This Week in PARA/LEGS

First, the Legal Society will be having its first meeting of the semester on Tuesday, January 30, at 5:00 p.m. We will probably be meeting in Ivy 1132. Help plan our semester!

Second, the Involvement Fair is taking place on Wednesday, January 31, from 10:00 - 1:00 in the Great Hall. Help out at the Legal Society's table, or just see what else is going on on campus.

Third, the League of Women Voters is sponsoring a program on environmental legislation pending before the Indiana legislature. Details below.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE 2018 INDIANA GENERAL ASSEMBLY?

Amanda Shepherd, Hoosier Environmental Council, will provide a timely update.
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, 5:15-7:00 PM
West Lafayette Public Library
208 West Columbia
5:15 - 5:30: Refreshments
5:30 - 6:30: Issue Presentation and Your Questions
6:30 - 6:35: Break
6:35 - 7:00: How to Voice Your Opinion Effectively

As always, everything is free!

Lecture on North Korea

Dr. Nusta Carranza Ko, professor of history, political science, and geography at Ohio Northern University will delivering a talk entitled "Crisis on the Korean Peninsula and the Danger of Global War" tomorrow--Monday, January 22, 2018. The talk will take place in Lawson Hall Room 1142 and begins at 7:00 p.m. According to my information, Lawson Hall is across from the University Street parking garage. 

If you're in the Capstone class, unfortunately, this one is a no-go. (No, you may not get an excused absence.) However, everyone else is certainly invited. As always, the lecture is free. 

Save Some Dates!

Spring semester is now underway, and we are in the midst of planning all sorts of things. Here are a couple of dates to save:

1. Sunday, January 28, 3 p.m.--We (any of my students and I, together with some Criminal Justice and Human Services students) will be going to see the play "Freedom Riders" at Purdue. Ivy Tech will cover the cost of your ticket, but you have to let me know you're going. (I'd like a rough head count by the start of next week, but if things change, we can add you in--or take you off the list--right up to the last minute, which we'll call "Saturday, January 27.") If you'd like more information about the show, click here.
2. Thursday, March 8, 10:30 a.m.--Appeals on Wheels. Ivy Tech will host the Indiana Court of Appeals for a live oral argument. (No, I don't know which case yet.) Following the oral argument, the judges will take questions from the crowd, as long as the questions aren't about the case they just heard. Following that, the PARA/LEGS students are invited to have lunch with the judges--again, on Ivy Tech's dime. You don't want to miss that!

Start Spring Semester off with a Bang (and a whole bunch of engagement points!)

Woo-hoo! It's almost spring semester. Spring semester actually starts on January 14, which is a Sunday. (This makes more sense if you're taking an online class.) Of course, face-to-face classes don't start until Tuesday, January 16, because January 15 is MLK Day.

I know what you're thinking--how can I use that to my advantage, other than sleeping in an extra day?

I'll tell you! You can earn engagement points starting on the 14th. And since there are commemorations all over the state of the life of civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King, Jr.--which sure sounds law-related to me!--anything you do in that regard will count toward your engagement point totals for spring semester. And for those of you who tend to insist that the homework loads are too heavy to allow you to do any such thing during the semester ... ahem ... you don't have any homework yet.

Here are a couple of suggestions:

1. The Legal Services Corp/Pro Bono Commission is hosting a Talk to a Lawyer Day on Monday, January 15. This is just like the one we host here on campus in the fall, but it's at the Legal Service Office, 8 N. 3rd Street, Suite 102, in Lafayette. They need people to help check in clients. Volunteer for at least 1 hour to get 10 points. Talk a friend who's a fellow PARA/LEGS student into volunteering with you and get 15 points.

Interested? Call or email Tim Peterson, 765-423-5327, tim.peterson@ilsi.net, and let him know when you can come help.

2.  On Tuesday, January 16, Indiana Supreme Court Justice Robert D. Rucker will be speaking at Purdue's Loeb Playhouse in the Stewart Center. Justice Rucker is the 2nd African-American on the Indiana Supreme Court; Indiana's longest-tenured supreme court justice; a Vietnam War veteran; and a fierce champion of defendants' and homeowners' rights. Same deal on the points--10 for just you, 15 for you and a friend, 20 if your friend is a 101 student. (Note the 101 student deal is not an option for volunteering at Legal Services. They need people who already have had some exposure to Legal Ethics.)

Interested? The talk is free. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Click here for more details and a stunningly well-done flyer!

I'll be at both events. Can't wait to see you there!!!