Welcome

Welcome back everyone! And on the behalf of the SBA a special welcome for the new students.

We know that school has not begun just yet, but we would like to give you some information to simplify the first couple of weeks.

Big Brothers and Sister Mentoring Program- This year, Chantal Borroum will be leading the Big Brothers and Sisters Program. This program is designed for the upper classmen to guide the incoming 1L's with their transition into law school. The last day for upperclassmen volunteer registration will take place on Sunday August 22. The assignments will be out on August 26. Any students interested in volunteering or receiving a big brother/sister please contact Chantal at cborroum@camden.rutgers.edu.

Locker Rental- There will be tabling for locker rentals during the first two weeks of school. Small lockers are available for $25 for 1 year, $40 for 2 years, and $60 for 3 years. Limited large lockers are available for $35 for 1 year, $60 for 2 years, and $85 for three years. The lockers are first come first serve, and payments can be made in cash or checks made out to SBA. 3L president, Erin Sheehan will be notifying the student body regarding the tabling times so please be sure to check your inbox regularly.

Fun Stuff- There will be an After Party for the Dean's Reception and Welcoming Ceremony on Sunday August 22nd at the Victor Pub (located at 1 Market Street, facing the Delaware River and Ben Franklin Bridge) from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm. $5 at the door will get you $1 domestic drafts, $2 well drinks, $2 wine specials and selected reduced appetizers. Come out to get to know some of the new students and re familiarize yourself with the old ones.

Speaker Events- there will be changes made with the scheduling system for speaker events to ensure orderly and well attended events. We will keep you informed regarding these changes.
We hope that everyone has an awesome year and if there is anything we can do to make it better, please let us know! Let's make this a great one!

Until next time,

Christina Smith
Your new SBA Secretary

SBA Election Results

Hello everyone,

Well, it's that time of year: time to welcome in the new members and officers of the SBA. This is the last you'll be hearing from me, before I turn this blog over to my successor, Christina Smith. I just want to say that it's been a pleasure being your SBA secretary. Now, let's get to the results!

President: Shashi Dholandas
Vice Presidents: Brett Burns and Ryan Peters
Treasurer: Leslie McGeoch
Secretary: Christina Smith
3L President: Erin Sheehan

University Senator: Jenna Czaplicki
ABA Representative: Diva Galan

3L Representatives: Frank Schultz, Barry Sullivan, Tom Szymanski
2L Representatives: Samantha Foss, Jeremy Lackey, Kirsten Ronholt, Christine Schantz
3L Representative Alternates: Chantal Borroum
2L Representative Alternates: Leo Lechtenberg, Julie Tersigni


I hope you all enjoy the rest of the school year and have a great summer! Me, I'll be studying for the Bar Exam. Yikes!

For the last time,

Callan Wright, former SBA Secretary

SBA Election Candidates

Hello all! Here is a list of the people running for positions in the SBA next week:

Tuesday Elections:

President: Rachael Brekke, Shashi Dholandas, and Jeanette Kwon

Vice President: Brett Marie Burns and Ryan Peters

Treasurer: Leslie McGeoch

Secretary: Frank Schultz and Christina Smith

3L President: Nima Ameri, Erin Sheehan, and Thomas J. Szymanski


Thursday Elections: (Some candidates will not be eligible if they win Tuesday's election)

University Senator: Shashi Dholandas

ABA Representative: none, will be determined by write-in

3L Representatives: Chantal M. Borroun, Leslie McGeoch, Frank Schultz, Erin Sheehan, Barry Sullivan, and Thomas J. Szymanski

2L Representatives: Brett Marie Burns, Samantha Foss, Jeremy Lackey, Kirsten S. Ronholt, and Christine Schantz


Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on voting days. If necessary, runoffs will take place on Wednesday and Friday. Please vote!

Until next time-

Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

SBA Meeting Minutes, 3/28/10

Hello again everyone!

At the last SBA meeting, we discussed and gave status updates for events you've heard a lot about this week: SBA elections and Barristers' Ball. As those topics have been laid out in full detail in last few blogs, so I'll skip to some new business:

- 2L representative Leslie McGeoch brought up the issue than many students had with the Clark Commons (5th St. Bridge) being closed for two days last week. In case you weren't aware, the bridge was closed on one day for an state environmental meeting, and then again the next day for a state budgetary meeting. The problem students had wasn't so much that the bridge was closed, but that it was closed on consecutive days, and students were prevented from even crossing the bridge. Many students were displaced and left without an area to congregate or study. Another issue that was raised was that a few attendees were seen walking into faculty offices and student spaces, and appropriating those spaces for their own personal use.

A few solutions were raised, including: not having events of this kind scheduled for multiple days in a row, or scheduling future events like these ones on Fridays, when less students are at the law school. The e-board will address this matter with the administration at a future Dean's Breakfast.

- 3L President Shannon Troutman has organized a NCAA Finals Frenzy Event at the Victor Pub on April 5th, starting at 8:30pm. Come watch the end of March Madness! For a $5 cover, you get a bunch of great drink specials. For more info, see the Facebook event page. All proceeds go toward festivities on the final day of classes. Come celebrate! Us 3Ls won't be around for much longer.....

- Yet again, if you're interested in running for a SBA position, make sure you fill out your affidavit of candidacy form! Affidavits of Candidacy are due in the 3L lockbox by 6:00 p.m. TODAY! Again, if anyone is interested in running for SBA Secretary, please come talk to me, or e-mail me at ckwright@camden.rutgers.edu.


My days of blogging are numbered,

Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

For Those in the First Group of the Barristers' Ball Wait List...

.... REMINDER! You only have until 7 p.m. tonight (the 29th) to buy your tickets! If you are in the first group on the wait list and you do not buy your tickets by then, your tickets will be given away.

You can purchase your tickets in person at the Impact Booth, or you can buy them over the phone by calling (856) 225-6211. They will be open until 7 p.m.

-Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

Barristers' Ball Ticket UPDATE

Hello yet again! The following is taken from Shannon Troutman's most recent e-mail. Please read it ALL carefully before contacting Shannon:

The SBA has worked very hard to be able to extend the number of Barristers' Ball tickets by 75. This accommodates all of the 3Ls and 2Ls on the wait list. Unfortunately, the ticket price had to be increased to $60, but remember that this includes an open bar, dinner and dancing all evening at a fantastic venue. 1Ls on the wait list may still have a chance to purchase tickets, but we won't know this information until Tuesday morning.

I know that some people cannot understand why we cannot accommodate everyone. When we planned the event, we based it on the number of students who have attended Barristers' Ball in recent years. These numbers have hovered around 130, and there was concern that we would not even sell 150 tickets this year. This would have been a major problem, because when you plan a large event, you must guarantee a certain number of people to the caterer. If that number of tickets did not sell, we would have had to cancel the event all together. Additionally, every Barristers' Ball has had a limited number of tickets available-- it's just that those events never sold out, so you never heard about a limit.

As for the date of the event, as mentioned in Shannon's initial e-mail about Barrister's Ball, it is the least inconvenient date during Spring semester. We conducted an informal poll before selecting the date to make sure that there would not be a huge number of conflicts. As evidenced by the historic demand, it does not appear that the date is *that* much of a problem. There is no way to make everyone happy.

-----

The Impact Booth has a list of the students who will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets off the wait list. These student will also receive a separate e-mail from Shannon. Wait list tickets will be on sale at the Impact Booth starting tomorrow morning (Friday, 3/26) and the first group will have until Monday at 7:00 p.m. to purchase their tickets. At that time, if there are remaining tickets, they will be opened up to the remainder of the wait list.

The Impact Booth is open Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and Monday (9:00 am to 7:00 pm). You can call (856) 225-6211 and purchase your tickets over the phone.

Finally, if you have an question or concerns, Shannon specifically requests that you e-mail her at pres3L@camlaw.rutgers.edu. If she doesn't know there's a problem, she cannot address it. Also, if you know someone who has not been receiving these e-mails, please tell them to check their Camden e-mail account and their spam folder.

Hoping this is the last time you hear from me today,

Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

SBA Election Information

Hello all,

Sorry about the double posts today, but it's that time of the year.... where I must step down from my post as your faithful scribe and welcome the next SBA Secretary. It's election season! Below is important information about running for a SBA position:

Elections for 2010 - 2011 SBA positions will take place between Tuesday, April 6th and Friday, April 9th. If you are interested in running for a position, you MUST fill out an Affidavit of Candidacy (attached to the e-mail you received from the 3L President) and turn it in before the deadline. Candidates are not allowed to campaign in any form or manner until the date designated below.

Also attached to the e-mail from Shannon is the SBA Constitution, which contains the descriptions of each of the positions, as well as election guidelines. Side note: if you are interested in running for SBA Secretary and want to speak to me about what I do, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at ckwright@camden.rutgers.edu. It would be a pleasure to speak with you.

If you would like to run for two positions (example: if you run for an e-board position and lose, but would like to run for for a rep position as well), that is allowed.

The timeline for the elections is as follows:

1. Tuesday, March 30th

- Affidavits of Candidacy due in the 3L lockbox by 6:00 p.m. The lockbox is located on the second floor of the old building, near the printer.

2. Wednesday, March 31st

- Meeting for all candidates to go over campaign rules and regulations. ALL candidates MUST attend. Failure to attend may result in your name being removed from the ballot. The meeting will take place at 1:30 p.m. in room 204 of the old building.

3. Thursday, April 1st through the end of elections

- Campaigning begins. Any campaigning before this date may result in your name being removed from the ballot. Failure to follow all campaign rules may result in your name being removed from the ballot. Reminder: leaving or posting fliers/posters in the law school is NOT permitted.

4. Monday, April 5th

- Candidate Forum: students will have the opportunity to ask candidates

questions at 1:30 p.m. in Room 204 of the old building.

5. Tuesday, April 6th

- Voting begins for the SBA e-board (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary), as well as the 3L President. Polls will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

6. Wednesday, April 7th

- Runoff election, if necessary. Polls open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

7. Thursday, April 8th

- Voting for all other positions such as:

- University Senator

- ABA / LSD representative

- 3L class representatives (3 positions, 2 alternates)

- 2L class representatives (4 positions, 2 alternates)

- Part-time class representatives (2 positions, 1 alternate)

- Polls open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

8. Friday, April 9th

- Runoff election, if necessary. Polls will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

All election results will be announced via e-mail by Shannon Troutman. Any questions or concerns should be forwarded to her at pres3L@camlaw.rutgers.edu.

Lastly, there will be a SBA meeting this Sunday at 6 p.m. in the moot courtroom.

That's all I have for now.

-Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

Barristers' Ball Wait List

The SBA is currently working on a solution to get students off of the wait list for Barristers' Ball. Getting people off the wait list involves adjusting the budget, negotiating with the National Constitution Center, and raising more funds (student fees are not being used).

In previous years (even when there was no conflict with holidays, the MPRE, or even when it was held at the Camden Aquarium), attendance has never exceeded 150 people. The demand for tickets this year was completely unprecedented. In fact, there was even debate within the SBA as to whether we would sell 150 tickets.

Students that are concerned with this situation are invited to e-mail me at ckwright@camden.rutgers.edu or 3L president Shannon Troutman at pres3L@camlaw.rutgers.edu. Updates are forthcoming.

-Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

SBA Meeting Minutes, 3/8/10

Hello everyone, Callan again. Here's a recap of what happened at last Sunday's SBA meeting.

- At the last meeting, we decided to table the discussion about inviting faculty members to Barrister's Ball so we could poll the students about it. Over the last two weeks, members of the SBA spoke to students, received e-mails, and had discussions on Facebook. The student response was overwhelmingly negative, so the SBA voted to not invite faculty members to Barrister's Ball. And on that note, please make sure you buy your Barrister's Ball tickets! They will only be available at the lower, $50 price to until the end of this week. Further details can be found at the Facebook page.

- SBA 1L representative Ryan Peters looked into the shuttle issue raised at the last meeting. According to Ryan, several years ago, the undergraduates formed a committee to determine how the shuttle should be operated. They decided that the campus center was equidistant to the other buildings on campus and was the most convenient stop for everyone. The university does not want to make an extra stop at the law school because it would throw off the shuttle schedule. There are two shuttles that run in seven minute intervals. To add a stop and keep the shuttles running on time, the university would have to run a third one. The cost of hiring another driver and running a third shuttle would be too great. Sorry all you commuters.

- One of the biggest problems the SBA is facing is that student groups are scheduling too many high-profile speaker events on the same days. We understand that speakers may only be available on certain days, but this is leading to fragmented student attendance at speaker events. Nothing upsets a speaker more than taking time off from work, and speaking to only a handful of students. The SBA is currently working on a solution to this problem. In the meantime, we ask that all student groups plan their speaker events well in advance. Also, when reserving a room, check to see what events are happening on that day and see if there are too many similar events scheduled.

- The refrigerators in the locker area will be cleaned out every Friday afternoon. Anything left in them will be thrown out. So unless you want to lose your super-cool Ghostbusters lunchbox, or those delicious leftovers from Mom, make sure you get your stuff out of there. If you have any questions, please contact Facilities Committee chair Shashi Dholandas at skashi83@camden.rutgers.edu.

- We have been told by Dean Baker that cleanliness issues in specific bathrooms and classrooms cannot be addressed unless she receives a complaint from a member of the student body. If you feel that an area of the law school is not being properly maintained, please let Shashi know.

And yet again, BUY BARRISTER'S BALL TICKETS!!!

Until next time,

Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

SBA Meeting Minutes, 2/21/10

Hello everyone! Here's a summary of what took place at yesterday's SBA meeting:

- Student Adam Rosen attended the SBA meeting and asked if there was any way that the commuter shuttle could make a stop at the law school, in addition to 3rd St. Now that 5th St. has reopened, this is something the SBA can look into. Many thanks to Adam for coming to the meeting and voicing his opinion! The SBA encourages students to attend meetings and voice their concerns.

- 3l President Shannon Troutman informed the SBA that some of the faculty is interested in attending Barrister's Ball. Faculty have not attended in recent years, but have in the past. One argument that can be made in favor of the faculty attending is that we could make Barrister's Ball a more professional, inclusive law school event like the Mary Philbrook Awards. The other argument is that we already have plenty of professional events and banquets that the faculty attend, and there is something to be said for having a student-only celebration. The SBA would like to stress that faculty members will not be taking seats from students. We would like student feedback on this issue. If you have questions or concerns, you can e-mail Shannon at pres3l@camlaw.rutgers.edu or myself at ckwright@camden.rutgers.edu.

- Reminder: Barrister's Ball will be held April 3rd. Tickets are on sale now, and the event is open to all students! For more info, please check the Facebook event page.

- The next SBA meeting will be held on March 7th at 6pm in the moot courtoom. We have tabled the debate about Barrister's Ball until then. If you have any questions or concerns, please attend! We love student feedback.

Until next time,

Callan Wright, SBA Secretary

SBA Meeting Minutes, 1/24/10 and 1/31/10 and Dean's Breakfast

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay, but here is a recap of what took place during our first two SBA meetings and at our first Dean's Breakfast of the semester:

- On January 24th, the SBA voted to approve the Spring Budget. Many thanks go out to our treasurer, Amanda Harber, for skillfully handling the complicated budgeting process. Also, I'd like to thank our student groups for adapting well to the new budgeting guidelines, coming up with some great programming ideas for the semester, and devising creative ways to cut costs.

- The SBA has some information about the July 2009 NJ bar exam results. First of all, New Jersey only releases a list of people who passed the bar. It is up to the individual law schools to locate their graduates in the pass list. This can often be difficult due to people who got married during or after law school, and may have different names than the ones the school has on file. Once the law school figures out how many of their graduates passed, they then self-report the statistics to the ABA. Our school is still working on calculating exact number, but estimates that we had about a 85% passage rate.

- Dean Solomon informed the e-board that the school would like to continue offering TA jobs to graduates, like they did last year. Dean Solomon is aware that the job market for law students is still somewhat bleak, and this program seemed to help out those students that took part in it last year. However, the graduate TA program is dependent on how much the school can fund raise, so more details will be revealed in the future.

- Just a reminder: the school does NOT rank its students. Any calculation of rankings is done solely at graduation, and only to determine which students graduate "with honors" and "with highest honors".

- Barrister's Ball will be held on April 3rd at the National Constitution Center. 3L President Shannon Troutman really outdid herself, and his should be an excellent event. Further event details and ticket info can be found at the Barrister's Ball Facebook page.

That's all I have for now. Expect a blog with minutes from the February 20th meeting of the SBA very soon!

-Callan Wright, SBA Secretary