s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
September 20, 2021
Announcements
COVID-19 Policies & Procedure: Please find Chicago-Kent’s current COVID-19 protocols here.
Academic Calendar for 2021-2022: For your reference, the academic calendar for 2021-2022 is available by clicking here.
How to stay connected at Chicago-Kent: Here are a few things we recommend you do NOW to stay connected throughout the year:
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Add the SBA Calendar to your Google Calendar by following these instructions.
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Attend the student organization fair tomorrow, Tuesday, August 31st.
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Read the SBA Newsletter, which will be sent to your email every Monday morning.
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Follow the SBA Instagram account: @sbachicagokentlaw.
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Subscribe to receive notifications from the SBA Event Calendar. Instructions are here.
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Reach out to SBA at any time with any questions.
The Dean’s Forum: Please join Dean Krug and Assistant Deans Sowle and Abhijeet to tell them what you believe they need to know, and let them know what information you need from them. The three deans will hold an open meeting for all students on Tuesday, September 21 at 1:00 pm, in the Auditorium and on Zoom. Submit questions in advance using this form.
Judicial Externship Program – Spring 2022: Professor Gross will be holding an informational session on the Spring 2022 Judicial Externship Program on October 6th at 3 p.m. Application packets will be posted in Symplicity and on the externship home page by September 23rd. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (in Room 618 or via email/phone) or Professor Gross via email/phone.
Chicago-Kent’s Pro Bono Forum: Attention all students! Join us in-person or via zoom for our first annual Chicago-Kent Pro Bono Forum. Learn about opportunities to engage in pro bono and community service here at the law school and in the Chicago legal community! We will have speakers from Chicago-Kent based projects like the Self-Help Resource Center, Center for Constitutional Democracy, and Chicago Property Tax Appeal Project, as well as many community-based projects such as Ascend Justice – Order of Protection Winter Immersion Project; John Howard Association – Prison Response Unit Volunteer; Chicago Volunteer Legal Services – Juvenile Guardianship Project + so much more!
When: Wednesday, September 29th, 3:00pm – 4:15pm
Where: Room 210 or via zoom here
Sponsored by: Chicago-Kent’s Public Interest Resource Center, the Student Bar Association, and the Career Services Office
Banned Book Week Book Donation Drive: The ACLU, ACPLS, and CLS are having a book donation drive to celebrate Banned Books Week! A box will be placed at the Security Desk on the first floor where students and faculty can drop off any books they would like! The books donated do not have to be "banned". Please note that we cannot accept magazines, journals, moldy books, or books that are falling apart.
Event: Banned Books Week Book Donation Drive
Date and Time: September 27 to October 1
Location: Security Desk
Student Organizations
American Bar Association (ABA):
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Free/Virtual
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9/23 @ 1pm
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Equity Summit: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Profession
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9/27-9/30
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Free for law students
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Workshops, ted talks, and networking opportunities to educate folks on best practices, concepts, and strategies for addressing DEI gaps in the community
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BLSA: Our first general body meeting will take place on Friday, September 24th, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. CDT. Join us in person in Rm. 704 or virtually on Zoom.
Join BLSA for the AFSP’s Out of the Darkness Suicide Awareness Walk Saturday, October 2nd. This walk and message have always been important, but BLSA participates in the Out of Darkness Walk each year to promote suicide prevention in honor of the late Nick Johnson from the Class of 2021. This walk will celebrate his life and bring us all together to fight suicide.
You can sign up to join or donate to our team via the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website. Please note that donations can only be made to individual team members, but the donations go towards our overall team goal. Online registration closes on Friday, October 1, 2021 at 12:00 p.m.
In addition to the in-person walk, there is a virtual option. If you want to participate virtually, there will be an app with an hour-long program so you can walk in your community. Feel free to share your walk on social media, then tag #TogetherToFightSuicide and #CKBLSA.
If you choose to participate in person, the walk will take place on Saturday, October 2nd from 9am-1pm. We will all meet at Montrose Harbor. Everyone must abide by the COVID-19 guidelines, so please bring a mask and social distance as much as you can.
If you have any questions, please email Lorianna Anderson at landerson3. Thank you!
Chicago-Kent Law Review: Join the Chicago-Kent Law Review for an afternoon examining the Administrative Procedures Act. Keynote guest Doug Letter, General Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, will discuss the role of the APA in congressional litigation against the Trump administration. The afternoon will feature presentations discussing the conception of law and policy under the Act, comparing the benefits of evolutionary interpretation against originalism, offering critical examination into ratemaking and rulemaking hearings, and exploring the role of the APA in the advancement of civil rights. Register here.
Corporate Law Society (CLS): Please join CLS on Friday, September 24, from 1-2:30pm next door at Taco Lulu (601 W Adams St.) for our General Body Meeting! There will be food and drink deals just for us. 
Criminal Law Society: Join Criminal Law Society on Tuesday, September 21st from 12:30-1:30 PM for its General Body Meeting. Room 704, and Zoom here.
Environmental Law Society (ELS): The Environmental Law Society invites you to join us for our first general body meeting on September 28 on Tuesday, September 28th at 12:00 PM. We will still be meeting both in-person (Room 270) and on Zoom (register here). This meeting is open to any and all students at Chicago-Kent interested in environmental law issues, so please tell your friends!! We will get to hear from Prof. Keith Harley on the Environmental and Energy Law Certificate Program, discuss 1L and upper-level involvement opportunities for both ELS and the Journal of Environmental and Energy Law (JEEL), and will discuss our upcoming ELS events.
Additionally, if you’re interested in becoming a 1L Class Representative, please attend the meeting, or follow the link on the flyer for more information. We look forward to meeting everyone!
Federalist Society: Informational Meeting, Tuesday September 21, 12:00pm, Room 580. D’Amato’s subs will be served for lunch as we briefly review the organization, upcoming events, and opportunities to participate on the Board. Our guest speaker will be Andrew Willis, class of ’19 and previous C-K Federalist Society President, who will speak on his post-graduate career. Andrew is currently an associate attorney at Mauck & Baker, LLC, handling transactional issues for non-profits, religious institutions, businesses, and individuals in the Chicago area.
Immigration Law Society (ILS): Immigration Law Society will be having their first general body meeting Tuesday, September 21st at 12:00pm. You can attend in person or via zoom! Details about room number and zoom information will be sent out soon, so be on the lookout for that email. Lunch will be provided for those attending in-person, as well!
Kent Justice Foundation (KJF): Learn more about Kent Justice Foundation at our General Body Meeting at noon on Wednesday, September 22. Join us kjf to be added to our mailing list!
Labor and Employment Law Society (LELS): The Labor and Employment Law Society is looking for Class Representatives! LELS has two open positions for each 1L section (including evening division), and 1 each for 2L, 3L, and 4L classes (daytime and evening students are welcome to run!). Please submit a brief (one paragraph) statement of interest to lels, introducing yourself and explaining why you want to be a class representative, by Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. If you have any questions, please let us know!
Labor and Employment Law Society Logo Contest!
Whether you are super creative or just want a fun non-law-school detour, LELS is looking for a new logo! Designs must be submitted to lels by Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Board members will vote on the designs, with Professor Aleisa stepping in as our tiebreaker. The winning design will be announced on Friday, October 1, 2021, and the winner will receive a $15 gift card to their choice of Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.
Muslim Law Student Association (MLSA): Salaam! MLSA will hold its first General Body Meeting of the year on Tuesday, September 21st at 12pm in room 590. Please RSVP via this google form. For anyone who would prefer to join us online, please let us know and we will provide you with a zoom link. Join us to meet our exec board, hear about some events we have planned for the semester, and to get any general law school questions answered. We hope to see you there!
National Lawyers Guild: The NLG will hold this year’s first General Body Meeting on Tuesday, September 21st at 12 PM in room 165. Anyone who prefers to be online can join us via zoom with this link. We will do introductions to the NLG and our board, discuss upcoming events, and will give time to answer any questions you may have. Please email us (NLG@kentlaw.iit.edu) with any questions or concerns. We are excited to see you there!
National Security Law Society: The National Security Law Society (“NSLS”) is inviting all students with an interest—or even curiosity—in the most consequential issues facing America today. This is a wonderful opportunity to join a non-partisan group that explores and raises awareness about the legal issues in vital sectors like data privacy, the international community, the military, space exploration, and the intelligence community, to name a few. The NSLS works closely with the Center for National Security and Human Rights, which puts on conferences that regularly attract some of the world’s preeminent national security practitioners and scholars. Additionally, we are a relatively new group on campus, so this is your chance to get in, make an impact, make connections, and set yourself apart from others.
The NSLS seeks to foster its members’ professional careers and leadership capabilities. We give our members intellectual and creative freedom, by encouraging members to research, and then write about a diverse range of national security issues. Students’ writings will be published on our blog, which demonstrates your abilities, interest, and knowledge to prospective employers. You will get to network with our counterparts in other law schools in the Chicago community. Additionally, you will have access to speakers, current, and retired members of the broader national security community, who are eager to assist our members’ personal and career growth.
Roman Law Society: The Roman Law Society’s focus is to develop a deeper understanding on the origins of our legal system, founded in Ancient Rome. Roman Law, along with the Roman system of government, was essential to the foundation of the United States Congress and the justice system used to this day. The Society’s purpose is to explore and share this knowledge about the ancient legal system outside of a classroom setting; to use the organization as a platform to learn from the past and understand what it can tell us about the present state of our legal system and where it may be heading. Overall, this society’s intent is to promote the principles of democratic society, a Republic governed by the will of the people.Those who are interested in joining the club or have question should reach out to either Daniel Gomez (dgomez11) or Jon Walz (jwalz). Alternatively, our faculty-sponsored advisor, Alexandra Franco (afranco2) can also answer any questions that you may have.
Society of Women in Law: The Society of Women in Law and the American Constitution Society invite all students to join their organizations for an engaging Reproductive Rights Panel event on Tuesday, September 21 at 3:00 PM. Speakers, Professor Carolyn Shapiro and Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, will share their insight into the legal underpinnings of reproductive rights in American law, as well as the impact recent restrictive legislation has had on a person’s right to determine their reproductive future. This event will be held in Room 270 at the Conviser Law Center, with a concurrent Zoom meeting for students who cannot attend in person.
Upcoming Events
SEPTEMBER 21st: ILS General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 21st: MLSA General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 21st: Reproductive Rights Panel
SEPTEMBER 21st: National Lawyers Guild General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 21st: Federalist Society General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 21st: Criminal Law Society General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 22nd: KJF General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 23rd: ABA Outlining Webinar
SEPTEMBER 24th: Corporate Law Society General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 24th: BLSA General Body Meeting
SEPTEMBER 27th – 30th: ABA Equity Summit
SEPTEMBER 28th: ELS General Body Meeting
OCTOBER 1st: Law Review Virtual Symposium: 75th Anniversary of the Administrative Procedure Act
OCTOBER 2nd: BLSA AFSP Out of the Darkness Suicide Awareness Walk
OCTOBER 6th: Spring 2022 Judicial Externship Information Session
More events may be found on the SBA calendar. Please make sure you are accessing via your Kent email address.
Future Deadlines
OCTOBER 1st: Deadline to apply for The 14th Annual First Amendment and Media Law Diversity Moot Court Competition.
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Cash Prizes
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Free to Apply
Resources
From Admissions: Join the Chicago-Kent Advocates! Would you like to make an impact on recruiting next year’s class? Joining the Chicago-Kent Advocates is a great opportunity! The Office of Admissions is looking for enthusiastic students to join the Chicago-Kent Advocates program. This is a student group created to promote Chicago-Kent to prospective students. Your experience with the law school admissions process and insight as a law student is invaluable.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming an Advocate, you can join us on Tuesday, September 21 at 12:30-1:30 p.m. in room 210 or on Tuesday, September 28th at 12:30-1:30 p.m. in room 210.
You can also email us at admissions to learn more about what it entails.
We hope you will be able to join us!
Writing Competitions: Interested in submitting a paper to a competition? The law library has created a guide to student legal writing competitions. For more information, please see the library blog post about the guide.
From ASP: 1Ls: Listen from students and faculty on what strategies they used for academic success: https://youtu.be/wQquU7OyoTI
From the Library: Illinois Women’s Bar Foundation (“WBF”) Scholarship Application Solicitation
All nominations, applications, and supporting documents are due by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021. Each applicant must submit the following: (1) law school transcript; (2) resume; (3) letter of recommendation (from you or another faculty-member or administrator); and (4) a completed 2021 Scholarship Application (attached). Applicants should email their applications and supporting documentation directly to wbfscholarship. Recommenders may submit their letters directly to the Foundation at wbfscholarship or may provide their letters to the scholarship applicant for submission.
Once we receive the applications from each school, the WBF Board will choose at least two applicants to interview from each Illinois law school. Interviews will be held on Saturday, October 16, 2021 via Zoom. Applicants must be available for an interview to be eligible for a scholarship. We will inform the applicants of whether they have been selected for an interview and of the precise time and location of the interview no later than Monday, October 11, 2021. We anticipate that we will award at least one scholarship to a student from each Illinois law school.
If you have any questions about the application, scholarship criteria, or selection process, please feel free to contact Amy O’Conner at amy.oconner or by phone at 586-242-0968. We look forward to meeting this year’s outstanding applicants from Kent!
From Career Services: Welcome back, students! A number of employers have elected to conduct their formal recruiting efforts later in the fall. Their opportunities will be posted in the OCI section of Symplicity and each employer will have a recruiting session labeled by the employer’s name. Currently, there are several new recruiting opportunities that have been posted this week. Some additional opportunities will be added moving forward over the next several months.
Birthdays & Special Days – September :
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9/3 |
Shannon Cottrell, 3L |
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9/5 |
Ricardo Ramirez, 1L |
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9/10 |
Rebecca Chmielewski, 2L |
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9/10 |
Megan Hovde, 2L |
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9/15 |
Sara Rusnak, 1L |
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9/19 |
Katherine Hanson, 3L |
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9/19 |
Subhiksha Gopal, LLM |
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9/19 |
Gabrielle Robles, 3L |
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9/19 |
Jessica Himes, 2L |
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9/26 |
Professor Lori Andrews |
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9/27 |
Emily Shanley–Roberts, 3L |
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9/29 |
Emily Shapiro, 2L |
*if you wish to share your special date with the student body, click here
ELS Class Rep (1).pdf
CLS General Body Mtg (Online Version) .pdf
ELS Gen Body F2021 (1).pdf
General body Meeting.pdf
Reproductive Rights Panel (2).pdf
FedSoc Informational Meeting-3.pdf
2021 WBF Letter to Dean A. Krug Re Scholarship Applications [Kent].pdf
Banned Books Week.pdf
PIRC CK Pro Bono Forum 9.29.21.pdf
LURE Call Meeting.pdf