Above: Members of WCU's award-winning mediation team are, from left, Bob Greeson, Eric Brailsford-Cato, Mike Doherty, coach Jayne Zanglein, Nicholas Fracassi and Tiffani Giesy.

A Western Carolina University student team placed third nationally and won “Outstanding New School Award” at the 10th annual Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament recently held in Chicago.

In the individual competition, Eric Brailsford-Cato, a senior business administration and law major at WCU from Raleigh, placed third and was named “All American Mediator.”

Mediators act as neutral third parties to facilitate discussion among disputing parties to help them resolve their conflicts. At the tournament, which was sponsored by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution, participants role-played mediators in mock disputes and were evaluated for their effectiveness.

“As a mediator, a successful case means doing whatever I can to facilitate strong communication between both parties and encouraging both to open up about the core issues that brought them to mediation,” said Mike Doherty, a senior business law major from Huntersville and a WCU mediation team member. “If I’m able to get both to open up and reach a settlement, which does not always happen, then I think I’ve done a really good job.”

Mock cases at the tournament ranged from a conflict involving merchants and a nearby food shelter to a dispute between two doctors regarding termination of contract.

The University of North Texas and Boston University placed first and second respectively, and WCU in its first appearance at the tournament trailed second place by only two-hundredths of a point, said Jayne Zanglein, a team coach and assistant professor of business administration and law at WCU.

Team members in addition to Doherty and Brailsford-Cato were senior business administration and law majors Tiffani Giesy from Franklin, Bob Greeson from Thomasville, and Nicholas Fracassi from Wilkesboro. Team coaches were Zanglein, who also directs the North Carolina Agricultural Mediation Program and serves on the Mountain Mediation Services board of directors, and William Mauldin, an adjunct faculty member and professional mediator.

The team learned mediation skills in Law 285, “Mediation,” taught by Zanglein and Mauldin, and practiced three days a week for a month in advance of the competition. Brailsford-Cato, president of the Campus Mediation Society, also brought experience from serving as a student case coordinator for the Campus Mediation Program.

Zanglein noted that the team not only has strong mediation skills but also strong negotiation skills. When they missed the flight home due to delays in the competition, Fracassi was able to negotiate with the airline to waive the $3,000 fee for last-minute change of reservations.

“I am proud of the team’s mediation, negotiation and advocacy skills,” said Zanglein. “They are a remarkable group of students.”

Also at the event in Chicago, Fracassi became the first president of the International Association of Dispute Resolution student board of directors and Brailsford-Cato was elected secretary.

For more information, contact Zanglein at (828) 227-7191.

Maintained by the Office of Public Relations
Last Modified: Friday, Nov. 20, 2009