Calling all alumni!

I think we need to have another alumni lunch! Let's shoot for next week Wednesday, May 4 (Ooh! Star Wars Day! Even better!) at noonish. (I'll be there at 11:45 so you'll have someone to look for.) And where shall we meet? I assume we want to stay downtown, since that's where so many of you work (currently). Let me know if you have a suggestion. Otherwise, I'll pick a place by Monday and post it.

Register for Fall and Summer Classes Now! (Or, Only YOU Can Save Business Associations!)

Registration is open for summer and fall classes. The sooner you register, the sooner I can hire faculty, etc.!

Our International Friends

It was another light traffic week for our international visitors.

France	2
Bangladesh	1
Germany	1
United Kingdom	1
Poland	1
Ukraine	1

Voting Information

As you know (as you had better know), Indiana's primary is set for May 3. As your fellow students at Purdue have pointed out, that's smack dab in the middle of finals week.

While I admire your slavish devotion to doing your best on your finals, that's no excuse for not voting, especially here in Tippecanoe County where voting early is SOOOO easy. And you can pick up a gallon of milk at the same time.

Early voting is going on at area PayLess Grocery Stores all week. You can do this.

Remember that this is a primary election. That means you'll only be able to vote for people who are vying to be candidates for either the Republican or Democratic party. Indiana has what's called an open primary. When you arrive at the polling location, you simply need to tell the person checking you in whether you would like the Republican or the Democratic ballot. That's it. They don't check to see whether that's how you actually voted in the past, or anything like that. (Also remember to bring a government-issued ID.)

Also remember that the presidential is not the only game in town. There are lots of state and local races that, quite honestly, will probably have a greater day-to-day effect on you than the presidential election.

If you'd like to see who will be on which ballot before you get there, email electionboard@tippecanoe.in.gov. Give them your full name, birth date, and address, and they will email you both the Republican and the Democratic ballots.

Now get out there and VOTE!

And yes, voting is worth 10 engagement points for those of you in my classes.

Visiting with Justice Rush

Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush is this year's commencement speaker. As part of her preparation, she asked to come to campus and meet with some students, so she could hear about "The Ivy Tech Experience" from them. And given that her field is law, the administration asked me--on very short notice--to see if any of my students were available.

Turns out, two of them were! Annette Wiegand, Elisha Hollandbeck, and I--along with a few students from other programs--had the opportunity to visit with Justice Rush this morning for about an hour.

Woot!

Pro Se Pleadings We All Wish We Could Get Away With

Job Opportunity, Montgomery County

The Montgomery County (Crawfordsville) Prosecutor's Office is looking for a paralegal. This is a part-time position that may become a full-time position. If you're interested, let me know. Soon! The application deadline is Friday.

Upcoming Events

• There will be a Paralegal Society meeting this Thursday, April 21, at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room in Ivy Hall. This will be our last meeting of the semester, and I assume we will be electing officers. 
• There will NOT be a trip to Chicago this semester. Planning and logistics turned out to be more complex than we had bargained for. However, now that we know what is involved, we'll be better positioned to plan a Chicago trip in the future.
• Also, there is nothing to stop people from just arranging to meet in Chicago one day without college-provided transportation. Just sayin'. 
• Remember that registration is now open for summer and fall. If you have not taken Legal Writing (PARA 204) or Litigation (LEGS 202), plan on taking them in the fall. We have day and evening sections of each.

Our International Community

Our international friends have been largely absent this week. We've had one visitor from France, and one from Singapore, and that's it. Of course, on the world news scale it's hard to compete with earthquakes in Japan and Equador and the impeachment of Brazil's president. I'm sure they'll return when things quiet down out there.

Books, Fall Semester

I share your horror at textbook prices, and you'll just have to trust me that I do what I can to hold down your out-of-pocket costs. To that end, two of our classes, Litigation (LEGS 202) and Legal Writing 2 (PARA 224) will be textbook-less starting in the fall. Actually, this summer's Legal Writing class will also be textbook-free. (Hang on to the Bluebooks you buy for Legal Research, of course!)

However, I made the decision to go with 2 textbooks for Legal Writing 1 (PARA 204) starting in the fall. One is a basic grammar and style book; the other is a legal terminology text. Both subjects will be covered in Legal Writing 1. Both subjects will also be covered in the Capstone Class (PARA 279), and these books will be excellent references for that. If you're wondering why that matters, talk to someone who has taken the capstone class in the past couple of years. They will also be excellent references when you're in practice. Trust me--at some point you will want to look up a point of grammar or the definition and usage of some crazy legal term.

Because I see these books as more of an investment, I decided to require both, even though I know that will strain some budgets a little more than you would like.

But I also know that publishers often update textbooks more often than they need to. Neither English grammar nor legal terminology have changed appreciably in the past 5-10 years. The bookstore will be carrying the most recent version of both books, but those of you who shop online for used books should feel comfortable buying earlier editions for use in class.

A Tip from One of Your Colleagues

Indiana Legal Services in Lafayette is looking for a receptionist. I realize this isn't a paralegal job per se, but it's a great foot in the door, and ILS does prefer to promote from within. Also, as I understand it, their receptionist has more responsibility than the average receptionist. Don't write this off.

A big thank you to Elisha Hollandbeck for bringing this to my attention!

Tippecanoe County position

Tippecanoe County is looking for a "High-Volume Court Clerk Supervisor." Please tell me that my alums/soon-to-be-alums are applying for this!

International Visitors

Sorry--I forgot to provide an update as to our international community yesterday, so here it is now. I was asked by one of our readers to give not just the top slot, but all of our international stats. Hang on to something--it was a big, big week for the Russians.

Russia	22
France	2
Japan	2
Bangladesh	1
Spain	1
Netherlands	1
Singapore	1

Chicago Trip April 22

The Paralegal Society is working on a day-long trip to Chicago to see the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, among other things. We will be chartering a van or bus to get us there and back. The trip is set for April 22. No charge, outside of what you spend on lunch or whatever else you buy in Chicago. But you DO need to RSVP if you're planning on going.

Send Alex an email at adelong8@ivytech.edu no later than this coming Friday (April 15) to let him know you're planning to go. I hope to see a lot of you there!

Thank you!

I couldn't have done it without outstanding students!

Drop By! Make Friends! Eat Donuts!

We have a couple of non-engagement point-worthy, but nonetheless exciting, events coming up.

First, next Tuesday, April 12, you can join in on Donut with a Cop. Local police officers will be on hand for informal discussion opportunities. Donuts will be on sale with proceeds benefiting the Criminal Justice Society. Stop by, get a donut, and ask a cop your burning questions about, you know, things your friends have done that might not have been purely legal. Or whatever. April 12, 9:00 - 11:00 in the Grand Hallway.

Then on Friday, April 29th at 3:00 p.m., come to the first ever (as far as I know) celebration of Student Life. Student Life is the office that brings us all of the speakers and performers who appear on campus, as well as supporting the various student organizations, including the Paralegal Society. Each organization, including the Paralegal Society, will have an opportunity to have their outstanding member recognized. Come cheer for your fellow students and all the people who make this place entertaining outside of class!

State v. Taylor

As part of last fall's Legal Writing class, the students wrote briefs in the pending case of State of Indiana v. Taylor. Last week, the state supreme court (finally!) handed down its opinion. Our position didn't win outright, but the court's opinion is very favorable to our imaginary client.

You can read the court's full decision here.

Welcome, International Friends

This week, we have a 2-way tie in our never-ending competition to see which country (other than the US) has chiceked in the most. This week's champions: France and Brazil.

Job Opportunities

 It's Friday at the end of a long week, and looking for job opportunities for you just seems like more fun than grading papers and whatnot. Below are links for a few jobs in the Lafayette area that turned up when I was searching. Remember not to limit yourself to jobs that say "Paralegal." Consider legal assistant, investigator, case analyst, even legal secretary positions. These things are all loosely defined and often tend to reflect the age/experience of the person who wrote up the job description more than they do the actual job.

https://www.indianacareerconnect.com/vosnet/jobbanks/jobdetails.aspx?enc=9B8/uT7EfbEIDLIMZ8rho/bFqeqxRHlLivh3C648JWfxJJwTdocrV0l+OkLmois13QIDSujjWXQubtl5ZG9CWJDf0AjTA0k71RKYFR2c0Dz1lo5DMOLu4e30TfiKgXyP8hXdjlq8Vrpl7fL2g7CwbIKMCdxaBaAp/1SwseE9CFYGqvNnjm+FsmliKC8mt8OY7tVtJuOADjKY4i4xO3FK+Wa9dJSKk5qtikgmdkXmEB8=

https://www.indianacareerconnect.com/vosnet/jobbanks/jobdetails.aspx?enc=9B8/uT7EfbEIDLIMZ8rho/bFqeqxRHlLivh3C648JWdig2GuV4qKo0x4+PqVsakcjK6x3PATy1X9qH8goMNJbKlHFUjKIJmdXBXfysGLllDcmqrf5qs6XeydmBE25DpiN7c5MMtO3BpG9RpSqtke7XvrCx0lGidWiBE7r3gEtITNCXbl9mDAxYOTBHktmiTZ2KqMNlDQDmZg7gZKCHE8cmvd1AfZfL1gRqL5dd/jhCc=

http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2490.htm  -- Multiple paralegal/investigator/etc. positions available

Pizza with the Alumni

A big thanks to all the alumni who joined us last night for pizza and to share their hard-won wisdom with us. There's nothing like hearing it from someone who has just been there!