"This was the second-to-last day of a role-playing game called ‘Reacting to the Past: The Crisis of Catiline - Rome, 63 BCE.’ The students have taken on the roles of Roman senators to debate issues including amnesty for criminals, land reform, debt reform, and the senatus consultum ultimum, which was a decree of the Senate to temporarily give the consuls dictatorial power. This last issue is what they were debating today. The specific assignment is to give a credible speech in character, using specific examples from Roman history and Roman law that they have been reading about for the last few weeks."