.I.L. state session is an immersive experience that puts its members directly into the seats of Oklahoma State Legislators. Members are encouraged to write legislation to present at session, and over the course of the week, will trace many bills through the full legislative process, beginning in committee hearings on Thursday morning, floor time in both the O.I.L. House and Senate, and ending with a signature from the Governor of O.I.L.
In addition to the mock legislature portion of O.I.L, which runs continuously throughout the course of session, there is a model Executive branch working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. Members include the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State.
There are other areas to get involved, besides the legislature. The moot court competition is divided into three rounds; a preliminary round where all participants are guaranteed to argue each side of a case at least once, and based on the quality of case presentation and legal reasoning, may continue through the competition ultimately to the final round. The court is modeled after the Oklahoma Supreme Court, dealing with both appellate and original jurisdiction, and is overseen by OIL members appointed by the Governor to serve on the bench. Competitors are given the case and supporting case law in advance, and must build their arguments based solely from the citations provided.
The journalism competition is a relatively new addition to OIL. Journalists write stories about the major events each day of session and publish them in the official newspaper, the O.I.L. Reporter.
