Though she won by VR's default, AZ will take over the SBA next year. Here's a few tips for the incoming prez-o-dent:
- Efforts to appease bureaucrats in the hope of a near-term recommendation are not worth the ire of your future colleagues.
- The bLAWg is your friend.
- Get our rank up.
Anything else?
UPDATE 1: Evidently I spoke too soon. MW has thrown his hat in the ring as a write-in candidate, and with some solid ideas. A number of the others seem power-hungry and paternalistic, but that's what feedback is for.
UPDATE 2: AZ's response to MW's platform is posted in the comments below.
27 comments:
Taco Tuesdays would be nice.
Agreed. Particularly if Phyllis serves them.
While I am a big fan of the bLawg, I thought I'd clarify something. I only speak for myself, but assume that Marnie, Beckett, Joe Martinez, and other 3Ls affiliated with the SBA feel the same way.
With that being said, I think there's a common misperception on what SBA and class officers do, and what their relationship with the Deans actually is. I have yet to ask, and therefore receive, a letter of recommendation from any "bureaucrat," which I take to mean someone in the Administration. If I have drawn the ire of my classmates, it has nothing to do with appeasing anyone. I wanted to get this out there, in case others felt the same way. If that's the case, I welcome any comments, including anonymously.
Uhhh, I totally agree with the proposition that student-leaders should focus on the interests of the students, not being a lap dog to anyone on the 3rd floor.
I would recommend more town meetings, or brown bags, or whatever you want to call it, with at least one of the deans. These need to be scheduled regularly so when a major issue erupts (such as the grade issue) the deans will have to face the student body while the situation is on going, rather then two or three weeks after-the-fact.
Brown bags...town hall meetings...all nice ideas.
In the end? I'm too busy to go to those, as are all of my friends.
The SBA does a good job. I don't think US News is going to up a ranking based on what AZ does next year.
Look, I like the SBA, and I also understand where people are coming from with their criticisms - but really, if you are making the SBA a scapegoat for "why my life isn't as good as it should be in law school"...there's a problem that won't be solved with a brown bag.
Anon, I wasn't meaning that the Brown Bags were a prescription for what ails...I was just making one small suggestion the SBA could implement next year to try and bring the administration closer to the students. Make one of the deans show up every couple of weeks or so, make it regular and that way the administration can hear directly about student issues, while they occurring. Not two or three weeks after the issue has resolved itself (i.e. the Grade Brownbag_
How about a little more support for classmates willing to run and spend time as class or SBA officers? Criticism and comments are fine, but the wording of the original post, "Efforts to appease bureaucrats in the hope of a near-term recommendation are not worth the ire of your future colleagues" doesn't seem fair at all to those spending time trying to make things better. Does the civility rule only apply to those who comment after the original post? I'm glad Ryan stood up for himself and others involved in SBA.
I'm very interested to see MW willing to enter into the race as a write-in candidate. His platform is very sound, and contains many items I would like to see if I still had one a year to go.
Since when is the bLawg a friend? It seems like it is a great place to talk and vent, but where is the original post that says THANKS to all the people who spend time trying to make law school a better place for us all?
Thank-you SBA people!
Wait, you mean like this one? Or this one? Or how about this one? Or maybe this one?
N.B. A little research before an uninformed assertion is always a good thing. Or do you need a jump to conclusions mat? I, on the other hand, need to stop using the word "props" on the bLAWg.
Did anyone ever find out whether we can write in for all positions?
Okay -- I know this is off topic, but 3Ls, how can we get through the last 6 weeks of school? Does anyone else feel overwhelmed? I feel like there is so much to do and everyone is crabby... help!
I dream nightly of the talent show.
Anon, I'm so there with you. Wow. I feel like such an ass for walking around in a bad mood all the time. My level of productivity is woeful.
Alas, there's nothing to fear but fear itself. We'll make it. I remember all the 3Ls that told me about their apathy last year, and they all made it. Keep chugging!
I just realized tonight that I have a 15 page paper due for one of my classes in a couple of weeks. Probably should do something about that....
I appreciate the tips. Hopefully, I'll be able to use them next year.
In the meantime, I want to assure all of you that my goal is not to appease the administration. It's not my thing or my style. Anyone who knows me at all can testify to that.
Otherwise, while I sent this statement out through the twen site, I wanted to also post it on here for the convenience of the blawggers. It's long...sorry. Read it if you're interested. Either way, take a moment and vote today or tomorrow.
--Statement--
I want to encourage you to participate in the election of the SBA student government leaders Tuesday or Wednesday in the café and to ask for your vote for the SBA Presidency.
Why me? Because…
o I listen! I listen to YOU and your needs and do my best to help whenever and however possible.
o I believe that change can only happen through dialogue and collaboration. I believe in discussion, open communication, and frank conversation that can lead to positive results for all those involved.
o I have been and remained committed to the Student Bar Association and my run for its Presidency.
o My goal as a leader is to empower those around me and to always recognize their contributions and support their ideas.
o I am not done with my contribution to the school and the Student Bar Association. Below are some of my goals for the next year and my contributions from the year that passed.
o If nothing else convinces you, I have a cool last name.
Goals for the SBA next year?
First, I am a big believer in public service and giving back to the community. To that extent, I would like to:
• Integrate an institutionally supported pro bono program in which students take advantage of pro bono work experiences and are recognized on their transcript for their contribution.
• Support LRAP! I'd like to get enough sponsorship for the Barrister’s Ball to be able to contribute at least part of any income made to LRAP. I'd also like to launch a student lobbying effort both locally and at the national level. Currently, there is a federal LRAP program proposed in Congress that would assist prosecutors and public defenders and our state legislature is in the process of reviewing state LRAP legislature. Student testimony, organized student support and involvement, as well visits with legislators and active student involvement can play a key role in getting such initiatives passed.
• Organize and support a fundraiser with the help of the Public Interest Task Force to create a summer grant program for law students doing public interest internships in the summer, similar to the WLC Fellowship, but including all types of public interest work.
Second, I know that a lot of the success of lawyers comes from WHO they know, not only what they know. Because of this, I want to:
• Integrate law firms into our pro bono programs at the law school. 90% of our students are not in the top 10% :) Because of that, students have a harder time getting in contact with big law firms enough to land a much desired job. By having law firms commit to engage our students in their pro bono projects, we would be able to prove our abilities first-hand regardless of our ranking, be exposed to their practice, and get valuable law firm experiences.
• Increase law student participation in the alumni outreach efforts. Getting students involved in engaging our alumni would benefit both the school and our students. Alumni are always excited to share their previous experiences with current students and students would get first-hand access to potential alumni employers.
• Engage our student leaders in representing our interests in more places. Law students should be able to and encouraged to serve on campus wide committees, the ABA Student Division, and local chapters of organizations such as the ACLU, the NLG, or the Federalist Society.
Third, I would like to see some improvements in our curriculum, assessment of academic achievement, and approach to recruiting and retaining faculty. To reach such improvement, I want to:
• Establish a pass/fail option for upper level law courses. Currently, students may not opt to take classes pass/fail instead of getting a grade. My research on the subject shows that law schools across the country have that option for their students for a limited number of credits. Such an option would allow students much more flexibility in their selection of courses.
• Strengthen student participation in the selection process of new faculty members. There are certain areas of law that our students are interested in and our curriculum simply does not cover. Increased student involvement in the process would ensure that our needs and wants as far as the curriculum are being conveyed to the administration. This year I struggled with this, but managed to double the student face-to-face time with candidates. Further increase of this time would be greatly beneficial.
• Explore the reasons why some of our faculty chooses to leave our school and encourage our administration to make a greater effort to retain those professors who contribute so much to our education. One way to do this is a mirror exit debriefing/interview of departing professors with student leaders.
Forth, while I have witnessed much progress and adjustment in the new building, I recognize that there is much room for improvement. To this end, I would like to:
• Survey possibilities that would increases access to the library and improve the quality of our time spent in there. Longer hours, better policy enforcement, and greater resources (like paperclips or staplers) can benefit us greatly. Also, I would like to work on improving the system used by LexisNexis/Westlaw to sort printing jobs- it’s a mess sometimes- it worked better in Fleming.
• Add the much promised and needed upper blackboard additions to all classrooms designed for and dedicated to publicizing student organization events. This way of advertising events was highly successful in Fleming and it created an intimate feel of our community. Recreating that would be beneficial to participation in student organization-sponsored events.
• Seek a solution for the after hours parking situation in front of the law school by creating a law student vignette that would allow only law school students, faculty, and staff (who have or have not a permit) to park right outside of the Wolf building after regularly enforced parking hours.
Lastly, I strive to always improve the organization that I am party of. Such a goal can be reached by:
• Opening the channels of communication with the administration to all students.
• Have the SBA lend a more helping hand to student organizations in their activities.
• Consider reform options for the SBA that would ensure and foster transparency, accountability, and responsibility.
What have I done so far? …Here’s a glimpse:
- I participated and became a founding member of the Public Interest Task Force, the first institutionalized school-wide group that supports and creates public interest initiatives and encourages public sector participation by our students, faculty, and staff. This group deals with LRAP support and pro bono initiatives.
- I had preliminary conversations with big law firms like Hogan & Hartson; Snell & Wilmer; and Davis, Graham & Stubbs regarding a commitment to engaging our students in their pro bono projects.
- I created a new and growing outline bank that is helping many of our students.
- I assigned all the new student lockers and reassigned all lockers from Fleming to Wolf.
- I organized several orientation events like the karaoke night and the bowling evening, for which I obtained law firm sponsorship and participation.
- I became active in a campus wide group, the Distinguished Speakers Board, and was instrumental in bringing Kofi Annan to speak on our campus this coming April.
- I participated in the Faculty Appointment committee and coordinated the student involvement in the process.
THANK YOU for considering my candidacy for SBA President! Please contact me if you have any questions at zeppelin@colorado.edu
YOUR participation in the election process is important and I would VERY much appreciate your vote!
andra
Good luck, AZ. MW is swinging for the fences...
One thing 2Ls have to consider when voting (especially since there's some confusion)is that MW cannot take both positions that he is now running for. It's either SBA President or Class President- Sorry, you can't have it all. 2Ls should think hard about giving up their president to the SBA, particularly since TR and TN (two of the current officers) are not running for re-election and the treasurer position is wide open with no candidate. Graduation is a big deal guys and your class officers must be up for the task.
Great comment mac...I would respond though that if MW is the best for the SBA job (not a slight at AZ), then wouldn't it benefit the school as a whole? There are very capable 2L's to help set up graduation...
Sorry about the deleted anonymous comment above--I hit the wrong button.
My comment about MW and the need to keep him in a leadership role for the 2008 class was simply designed to signal that BOTH of the candidates for SBA president are highly qualified and the school can benefit from their experience and dedication in significant, but different ways. Both MW and AZ have shown much passion and motivation to help our students in the past couple of years. There is no doubt that either one of them would do a great job on the SBA.
Why don't they stagger the election? Isn't that what's happened in the past? It would allow the loser of the SBA election to run for Class President.
Voter turn out is very poor as it is, and most people who vote barely care enough to vote once. Additionally, not that many people are interested in running for 3L positions, as noted above regarding the Treasurer position. It seems that 2Ls may lack the requisite passion for student government.
Must be the Ritalin and Aderal.
I am a 2L and admittedly infrequent visitor to the bLAWg, but I was curious to see what people are saying about the election. I'm with Mac. We 2Ls need both AZ and MW next year in student government. I hate to say it, but I think 2Ls are not running for positions because we 1) don't want to do all the work required to be 3L officers (planning graduation, etc.), and 2) many of us prefer to sit back and complain rather than actually doing anything ourselves. I include myself in that criticism.
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