Archive for February, 2009

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Visiting Committee Feedback

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Last week we sent out the following email seeking feedback for the Visiting Committee.  We’re still looking for more feedback.  See the email below for details.

Hello fellow students,
As you may have seen in a previous email from Catherine Claypoole, the Visiting Committee will be coming to HLS on March 5 and 6.  The Visiting Committee reports directly to the Harvard University Board of Overseers, and this yearly visit is a great way for students to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns about the state of HLS.  If you have an opinion about what the school is doing well, what more they can do, or what you would like to see changed, these are the people to share those thoughts with.
We highly encourage you to share your thoughts about the current state of HLS with the Visiting Committee.  Representative of the Student Government will, of course, be meeting with the Visiting Committee, and we want to be sure we have as much information from you – the students – as possible to bring to that meeting.
Please email us at studentgov@law.harvard.edu with any thoughts or concerns you may have.  We will be compiling the comments anonymously and presenting the compiled document to the Visiting Committee in March.
The Committee is especially interested in hearing any thoughts you have on next year’s early interview program and early fly out week, but any other comments you have would also be welcomed.  Some other possible significant areas of interest could be the new grading system, the status of the HLS faculty under the Obama administration, the curriculum in general, any opinions about Restaurant Associates, or anything else that affects your life here at HLS.
If, for whatever reason, you don’t want the Student Government to compile your comments anonymously, you are certainly still welcome to email the Committee directly at viscom@law.harvard.edu.
This is a great chance to ensure that your voice is heard.  We hope you will take maximum advantage of it.  Please try to get your feedback to us as soon as possible so that we can include as much of it as possible in a packet being sent to the Committee on 2/24.
Thank you for your time.  We look forward to hearing from you.
Your Student Government
(Comments are disabled for this post.  If you have feedback please email it to us at studentgov@law.harvard.edu.)
Brian

Posted in Classes, Committees and committee reports, Course evaluations, Exams, Grade change, Other projects | Comments Closed

ITS Committee Update

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Here’s a quick report from ITS Committee Rep, Shane Matthews, on what the ITS committee is up to:

1) reducing as much as possible the number of usernames/passwords. Current solutions for email and course information preclude a single password system, but integrating all systems to need as few logins as possible is a major goa

2) finding and implementing a new information architecture for the Student Information (this would address the acknowledged complaints about stability, queue times, and accessibility) though is cost prohibitive, especially in light of the recent difficulties with the solution purchased

3)the new more digital friendly application process for LLMs

Posted in Committees and committee reports | Comments Closed

A Few Random Things We’re Working On

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Every week we hear from several students about concerns they have or changes they would like to see that would make their lives better.  At any given time, we’re working on several of these small(er) projects.  Here’s a sampling of what we’re working on now.  Be sure to let us know if there’s something we can be doing for you!

– Working to see that Hemenway doesn’t run out of sweat towels quite so easily, especially during those peak exercise times.

– Working to get exercise mats at Hemenway for the use of a prospective HLS grappling club.

– Working on improving/increasing the laundry facilities in the North dorm building.

– Getting a rug out in front of Lewis to avoid slipping on the abundance of ice and marble.  UPDATE: We hear there is a rug out there now.  Is that so?

– As a long term project, working on getting the tunnel lights on motion sensors rather than standard switches.  A move that would both help the environment and avoid those late night, dark tunnel walks during finals time.

Bear in mind, this is not all that we have going on.  So, if you’ve expressed a concern to us but don’t see it here, don’t worry… we’re getting to it.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the above projects or anything else that is on your mind.

Brian

Posted in Other projects | Comments Closed

Law and Social Change event – today!

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

There is a great event being put on today by the Program on Law and Social Change that promises to bring together several of HLS’ top minds.  See the information below for details.

Brian

“Event: Open conversation on comparative “modes” of social change with HLS professors (Wednesday, Feb. 25, 5:00-6:30pm, Austin East), followed by refreshments and mingling.

Dear Law & Social Change-ers,

We are very excited to announce our first formal event of the semester! Our Program of Study thinks about law and social change not only along subject matter lines (like the environment, religious freedom, or criminal justice) but also according to different modes of action (like institutional reform, social movements, and litigation). Last semester, at a focus group discussion with our faculty co-directors, Professors Martha Minow and Ben Sachs, students expressed a great interest in exploring the comparative utility of these various modes of social change. (You can find a description of the Program of Study at http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/degrees/jd/pos/lawsocchange/index.html).

Next Wednesday’s event will bring together over 15 HLS professors and students in our Program to explore this topic. Professors who have already expressed an intention to participate include Larry Tribe, Charlie Nesson, Mark Tushnet, Bill Rubenstein, Carol Steiker, Lucie White, Rachel Brewster, Phil Heymann, Bill Stuntz, Yochai Benkler, Brian Price, Phillip Malone, Joe Singer, Terry Fisher and Jed Shugerman.

Professors Minow and Sachs will start the conversation and then invite comments with an emphasis on four topics:

(1) reflections on distinctive modes of effective law and social change work;

(2) narratives of effective law and social change efforts;

(3) lines of research that shed light on this topic; and

(4) comments on how students who are interested in law and social change can and should spend their time in law school.

Profs. Minow and Sachs have generously offered to provide refreshments after the discussion so that faculty and students can continue the conversation in a more casual setting. If there is a good chance (about 70%) that you will attend the event, please let us know by Monday (2/23) at noon so that we can purchase an appropriate quantity of food and drink. Please RSVP to ahalegua@law.harvard.edu.

This promises to be an extremely exciting event and a very electrifying start to our semester. We hope that you will be part of it!”

Posted in Events | Comments Closed

CSEL Symposium

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

The Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law is hosting a symposium on March 13 and 14 entitled:

Resisting the Recession:

Growth Opportunities for Sports in an Economic Downturn

The keynote speaker will be Andrew Zimbalist.  Admission is free.  See the following link for more info:

http://csel.wordpress.com/spring-2009-symposium/

Brian

Posted in Events | Comments Closed

International Student Financial Aid

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

We have heard some concerns lately about international students finding it more difficult to secure funding for their HLS education, so we looked into it a bit to see what we could find out.

First and foremost, if you have any financial aid concerns, Student Financial Services should be your first stop.  They are ready and willing to work with everyone to come up with answers that work as best as possible for each person’s unique situation.  Additionally, as prospective interim acting Dean Jackson said during his town hall meeting, Harvard University is currently working with JP Morgan to ensure international students have access to loans similar to that which they had before the current financial crisis.

All that being said, here is a little bit of information for those of you that are interested in understand how and why the international students have been uniquely affected by the crisis.  The issue is arrising because HLS had a unique program in partnership with a private bank that allowed international students to borrow from a US bank.  Unfortunately, in this economy, the program was cancelled by the private bank last semester.  Since that time, Harvard has been working to secure a new banking arrangement.  This program is still being worked on, but at this time (and according to yesterday’s town hall, this may be changing), international students have two options, one, to secure funding from one of their home country banks, or two, borrow from a US bank with a a US co-applicant.  Again, let us reiterate, students facing these concerns should work with SFS, who is happy to help you work through your concerns.  This post is not meant to serve in an advisatory capacity, only an informative one.

One more note, according to a Harvard Crimson article, there may be some other funding coming in to help international students.  See here: http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=526734

As always, any thoughts are welcome.

Brian

Posted in Other projects | Comments Closed

News@law – new and improved

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

One of the more common complaints we’ve heard this year is that news@law was coming out too late to notify people of some of the early morning events.  Because of the way the system is structured, it is very difficult to get the news@law email out any earlier, so we’ve been communicating with the Dean of Students office regularly and working with them to come up with other solutions.

As you probably noticed, starting this week, news@law now includes the current day’s events as well as the next day’s.  We think this is a solution that should be able to satisfy everyone and hope you will agree.  Please let us know your thoughts.

Brian

Posted in Other projects | 1 Comment »

HGC Update – with Speed Dating!

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

The following update is from one our HGC Reps, Annie Levin:

Here’s the report from tonight’s meeting:

1.  The Advocacy Committee is restructuring, becoming one larger committee rather than several smaller ones, in order to better coordinate advocacy issues.  The committee would like at least one representative from each school; we need to determine which of our reps will serve on that committee.

2.  Every year the HGC sponsors a “Presidents’ Summit” for the student government presidents from each grad school.  This year, they are thinking of combining it with the Harvard College “Club President Summit” in April.  More details at the next meeting.

3.  There is potentially a “town hall” meeting in the works, to allow graduate students to voice concerns with a high-ranking Harvard official.  Date and time (and Harvard official) still pending.

4.  The Events Committee is working on a “Developing Dialogues” event to bring students from different schools together in an academic setting.  Ideas of speakers and topics are welcome from all HGC reps.

5.  There is a speed dating event next Wednesday, March 4.  The following advertisement should be made available to the student body:

Single?  Want the chance to meet other single Harvard graduate students?
Try Speed Dating!

When: Wednesday, March 4th
Appetizers begin at 6:30pm–Please arrive on time.  We need everyone there for
dates to begin.

Where: Vinalia Restaurant Lounge and Wine Bar
101 Arch Street
Boston, MA 02110
(Near Park St. and Downtown Crossing Stations)
www.vinaliaboston.com

Cost: $10 (via pay pal)

Registration Details:  Due to the popularity of these events, and to make the
registration process more fair, everyone who registers for opposite sex speed
dating will be placed in a lottery for a spot at the event.  We will notify you
if you have been randomly selected by email on Saturday February 28th.  If you
are not selected you will be refunded your registration fee.  We hope that this
change ensures that even if you’re not at your computer the moment registration
opens, you still have an equal chance of going to the event!

Dating: Round robin style, 2.5 minute dates.  We have space for opposite and
same-sex speed daters.

Sign up online at:  http://harvardspeeddating.com/

Registration opens at 9pm on
Monday February 23rd.  Enjoy!

For questions about speed dating contact: harvardspeeddating@gmail.com

Brought to you by the Harvard Graduate Council

*********************************************

The Events Committee is also planning more speed dating events, a St. Patrick’s Day party, and an end of the year party.

Posted in Committees and committee reports, Events | Comments Closed

Beer School and Queen’s Head

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

The HGC is sponsoring Beer School tonight and Queen’s Head.  And while it’s not free, it still looks like a pretty good opportunity to try some great beer.  Details below.

Brian

“BEER SCHOOL WEDNESDAY 5 PM!

Come grab your tickets for HARPOON BEER SCHOOL, Wednesday at 5 pm at the Cambridge Queen’s Head!

Harpoon will be bringing and speaking about their signature 100 Barrel and Leviathan Series, as well as their Celtic Ale and our very own 1636. Tickets are $10 at the bar, grab them any time during the day.

$10 buys you at least 4 frosty beverages with matched food to go with each. Tickets are going fast, so grab yours today!”

Posted in Committees and committee reports, Events, Food/drink | 2 Comments »

Screening: Leading to War

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

The Dean of Students office is sponsoring a screening today that looks to be a very interesting event.  It is today, Wedensday 2/25, from 4:00 – 6:00 in the Ames Courtroom.  See below for more info.

Brian

“There will be a screening of Barry Hershey’s (LLB ’67) film, “Leading to War”, Wednesday, February 25 at 4 PM in the Ames Courtroom in Austin Hall. The film focuses on the evolution of the US government’s case for military action against Iraq. There will be a brief introduction by Mr. Hershey and a Q&A at the end of the film. The film is a little over an hour long.

Pizza will be served.”

Posted in Events | Comments Closed

Howell Jackson’s Town Hall Meeting

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

Today Howell Jackson, prospective interim acting Dean, hosted a town hall meeting with HLS students. Because some students were unable to, we wanted to fill you in on some highlights:

  • Faculty departures for DC: All courses this year were covered by HLS faculty or visitors. Next year’s curriculum will feature many great visiting professors (especially in environmental law), and there should be no significant effect from the faculty departures.
  • Curriculum in general: Along with picking classes this Spring, students will be able to fill out a poll about which courses they’d like to see offered. Some of those courses might be added by next year, but some certainly will be added by the year after.
  • OCI will be the week before school starts. Flyout week will be the week of September 14th. There may be events for 3Ls during that time, such as symposia on research opportunities or empirical methods classes. In addition, the school will celebrate Columbus Day, creating a small break later in the fall.
  • Financial crisis: HLS’s three priorities are “building a terrific faculty, having terrific teaching, and honoring financial aid commitments.” There may be cuts in other “not central” areas (but not coffee). In addition, the NW Corner project will proceed as planned. Furthermore, Harvard University is working with JP Morgan to ensure that all international students have access to loans similar to those that were suspended because of the financial crisis.
  • The search process for a permanent Dean, led by President Faust, has begun. She will likely reach out to students, staff, alumni, and even employers during the process.
  • 2L Mixed Transcripts: 2Ls will graduate with Latin honors, based on an averaging of their A/B/C and HP/P/LP grades. The algorithm for that weighting is not public, however.
  • Next year’s academic calendar has almost no time between Winter Term and Spring Term. On the other hand, synchronizing with the rest of the University allows for much better cross-registration opportunities. 
  • The “Programs of Study” are in beta-test mode now. They will become more significant in the future.
  • MyPlan will be fixed, but slowly.

David

Posted in 1Ls, Classes, Events, Exams, Food/drink, Grade change, LLMs, OCS / Recruiting / Jobs, Student Groups | 2 Comments »

HGC February Update

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

From one of HLS’ reps to the HGC, Philip Foust:

1. Richard Townsend was elected VP of Internal Affairs.
2. Our next meeting is scheduled for 2/24. Location TBD.
3. HGC is putting on a Valentine’s Day Party ath the Estate at 7:30PM. Does anyone know how we usually go about advertising these events?
4. Several other possible events and opportunities were discussed, but details were not settled:
   a. Greater collaboration with other universities, including MIT and Tufts.
   b. Another speed-dating event is in the works. If anyone has suggestions for locations, please contact the events committee.
   c. The Harvard Alumni Association is interested in greater interaction and input from the HGC, and there may be an opportunity for members to attend the next HAA meeting.

David

Posted in Committees and committee reports, Events | Comments Closed

1L Grades, Candy, and Perspective

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

Today the 1L class received its first set of grades, officially marking the completion of that class’s first semester at HLS. In celebration, the Student Government handed out more than 250 bags of candy. In addition, each bag contained a letter which, among other things, listed some less-than-stellar grades which HLS’s star faculty earned in their respective first years at law school.

David

Posted in 1Ls, Events, Exams, Food/drink, Grade change | 2 Comments »

Reduce Junk Mail in Pound Mailroom with Red/Green Dots

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

We just wanted to make sure everyone saw this posting from the HLS Administrative Updates.  It is an endeavor the Student Government fully supports.

Brian

“If you’d like to do something about your overflowing Pound mailbox, place a sticker, available in the mailroom or from your GGL Rep, next to your name:

Mailboxes marked with GREEN dots receive no materials

Mailboxes marked with RED dots receive only materials from Harvard sources

Junk mail, the majority of if unopened, costs American taxpayers over three hundred million dollars a year in disposal fees, and also wastes time and resources to produce and process. Thanks for doing your part to reduce junk mail!

This initiative is brought to you by the HLS Graduate Green Living Program, a partnership between HLS and the Office for Sustainability. For more information please contact cara_ferrentino@harvard.edu, HLS Sustainability Coordinator. Thank you!”

Posted in Other projects, Student Groups | Comments Closed

Sports and Entertainment Law Journal at HLS

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

The Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law (CSEL) is in the process of setting up a Journal on Sports and Entertainment Law at Harvard, and they are looking for help demonstrating the student support for the creation of this journal.  If you would like to support the creation of the journal, please sign this petition:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/jsel/petition.html

If you are interested in being involved with the journal, please email Ashwin Krishnan (amkrishnan@law.harvard.edu).

Brian

Posted in Other projects, Student Groups | Comments Closed

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