By Heidi A. Duncan

2010 Chile/Argentina Group

This past June, eleven Valparaiso law students and two from other schools crossed into the southern hemisphere for a month-long exploration into Chilean and Argentine law and culture, accompanied by Professor Elizabeth Bruch and Valparaiso’s Professor Alan White. The two-course program delved into national human rights issues and land reform systems in both countries, and other countries explored in the course, in addition to the role the international community and international courts played in resolving national accountability and pursuing resolutions that actuated justice.

For the duration of the program, students spent eight days along the coastal mountain communities of Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, Chile and the remainder of the time in Argentina. The sights, tastes, music, and historical richness of the communities are deeply nestled within a naval-based area affected in varying degrees by the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. The University of Viña del Mar law school invited internationally renowned Judge Juan Guzmán to present a film documenting his investigation that ultimately led to the criminal prosecution of Pinochet. In addition, visits to an area winery, Chilean constitutional and appellate courts, home stays with local families, fresh seafood, and hospitable Chilean law students warmed up the visiting students before they went deeper within the country for several days of tours and study at the University of the Andes in Santiago, Chile.

Buenos Aires, Argentina revealed a sophisticated and fast-paced metropolis, filled with tourists, tango, shopping, opulent food, art, and museums, yet the country has been healing from a tumultuous political history. Students examined the circumstances surrounding and following the Dirty War through study accompanied by visits to organizations and facilities involved with uncovering the truth of what happened to the thousands lost in the government’s systematic detention, torture, and murder against “subversives.” Students visited sites of clandestine detention centers and witnessed the weekly march of las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, with protesters still demanding answers of what happened to their missing relatives. Argentine Supreme Court Justice Elena Highton met with Valparaiso’s law students and others from Pontifica Catholic University of Argentina, answering questions in her chambers. To further explain Argentine law and present legal issues, several Argentine professors lectured throughout the two-week stay in Buenos Aires, including Professors Riviera and LeGarre, who are frequent visiting professors in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Time not spent in lectures, on tours, or studying was spent attempting to take advantage of the possibilities available in Buenos Aires. A Saturday spent at Professor LeGarre’s ranch entailed seeing 96,000 chickens, horseback riding, soccer, and giant slabs of beef. Throughout the two weeks, many students traveled to Uruguay for a day, a few took polo lessons, and others explored the Eva Peron museum or went to the theatre. Most students even attempted tango following a lesson, although none were able to keep up with the tango professional of the group. The Argentine students welcomed the U.S. students as warmly as the Viña del Mar students had done, and likewise establishing many friendships that will long outlast the duration of the trip.

Despite the cruel reality of the history of political development in Chile and Argentina, and the difficulties both nations face in coming to terms with and healing from the past, these two beautiful countries yield adventures far beyond this brief recounting of our experiences. My advice is to book your next vacation in Chile and Argentina, and allow yourself to be immersed in an unforgettable adventure.

Photo: (back row) Brian Frankenberg, Desiree Allen, Professor Elizabeth Bruch, Jacob Salazar, Luis Vasquez, Sonny Hodgin, Professor White, Monica Jones, Allie Wallace (Chicago Kent Law), Heidi Duncan

(front row): Jessica Levitt, Ian McInnis, Maggie Acuna, Ana Paula Bastian (Thomas Jefferson Law), Elizabeth Hollingsworth

By:  Dean Conison

From the Dean—National Standards for Law Schools

The Valparaiso University School of Law is accredited by the American Bar Association.  As an accredited school, we must comply with the ABA Standards for Approval (http://www.abanet.org/legaled/standards/standards.html).  These Standards deal with fundamental subjects important to ensure law school quality, including faculty, library, financial resources, curriculum, and facilities.  The Standards are currently undergoing a comprehensive review and there are likely to be changes adopted within the next two years.  I wish to describe some of the changes that are being considered, but before doing so, I will first explain how law school accreditation is overseen.

The Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is the part of the ABA with authority over accreditation.  That authority comes from the United States Department of Education and legally it must reside in the Section, not the ABA as a whole.  The governing body of the Section is the Council, and it is the Council that has ultimate authority for promulgating accreditation criteria.  Another committee, the Standards Review Committee, is charged with drafting and proposing Standards for Council consideration.  A third committee, the Accreditation Committee, is responsible for enforcing the Standards and does this by, among other things, evaluating each law school every seven years.  (I am currently the Chair of this committee.)  We were last evaluated in 2006 and came through the process very well.

At this time, the Standards Review Committee is considering drafts of possible changes in the Standards.  This review process is very transparent, meetings are open, and you can see the various drafts of proposed changes at http://www.abanet.org/legaled/committees/comstandards.html.

One set of possible changes under consideration deal with curriculum. The centerpiece of these revisions would require that:  ”A law school shall identify, define, and disseminate each of the learning outcomes it seeks for its graduating students and for its program of legal education… The learning outcomes shall include competency as an entry-level practitioner…”

And that:  ”A law school shall offer a curriculum that is designed to produce graduates who have attained competency in the learning outcomes identified [above].”

These revisions would involve a shift in the curricular requirements for law schools.  They would move the Standards from emphasizing specific subjects or types of subjects that must be taught to requiring outcomes—competencies that the program of education must be designed to develop.  It is too early to say whether these changes will be adopted or precisely what impact they would have on curriculum.

Another set of proposed changes relate to consumer information.  There is a strong view among the ABA committees which oversee accreditation that students and prospective students should be provided with full and accurate information to allow them to make the best decisions possible about what law school to attend (or whether to attend law school at all).  Specific proposals have not yet been put forward, although they should be soon.  It is widely agreed that the Standards should give more attention to information law schools provide students.

Yet another set of possible changes relate to law school admissions.  One of the most interesting proposals would eliminate the requirement that every applicant to law school take an admissions test.  If this change is adopted then, although a law school could require applicants to take the LSAT, it would not have to do so.  The rationales for this proposed change are that the LSAT is not necessary for schools being able to assess the likelihood of an applicant’s succeeding in the program; that the LSAT has an adverse impact on law school diversity; and that the LSAT is widely misused.

There are many other proposals under consideration.  They are motivated by the goals of ensuring that law schools provide a sound program of legal education; they continue to have the flexibility to adapt to changes in the legal profession, the legal environment, and the economy; and that students and prospective students are properly and fairly served.  I hope you will continue to follow developments, as the various proposals are refined and debated, and as some of them are adopted and implemented.

Welcome to another year of law school!  The summer proved to be a very busy one for the members of the Valparaiso University Law Review.  Under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Josh Reece, the Law Review’s group of editors worked tirelessly over the past several months to admit a new class of Notewriters into the Law Review.

Each individual participated in the annual case comment competition following their May final exams.  The Notewriters had only three weeks to thoroughly research and write a twelve-page comment on a recent Supreme Court decision.  The editors of the Law Review evaluated each submission and, through a combination of their writing scores and grades, the top submissions have been selected to participate in the review.  Additionally, congratulations to Arie Lipinski who received the highest score on his case comment.

The Notewriters, after deciding upon topics, are in the process of writing their Notes.  Since the new members will write on their chosen topics for the next seven months, the selection of their specific areas of law was an intimidating one.  However, these individuals have dedicated themselves to the Law Review and we congratulate them on their success and commitment to the school.

The Law Review is publishing four issues this year, and we are currently in the process of preparing Issues One and Two for publication.  In addition to articles submitted by outside authors and professionals, the Volume 45 issues will include Notes by the following Law Review members: David Marusarz, Josh Reece, Candy Kilpinen, Billy Horvath, Leah Provost, Erica Hoodhood, Gabriela Brizuela, Brian Borchert, Ross Brennan, Nicholas Cronauer, Joey Hoflander, Nick Hood, Brittany Smith, and Bradley Turflinger.  Congratulations to these diligent writers for achieving the publishable standard!

If you have any questions about the Law Review or if you want to learn more about the organization, feel free to stop by the Law Review office or contact Erica Hoodhood at Erica.Hoodhood@gmail.com.

Congratulations!  Volume 45 – Law Review Notewriters

Michelle Alyea, Brenda Ambrosius, David Bogaerts, Melissa Croom, Nicole Cudiamat, Cheryl Evans, Mark Frantz, Benjamin Geelan, Paul Gehm, Dylan Grady, Sonny Hodgin, Jamie Kauther, Dustin Klein, Jessica Levitt, Arie Lipinski, Shea Maliszewski, Matthew Passalacqua, Katie Patrick, Alex Planeto, Ryan Powers, Jonathan Sichtermann, Preston Sisler, Travis Stegemoller, and Anne Zygadlo.

By Tim Billick (1L)

Staff Reporter

Students from a myriad of different cultures and nationalities filled the Harre Ballroom to help celebrate the twenty fifth day of Ramadan with the Muslim Student Alliance (MSA).  The student group provided delicious food and an open forum for any and all questions relating to Islam.

Opening remarks were made by the officers of MSA. Waseem Mateen (3L) acts as the group’s treasurer and explained what Ramadan means to him in the form of a familiar acronym, VALPO, which stands for Vigilance, Abstinence, Love, Patience, and Observance. For Mateen, these components must be present for the fruitful celebration of Ramadan.

Answering the questions posed by the crowd was Faisal Kutty, assistant professor of law at Valpo. Kutty serves as the advisor for MSA and teaches Comparative Law, Islamic Law, and International Law among many other classes.  Kutty began his speech with an Islamic blessing, promptly followed by an explanation: “Bismillahi Rahamani Raheem.  In the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate.  I figured I should translate that quickly so people didn’t think I was going to blow up or something.”  This cleared the air of any tension that would have been present that evening.  He made certain that no one in the room felt uncomfortable about asking any question at all about Islam or Islamic Law.  Kutty’s depth to his answers prevented him from addressing the volume of questions he received, but it was a necessary tradeoff, given the format of the evening.  He expressed his frustration with the fact that the entire nation of Islam will always have to answer for the radical acts committed by the overwhelming minority of Muslims on “the fringe” of Islam.

The Sunnah, the sayings and the living habits of the prophet Muhammed, and the Qur’an partially make up the Shari’a, which is essentially the law of Islam. But according to Kutty, the majority of Islamic Law comes from secondary sources, and is therefore open to very dynamic and flexible interpretation.  With nearly every question received, he clarified that the Qur’an is not to blame for the horrific acts of some Islamic states.  There isn’t even anything written in the Qur’an promoting the use of an Islamic form of government, according to Kutty.  “There’s a quote in the Qur’an that essentially says, ‘I made you into nations and tribes to know one another, not to despise one another,’” Kutty said.  Unfortunately, what we know about Islam is fed to us by what the media reports on violence in the Middle East.  Kutty cautioned against believing reports on Islamic violence, for those are the acts of states who misinterpret the Qur’an and Islamic Law, not the acts from the Qur’an itself.

For more information on Faisal Kutty’s works and essays, consult his blog at www.faisalkutty.com or his faculty profile on www.valpo.edu/law/faculty/fkutty.  For more information on joining MSA, talk to Professor Kutty or MSA website at www.valpo.edu/student/msa/about.html.

For any comments or concerns about this article, email Tim Billick at Tim.Billick@valpo.edu

By Michael Barnett, Amy Hyndman, & Rich Mitchell

During the first week back to school, our classes were temporarily interrupted by our attendance at Lavender Law.  Lavender Law is a conference organized by the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association (NLGBT), an affiliate of the American Bar Association.  The annual conference celebrates diversity in the law.

The conference was held August 26-28, 2010, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel and Conference Center.  Thursday, the first day of the conference, was a career fair.  Here, law students could sit with employers and discuss possible employment opportunities with companies that specifically seek out LGBT law students for employment.  Firms, large and small, spoke with the hundreds of law students in attendance at the conference, discussed the various opportunities available within their firms, and described the benefits of working for an openly welcoming firm that actively seeks of LGBT employees.

The second day of the conference was loaded with workshops and sessions on a variety of topics.  For example, the morning sessions featured “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the Transition to Repeal,” “LGBT Pro Bono at the Highest Echelons of Private Practice,” “Intellectual Property Basics and Hot Topics,” and “Policing, Prosecution and Punishment of LGBT People.”  A wide range of opportunities were readily available.  After lunch sessions included, “Social Networks/Social Justice,” “The Legal Profession and the Judiciary,” “Marriage Rules Meet the Family,” and “Preventing Peer and Teacher Harassment of LGBT Students:  Innovative Strategies for lawyers in the Safe School Movement.”

The final day of the conference provided many continued opportunities for meeting other LGBT attorneys and general networking.  Each night of the conference offered a “meet and great” at a local bar sponsored by a different organization or law firm.  All in all, an excellent experience for all of us who attended.

Mike, Amy, and Rich were pleased with the wide array of options to choose from throughout the conference, as well as its exceptional organization.  We attended this conference on behalf of Lambda, Valparaiso’s LGBT student organization.  If there was a disappointment to be had, it was the apparent “intensity” of the competition between law students.  We attributed it to the tight job market, but were expecting better from our LGBT colleagues.  Still, after a cocktail or two, most people relaxed and some new friendships were established.

The three of us would like to take this opportunity to recommend conference attendance to all 1L’s who are just beginning their law school careers.  Get involved with the organizations here on campus and spend some time reviewing the ABA’s available leadership opportunities as well.  You will find financial support for attendance at these conferences, which will not only improve your professional knowledge, but will increase your opportunities to meet others interested in moving the law forward in your particular area of interest.  We also would like to express our thanks to the folks at VUSL who make our attendance possible at these events—including, but not limited to, Joe Baruffi, Ann Weitgenant, and Dean Adams.

By:  Bradley Turflinger

Valparaiso University School of Law offers great opportunities to study abroad in either South America or Cambridge.  Certainly, both of these opportunities are nothing less than a fantastic way to grow as a lawyer and as a person.  What many students may not know is that there are countless other ABA approved study-abroad programs put on by law schools all over the country in which law students from any school can participate.  Israel, France, Italy, Mexico, Poland, China, and Russia are just a few of the possible locations where students can earn credits towards their law degrees (check out http://www.abanet.org/legaled/studyabroad/foreign.html for a full list of programs).  Last July, I studied in Madrid, Spain through one such program offered by William and Mary Law School.

The potential reasons for choosing to use another school’s study-abroad program are numerous.  Maybe you have family in Germany, or you want to practice your Chinese, or you want to see Venice while it is still around.  From a more professional angle, maybe the program you are interested in offers classes for the area in which you want to practice.  Scheduling conflicts with Valparaiso’s South America program led me to William and Mary.  For ILs who want to be on law review, Valparaiso’s South America trip takes place at the same time as the case-comment competition.  While you can still write your comment in South America, the ability to write a quality comment may be diminished.

Obviously, many classes offered in these programs deal with international law.  The classes I took in Madrid—The E.U. Legal System, European Human Rights Law, and Comparative Civil and Constitutional Law—exemplify the international flavor of classes taken abroad.  The professors in many programs are also exceptional and may be another reason to take a specific program.  My experience offered an advisor to the drafting of the E.U. Constitution, another who advises the Spanish Parliament, and yet another advisor for the Spanish Prime Minister.  In the same vein, programs often offer trips to government institutions.  My program took me to the Spanish Senate and the Spanish Constitutional Court.

Then, of course, there are the food and spirits, music, smells, sights, history, cathedrals-temples-mosques, and proximity to other cities and countries that all coalesce into a unique and life-affirming encounter with the world.  For one month, I regularly had siesta by the pool.  I ate caramelized goat-cheese, onion, and tomato tapas.  I experienced world-class jazz, dive-bar flamenco, and roof-top club music.  On weekends, I went to Retiro Park (Madid’s Central Park) and watched people row boats in front of a gigantic columned monument to a former monarch.  I saw Goya’s “Saturn Eating His Children” and Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights” (along with works by Raphael, Rembrandt, etc.) at the Prado museum, and Picasso’s “Guernica” at the Reina Sophia.  I took a day trip to see Roman Aqueducts and eat roasted suckling pig in Segovia.  Other adventures took me to Toledo (home of “El Greco”) and the century old walled city of Avila (home to St. Teresa).

And what is left after a study-abroad; what is the take-away?  I earned six credits, took hundreds of beautiful pictures and made many friends from law schools all over the country.  I now have a Spanish flag I wore like a cape in an endless sea of red (250,000 people) as I watched Spain win the Word Cup.  I bridged the divide between the intangible and tangible by walking in the formerly abstract (to me) palace from where Isabella and Ferdinand ruled; I have a familiarity (as concrete as a memory can be) with the Royal Palace that fills my mind when I think about Columbus seeking financing for his venture/crusade.  I know in detail just how fascinating the European Union is – it rivals the United States in its idealism, lack of historical precedent, and provocative nature (what is sovereignty?).  More than anything, I am inspired to make certain that this in not a “once in a lifetime” experience; the world is big, people are beautiful and creative in ways that cannot simply be read about, and I will not be content to coast through the rest of my life on the fumes of this past summer.  But, studying abroad is a start – a start this writer encourages all law students to consider.

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

The 1L Chronicles: May Edition

By Dan D. Hallberg

Managing Editor

I remember when I was in high school thinking as I entered my sophomore year, “Wow, there is no better feeling then not being a freshman anymore.” Well I was wrong, because I am quite sure that there is no better feeling in the world then not being a 1L anymore.

If I remember correctly from orientation, there were a lot of copies of The Forum lying around and to kill the time many of us read through them several times. Well, I hope some of you incoming 1Ls are reading this column now because this column is for you. In fact this column could even be yours next year. I mean, I can’t write it, so someone has to. So here you go, a little advice for you just cutting your teeth in the law school world from someone who just finished the year.

Words of Wisdom for the Valpo Law School Class of 2013

1.  Don’t hoard books.

This won’t make any sense to you right now, but in a week or so you’ll have your first legal research assignment. First off, I’m sorry. Second off, if you need a book, don’t take it to your desk; just write down the answer or the info you need in a notebook or something in the stacks where you found it. If you don’t, everyone will hate you.

2. Make outlines, don’t collect them.

The whole reason you do outlines is so that you review the material as you write them. There’s nothing wrong with having a few others to compare with, or even well organized one from someone else for use on open book exams. However, you don’t need to start up a collection of them, there is such a thing as too much information.

3. Don’t be late to Civ Pro.

If you have Prof Lind she will kick you out. No joke. Other than that, she is a delightful person.

4. Don’t worry about grade normalization.

I know a lot of you have been getting A’s for the better part of your scholastic career. What you’re going to find out is that that’s not going to be the case here. We have a thing called grade normalization going on here and it kind of works like a bell curve. Other law schools will have a curve or something like that, but a grade system like this is not that uncommon. You won’t ever understand it, it won’t affect your grade too much, and you have have absolutely no control over it, so don’t worry about it.

5. Everyone’s first writing grade sucks, just take a deep breath and deal with it.

You’ll be getting your first writing assignment soon, and you’re going to work very hard on it. You’ll put in tons of effort and try to work in things you learned from writing in undergrad and think that you did a good job adjusting to the new writing system that we use in law school. Then, about a month later when your prof finally grades it, you’ll see that your paper is hemorrhaging pen ink. Don’t be discouraged, it happened to all of us, and we’re still here. Also, don’t forget the honor code, that’s 10 points right there.

So that’s it guys, for those of you leaving good luck getting jobs, and for those of you coming in, heed my words. Trust me, they’ll do you a lot of good.

Dan is a 1L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.

By:  John Bayard

Staff Writer

This month I met with Professor Vandercoy and discussed many aspects of his law career and life.

John: So Professor Vandercoy why did you decide to give up your flourishing career as a folk singer and become a law professor?
Professor Vandercoy: I found it was easier to lip sync to a class of law students than to sing real music in front of a live audience. I also heard that you get higher admission prices with law students than concert attendees. It was a natural move since most of songs are about legal ethics anyway.

John: While you were here at Valparaiso University School of Law, you created a new sport involving Law Students. Can you tell our readers more about it?
Professor Vandercoy: While I actually created two sports. The first involves not placing enough seats in the law library and than watching as students struggle to find a place to sit. The second is actually a running bet between the faculty in which I place answers to exams in several of the tort books in the law library and see how long it takes for students to find them. As of this date, no students have even opened those books.

John: Can you describe the time you managed to take down a 500 lb Grizzly Bear using only the rules of evidence?
Professor Vandercoy: What a fun time that was. First I confined the bear with hearsay evidence rules and then smothered him with the new pocket part of Title 16 of the United States Code. However I realized that the statute I was smothering the bear with was a new subsection of 16 U.S.C. §1538 which prohibits smothering of Grizzly Bears with the United States Code. Fortunately enough for myself I was walking my man-eating shark at the time (I was a bio-engineer before becoming a great folk singing legend and had been able to engineer a shark that can breath out of water) and the shark fought off the bear for me. Congress is currently amending the statute to prohibit law professors from bio-engineering man-eating sharks. What’s next, prohibiting law students from bio-engineering man-eating sharks?

John: What do you feel is the best teaching method? Teaching students while scuba-diving or while sky-diving?
Professor Vandercoy: Personally, I prefer scuba-diving. The oxygen rich breathing suits really help the students focus more. Further, they are more incline to answer questions quickly when surrounded by my bio-engineered man-eating sharks.

I like to give my thanks again to Professor Vandercoy for agreeing to have this interview.

John Bayard is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu

As the song goes, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Is it really? Come to think about it, it is probably one of the least wonderful times of the year. With finals, travel arrangements, gifts to buy, dealing with cold and flu season,  bills, and hearing (or not hearing) back from job prospects, it can be one of the most stressful times of the year.
So the question is, “Should we be happy when faced with all these difficulties?” In my viewpoint, yes.
My mother would always tell me when facing difficulties that life is not fair. It is more than likely that at least once in your life, you will be mistreated, ignored, have you heart broken, and have a dream or two taken away from you.
Wait, I thought this is supposed to be an inspiring article!
Don’t worry, I’m getting to that part.
The struggles and pains of life are important. However, one should be mindful of what a struggle in life really means. Now, not to put down anyone’s accomplishments in law school, but it’s kind of funny when I hear students complaining about some of their “problems.” Comments like “I’m so worried about this reading assignment,” or “I’m having so much trouble writing this Law Review Article” are particularly hilarious. Why might you ask? Because in the end, we choose to come to law school, and we chose to take up this mantle. Above that, you might have also chosen to apply for Law Review, Moot Court, or even run for SBA, so fighting for the prize, and then complaining after you win the prize carries little weight in my mind. Now, this is not saying that awards can’t bring further problems, as in fact they often do. What I am saying is that in the face of everything, many of our so called “problems” are but grains of sand.
We have all achieved much, as evidenced by the fact that we are here in law school now. The fact that we often fail to see is that the big picture often hurts us more then it helps. We get lost in the small details and despite our achievements we seem less well off then when we started. Today’s fast pace and stressful society only increases that problem.
So is there an answer? Is it possible to keep the big picture in mind or keep our spirits up given all the difficulties we face everyday? Yes, but its not an easy one to understand. It requires us to remind ourselves everyday of why we are in law school or anywhere in life’s journey for that matter. We must take all of life’s small things and be able to fit it to our goals. This is not always an easy task, but the pursuit of such goals often define us more than reaching such goals. The real problem one faces in life is if you get to a point and can not fit those pieces into a bigger picture. For these people, they have no goals and the little things in life become truly pointless.

John Bayard
Chaplain, Christian Legal Society

John is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.