Black History Month Film Series

In the documentary film series Eyes on the Prize, contemporary interviews and historical footage are used to cover all of the major events of the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1985.
Individuals and classes are welcome to attend one or all of the film showings. Contact Rosemary Cheek-Walthour at rcheek4@ivytech.edu for additional information.

Alumni Reminder

Lunch at Chumley's at 11:45 (or whenever you can make it) if you're available!

Appeals on Wheels

Remember, the Indiana Court of Appeals will be holding court in the Ivy Hall auditorium at 1:00 on Tuesday, February 16. The court will be hearing the case of IHSAA v. Cade:

During a February 2015 boys varsity basketball game between Griffith High School and Hammond High School, an on-court fight broke out involving players, students, coaches, and parents. The Commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association ("IHSAA") sanctioned both schools as a result. The sanctions included canceling the remainder of the schools' seasons, suspending them from participation in the state tournament, and imposing probation for the 2015-16 school year, as well as educational requirements for each coach and athlete. Both schools appealed the Commissioner's decisions to the IHSAA's Review Committee, which upheld the decisions. The schools then sought a preliminary injunction in court. Following a hearing, the trial court preliminarily enjoined the IHSAA from enforcing its suspension of the schools from participating in the state tournament. The IHSAA brings this interlocutory appeal, contending the trial court erred in granting injunctive relief.

Paralegal Society members will have the opportunity to assist our visitors in feeling at home and then to have lunch with the judges prior to the oral argument. Everyone is welcome at the oral argument.

Alumni Lunch!

Okay, alums--

Enough talk. The time has come for action. I will be at Chumley's downtown at 11:45 on Wednesday, January 27. If you can make time in your calendars (or convince your slave-driving bosses to give you a break), please come join me. I'd love to hear what you're all up to!

Linda

p.s.--Please pass this on to your colleagues who are less diligent about following the blog.

Paralegal Society News (Updated)

An announcement from the society's intrepid leader, Alex DeLong:

The first meeting for the paralegal society will be on Thursday, January 28, at 6pm. As discussed before, there will be no dues this semester to be a member. The room, as far as I know, is the conference room on the first floor in the first hallway off the main entryway.

Thanks,

Alex

For those of you who are into numbers, the room number of that conference room is Ivy 1132. See you there! Please contact Alex or myself (Linda Kampe) if you have questions.

Bystander Intervention Training

On Friday, January 22, Ivy Tech will be presenting a program on Bystander Intervention Training. Learn what to do if you're present during an incident involving bullying or domestic violence. The program is in Ivy 1120 at 10:30 a.m. It's free.

Ivy Tech Day at the Statehouse

Registration is now open for Ivy Tech Day at the Indiana Statehouse. Buses leave from Ivy Tech at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 10, and return to campus by 5 p.m. In between, you get breakfast and lunch on Ivy Tech and a chance to meet your state legislators and explore the statehouse--all for free! If you'd like to go, stop by the Student Life Office in Ivy Hall to register.

Let me know if you have questions. I hope to see a lot of you there!

Learn to Spell or the Terrorists Win

This from today's ABA Journal:

Spelling error sparks police terrorism investigation of schoolboy, 10

Posted Jan 20, 2016 12:00 pm CST

By Martha Neil

---

inShare1

A 10-year-old British schoolboy meant to say in an English class exercise that he lived in a “terraced” house.
But he misspelled the word as “terrorist,” and teachers, not realizing that it was a simple spelling mistake, notified authorities under the 2015 Counter-Terrorism and Security Act. It requires educators to report suspected terrorist activity, according to BBC News and the Guardian.
An interview of the boy by Lancashire police, who also examined a family laptop during a visit to his home in December, apparently cleared the family, which is Muslim. However, they say the incident traumatised the boy and are seeking an apology from both police and school officials.
“They shouldn’t be putting a child through this,” an unidentified cousin told the Guardian. “He’s now scared of writing, using his imagination.”

Tippecanoe County in the News

According to the front page of the Journal & Courier this morning, the Tippecanoe County Council voted last night to fund 2 more attorney positions in the prosecutor's office, and one more investigator position in the Tippecanoe County prosecutor's office. The prosecutor is already looking for at least one investigator, and will soon be seeking more.

Just thought I'd let you know.

News You Can Use. Yes, You. Facebook Etiquette for the Legal Professional!

This guy says everything I want to tell you about your Facebook page. Sure, the article is geared towards attorneys, but the same goes for anyone who works in a law office (or wants to). The fact is, no matter what Facebook tells you about your privacy controls, getting a look at someone's Facebook page is not exactly like breaking into Fort Knox. With that in mind, you may want to take a look at your own personal Facebook page and see if it meets these standards:

Lawyers' Guide to Facebook Etiquette

Job-Hunting Tips

A number of you have asked me to keep an eye out for job opportunities for you, and I am happy to do so. But you should also be keeping an eye out for yourself. As I have said, networking is crucial in this field, and--assuming you have built a network of friends and colleagues--be sure that they know you're looking. But also check out these sites:

• www.lawcrossing.com
• www.tippecanoe.in.gov 
• www.in.gov--Make sure you've registered on both the State Jobs link and Indiana Career Connect
• www.simplyhired.com
• www.indeed.com 

Remember to include the websites of any professional organizations of which you are a member--NALA; Indiana Paralegal Association; etc.

Paralegals are hired to do research, so feel free to do a little research of your own. If you find a good site, please pass it along!

Paralegal Society News

What are you doing Thursday, January 28, at 6:00 p.m.?

Wrong!

You're going to the first meeting of the Paralegal Society.

Why?

So many reasons--fun, networking, a chance to vote on both upcoming activities and possibly doing away with dues--and of course, the ever-valuable engagement points. (There may have already been a vote to do away with dues, but I am not sure.)

The location of the meeting will be announced as soon as we have a room confirmation.

This entry was edited at 11:08 to change the date of the meeting and make minor corrections.

Welcom to Spring Semester 2016!!!

Welcome back! It's great to see everyone back in classes.

Our usual reminders--please make sure you can log into your Lexis Advance accounts this week. Do not wait until you have an assignment due. Let me know if you have any issues. (101 students--your Lexis accounts will be on their way next week.)

If you believe this is your last semester, remember that here at Ivy Tech you need to apply to graduate. Please do that early in the semester, so we have time to iron out any confusion that arises.

There are lots of ways to get involved on campus and in the community. If you're in one of my classes, you might be doing it for the engagement points, but anyone can enjoy the good feelings and camaraderie of being involved. Some highlights:

• On Monday, January 18 (MLK Day), the local attorneys will be participating in Talk to a Lawyer Day, and they would love to have paralegal students volunteer to assist people in filling out paperwork. The event will take place at the Legal Services office, 8 N. 3rd St, 1st Floor, Lafayette. Attorneys will be meeting with people from 9-5, and they will welcome volunteers any time during that period. If possible, email me so I can pass your name along and they can expect you. However, you are welcome to volunteer "by surprise" that day as well. 
• February 10 (Wednesday) is Ivy Tech Day at the Statehouse. If you've ever done it, you know how much fun it is. Ivy Tech provides transportation between the campus and the statehouse in Indy. While you're there, you get a chance to meet your state legislators, explore the statehouse, and enjoy breakfast and lunch on Ivy Tech. Traditionally, the Lafayette paralegal and crim students sneak off for a private audience with the Supreme Court, courtesy of Justice Rush, and I don't see why this year should be any different.
• If you can't make it to Ivy Tech Day at the Statehouse, consider dropping by the Lafayette YWCA for lunch. Judge Persin of Tippecanoe Superior Court 5 will be talking about Legal Aid 101, an program in which local attorneys give free presentations about basic rights. Lunch is $15.
• February 16 (Tuesday) is Appeals on Wheels day here at Ivy Tech. The Indiana Court of Appeals will be holding court in the Ivy Hall auditorium beginning at 1:00. Paralegal Society members will also be invited to have lunch with the judges beforehand--reason enough to join the Paralegal Society. (Look for an announcement about that later.)
• March 9 (Wednesday) is another YWCA lunch. This time, Officer Tenecia Waddell will discuss the importance of police-community partnerships. Look for more announcements about this later. If I can get at least 6 people to commit to going, I'll hit the Student Life office up for grant money to cover your lunch tickets ($15 each).
•  
• Why can't I make the bullets stop???? Oh well, not much else to say. Enjoy your semester. As always, contact me with any questions or concerns.

December Grads--Are You Still There?

You had better be!

I'm hoping to start some sort of informal regular get-together so we can all keep tabs on each other. I'm thinking that I'll announce that I'll plan to be in downtown Lafayette for lunch every [Wednesday or Friday] and whoever is available is welcome to join me. (If I find I'm eating alone week after week, I'll take the hint. ;-)  )

What do you think? Interested? Email me with your day of the week preference and a restaurant suggestion, and we'll see where it goes from there.