arkansas high school’s mock trial depicts greek crime

In celebration of Law Day, a holiday few have probably heard of, a Fayettville, AK high school stages a mock trial to demonstrate to students in its law class how prosecution of a serious felony might proceed. The crime depicted: a co-ed fraternity president’s allegedly pushing a female pledge to her death from a clock tower for “disloyalty to the fraternity and for refusing to have sex with one of his friends,” after forcing her to take tequila shots earlier in the night. Aside from intimations of Hemingway and Hitchcock, the scenario could only play into stereotypes about fraternities. To the school’s credit, the facts were not too lurid and the exercise reportedly focused on the law— and a mock trial has to concoct some crime. Probably shouldn’t read too much into it. Then again, the accused was convicted of hazing and manslaughter. Not that fictional chapter’s finest moment.