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Hey Cavaliers,
In an effort to increase communication between the student body and the Virginia SBA Administration we are soliciting your comments and concerns.
Please let us know what you would like to see happen at this great school.
All the best,
The Virginia SBA Executive Board
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Puff Paint and Potential
Chris Martin - SBA President
My least favorite place when I was a child was Michael’s (the lifeless arts and crafts store, not the excellent bistro on the Corner). I spent hours among foam orbs, balsa wood, and decorative baskets from the world’s great sweatshops while my mother shopped for pieces of possible projects, most of which never progressed beyond the shopping stage. I sat bored in the shopping cart, with no toys or stimuli to capture my attention. Michael’s was a purgatory of potential, a shrine to what our home could be if my very accomplished mother was also Martha Stewart.
Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss the Student Bar Association with a number of fellow students, and I’ve come to realize that many of us see the SBA the same way I saw those ill-fated Michael’s trips. We do not credit the many ways that the SBA affects our law school life directly. We see a bunch of promises, pieces of projects, and false starts, instead of getting a clear picture of the many successful accomplishments and innovations of our student government. Many of us see a keg in Spies Garden most Thursdays as the pinnacle of SBA’s achievements.
Actually, the work of the SBA extends far beyond beer. I plan to dedicate this column in the coming year to the completed products and real accomplishments of the SBA. I hope this column will inform the student body of our efforts to make your UVA experience more fun and rewarding, and highlight the ways we have created opportunities for our students now and in the future. Additionally, I hope you will realize how possible it is to make small adjustments and pragmatic changes that can have a great impact on our school. In recent years, students have successfully lobbied to change library hours during finals, increased the number of recycling bins in the law school, and aired thousands of complaints about the parking meters. I encourage everyone reading this to pay attention to what we’re doing, and consider getting involved. In fact, we are accepting SBA committee chair applications now.
To begin as I intend to continue, I am pleased to announce our first SBA Open Forum on Monday, April 5 during our regular noon meeting time. There will be an open comment period and an opportunity to participate in the discussion and debate related to student comments. I hope many of you will bring your ideas, questions, and even grievances.
Also coming soon: special OGI panels for 1Ls preparing for the 2L interview season next fall. The SBA is teaming up with Career Services to help you prepare your strategy and target the career opportunities that will be the most relevant and rewarding for you.
Finally, this is my first SBA column for the Law Weekly, and I want to take this opportunity to say a few words about my predecessor and friend, Dan Rosenthal. I have had the pleasure of working with Dan quite a bit over the past 2 years and during the peaceful transition of power this month. Dan is leaving the SBA in a significantly better position than where it was when he took over. Beyond his encyclopedic memory bank of Robert Kennedy quotes, Dan has an amazing eye for detail that helped him balance our budget during unpredictably difficult financial times. Dan had to make more sacrifices than any SBA President in recent memory, but he did it all while staying intimately involved with the day-to-day life of the law school and providing excellent programming for our students. Dan is a passionate people person, and he is sincere in his commitment to helping others, whether it’s the residents of Charlottesville or the devastated families of Port au Prince. Dan was instrumental in leading our Law Hoos for Haiti initiative, and thanks to his efforts we raised over $15,000 (and counting). Dan has done an impressive job as SBA president, and I’m confident that he will be in the leadership of any group or organization he belongs to in the future.
To the outgoing members of the SBA, I have enjoyed working with each of you and I wish you well. Thanks for all your hard work. Between you and Dan, you have given us enormous shoes to fill.
To everyone else, I promise to never strand you on the glitter and puff paint aisle. I hope instead that we can work together to get some great things done. |
SBA Notebook: Fall Brings Service Options
By Dan Rosenthal '10
SBA President
The air is getting crisp, the leaves are changing color and you are spending far too much time trying to come up with a witty Halloween costume. Yes, it is October in Charlottesville! By the time you read this article, the Fall Picnic will have come and gone and the Yankee’s will, God willing, be on the march towards a 27th World Series title.
October is also a great month for events at the Law School. Here is a rundown of some of the happenings in and around the school over the next week.
As I have discussed in previous columns, the SBA has set a goal of providing 1,000 hours of public service for the Charlottesville community this school year. Accordingly, the SBA Public Service Committee is organizing our second Public Service Day of the year on Saturday October 17. Students will have the opportunity to: help build a house for a family in need with Habitat for Humanity, assist at soccer practice with the Special Olympics, lend a hand with repair work at a local group home for people with special needs with Arc of Charlottesville or cook dinner and socialize with children and their families who are staying at the Ronald McDonald House while being treated in local hospitals. If you are interested in participating in one of these activities, please email Peggy Nicholson at pn5z@virginia.edu.
Next week, the various Bar Review companies will be coming to the Law School to sign students up for their Bar Review courses. Tables will be set up in Hunton & Williams Hall throughout the week. The SBA will also be sponsoring an information session for 3Ls that will discuss key deadlines and information about the various state bar exams. This information session is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, October 21 at 11:30 a.m. in Caplin Auditorium.
If you are reading this on Friday, make sure you come to Rock-a-PILA tonight at Wild Wing Cafe. It should be a memorable evening, and how can you go wrong when judging your fellow classmates’ musical talents?
Finally, the SBA Graduation Committee is planning to hold the 3L Bonfire on Tuesday, October 27. There will be more details coming soon.
That’s about it for now. Got an idea for an issue you would like me to address in an upcoming column? Stop by the SBA office (SL 196e) and let me know. Have a great weekend.
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SBA Notebook: Public Service For All
By Dan Rosenthal '10
SBA President
This week’s column is going to be slightly different than most. Normally I take this opportunity to give you a rundown of the various happenings in and around the Law School in the upcoming week. I am going to forego this routine in order to devote this week’s column to talk in greater detail about public service at our school. I promise to only stand on my soapbox for a moment or two.
None of us needs to be reminded of the great tradition of public service here at UVA Law. From Thomas Jefferson to Ted Kennedy, our school has always stood as an institution that takes its civic obligations seriously. Those that have come before us have set a lofty bar for each and every one of us, and it is necessary, from time to time, to assess whether we are doing everything we can to live up to these expectations. From involvement in student organizations to clinical work and everything in between, we should be proud of the culture of giving we have created here at the law school. Yet, unquestionably, there is much more work to be done.
So what else can we do? Well to start, we can each take ownership of the fact that we, as a law school and as individuals, have a larger role to play in helping those most in need in our communities.
At 1L orientation and subsequently during the Public Service Kickoff, I urged those in attendance to increase their commitment to pro bono assistance. In particular, I challenged the Class of 2012 to commit to graduating with the highest number of Pro Bono Challenge recipients in the history of the law school. I know this will not be easy but after seeing nearly one third of your class participate in the first SBA Public Service Day in August, I am convinced that you can and will accomplish this if you set your minds to it.
We, the SBA, are also committed to redoubling our efforts in this regard. You have probably already received an email from me describing the D-22 silent auction that will be taking place this week. Much of the proceeds of this auction will go to PILA in order to fund summer public interest work for 1L and 2L students. This year, we have decided to add something new. For the first time, we will be awarding the right to purchase one D-22 permit next fall to the 1L or 2L student who logs the most pro bono hours over the course of this school year.
Of course, a better parking spot or some other type of recognition is not the driving force that will push us to go out and commit ourselves to this type of work. There are clearly far more important motivations at play. Yet I believe that a public acknowledgment of the importance of public service, albeit a small one, speaks volumes about the values of this law school and the students who attend it.
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SBA Notebook: It's the Finals Countdown; Moot Court Wrap-Up
By Dan Rosenthal '10
SBA President
If you are like me and you have been trying to avoid acknowledging that finals exams are here again, (weren’t we just talking fall semester exams?) the fact that there is only one more week in the semester is a tough pill to swallow. But fear not, your friendly neighborhood SBA is here to assist you as you tackle your exams.
Need an outline to help you with your exam preparation? Have an outline that you believe is a work of art and should be admired by others? Visit the SBA Outline Bank at http://www.virginiasba.com/Eservices_ol.aspx. Since the Outline Bank is only as useful as the outlines it contains, I encourage you to take the time to browse through the outlines that are currently offered and submit your own as well. Come on, a well formatted outline is as close to an arts and crafts project as a law student gets; you know you want to share yours.
In the next few days, you will start to see “RESERVED” signs placed throughout the library, Scott Commons, the fishbowl, and the Slaughter Conference Rooms signaling that these areas are reserved for law students and legal research only, beginning Monday, April 20, and running through Friday, May 8. The library will have extended hours during this time and will be open from 6 a.m. - 2 a.m. on April 20 - May 8, except for Sundays, when it will open at 8 a.m. Please, don’t all scream for joy at once.
On a different note, a belated congratulations to Benjamin Holley and Lee Peifer for winning the 80th annual William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition. I’m sure it has got to feel nice to know that your names will be permanently ensconced on a wall in Slaughter Hall. I think the only way that I would be able to leave that type of lasting mark on the school is if I took a permanent marker and signed my name on one of the bathroom stalls in WB. In all seriousness, great job guys and I encourage all 1Ls to consider participating in the competition in the fall of next year. It really is a great experience to have, especially since you will (likely) not have to argue any cases involving windmills, the ADA, or medical arbitration agreements.
Good luck to all of you on your upcoming exams and, for all you brave 3Ls and daredevils out there, enjoy yourselves at Foxfield next weekend. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.
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SBA Notebook
By Dan Rosenthal '10
SBA President
Contrary to how it might appear from the dreary weather we have experienced for much of the last few weeks, spring is officially upon us. It is time to dust off that Hawaiian shirt you purchased “as a joke” for Feb Club and start enjoying the sun again. In order to assist you in this worthy endeavor, there are a number of great events happening in and around the law school in the upcoming weeks.
112 teams from over 45 law schools will descend on Charlottesville this weekend for the 26th Annual UVA Law Softball Invitational. In addition to providing a great opportunity to catch up with friends from other law schools, NGSL gives a substantial amount of the proceeds of the Invitational to local charities (last year it was over $20,000). I highly encourage everyone to attend. The BBQ is from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Park Pavilion on Saturday, April 4th and features delicious food from Buz & Ned’s BBQ. The Saturday Night Party will start at 8 p.m. at Boylan Heights and 9pm at Biltmore. Tickets to the BBQ are $12 and the Saturday Night Party are $10. If you purchase both BBQ and Party tickets, the cost is only $20. That is a steal at twice the price if you ask me!
This year’s SBA Spring Picnic will take place on Thursday, April 16 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. in Spies Garden. There is clearly no better way to enjoy those last few days of freedom before finals than being outside and listening to a live band while enjoying free food and drinks on us.
I also want to remind everyone that our school is participating in the 3rd Annual Statewide Legal Food Frenzy this year. The food drive started on March 30 and will run through April 10. Canned non-perishables as well as cash donations are welcome and can be dropped off at the Food Frenzy table in Hunton-Williams. In order to persuade you all to reach deep into your pantries to donate those cans of Campbells soup that you were saving for a rainy day, we are offering a free party to the 1L section or student organization with the most donations as well as providing prizes for the top individual student and faculy/staff givers. All of our donations will benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network.
Finally, if you are part of a student organization and you are requesting office and/or bulletin board space, don’t forget to turn in your SOSAC application by 5pm on Friday to the SBA office (SL 196e). That is about it for this week. Enjoy the nice weather and have a great weekend.
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