SBA

Thomas Jefferson School of Law is one hell of a law school. Believe it or not, we as students are in the hands of pretty awesome people, and in the comfort of a pretty awesome building.

Wayne Dyer once said, “Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change.” Apply that to life. Apply it to law school. Apply it to whatever you want; it works. I personally think that what our student body (“we”) needs, as a whole, is to change the way we look at our amazing school.

To state it simply, albeit bluntly, the way we look TJSL right now is absolutely horrible. We have our minds completely consumed with the idea of coming to school to chains on the door, thus preventing another 36-50% of our 3L’s from graduating and passing the bar. I can go on and on for days about both issues, but instead I’ll leave you with this: only YOU can affect the stats; and if you have not heard already, we restructured our deal with the bondholders. TJSL is a fantastic school and, with help from us, the students, it is only going to get better. Want to know how I know? Keep reading...

As this is a school, let’s talk about our professors. Aside from being some of the most well connected members of the community, the faculty members at TJSL are also some of the smartest. Think we have it tough? Try going to law school at Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, or Georgetown... just to name a few tier one schools. Our professors are literally the best and brightest in the field, and they are doing the very best to see to it that we follow in their footsteps. When professors such as, but not limited to, Golden, Cromer-Young, Herald or Semeraro, make themselves available to us as much as they do, it is very hard not to succeed. So ask yourself, do you want to help raise those bar statistics mentioned above? If so, do your diligence as a student and use these invaluable resources, which have been so graciously handed to you on a silver platter.

What about the building they teach in? According to bestchoiceschools.com and abovethelaw.com (insert grin here), we have the third most impressive law school building in the world! But we need not read articles from two online blogs to know that because we experience first hand how beautiful this school truly is. Could you imagine what it would be like somewhere else – like Cal West’s campus or having to park at USD? We are here every day, so maybe we take it for granted. But next time you find yourself in the highly-resourceful, ergonomically friendly library, or perhaps, in one of the most technologically advanced classrooms in the world, or even at home watching a recorded lecture, take a second to think about how lucky we are to be students in such a state-of-the- art, eco-friendly building.

In three years or less, you will become an (hopefully proud) alumnus of TJSL. You will stand in the same ranks as Leslie Anderson, the billionaire owner of the Houston Rockets, former Wisconsin Senator, Jessica King, and countless others. However, the road to becoming one of those proud alumni is not easy to navigate, and wasting time thinking about our school in a negative light is endlessly counterintuitive, unnecessary, ignorant, and the most distracting thing you can do.

Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change. Stop focusing on the negative, and start honing in on the positive (like your Con Law II final). We are in the hands of great professors teaching in a great building, and we are about to become members of a great alumni community. There is absolutely no need to bash, criticize, or worry about our school. Think positively and do your part as a student, and together this community can go places that not even our save-the-day dean, Dean Thomas Guernsey, could imagine. The change starts with us. Do work TJSL.

When people ask me where I am from, my immediate reaction is to reply with my diatribe of history: I was born in Coronado, but raised in Iowa since I was five years old. I came back to San Diego during my summers to visit because all of my extended family is here. I’ve lived in San Diego year–round, now, for about three years. I don’t know why I think people care to hear about my entire geographical history. I don’t know why it is so difficult for me to pick a place to say I am “from.” But regardless of that, very soon, part of where I am “from” will include Thomas Jefferson.

I grew up in a small town in Iowa. When I was little, my best friends lived a block away. To be honest, no one in the town lived more than a mile away (unless they had pigs – then they probably lived about five miles away). As I grew up, things slowly changed. I don’t know if it was because I changed, or because the town changed, ormayitwasboth. All of a sudden, the people I loved were catty, and the town I loved seemed to be overrun with the same drama that had caused major rifts in my seventh grade classroom. Now I realize, one of the many reasons I hesitate to say, “I am from Perry, Iowa,” is because I am disillusioned as to the small town life.

I never want to feel that same way about Thomas Jefferson. We, as students, have the opportunity to shape our own experiences here at TJSL. We have the opportunity to shape the experiences of those who will come to school next year, and each year following. We have the ability to shape the opinions of what those around us will say and think about TJSL.

We are all in a stage of uncertainty wondering, will I even get a job? Where will this job be? What if I don’t pass the bar? Will I pass this semester’s classes?

What is not uncertain is that our reputation is exactly what we make of it. We, as students and alumnus, must project to the legal world that we have received a great education and that we are worthy hires. Then, we can create a great TJSL legacy.

We have highly educated professors and ambitious students. We are the only people who can tell the rest of the legal community that TJSL students are the best option to hire. We have to believe in our education. After all, our TJSL is where we will be from sooner than later.

We can have no question about our pride. We must be proud. Not only for ourselves, but for future classes.

We are halfway through the semester. As students, we can take a moment to breathe before we gear up again for finals. We have a few blessed moments without quite as much planning and stress as our prior week, or as next week.

We also may use this time as self-evaluation. Were my efforts in the first part of the semester enough? Just right? What can I do better and what knowledge did I gain about a professor or an exam that is, perhaps, more helpful than the class content I painstakingly memorized? Whether you are a 1L who has just endured his or her first horrifying educational experience on what a law school exam really is, or a 3L who has repurposed midterms as an exercise in accepting defeat, this time, right now, is whatever you make of it.

I find myself fighting the constant hum of, “just one more year, then life will begin.” I fight this notion of “real life” constantly, as it has been engrained in me since grade school. The reason I fight it, is because if real life has not yet begun, every moment up until the moment I graduate, pass the bar, and have a job, is invalidated. I put forth all the effort for my future, but neglect my now.

The future may be easier, may be more scheduled or more structured, perhaps more whimsical and carefree, or may hold a host of problems we cannot even yet imagine, but right now is still real. In fact, it is so real, that without this moment, you could not have the “real” future you intend on.

So let’s give up the, “if I can just get through this” attitude. This struggle, right now, whatever it may be, is not just a hurdle to get past to get to the finish line, it is something to be embraced, to learn from, and to make you better prepared in the future for whatever may come. And the less you worry about whatever that future is, the easier it will be to get there.

In early August, I had the privilege of representing Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL), along with Student Bar Association (SBA) American Bar Association Representative (ABA) Christine Tornatore, at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting.  This year, the conference was held in Toronto, Canada. 

This trip provided us with the opportunity to meet SBA-ABA Representatives and SBA Presidents from just about all of the 200 ABA-accredited law schools in the United States.  Each day, the ABA Law Student Division leaders provided detailed schedules loaded with incredible opportunities that enabled us to exchange ideas with other students at the conference. 

On the last day of the conference, Christine and I participated in the Law Student Division Assembly where each law school’s SBA had two votes on each of the proposed resolutions on this year’s ballot.  One of the key issues this year was in regards to the procedures used by law schools to report the employment rates of their graduating classes.  This was of particular interest to us given the recent lawsuit by a TJSL graduate, and since graduates of other law schools have followed suit and brought claims against their former law schools.  We as law students should pay close attention to this issue over the next couple of months and years, as changes in how law schools report their graduates’ employment statistics are quite likely. 

Participating in the Assembly was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life.  I felt as if I were a member of Congress, listening to vibrant debates between zealous law students representing different regions and cities across the country.  Hearing the different perspectives (and the different accents), and the rationale in support of each message, was quite interesting since I had rarely considered the perspective of other law students who were not colleagues of mine at TJSL.  It was not until this time that I truly understood how much of an impact we, as law students, can have on our legal educations.  We were voting on resolutions and referendums that were to be passed onto the ABA Board of Governors!

In regards to the Board of Governors, the body that oversees law student policies and procedures for legal education in the United States, a new and exciting process has been implemented.  Te Law Student Division has successfully obtained a voting position on the Board of Governors!  This means that, moving forward, there will be a student representative in the Board of Governors hearings that will ensure that the student perspective is heard and considered.  When one considers factors such as the troubled economy, the influx of law school graduates into the job market each year, the issues relating to law school employment statistics, and many others, students should be pleased that their current Law Student Division leaders were able to achieve such a momentous victory on our behalves. 

Whether it was the roundtable discussions with students from various schools across the country, small meetings with just the other students from the ABA Ninth Circuit (of which TJSL is a member ), or the social and dinner events each evening, this was truly an experience that I will never forget.  Not to mention that Toronto was a beautiful city—we even got to stop at the Hockey Hall of Fame before leaving (absolutely, 100% Christine’s idea!)  I strongly encourage TJSL students to run for the SBA positions that allow them to partake in this experience.  It was, without a doubt, one of the best experiences of my time in law school thus far. 

The term “back to school” typically comes with a host of different emotions: anxiety about sleepless nights filled with endless reading; stress about mounting debt and finding employment; sadness due to the end of another summer.  For the Student Bar Association, back to school means one thing: excitement; excitement for the start of the new year and the Back to School Bash.

On August 20, 2011, the San Diego Rowing Club in Mission Bay was once again the site for this annual shindig.  This event has always been a student favorite, and this year was no exception.  For 1Ls, it gave them a chance to meet new people and to connect with classmates outside of school.  2Ls had the chance to catch up on what everyone did over their first summer away from law school and to toast to the survival of their dreaded first year.  For 3Ls, it was a final chance to reminisce before embarking on their final year of law school. 

This year, the SBA outdid itself, as it does every year.  Keeping with this administration’s theme of “bigger and better,” changes were made while preserving tradition.  First the SBA provided an amazing double-decker bus to and from the East Village.  Also, instead of having some poor 3L stand at the barbecue and cook enough burgers and bratwursts to feed 300 people, Bekker’s West Coast Catering was there to lend a hand and prepare their delicious BBQ fare.  Also, replacing the karaoke DJ was Rock Out Karaoke, San Diego’s preeminent live-band karaoke experience.  With ROK, students were able to fulfill their rock-star fantasies and play “lead singer” while rocking out to their favorite songs.  At one point, Joshua Tallman, 3L and SBA Treasurer, strapped on a bass guitar and joined the band for “Praise Chorus” by Jimmy Eat World.  Even the band was impressed that Josh was able to not only sing the song amazingly, but also keep up with the guitar. 

All in all, it was another successful event.  Be on the look out for details on the Halloween Party.  Friday October 28, 2011.  Location TBA.