Harvard Law School Student Government

Yesterday students received an email from the Registrar’s Office that, among other things, announced that Spring Disbursement checks would be mailed out after 12/19 and would not be available for pick up at the SFS office earlier.  As many of you know, this is a change from last year, where we could pick them up at the office up to a certain point and then they would be mailed.

Many of you have contacted us to express concerns with new policy and how you will get your check before you leave town for the holidays.  I have no more info yet, but just wanted to let you know, we are looking in to either an explanation for the change, or if there is any flexibility in the new system, and the administration has already begun replying to our requests to look into it.

Stay tuned,

Brian

UPDATE – We heard from Ken Lafler with a lot of great info and clarification about this issue.  First and foremost, there was a misunderstanding from the original email.  Checks are being mailed out so that people will RECEIVE them by 12/19, at the latest – and in many cases up to a few days earlier.  SFS is limited by the University system for cutting disbursement checks as to how early they can get them out, and they do work very hard to expedite the process on their end so that we can get them before the break.  On an individual basis, if you have legitimate concerns about getting your disbursement check in the mail by 12/19 the SFS office would be happy to talk with you to resolve the concern.

A few of you have contacted us expressing concern that at or around midnight, many of the lights in the tunnels are turned off, and during this lovely season of exam preparation, there are often people using the tunnels at that late hour.

The Facilities department has notified us that they will instruct security not to turn off the lights in the tunnels during exams.

(Bring on the “bad-for-environment” complaints.  I’m ready for ’em.)

Brian

The School of Public Health is hosting an Ice Skating Event this Friday in the Boston Common. We would like to extend the invitation to all Harvard Graduate Schools.  The info is as follows below:

Join us this Friday December 5th 7pm-10pm for Ice Skating in the Boston Common! You don’t need to know anything about ice skating to participate, just come out for a fun holiday experience in downtown Boston. Please invite your friends, family, and classmates from other schools, everyone is welcome!

What to bring: Admission = $4 , Skate Rental = $8
Facebook Invite: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event….
What to wear: Dress warm, as if you are walking to school on a cold day. You might feel cold at first but don’t worry about the weather, once you get moving you will feel warm!
How to get there: Take the Green line to Park Street or the Red Line to Charles Street:
 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&ge…

*A group of students will be leaving at 6:15pm from the FXB entrance, otherwise plan on meeting us there starting at 7:00pm*

Hope you can make it! Please email  JALLENDI at hsph.harvard.edu for questions or more information

-HSPH Student Government

Brian

Last week I met with Larry Harris, the manager of Restaurant Associates here at HLS, to share some of the feedback we’ve received from you via emails, the blog, and discussions with your Reps.  Here’s what I learned.

Regarding running out of tea, hot chocolate, soy milk, etc. at the free coffee stations.

• RA is aware of the problem and has taken steps lately to monitor this more closely and to try to ensure things do not run out.

• Providing fresh milk/cream is, unfortunately, not a viable option because, for health reasons, they can’t put out enough to last for any significant period of time.

People have asked for nutritional information to be posted at the Hark.

• RA currently has the “balance choice” information posted and improved vegetarian labeling.  Specifically, what nutritional information would people like to see available at the Hark?

Larry will see what he can do about getting Heinz ketchup instead of Hunt’s.

People have asked for non-dairy protein options like humus or peanut butter at the free bagel stations.

• Humus is not really available in pre-packed, individual portioned packages, and peanut butter, even in such individual portioned packages, presents allergy concerns to those allergic to nuts.

Food labeling concerns.

• RA has taken steps to improve the consistency of labeling vegetarian items.  Look for improvements in this area and speak up if you don’t see such improvement.

• Vegan labeling and ingredient labeling has been requested, and these are things RA would like to do, but are surprisingly more work intensive than one might think.  They are looking into trying to make it happen.

Vegetarian options.

• RA has a goal of always offering at least one vegetarian entree option.  Consistency on this should be improving.  Please let us know if you don’t see such improvement.

Some people have said that they feel the quality of the global station entrees (the serve yourself, rotating entree station) have declined under RA.

• This is of great concern to Larry, and he would love to here specific feedback from people on how.  What dishes are not up to par?  How are they not so?

Salad bar concerns.

• Someone requested small containers for togo packaging of salad dressings.  While this seems not super eco-friendly (my editorializing not RA’s), Larry will look into making this happen.

• Someone also said that, in there experience, the salad bar is not refilled throughout the serving period and that they run out of some items.  Larry said, this is certainly not their policy and he will look into it to make sure that is not happening.

On a more general note, it does seem that RA is working hard to make the food service here more appealing to us.  They make their own pizzas now, use olive and canola oil rather than butter whenever possible, and are very open to feedback.  Give us your feedback here or email Larry Harris directly ( laharris at law.harvard.edu) and it will be implemented whenever possible.

As always, your feedback is welcome.

Brian

We’ve been hearing mixed reports about the new Exam4 software.  Do you have constructive questions or feedback that we can share with the Registrar’s office?  Let us know.

Brian

If you would like to order an HLS Section (I-VII) fleece, see they flyer linked below.  The fleeces do not have a class year on them so they can be ordered by any class level that still feels any section solidarity but didn’t get the chance to order one of these fleeces yet.  Orders are run through the HBS Student Association and must be placed online anytime next week.

hls-section-fleece-flyer

Brian

The Harvard Graduate Council is sponsoring a speed-dating event this Monday, December 8th, at 6:30 PM. Registration starts on Wednesday, 12/3. Here is the website: http://harvardspeeddating.com/.

David

Following is a report from one of HLS’s four representatives to the Harvard Graduate Council, Nilab Rahyar ‘10, on the latest HGC meeting:

The last Harvard Graduate Council meeting was held at HLS on Tuesday, November 25th. The University Planning Office organized a focus group with HGC members to discuss the Common Spaces Project–an effort to bring together Harvard students from the various schools. Many HGC members expressed interest in a graduate student center (with space for social events, sports, dining, studying, etc.). The feedback from HGC will be relayed to the Common Spaces Steering Committee. We look forward to working with the University Planning Office on this exciting project!

Please share any thoughts or questions you have on the HGC with us via email or leave us a comment here.

David

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Gregory Dworkowitz, a student representative on the Financial Services committee, reports:

“We had our first meeting last week.  We focused primarily on the SFS website, brainstorming ways to simplify the internal site, make it more user-friendly, and help the office run more smoothly.  This is a big project and will occupy much of our time this year.  We also reviewed the data from the last year and projections for this year, focusing on early response to the PSI.  Finally we spoke about the Harvard endowment and any impact its fluctuations might have on our mission.  This was just a preliminary discussion, as we don’t yet know what the budget will look like going forward. We also discussed the need for a 1L on the committee!” 

The Student Government just emailed all 1Ls and LLMs a document called “What I Wish I’d Known Before I Took My First HLS Exams: Advice from 2Ls and 3Ls who’ve been there already.” This document is full of helpful study advice from 2Ls and 3Ls, as well as a series of links to poetntially helpful sites about studying for law school exams.

If you did not get the Student Government’s email, let us know (studentgov@law.harvard.edu) and we’ll send you a copy.

David

News@law:

Many people have noted that News@law has been coming out quite late.  Later, in fact, than some of the morning event that are listed in it.  The Communications office is aware that this is not ideal and is working on ensuring that it comes out earlier.

Office supplies in the vending machines:

They’re supposed to be there.  If not in all of them, then in enough so that you shouldn’t have a problem finding them.  They should include pens and highlighters at a minimum.  Have you seen these items in the vending machines you go to?  What other items would you like to see?

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: the office supplies are only in the snack vending machine in the tunnel to Lewis, and there are only pens and highlighters.  Do you think they should be anywhere else or contain any other supplies?

Tea, hot chocolate, soy milk…

All of these things are supposed to be at the free coffee stations in the mornings.  We are still working with Restaurant Associates to increase the consistency.  Are you finding them consitently?

What else should we be doing for you?

Brian

At our last meeting, the Student Government approved the creation of two new student groups.

The Health Issues Awareness Society:

The Health Issues Awareness Society aims to promote awareness and fundraising for various medical conditions and health related causes and to inspire students and alumni of Harvard Law to use their positions of influence to advance research, charity, and government action aimed at promoting these causes.
To this end, the Health Issues Awareness Society shall seek to sponsor events to raise funds and awareness for various medical conditions and health issues; inform members of outside opportunities and events promoting health related causes; sponsor events with health law scholars and practitioners for discussions of issues in the field; and to foster good relationships among interested students and faculty.

The Harvard Legal Theory Forum:

The Harvard Legal Theory Forum (“the Forum”) will promote the study of legal theory at Harvard Law School by holding regular meetings of reading groups to discuss texts on legal theory and hosting colloquia for students and/or professors to present works in progress on legal theory.

Your thoughts are always welcome,

Brian

The Harvard Graduate Council is a University-wide student government body, made up of representatives from all of the graduate schools.  HLS has four representatives on the Graduate Council.  Following is a report from one of the those reps, Nilab Rahyar ’10, on the latest HGC meeting:

The meeting began with general introductions from the members of the various grad schools. Aaron Chadbourne will be meeting with people from Queenshead Pub, they have expressed interest in working with the HGC and individual grad schools to attract grad students there. Aaron would like an update on how each grad school feels about this, any thoughts we have, etc. The events committee has organized a mixer at Redline this weekend which they want publicized through each school. Future events include speed dating (both opposite and same sex) and a winter formal. The meeting ended with everyone splitting up into committees that they expressed interest in being involved in. I am on the committee that will be drafting a document/vision plan on behalf of the graduate students of the university and which will be presented to President Faust, deans and other university leaders. The document will address the objectives and proposals of HGC, we will develop these issues after analyzing survey data from grad students that was compiled last year (the data includes concerns and comments from grad students).

Please share any thoughts or questions you have on the HGC with us via email or leave us a comment here.

Brian

The Student Government and the WLA are hosting a panel about exam preparation and study for all 1Ls on Wednesday, December 3rd, at 12:00 PM. Lunch will be served.

If there are particular questions you’d like addressed, let us know at studentgov@law.harvard.edu or just respond to this post.

We’ll also have copies of the “What You Wish You’d Known” pamphlet we’re currently putting together.

David

This seemed like a worthy cause so I thought I would post the info here for those of you that might want to volunteer to read to kids.

Brian

Volunteer to Read to Children in Spanish!

If you speak Spanish, like kids and enjoy volunteering, please join us! We are looking for Spanish-speaking volunteers for our reading program, Lectores y Amiguitos. Lectores y Amiguitos is a Spanish-language volunteer reading program run by Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Office of School Partnerships and Cambridge School Volunteers, Inc. We meet on Thursdays from 12:05-12:45 at the Amigos School, where volunteers read aloud and talk with second graders.

Volunteers are matched with 2nd graders and work one-on-one with them for the academic year. We follow Harvard University and Cambridge Public School holidays.  Volunteers read every Thursday for 35 minutes during lunchtime and we ask for a one year commitment (October until early May).

The Amigos School is a dual language immersion Cambridge Public School located right outside of Harvard Square.  To learn more about the Amigos School, please visit:
 http://www.cpsd.us/AMI/

You can also visit our website at: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/schoolpartner…

We hope you will join us! Please feel free to call or email us anytime. Our telephone number is 617-496-4822 or you can send us an email to  partners at gse.harvard.edu