HLSA welcomes you back to school and for the new 1Ls; we support the wonderful journey you have begun here with us at Valparaiso University School of Law. We are excited to bring you a year full of opportunities to give back to the community and embrace diversity.

The mission of the Hispanic Law Students Association (HLSA) is to foster a community built on diversity both on and off the Valparaiso Law School campus. In this endeavor the organization strives to build awareness, break down borders and bring together the diverse community in Valparaiso, Indiana. HLSA does this by bringing attention to academic success and achievement by Latinos in this arena.

One of the main focuses of HLSA to recognize the Hispanic Culture in our society and the importance that it holds for the people. This awareness allows the Hispanic community to embrace and reflect on the history of Latinos. In doing so, HLSA brings both educational and social events to the campus and community for everyone to enjoy and be a part of. A listing of the upcoming events is listed below. Feel free to contact Priscilla Puente Chacon at priscilla.puente-chacon@valpo.edu with any questiosn or interest in the organization.

September:
Sept. 14th, Chapel break 1st Meeting
Sept. 17th, Meet and Greet
Sept. 24, HLSA/BLSA/MLSA picnic

October:(National Hispanic Month)
Oct. 6th  Hispanic Film
October 14th Meeting Chapel break
October 27th- Immigration Lecture on Arizona’s SB1080

November
Nov. 2nd, Dia De Los Muertos Display
Nov. 10th, HLSA meeting chapel break
Nov. 11th, @ 6pm “Internacional De La Eliminacion De La Violenca Contra La Mujer”. Film to be show: In the Time of the Butterflies.

December
1L Civil Procedure Review Session

What’s Grinding Dave’s Gears?

Salutations my good readers.  It’s likely that many of you are 1Ls.  That shouldn’t be a problem for the scope of this article.  Sure, I could write about any number of the problems plaguing the 3L class—from our absurd amount of free time to the cozy jobs we’ve lined up following graduation—but I would hate to alienate a large chunk of my readership.  I could also write about how some of you think that the Law Library is some kind of a shouting-contest center or the ideal place to talk to your mother about law school on your cell phone.  I’m not going to, of course, but I certainly could.  So, for my inaugural column of “What’s Grinding Dave’s Gears,” I have chosen to opine about the brand new “Book Rental” policy at the bookstore.

Now, it’s been scientifically proven that Campus Bookstores are just a giant scam.  State School, private school, community college, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think many reasonable people would disagree with me on this.  After all, the fact that I can buy a Property Law supplement on Amazon for $6.50 plus shipping (as opposed to $40) strongly implies something fishy is up.  Now, I’ve heard a lot of terms tossed around to describe the average person’s bookstore experience.  “Emotionally devastating” is good.  “Financially crippling” works too.  But personally, I think “evil” characterizes the process of charging students $150 for a $15 book quite well.  So, imagine my surprise when I found out I didn’t have to buy books this year (if I so cunningly chose, at least)!  The bookstore is giving me the option of paying nearly full price to rent the book the whole year!  Hooray!  I can actually save a few bucks—now I can upgrade my Chai Venti Grande Latte to the Chai Supreme Vente Double Grande with a shot of espresso!  Granted, I have to surrender my credit card number to them as collateral just in case I want to keep my Civ. Pro. book, but think of the short-term savings! Plus, they’ll let me highlight in it!

I have to concede, the renting process is pretty efficient.  Instead of crushing you in May when you try to sell back your book for pennies on the dollar, the bookstore is nice enough to do it up front.  Personally, I love efficiency.  I think it’s part of the reason why my books and binders are tabbed to Hell and back (i.e., super-easy access to the 18-Part-balancing-test the school will make you memorize for the final—look! I’m giving out study tips too! Nice!).  Still, I’d rather have the bookstore try to make money by offering competitive prices to online websites, as opposed to this “rental” policy.  On the bright side, I only need to buy another semester of books and I’m free forever from mandated course reading.  Hello Amazon.com!

David Johnson is a 3L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu