CUNY Law Blog

Less than one month to go...

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:18:00 +0000

With mere weeks before the bar exam, it's a good time for a thread about all things bar exam-related: stress, anxiety, tips for studying and/or maintaining sanity, anything.

Hopefully alumni who have taken the exam can answer the burning questions of the July 2009 bar examinees (like: what if I need to pee, and can I bring my lunch so I don't have to stand on line at the hot dog cart at the Javits Center). It might also be helpful for people who passed the NY bar exam to share their tips for studying during those last two weeks after the commercial courses are over.

Good luck, class of 2009!

Put your money where your mouth is

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:58:00 +0000

It appears that some douchebag anon has a bone to pick with Linda Penkower and feels like the best way to deal with it is by lurking in the comments like the Ghost of Christmas-fucking-Past and making half-baked insinuations about the tragic death of a student. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to believe that she is not the right person for the job (anyone remember the weird "naked bubbles 'meditation'"?), but it's going to take a little more than your lurky tactics and tangential arguments about how doctors DO TOO commit malpractice on cancer patients to convince people. You want us to believe she's feeding info to the administration: make like a lawyer and PROVE it. Preponderance of the evidence, Anon, it's not that hard...

So, "Anon," [vs. CUNY et al] get it out of your system. Have at it. But pony up with some FACTS please, this isn't Gossip Girl.

sheesh.

P.S. "Student saw her and later committed suicide" does not count. Unless you know for a fact that the student reported her suicidal ideation and plan and Penkower failed to report it (and was under a duty to do so for that matter), STFU, because nobody -no matter how diligent or competent a therapist- can prevent a suicide.

Margie's Table Deadbeats Ruining it for Everyone

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:55:00 +0000

Here's a scandal for you, CUNY.

For the first year ever, there are significant handful of people with outstanding debts to Margie's breakfast table despite her repeated entreaties, despite the email that went out to the entire student body saying that the "special book" was closed as of April 14, and despite the fact that we're supposed to be grown-ass adults who know to pay back our debts. Most surprisingly, she reports that the majority of the deadbeats are 3Ls. For shame! For anyone feeling above the law, Charles Johnson assures us that this will go down on your permanent record (i.e. character and fitness). You don't want to be the jerk who ripped off the sweet granny with the coffee, do you? DO YOU?

It doesn't matter whether you can't stand Chock Full o' Nuts coffee or the weird fish sandwiches provided by the lunch vendor, there's just no denying that Margie and Karen bust their humps to keep us fed for next-to-nothing salaries. The "special book" is a service which they don't have to provide, and which rumor has it certain associate deans have always wanted to nix. It would seem that this is the perfect opportunity to put the kibosh on a service that I know has kept me fed and caffeinated on many, many occasions. Don't fuck it up for the rest of us! Just pay your $2.50 and move on...

So in the spirit of presuming people innocent until proven guilty, please check in to make sure your account is settled. They are gone, daddy, gone after Thursday morning, but really -- is there any excuse for waiting that long?

Cheating

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:56:00 +0000

What are people's thoughts about what to do in a situation where you have reason to believe that a classmate is about to cheat on say, a closed-book in-class exam? (in no way is this question meant to imply that there is cuny-wide issue with cheating.)

The academic integrity policy on pages 16-19 of the handbook are of little guidance in this area. There does not seem to be a duty to report but should we? There can be some severe consequences but only after a fact-finding process.

Stay out of it?
Don't stress yourself before taking the exam?
Report?
Confront?
Something else?

Hostos Community College - New President

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:16:00 +0000

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/04/29/2009-04-29_matos_rodriguez_tapped_as_new_hostos_president.html

Matos Rodríguez tapped as new Hostos Community College president

BY Tanyanika Samuels
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, April 29th 2009, 7:13 AM
Hostos Community College Presidential candidate Felix Matos Rodriguez.

Hostos Community College Presidential candidate Felix Matos Rodriguez.

Hostos Community College has a new president.

The City University Board of Trustees announced Tuesday they have selected Félix Matos Rodríguez to head the community college.

"It is a great honor to be part of the Hostos family," Matos Rodríguez, 47, told the Daily News. "Knowing the important history and contributions that Hostos has made to the city and the South Bronx, it will make it easy to wake up every day with energy and enthusiasm to do this job."

He starts the job on July 1.

Matos Rodríguez "brings to this critical leadership position a truly exceptional combination of scholarship, academic achievement and administrative skill, along with tremendous energy and talent," CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein said.

Matos Rodríguez was among three finalists in a nationwide search to replace President Dolores Fernández, who announced her retirement last summer as head of the bilingual college. About 5,100 students attend its six-building campus on 149th St. and the Grand Concourse.

President since 1998, Fernández is credited with increasing faculty and student enrollment and new educational programs.

Matos Rodríguez said he is eager to build on her legacy, planning to meet in the coming months with Hostos and CUNY leadership to help create an agenda.

"This is an opportunity to get a better sense of the faculty, the students, the administration and alumni," he said. "I want to know what they think has been working well so we can maintain and expand that, and get a sense of where we need to change direction and refocus."

Matos Rodríguez said he is particularly interested in creating partnerships with community groups and local elected officials to help weather the economic crisis. He also hopes to build on successes in improving graduation and retention rates.

"At the end of the day, I want to be able to keep the promise the institution makes to students, which is, if you come here, we will give you a good education and help you attain your dreams."

A graduate of Yale University, Matos Rodríguez earned a doctorate degree in history from Columbia University. He has taught at Yale, Northeastern University, Boston College, Universidad Interamericana in San Juan and the City University.

He is the former secretary of the Department of the Family for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a cabinet-level post.

He, his wife, Liliana, and sons, Lucas, 7, and Juan Carlos, 5 - who were born in the Bronx - plan to move back from Puerto Rico after he completes his stint as a visiting professor there.

tsamuels@nydailynews.com

Vote

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:09:00 +0000

We at the CUNY Law blog support an active student body. That is why we urge all students to get out and vote. It's important that students take this opportunity to voice their opinions on how they as students are represented. This year has seen an immense amount of output from student government. But next year can be better as the new constitution is in place and the expected budget is much bigger. With an active student government positive changes can be made in the community. All students can vote until Wednesday the 29th at 4pm. Students can vote in the student affairs office. Here is a list of all candidates for SG positions. Congratulations to all nominees.

2Ls
Beth Rennekamp
Rebecca Olson
Jillian Sebastian
Patrick Foster
Paula Segal
Nicholas Guarnino
John Ting
Katire Bruggeman
Ryan Ridings
Amy Hagger
Amanda Heikkinen
Suha Dabbouseh
Andrea Barrow
Marcia Emile
Michael Moskowitz
Judy Edwards-Greene
Rezwanul Islam
Ricardo Martinez
Amanda Jack
Cesar Vargas

3Ls
Bright Limm
David Eisenstein
Stephan Edel
Kathleen Meyers
Mike Rivadeneyra
Mike Leonard
Alissa Hull
Ebette Fortune
Jennifer Walner
Dustin O'Brien
Casey Bryant
Alexandra Scholl
Thaddecia Andrews
Latoya Matthew
Bronyn Heubach
Rebeka Penberg
Julia Seifer-Smith
Maryam Arif

New Building Continued

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:10:00 +0000

It is time for a new building. And this process could potentially be a positive one for the mission of the law school and future students. However, the way in which CUNY has gone about these plans have kept the students, staff and faculty in the dark. As we at the blog recently posted the 100 million from the state has been denied leaving CUNY with only 50 million. This has supposedly lead to a search for private money. This could be a a positive thing as everything in this country even the most progressive of movements require financial backing.
The real question everyone should be ask is WHERE SHOULD THIS PRIVATE MONEY BE COMING FROM? A faculty member today raised a very interesting point. That there are public interest law firms, community groups and organizations that have money to spend. Why not form a partnership with them to build the new building? This way they could have their offices, organizations, etc at the new building and the students could have constant access to internships and their services. It would be like having the clinic but times 10. With the tax incentives that could be gained from this project there has to be a few groups out there that would be willing to give. CUNY must try and keep the mission of this school intact before it sells out to private builders who want to build condos above our law school. We as students, staff, faculty and alumni must pressure CUNY into finding alternative ways to build the school other than attempting to make a profit.

CUNY Law All-Star: Ruthann Robson

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:42:00 +0000

On Friday at 3.45 Professor Robson will be presenting "Sorry Foreigners" at Queer/Empire: Exploring the Reach of Queer Theory and Its Relationship to Law at McGill Law School.

For more info about the event, click here.

If you can't make it to Canada for Queer/Empire, you can also see her in Boston at the Suffolk University Law School on 4/21 at 4.30 pm where she and Justice Michael Kirby (openly gay former Justice of the High Court of Australia) will be in conversation. Conversation details can be found here.

If you can't make it to either events, you can read Professor Robson's legal articles, poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction here.

The New Building

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:30:00 +0000

The one-hundred million dollars the school requested from the state for the new building was not approved. This leaves the school with the original 50 million. Right now they have 19 proposals without price tags. Dean Anderson reaffirmed the want to move to LIC at the dean's coffee on Monday. She also made it clear that they will continue to look for funding from other sources i.e. private money.

CUNY Law All-Star: Sameer Ashar & Frank Deale

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Professors Deale and Ashar will be speaking at the Left Forum 2009. Their panel "Left Lawyering in the Age of Obama" will be on Saturday from 5-7pm. Other speakers on the panel include Marianne Lado, General Counsel, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; Mimi Rosenberg, Attorney, Legal Aid Society and Vincent Warren, Executive Director, Center for Constitutional Rights.

Check out the forum here and register here.

CUNY Law All-Star: Sarah Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:14:00 +0000

In addition to winning professor of the year, Sarah Valentine will be presenting at Columbia Journal of Gender and the Law's symposium about Gender on the Frontiers: Confronting Intersectionalities. Prof. Valentine will be on the panel "Traditional Institutions through a Non-Traditional Lens." For more info about the April 10th even, contact jrngen@law.columbia.edu or look here.

New building

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:43:00 +0000

Here is what the cuny law blog knows. There is 55 million dollars secured. There are rumors that another 100 million dollars is almost secured via private and public money. So, there is about 155 million dollars toward the new building at this time. Due to the fact that Long Island city is the up and coming area, the administration wants to move there. There has been bids submitted but nothing has been chosen. We will up date you as more information unfolds.

Word on the Street: Law school moving to Jamaica instead of Long Island City?

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:14:00 +0000

Word on the street is that Dean Anderson been talking with a high-power elected official about moving the law school to Jamaica.

Evidently there is a newly-constructed empty building that we could move into instead of building a new school in Long Island City.

Why has Dean Anderson not shared this information with the community?

New SG Constitution, this may change at April 16th meeting

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:53:00 +0000

CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW STUDENT GOVERNMENT CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE

We, the students of the CUNY School of Law, affirm that we have power to effect change within our community. Our history of struggle reveals that individual, group, and class concerns impact us all and thus ought to be the concern of all; therefore, we shall create an environment that supports, respects, and thrives on the differences among us. We also affirm that the protection of our rights and freedoms as students requires an organized, active, and unified Student Government; therefore, we charge our Government with the duty to provide an inclusive forum to actively address students’ needs and concerns and with the duty to maintain an engaged, informed and supportive law student community, which will, by its example, reverberate throughout the larger legal community.

ARTICLE I | NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Student Government of the CUNY School of Law, hereinafter referred to as the SG.

ARTICLE II | PURPOSE

The purposes of the SG shall be:
(1) To provide a forum for discussion of matters affecting the student body as a whole;
(2) To be an independent mechanism for unified student action and unified student voice in areas of academics, government, political and social concerns; and
(3) To coordinate and facilitate the process for selection of student representatives in the CUNY School of Law’s governance system.

ARTICLE III | PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

A. Enforcement and legislation

The SG shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, including SG Bylaws, Rules, and Resolutions, the provisions of this Constitution.

B. Creation of Committees, Offices, and other entities

The SG may create Standing Committees, ad hoc committees, Offices, or other subordinate entities in order to facilitate the commencement and/or continuation of activities which are in accordance with the purposes of the SG, including activities of investigation and activities intended to further policies adopted by the SG.

C. Appearance requests

The SG may hold hearings and issue requests for individuals to appear at any of its Sessions or hearings for the purpose of obtaining information or performing oversight functions relevant to its purposes.

ARTICLE IV | MEMBERSHIP

A. Standing for Membership

Any matriculated student, registered at the CUNY School of Law, is eligible to run for a seat on the SG as a Member of the SG.

B. Number of Members

Eight members from each class shall be elected from the student body at large during the annual General Election.

C. Voting power of Members

1. Each member shall have the power to cast one vote for each vote called during any and all Sessions at which they are present, unless that Member is either chairing the session or is the subject of a current impeachment proceeding.
2. The presiding officer of any Session shall refrain from voting except in the event of a tie among the other members present at that Session.

D. Responsibilities of Members

1. Each member shall attend all General Sessions and Special Sessions, and shall make good faith efforts to attend any Emergency Sessions.
2. Each member shall serve either as an officer, or as a member of one of the internal standing committees, or as a student representative on one of the external standing committees.
3. To the extent necessary to enable the officers to perform their required functions adequately, each member shall make himself or herself available to the officers by providing both a phone number and an email address by which the officers may reliably contact that member. The phone number and preferred email address shall be accessible only to the SG officers and shall be shared with others only upon the express consent of the member in question.
4. In the event that a member reasonably anticipates not attending any General or Special Session, that member shall notify the Whip as soon as possible of his or her anticipated absence, providing an explanation for the anticipated absence that is sufficiently detailed such that the Whip will be able to determine whether the absence should be deemed excused or unexcused.
5. In the event that a member fails to attend any General or Special Session, that member shall, on his or her own initiative, contact the Whip within one day following the absence. If he or she has not already done so, the member shall provide the Whip with an explanation for the absence that is sufficiently detailed such that the Whip will be able to determine whether the absence should be deemed excused or unexcused.

E. Filling Member vacancies

1. If at any time a Member resigns or is removed, that Member’s seat shall be declared vacant and shall be offered to the candidate who in the most recent SG General Election received the most votes from among the remaining candidates of that Member’s class. If such candidate declines to fill the vacant seat, the seat shall then be offered to the candidate with the second most votes from among the remaining candidates of that class, and so on in descending order, until either the vacant position has been filled by an acceptance or the list of the remaining candidates has been exhausted.
2. In the event that the list of the remaining candidates has been exhausted, the SG shall hold a Special Election in order to fill the vacant seat. The Special Election shall be put to the student body at large and governed by the same rules as the General Election held by the Office of Student Affairs. Any student from the class of the member whose seat has been vacated may run for the vacated seat. The winner of the Special Election shall be entitled to hold the vacant position for the rest of the academic year.

ARTICLE V | OFFICERS

A. Types

There shall be four Officers who altogether shall comprise the Executive Membership of the SG:

(1) the President;
(2) the Vice President;
(3) the Secretary; and
(4) the Whip.

B. Qualifications

All Officers shall be duly elected Members of the SG.

C. Vacancies

In the event of an Officer’s resignation or removal, the remaining Officers of SG shall call a Special Election within two weeks of the representative’s resignation or removal by impeachment. The Special Election shall then be held during the Session immediately following the call for a Special Election.

D. Responsibilities

1. The President

a. Within two weeks after his or her election, the President shall propose and, upon majority approval by the other Members of the Steering Committee, schedule at least six General Sessions for each semester of the academic year.
b. Agenda. The President, in consultation with the Members of the Steering Committee, shall set the Agenda for every Session.
c. Sessions. The President shall preside at all Sessions unless either absent, subject to a current impeachment proceeding, or otherwise disabled from presiding. In presiding over the Sessions, the President shall strive to ensure constructive deliberation, the efficient use of time, and effective decision-making among the Members.
d. Oversight of all SG functions. The President shall be the individual primarily responsible for the oversight and coordination of all of the standing activities of the SG.
e. Student Liaison to Administration and other entities. The President shall be responsible for acting as the chief liaison of the student body to the administration, faculty, staff, and relevant individuals and organizations outside the law school community, and to that end shall be responsible at all times for making good faith efforts to be both informed about and representative of students’ interests, positions, and concerns.
f. Deans’ Forums. The President shall preside at and set the agenda for all Deans’ Forums.
g. To the extent necessary to discharge all of his or her responsibilities, the President may delegate a lesser portion of the responsibilities of the Office of the President to the Vice President; provided, however, that such delegation does not impede the Vice President from discharging the responsibilities or the Office of the Vice President.
h. Advice. If requested by the incoming President, the outgoing President shall provide instruction and other advice to the incoming President on the responsibilities of the office for a reasonable period of time.

2. The Vice President

a. The Vice President shall attend and stand ready to preside at all properly convened meetings, including but not limited to General Sessions, Special Sessions, Emergency Sessions, and Deans’ Forums.
b. The Vice President shall assume the responsibilities of the President should that office become vacant or in the President’s absence.
c. Committees point person. The Vice President shall be responsible for informing the SG General Body of the activities of both the internal committees and the external committees.
d. In the event that the Secretary is not present at a properly convened meeting, the Vice President shall prepare minutes for that meeting; provided, however, that if the Vice President is presiding at the meeting in question, then the Whip shall be held responsible for preparing the minutes.
e. Appointment of replacement Chairs. In the event that a Chair fails to submit two reports to the Whip in accordance with the requirements of Article III, the Vice President shall appoint another member of that Committee to be Chair.
f. If requested by the incoming Vice President, the outgoing Vice President shall provide instruction and other advice to the incoming Vice President on the responsibilities of the office for a reasonable period of time.

3. The Secretary

a. Agenda. The Secretary shall distribute the Agenda for each Session to all Members by email no later than twenty-four hours prior to that Session.
b. Minutes. The Secretary shall attend and prepare minutes for all properly convened meetings, including but not limited to General Sessions, Special Sessions, Emergency Sessions, and Deans’ Forums.
c. Compilation of records. The Secretary shall be responsible for compiling in orderly fashion all minutes, agendas, legislative documents, official SG communications, and other similar documents, which were either created or modified during the Secretary’s term. All documents shall be promptly archived and released as required by the Office and Records Management Committee and by the Communications Committee, respectively.
d. If requested by the incoming Secretary, the outgoing Secretary shall provide instruction and other advice to the incoming Secretary on the responsibilities of the office for a reasonable period of time.
e. The Secretary shall temporarily assume the responsibilities of the Vice President should the office become vacant or in the Vice President’s absence.

4. The Whip

a. Attendance. The Whip shall be responsible for taking attendance at each Session.
b. Session Reminders. The Whip shall email to all Members of the SG reminders of each upcoming General or Special Session two days before that Session is to take place.
c. Follow-up on absences. The Whip shall contact, by phone and/or email, any and all Members who were absent at the most recent Session within two days of the absence. The Whip shall ask any and all such Members to give a reason for his or her absence for the purpose of determining whether the absence was excused or unexcused. The Whip shall record the reason(s) given by such Member(s) and submit such records to the Secretary.
d. Excused and unexcused absences. The Whip shall be authorized to determine whether the absence of any Member at any and all General and Special Session is an excused absence or an unexcused absence. The Whip shall be the sole Member authorized to determine whether a given absence falls within one of the following categories of excused absences:
(1) Emergency illness;
(2) Conflict due to work or class;
(3) Conflict due to attendance at an external Committee meeting; or
(4) Religious holiday or personal emergency.
e. Compiling reports of Chairs. The Whip shall compile the weekly reports from the Chairs of all SG Standing Committees and present them to the President and Vice President within one day following the receipt of the reports from the Chairs. In the event that a Chair fails to provide a report to the Whip in accordance with the requirements of Article III, the Whip shall contact the Chair and remind that Chair to submit a report immediately.

ARTICLE VI | COMMITTEES

A. Categories

1. Internal committees. For the purposes of this Constitution, “internal” committees means:

(a) all of the SG Standing Committees;
(b) the SG Steering Committee; and
(c) any ad hoc committees created by the SG.

2. External committees. For the purposes of this Constitution, an “external” committee means any committee in the Law School’s governance system which was not created by the SG and on which committee at least one seat is reserved for a student representative.

B. SG Standing Committees

1. Types

There shall be six SG Standing Committees:

(a) The Budget and Finance Committee;
(b) The Office and Records Management Committee;
(c) The Communications Committee;
(d) The Polling Committee;
(e) The Academic Affairs Committee; and
(f) The CUNITY Committee.

2. Jurisdiction and enumerated responsibilities

a. The Budget and Finance Committee

1. Jurisdiction

The Budget and Finance Committee shall have jurisdiction over the design and implementation of such Rules and other protocols on the SG’s budget and finances as are necessary to ensure both the adequate funding of the SG and the prudent use of SG funds.

2. Enumerated responsibilities

The Budget and Finance Committee shall:

i. Propose an SG budget within two weeks after notification of the Law School Association’s tentative budget allocations and submit the proposed budget to the SG General Body for approval by majority vote;
ii. Promulgate Rules governing the use of SG funds;
iii. Maintain accurate and orderly records of all expenditures and receipts by the SG;
iv. Be responsible for overseeing any SG fundraising initiatives; and
v. Draft the SG’s budget proposal to the LSA for the upcoming academic year.

b. The Office and Records Management Committee

1. Jurisdiction

The Office and Records Management Committee shall have jurisdiction over the design and implementation of such Rules and other protocols governing the use of the SG office space, the SG bulletin boards, and SG records as are necessary to ensure the maintenance of an office which promotes the transparency, accessibility, efficiency, and overall effectiveness of SG.

2. Enumerated responsibilities

The Office and Records Management Committee shall:

i. Promulgate Rules governing the use and maintenance of the SG office space, the SG bulletin boards, and SG records;
ii. Ensure the physical maintenance of an orderly SG Office, and to that end also remind students and students organizations to remove items stored in the SG office after a period of time in accordance with the Rules which have been promulgated by this Committee; and
iii. Archive all SG documents in a prompt, orderly, and accurate fashion.

c. The Communications Committee

1. Jurisdiction

The Communications Committee shall have jurisdiction over the design and implementation of such Rules and other protocols governing SG communications as are necessary to ensure that the student body is adequately informed of the SG’s activities and goals.

2. Enumerated responsibilities

The Communications Committee shall:

i. Ensure timely maintenance of the website;
ii. Ensure the prompt and accurate release of SG public documents to the student body at large and/or the school community as a whole; and
iii. Lead initiatives to utilize the unique resources of the SG website and any other web-based communications.

d. The Polling Committee

1. Jurisdiction

The Polling Committee shall have jurisdiction over the design and implementation of such Rules and other protocols governing all polls conducted by the SG as are necessary to ensure that the SG is adequately informed of the needs and interests of the student body.

2. Enumerated responsibilities

The Communications Committee shall:

i. Design, in consultation with the officers and chairs of the Standing Committees, polls which are pertinent and relevant to the student body, and which have the intent or effect of keeping the student body informed about current events and promoting collective student action on issues or events with significant impact on the community;
ii. Conduct these polls in an efficient, accountable, and reliable manner; and
iii. Work together with the Officers to develop protocols for releasing the results of these polls.

e. The Academic Affairs Committee

1. Jurisdiction

The Academic Affairs Committee shall have jurisdiction over the design and implementation of such Rules and other protocols governing the measures taken by the SG to address issues pertaining to the academic life of students at the Law School.

2. Enumerated responsibilities

The Academic Affairs Committee shall:

i. Be responsible for soliciting and recording concerns, problems, and other comments from the student body on matters of academic policy, teaching quality, curriculum, and other matters pertaining to academic life at the Law School;
ii. Recommend any measures that it believes the SG should take on particular matters within its jurisdiction.

f. The CUNITY Committee

1. Jurisdiction

The CUNITY Committee shall have jurisdiction over the design and implementation of such Rules and other protocols as are necessary to ensure the protection and promotion of the sense of community at the Law School, which sense is both unique among schools and essential to the fulfillment of the dual mission of the school.

2. Enumerated responsibilities

The CUNITY Committee shall:

i. Organize student forums on issues and problems significantly affecting the student body;
ii. Plan and execute the End of the Year party;
iii. Work with different members of the school community, including leaders of student organizations, faculty members, and administrators, on the resolution of conflicts within the community and organize events or actions designed to help resolve such conflicts.

3. Chairs

a. Qualifications

1. Each Standing Committee shall be chaired by a Member of the SG.
2. The Budget and Finance Committee shall be chaired by the President.
3. The Communications Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President.
4. The Office and Records Management Committee shall be chaired by the Secretary.

b. Appointments

The President shall nominate, and the SG General Body shall approve by simple majority at a Session, the Chairs of the Polling, Academic Affairs, and CUNITY Committees.

c. Responsibilities

1. Selection of other Committee members. Each Chair shall be responsible for recruiting and selecting other students to serve on the Standing Committee of which he or she is Chair. The total number of members of any given Standing Committee shall be proposed by the Chair of that Committee and shall take effect unless overruled by a majority of SG Members at a Session. In all cases, however, the total number of members of any Standing Committee shall be large enough to ensure the fulfillment of the enumerated responsibilities of that Committee. The non-Chair members of the SG Standing Committee need not be Members of the SG; however, in the event that both Members of the SG and students who are not SG Members are willing to serve on the Committee and the Chair must choose some individuals over others, the Chair shall give preference to Members of the SG over non-SG Members.

2. Weekly reports. Each Chair shall prepare concise written reports on the current status of his or her Committee’s tasks, deliberations, and actions. A report shall be due to the Whip at the beginning of each week for which classes are in session. The Chair’s weekly report should not be longer than three paragraphs and
shall consist of the following:

a. a list of the specific tasks that the committee has been charged with performing;
b. any progress made by the Committee on these tasks during the past week; and
c. what measures the committee needs and plans to take next.

d. Dereliction of duty

If a Chair fails to send two or more updates to the Whip as specified in Art. III(B)(3)(b)(1), then the Chair shall lose his or her seat as Chair and the Vice President shall appoint another Member of that Committee to be Chair.

C. SG Steering Committee

1. Composition. The Steering Committee shall be composed of the Officers of the SG and the Chairs of the SG Standing Committees.
2. Time-sensitive decisions. The SG General Body may, by appropriate legislation, authorize the members of the Steering Committee to make decisions on behalf of the General Body on matters which are time-sensitive but which also counsel deliberation among a body not solely comprised of the Executive Members.

D. External committees

1. Qualifications

Any Member of the SG may serve on an external committee.

2. Appointments

a. Who may nominate. Any member of the Steering Committee may nominate a Member of SG, including himself or herself, to serve as a student representative on any external committee containing a student representative seat which is filled neither by means of election by the student body at large nor by administrative appointment.
b. Nomination and approval. A valid appointment shall consist of a nomination by a member of the Steering Committee followed by simple majority approval of that nomination by the SG General Body. All such appointments shall take place by the end of the second General Session of each academic year and after the election of the Officers.
c. Vacancies. In the event that any student seat for any of the aforementioned external committees remains vacant by the end of the second General Session, the Officers shall be authorized to appoint students to such vacant seat(s). These appointments shall be presented to the SG General Body during the next Session, at which time the appointments may be overruled by a simple majority vote of the SG General Body at any Session, including the Session at which such appointments were presented by the Officers.

ARTICLE VII | MEETINGS

A. Definitions

1. There shall be two general categories of meetings:

(a) Sessions; and
(b) meetings other than Sessions which have been convened by the SG.

2. Sessions

a. Types. There shall be three types of Sessions:
(i) General;
(ii) Special; and
(iii) Emergency.

b. General Sessions

A “General” Session is any of the twelve Sessions scheduled by the President as required by Art. V(D)(1)(a).

c. Special Sessions

A “Special” Session is a Session other than a General Session which has been proposed by a consensus of all of the officers and which has been scheduled and announced to the SG General Body at least one week in advance of the proposed date and time.

d. Emergency Sessions

An “Emergency” Session is a Session other than a General or Special Session which has been proposed by a consensus of all of the officers and which has been scheduled and announced to the SG General Body less than one week in advance of the proposed date and time. Any Member who is unable, despite having made good faith efforts, to attend an Emergency Session shall not be deemed in violation of Art. IV(D)(1).

3. SG Meetings other than Sessions

Meetings other than Sessions which have been convened by the SG shall include but are not limited to:

(a) Deans’ Forums; and
(b) Student Forums.

B. Attendance at Meetings

1. Attendance at Sessions

a. Member attendance requirements. Each Member shall attend all General Sessions and Special Sessions, and each Member shall make good faith efforts to attend any Emergency Sessions.

b. Absences

i. A member who has accumulated three or more unexcused absences shall be deemed to have vacated his or her seat.

ii. The following excuses shall qualify as excused absences:

(A) Illness;
(B) Conflict due to work or class schedule;
(C) Conflict due to attendance at an external Committee meeting; and
(D) Religious holiday or personal emergency.

iii. The Whip shall determine whether a given absence qualifies as excused or unexcused.

iv. The Secretary shall record all unexcused and excused absences. Excused absence statements shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary upon the student’s return to school.

2. Attendance at non-Session SG meetings

a. All officers shall attend all Deans Forums and Student Forums.
b. Any member other than an officer shall not be deemed in violation of Art. IV(D)(1) for failure to attend SG meetings other than Sessions.

C. Minimum number of General Sessions per month

There shall be at least two General Sessions per month while fall and spring classes are in session.

D. Quorum for Sessions

A quorum shall consist of one-third of the current membership plus one and is necessary to conduct official business at any Session.

E. Additional rules for Sessions

1. The presiding officer shall temporarily step down when voicing preferences regarding matters under deliberation.
2. All Sessions shall be open to all members of the CUNY community.
3. All Sessions may be conducted using any procedures that facilitate open debate and consensus-building for the purpose of moving business forward.

ARTICLE VIII | ELECTIONS

A. Accordance with CUNY bylaws

1. SG elections shall be held in accordance with CUNY bylaws, and pursuant to the procedures and guidelines set forth in this Article.

B. General Election

1. 2L and 3L Members. Second- and third-year Members shall be students elected at-large by their respective classes no earlier than April 20 for a one-year term of office that begins July 1.
2. 1L Members. First-year Members shall be students elected at-large by the first-year class no later than September 15 for a one-year term of office that begins October 1 and ends June 30.
3. Only duly enrolled students at the CUNY School of Law may vote, and each such student is entitled to cast one ballot. Each student may vote for up to eight representatives from his or her graduating class.

C. Election of Officers

1. All Officers and Chairs shall be elected by a majority of the new Membership present at the last General Session of each year, for a term of office that begins July 1.
2. The order in which the four officers are elected at the first General Session shall be as follows:
(1) the President;
(2) the Vice President;
(3) the Secretary; and then
(4) the Whip.

ARTICLE IX | IMPEACHMENT

A. Who may bring an impeachment charge

Any Member other than the President may bring impeachment charges against any other Member, including the President. An impeachment charge must be presented at a Session in order to take effect.

B. Number of votes required for removal

Impeachment and subsequent removal from office requires a two-thirds vote of the Members present at a Session.

C. Procedure for impeachment proceeding

1. Hearing
S
Both the accusing Member and the accused Member shall be called upon to present their respective cases in Session. The accused Member shall be excluded from subsequent deliberation and voting during the remainder of the impeachment proceeding.

2. Deliberations and voting

a. Recorded vote. The presiding officer shall under all circumstances call for a recorded vote on any motion to remove by impeachment.

b. Where the accused is an Officer. If the accused Member is also an Officer, then the presiding officer shall call a vote on whether to remove the accused Member solely from his or her current office or whether to remove the accused from his or her seat entirely.

D. Standard for removal by impeachment

When voting on whether to remove the accused Member by impeachment, each Member shall vote to remove the accused Member only if that Member has engaged in conduct that is in substantial violation of the provisions of the SG Constitution.

E. Closed Session

All impeachment proceedings shall take place in closed Sessions of the SG, wherein only Members and any testifying witnesses may be present during these proceedings.

ARTICLE X | AMENDMENTS

A. Who may request an Amendment

Written request to amend this document may be made by any matriculated student, regardless of whether he or she is a Member of SG.

B. Procedure for ratification of Amendments

The procedure by which a proposed Amendment to the SG Constitution shall be ratified is as follows:

1. The proposed Amendment shall be sponsored by at least one Member and co-sponsored by at least two other Members.
2. The proposed Amendment shall be presented to the whole student body, by both paper and electronic means, a minimum of one week prior to the date on which the vote on the proposed Amendment is scheduled.
3. The proposed Amendment shall be deemed ratified by either one of two methods:

a. Ratification by Membership

A proposed Amendment may be ratified by the SG Membership if carried by a two-thirds majority of the Membership present at the Session for which the vote is scheduled.

b. Ratification by Referendum

A proposed Amendment may be ratified by the student body at large if both of the following conditions have been met:

(i) More than half the currently matriculated student body at large votes in the referendum; and
(ii) At least two-thirds of the students who voted in the referendum have voted in favor of the proposed Amendment.

New SG Constitution

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Have you read the new SG constitution? We at the blog feel the student body should be more active in holding their elected members accountable. But this starts with being well informed. So, go out and read the new constitution, which will hold your elected members accountable to their elected position. If you have not read it, please get your hands on a copy, it was emailed out to the community via the student government account. If you would like to see SG be more active and on top of students' needs we urge you to go to the SG meeting April 16th at SIT time.

A GROUP OF NEW BLOGGERS

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:26:00 +0000

The rumors are true there is a new generation of bloggers at CUNY Law. We thank those who passed this space on for their great work and we wish them luck in their future internet endeavors.

It was brought to our attention that the blog was talked about at the Dean’s coffee yesterday. To make it clear we do not support the anonymous attacks against faculty, staff or alumni that this space sometimes gets used for. However, we do support the anonymous postings that add to the conversations about the community especially when it discloses things that are decided behind closed doors. We here at the cunyblogspot would love to see more transparency in administrative decisions that affect all of us as a community. We hope this space can be used not only to expose these decisions but help find a constructive middle ground that benefits all parties. We would like to see transparency in all situations that pertain to students; whether it be about seminar offerings or visting professors. There are positives to having anonymous postings and we encourage more students, faculty and/or staff to post as regularly as possible.

Word on the Street: CUNY Law Blog

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Word on the street is that some of the folks responsible for the blog over the last year have passed the torch to new people. Word also has it that some of the outgoing bloggers will miss the blog and wish the new folks good luck dealing with the occasional mean, ignorant and/or right-wing anonymous comments.

As always, if you want to become a contributor to CLB and are a member of the CUNY Law Community (i.e. current students, faculty, staff, administration or alumni), send an email requesting blog posting access to cunylawblog@gmail.com. One of the CLB's administrators will get back to you regarding set-up for publishing on the blog.

Keep the suggestions, comments, tips and criticisms coming as the blog is only as good as the information we get and dialog we enable.

BLSA Gala: Amazing Even but where where the deans?

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Last Friday BLSA hosted a first annual 'Yes We Can' Barrister's ball. The ball was amazing and the tributes to Professors Luis DeGraffe and M. Shanarah Gilbert were heartwarming. It was evident that the BLSA board's hard work paid off and was example that we go to school with amazing, dedicated and talented people.

Despite the success of the ball, Deans Anderson, Gomez-Velez, Koster and Burton were no where to be found. Though the deans may have purchased tickets for students, it was disappointing that none of the senior administration came to support the event. (Though the Dean of Admissions was there). There was also a noticeable lack of white professors at the event.

In the past, there have been a number of professors and deans at PILA, which (from the perspective of a student-attendee who is not affiliated with BLSA or PILA) makes the absence at the ball seem outrageous. What gives?

On a positive note, for a review of the great work BLSA is doing, check out www.cunyblsa.org

To donate to BLSA's fellowship, click here

Video: Internet during Class

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:57:00 +0000

Some professors want to forbid students from using computers during class because of the distraction the Internet provides.

Though many find computers necessary both for learning and mental health, this video has a point.

Please Repeat the Question from Amanda Bakale on Vimeo.

Making CUNY Proud

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:21:00 +0000

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/feb/27/national-27-02-2009-05.htm

A heart for the needy, handicapped
By Moshood Adebayo, Abeokuta
Friday, February 27, 2009

In far away United States of America where providence had taken him since the past 10 years, a Nigerian in diaspora, Prince Adeboye Subuloye continues to do his country proud.
Adeboye who hails from Ogbomoso, Oyo State , started living in the foreign country after he won the US diversity visa lottery. He traveled to America in company of his wife, 58-year-old Riskat and three of his six children.

Subuloye, who will be 61-year old, this year, is currently a security guard at the City University of New York (CUNY), School of Law , Flushing, and uses his meager earnings for the betterment of his poor compatriots back home in Nigeria .
According to him since his arrival in US, what had been uppermost on his mind was to offer help to the physically challenged persons in Nigeria – the blind, lepers and the generally disabled persons.

“It is my desire to help the underprivileged ones back home in Nigeria , my home country where I migrated to US about 10 years ago. Three years ago, I was in Nigeria in company of my boss in the CUNY School of Law who prefers me to call him my friend; he is Fred Rooney. We donated various clothings, food items and other valuables to help the handicapped people in Ogun and Oyo States ,”.
With the support of Fred and others in this university I have been contributing my own quota to my community unlike some Nigerians who never wanted to go home not to talk of assisting their fellow nationals back home.”

He further stated that he had offered his yet-to-be-completed house in Iseyin as study centre for the handicapped children in the area.

Subuloye, who is well respected in the School of Law by fellow workers and students, was in Nigeria last year to concretize his dream of providing school for the needy.
”The School for the Handicapped that I proposed to build is not ready yet, but I have dedicated my building that is yet to be completed in Iseyin for the take off of the school.
“We now have three classes, though initially we started with 50 students at the School for the Handicapped Children which was established with my friend, Chief Mudasiru Akanmu, a retired Major in the Nigerian Army.

“Chief Akanmu is the administrator of the school and it is free for the students,” he said, How we run the school? ”What I learnt is that once you have a heavy load try to lift it yourself for people to assist you, and that’s what really happened. The community in that area volunteered to pay the teachers’ salary; but all expenses about the house belong to me.”

The Lepers’ Colony, Iberekodo in Abeokuta , the Ogun State capital also benefited from Subuloye’s kindness. “Here we bought sewing machine for a son of a leper and also to someone who learnt barbing profession.”

His words: ”By next year, I will be coming back home to Nigeria; I am retiring in the university because I have had enough of America and it is time for me to return home to live in the midst of my people, and offer them more social and community services”

Open thread: Torts class

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:39:00 +0000

Below, an open thread to discuss Prof. Montoya's Torts section. Please keep it civil and constructive.

Word on the street: Dean Burton v the First Amendment

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:04:00 +0000

Word on the street is that this morning Dean Burton and Charles Johnson attempted to take down the moment of silence display on the first floor because the organizers had not gotten her permission. According to some, she seemed uninterested in the fact that the organizers had received permission from all of the groups whose boards were covered and the event included a wide cross-section of student groups. The display was to be up for five days but the Dean said it could only be up for one. I guess we'll see if it is still up tomorrow.

We may not be first amendment experts, but it seems like Dean Burton was out of line.

Thankfully, Dean Burton's actions did not hamper the moment of silence/spiritual gathering that was an "expression of remorse and frustration for the instability and violence in the Middle East and pray for peace, dignity, and prosperity to become a reality for all people on the ground."

Gomez-Velez to leave for Hostos Community College?

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:00:00 +0000

According to Bronx Latino, Dean Gomez-Velez is one of three finalists interviewing to be the president of Hostos Community College.

CUNY Law All-Stars

noreply@blogger.com (Cuny Law Blog Poster) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Now that most of the 3Ls are taking some sort of bar prep, whether it be Core Doctrine or whatever the commercial programs are offering right now, we have a little more perspective on which of the canon classes stuck with us -- and which didn't. Like: while furiously transcribing Mr. Pieper's out of control hypos, I sometimes think to myself "hot damn, I remember a lot of crim!"

Don't get me wrong, I've learned a lot from all the profs, especially in our awesome elective offerings. But as far as the core doctrinal classes, it takes a little bit of sparkle to get that shit across in a way that actually sticks.

So tell me 3Ls, which profs really taught you something? Were any of them a surprise? Here's my list:

Jeff Kirchmeier
Steve Loffredo
Sue Bryant
Angela Burton - this was a total surprise
James Garland

Less than 100 days til graduation!

I spy...

noreply@blogger.com (CUNY Law Blog) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:02:00 +0000

... with my little eye

a diversity version of a brochure near Emily Sachar's office.

(thanks shutterbug!)