It’s hard to be remote. I miss the energy you all bring into the building, the small groups huddled over lunch in what we used to call Coffeed, the hello’s in the pantries, the heated meetings in the classrooms, the inspiring art in our windows. I guess it’s a little “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” but mostly I think that we have a very special “place” made so because it is filled with mission-driven people energized by each other to push the dial of equity forward and to make sure that we each and our justice system are accountable to those whom our laws do not serve or recognize. I am grateful to hold your collective spirits at this moment and am looking forward to the time when we can be together in the same place again. Please let us know if there are ways we can support you.
A big shout out to our students who organized with students across the state to write a compelling, evidence-based letter signed by 1,200 law students to the Court of Appeals urging them to consider the diploma privilege (instead of an impossible to schedule bar exam) for this year’s graduates!
OUR UPDATES
Starting next week, we’ll send our updates on weekday mornings between 9AM-10AM. We will not clutter your boxes with an email if there isn’t something new to share with you.
As always, the Student Weekly Digest will arrive in your boxes on Sunday.
WEBINAR ON FINANCES DURING COVID-19
Financial Aid is making an AccessLex session available to students (the info can be relevant to anyone interested) at three different times next week. Topics include organizing financial accounts and debt, bridging unemployment and income uncertainty, prioritizing outflows, and constructing credible support systems. The CARES Act and what to do with your stimulus check is a topic of discussion.
Tuesday, April 7 at 2pm ET
Tuesday, April 7 at 7pm ET
Thursday, April 9 at 4pm ET
FREE MEALS FOR ALL NEW YORKERS
Starting today, 3 free meals will be available for ALL New Yorkers in more than 400 Meal Hubs, Mon-Fri: http://schools.nyc.gov/freemeals.
OUR COMMUNITY IN THE NEWS
(Our Communications Department wanted to do something more fancy (and they still might) but I thought you might want to kick off the weekend with inspiration of all the good work that continues throughout the Law School that has caught the attention of the press.)
Susannah Maltz is being featured for her work as a 2017 Michael Weiner Scholarship for Labor Studies Scholar.
Professor Sofia Yakren spoke to Vogue about the complex struggle of working/zooming at home with children.
Prof Joe Rosenberg called on the Governor to suspend the Two-Witness Rule for key legal documents to make it easier for New Yorkers to ensure their legal affairs are in order.
Prof Carmen Huertas Noble appeared on Everything Co-op, a weekly exploration of the impact and potential of the cooperative business model, on Thursday, April 2 (episode to be posted).
Prof Steve Zeidman appeared in The New Yorker and spoke with the Huffington Post about pushing for the release of incarcerated people who have served long sentences and demonstrated change in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prof Alan White shared an incisive update (and advice) on Public Service Loan Forgiveness under the #CARESAct.
Prof John Whitlow published a new take on the right to counsel in eviction proceedings as part of a strategy to address the affordable housing crisis.