Two events will be held in Sylva and on the Western Carolina University campus next Tuesday, Oct. 23, and Wednesday, Oct. 24th to raise awareness of conflict mediation as an alternative to litigation and to settle personal disputes.
A reception and panel discussion will be held at the Jackson County Justice Center in Room 220 on Oct. 23rd from 12:30 to 2 p.m. A panel of mediators from Mountain Mediation Services will discuss the advantages of mediation as an alternative to the often costly and time-consuming process of bringing a civil or criminal cases to court.
Then on Oct. 24, members of WCU’s Campus Mediation Society will stage a mediation followed by a question-and-answer session at WCU in Multipurpose Room B in A.K. Hinds University Center from 5 to 6:45 p.m. The presentation will feature student mediators who recently qualified for the 2012 National Mediation competition sponsored by the American Bar Association.
Both events are free and open to the public. They are supported by WCU’s College of Business and Campus Mediation Society, Mountain Mediation Services and the North Carolina Agricultural Mediation Program, and by a grant from the American Bar Association.
The Campus Mediation Society is a student organization advised and mentored by Jayne Zanglein, an associate professor of business law, in conjunction with WCU’s Department of Student Community Ethics. Whether the dispute is a civil case referred by a court official or a relationship disagreement between neighbors or college roommates, the mediation process and role of the mediator is the same – to be a nonjudgmental third party who facilitates a voluntary agreement between two disputing parties.
For more information, call Zanglein at 828-227-7191 or send an email to wcucampusmediation@hotmail.com.
