Harvard Law School Student Government

Some of you have contacted us to ask about what happens to all the over crowded bike racks here at HLS.  Here’s what we found out:

Quad Bikes will be tagging and removing the abandoned bikes on the HLS campus at the beginning of April. The process:

Quad Bikes comes to campus and tags abandoned looking bikes for at least two weeks so their owners have an opportunity to remove the tag and keep the bikes. Then they cut the locks and use the Harvard Recycling truck to bring them back to Quad Bikes. They hold the bikes for a month so their owners have another chance to claim them.

Hope this is helpful,

Marissa

In an effort to be more green, Restaurant Associates has switched to a compostable chili bowl. Despite its appearance to the contrary, this new bowl is the same size as the old bowl (16 oz.) So you’re still getting the same chili bang for your buck.

Just thought we’d clue you in!

-Marissa

The HLS annual Red Cross Blood Drive is currently getting underway in Ropes Gray (running from 10:00am – 3:00pm today). Though the drive is technically sponsored by the HLS Republicans, it is obviously a very non-political and campus-wide event. Come donate blood and save a life!

Too cold to schlep to CVS? With help from HLS Reproductive Justice, Student Government and DOS have worked together and now one of the vending machines in the tunnel from Langdell to Griswold will have a row devoted to the new Crimson Apothecary. Available items include items like painkillers, bandages, and contraceptives. Stop by and check it out!

-Marissa

This Fellowship aims not only to support our fellow students but also to build a greater sense of community on campus, especially during these difficult economic times. Consisting entirely of donations by HLS students, the Fellowship will be given to an applicant with a demonstrated dedication to public interest work and a specific project proposal who has been unable to finding funding elsewhere.

Just a $31 donation (or a dollar a day for a month) from each student on campus would raise enough money to support a law student in carrying out a public interest project for a year. This means so much more than simply funding the work of a fellow classmate—it means providing essential legal services to underrepresented communities and broadening the impact of our class and HLS on the greater community.

To donate and learn more:
http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/fellowship/

Thanks,

Marissa

Exciting opportunity for Harvard students and alumni to connect through Public Service around the globe: with the launch of Harvard Public Service on the Map! In a year where the Harvard Graduate Council has been collaborating with President Faust, individual graduate schools, the Harvard Alumni Association, and partners throughout the University to promote and support public service initiatives at Harvard, HGC is excited by the potential of this social connectivity site to enable Harvard alumni and students to share resources, expertise, career advice, and opportunities related to their public service involvement.

Please visit http://onthemap.harvard.edu/ and register on the beta site. The initial registration only takes a few seconds and ensures you will be among the first notified when the site goes live in April. The site will only be as strong as the information entered into it by users.

Just a quick reminder that there will be a special student government pub night this week! Instead of having Pub Night on Thursday, this Pub Night will be on Wednesday, March 10, from 7:30-9:00pm, at Queenshead Pub. This is to accommodate all the students leaving early for spring break. Also we’ll be collecting donations for the Legal Food Frenzy competition!

Hope to see you tomorrow!

UPDATE: date was changed from original text, which stated event would be Tuesday, 3/9.

Just a reminder that the Financial Services Committee is always eager to hear feedback from students regarding their concerns for the financial aid office. If you have any issues regarding financial aid/loans policy, you can email the members of the committee, contact info below.

Michael Aktipis (3L): maktipis@law.harvard.edu

Pablo Ros (2L): pros@jd11.law.harvard.edu

Sean Hill (1L): shill@jd12.law.harvard.edu

The Truman National Security Project is a national security leadership institute-the nation’s only organization that recruits, trains, and positions a new generation of progressives across America to lead on national security.

Our Mission is to provide the skills, knowledge, and network to create an influential force of leaders across the country who advance strong progressive national security policy.

Click here to hear from some of our Security Fellows, who are running for office around the country, advising presidential and Congressional campaigns, drafting legislation in the halls of Congress, assuming leadership posts in the military, playing key roles in local and national government, and working on the front lines of America’s homeland security.

Truman Security Fellowship

The Truman Security Fellowship is a highly competitive award for professionals ages 27-40 who show early promise to become our country’s future progressive leadership. The one-year Fellowship offers hands-on training in national security, communication, and politics; access to a powerful network of peers and leaders across the country; and opportunities to take part in communicating a strong internationalist security message.

Truman Security Fellows take part in monthly seminars in their home cities. These seminars deepen their security policy knowledge, and build skills to enable them to work together to affect change locally.  Fellows also enjoy experiential learning such as visits to military bases, emergency response centers, and FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force headquarters; meetings with local politicians, and discussions with guest speakers and peers who are experts in the security field.

Twice a year, in June and January, Truman Security Fellows come to Washington, DC for high-level conferences with senior policy and political leaders. At these conferences, Fellows meet the national network of Fellows and build lifelong ties with their community of peers.  They engage in communication and media training from experts in the field.  They meet with top political leaders to deepen their understanding of how politics affects the national security debate.  And they engage in policy discussions and scenarios with leading national security experts to increase expertise.  Conferences also include hands-on, personalized visits to national security sites, such as Quantico Marine Academy.

Once a year, Fellows also participate in a Regional Training Weekend. The weekend allows them to delve deeply into the rich tradition of values on which the Truman Project is based.  We also deepen skills in areas such as communications, politics, and organizing-all geared toward creating change locally.

We seek exceptionally accomplished and dedicated men and women who share President Truman’s Belief in muscular internationalism, and who believe that strong national security and strong liberal values are not antagonistic, but are two sides of the same coin.

Please visit our website for further information about the Truman Project, and click here to apply for the Security Fellowship.

Important Dates

Truman National Security Project

www.trumanproject.org

Director of Security Fellowship: Melissa Skorka

melissa@trumanproject.org

1. Many of you have contacted us about the mouse issue in Langdell. Thanks for all of the feedback and please continue to contact us, or the library directly, about any concerns you may have. The library is working closely with exterminators to solve the problem and is in the building on a regular basis to monitor traps.

2. On that point, please please do not eat in the library, as this is what attracts the mice. Eating is allowed in the Lemann lounge but no where else. The library was incredibly responsive to our concerns regarding the bathrooms in the fall; let’s honor their responsiveness with our own, for this issue.

3. One final library reminder – noise in the stairwell leading up to the Reading Room carries. Please keep conversations to a minimum at an appropriate volume.

Thank you! As always please feel free to contact us with any library-related questions.

-Marissa

Last semester, HLS Student Government asked for your feedback about Hemenway Gym.  After meeting with gym management, here are the responses and solutions we reached to address your concerns.

Clearer schedules on website: Hemenway website will be updated to include clearer schedules and old version of Hemenway website will be taken down ASAP.  To access website go to: http://recreation.gocrimson.com/recreation/facilities/Hemenway or through the main Harvard athletics page under “Facilities”.

Extend Hemenway Hours on Weekends, Holidays: The schedule for this year has been set, however, this input will be taken into consideration and hopefully be reflected in the schedule by fall 2010.

Maintain TV’s and Cable: By Friday, Feb. 19, all TVs should be back up to 80 channels through installation of new cable boxes.

Computer in Entrance Available to Law Students: The Dean of Students Office will initiate talks with FAS to see if the kiosk can be open to law students.  If that is not possible, a separate kiosk will be explored to be open to all students.

More spin and weekend classes: Spin classes have been added for the weekends for the winter months.

Better Cardio Sign-Ups: Capacity is a big issue here, however, alternative ways of signing up will be explored as well as better enforcement of not allowing students to sign-up until 2 hours prior to working out.

Equipment:

Jump Ropes: Available downstairs

Wrist and Abdominal Straps: Available, ask front desk

Scales: Will be calibrated frequently

Wrestling mats, Heavy bags, Thai pads: Space issue, are available through club sports/at MAC

Olympic Lifts: Safety concern has stopped recreation facilities from having Olympic lifts.  However, athletics management will look into waiver system to do Olympic lifts in varsity gym.

Music: Frequency has caused music to dwindle at times.  Management will make sure music is consistently loud.

Electric Shocks through Headphones: Management will check each headphone jack consistently and replace those that have electric shocks.  Please report those that have shocks in comment card or to front desk.

Questions and comments: Please contact baune@jd10.law.harvard.edu or alwu@jd11.law.harvard.edu and we’ll take your thoughts to Hemenway at our next meeting.

The Harvard Graduate Council has put together an pre-Valentine’s Day party that is open to all Harvard graduate students.  Details below.

In partnership with the HLS Squash Club, we were able to work with Hemenway to get the reservation system online for Hemenway squash courts (http://www.supersaas.com/schedule/Hemenway_Squash/Squash).  The system has been up for a little while now.  How is it working for you?

We regularly hear from students that would like to have a more aggressive advising process here at HLS.  We worked with several members of the Administration to help come up with the new Academic Advising pages (http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/curriculum/academic-advising-at-hls/index.html).  They don’t solve all of the advising concerns, but we think they are a good start.  What do you think?