UNC Charlotte Mediation Program
Director: Vivian B. Lord, Ph.D.
Mediation and other Alternative Dispute Resolution Practices are used around the world in more and more locations from the civil and district courts to hospitals, real estate, and business settlement. A trained mediator is a neutral third party who assists disputants voluntarily to reach a mutually acceptable settlement of the issues in dispute. Mediation saves disputants money, time, and emotional anguish and stress.
The UNC Charlotte Mediation Program offers students courses, mediation tournaments, and service to the university and larger community. Through its many opportunities, students bridge the gulf between classroom theory and the real world disputes and leave university life prepared to mediate real problems under realistic situations.
Courses
CJUS 3114 Conflict Resolution/Mediation: Taught spring semesters. Students are introduced to the varied elements of conflict and conflict resolution, with a specific emphasis on mediation. It also prepares students to apply conflict resolution and mediation skills to their personal lives. The students will be able to:
- Understand their personal style of conflict resolution.
- Understand the concepts and principles of mediation and its practice.
- Be familiar with relevant laws and how those laws apply to facts
- Be able to evaluate, negotiate and mediate a conflict.
CJUS 4000 Practical Application of Mediation: Taught fall semesters. This course provides advanced mediation and conflict resolution techniques to students. It also prepares students to compete in mediation tournaments, help others resolve disputes, and apply conflict resolution and mediation skills to their personal lives. The students will be able to
- Be able to use advance skills to evaluate, negotiate and mediate a conflict.
- Compete with their team members in one or more mediation tournament.
- Apply mediation skills to peer disputes.
Mediation Tournaments
The Mediation Tournaments require our students to use critical thinking skills on disputes similar to what they will face daily in personal and professional lives. The tournaments are not about “winning” (although there are trophies), but rather sharing. Champion students are those who share. Students co-mediate with students from other universities. Listening and sharing are the keys of success.
Regional: First weekend in October at Brenau University, Gainesville, Georgia
National: Rotates-Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa; John Marshall Law School in Chicago
***2015 Georgia State Tournament
***2014 Regoinal Mediation Tournament
UNC Charlotte Mediation Team won 2nd place Team Trophy for Advocate/Client!!
Peer Mediation Service Projects
Charlotte Mecklenburg School System-UNC Charlotte students in CJUS 3114 participate in peer mediation training in CMS middle and high schools that is sponsored by the Mecklenburg County Dispute Settlement Program. UNC Charlotte students demonstrate mediation skills through role plays and then provide feedback to the CMS students when they role play.
NEW PROGRAM FOR 2014!!! UNC Charlotte Peer Mediation program seeks to assist students in developing an attitude that will foster life-long constructive practices through problem-solving abilities, and good communication skills. This goal is met by training student leaders to be catalysts for productive and effective dispute management techniques while guiding disputants to an equitable and agreeable solution to their problems.
*Give Now – Stephanie Jennings’ Memorial Mediation Fund
Go into the Giving Green Campaign link (making your gift online) (giving green campaign), click on UNC Charlotte, select designation, and then designate “other.” There will be a space to fill in the fund. Please fill in the complete name: Stephanie Jennings Memorial Mediation Fund.
Stephanie Jennings, the Director of the Dispute Settlement Program for Mecklenburg County, agreed to teach the mediation course and coach the students at the regional tournament beginning in 2007. In the second year, Stephanie Jennings pleaded with her contacts in the business community to fund students to participate in the National Tournament in Chicago.
Thanks to the generous support of people like you. She raised $5,000 and took 8 students to Chicago where they had an incredible experience at the National Tournament; the first of this type of competition for all of her students. On the way to the airport surrounded by her students from UNC Charlotte, Stephanie collapsed and died.
The National Mediation Collegiate Tournament Association named an overall advocacy award to recognize Stephanie’s contributions to mediation training.
The students of UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte community have much to thank Stephanie for, which is one reason we are beginning a Stephanie Jennings Memorial Mediation Fund to help fund the Mediation program and all it is doing for UNC Charlotte students.
