As the semester has come into full swing, so have a number of Phi Alpha Delta events. First, we would like to thank everyone for participating as well as encourage everyone to come out for our upcoming events. Recently Phi Alpha Delta volunteered at Family House for a second time this year, helping clean the organization, which supervises visitations between children and their non-custodial parents. Also, this last Wednesday was the Fourth Annual Judges’ Dinner, where we had nearly a dozen local judges in attendance as well as a number of 1, 2 and 3L’s. Phi Alpha Delta would like to extend a special thank you to Tamara Carnahan and Krista Blaisdell as well as the Professional Development Committee for all of their hard work on this event.

Upcoming events include 1L Appellate Brief Binding, February 18th – 29th, located on the second floor of the library. Watch for a sign-up sheet on the Phi Alpha Delta student organization board soon. Walk-ins will also be accommodated IF POSSIBLE. Other upcoming events include Bowl-A-Thon on March 24th at Inman’s, taking the place of the weekly bowling league that night, and a panel of speakers discussing how to succeed in the public sector on March 26th. Additionally in March, we will have officer elections for next year’s executive board; if you are interested in attaining great leadership skills and getting involved, please consider this opportunity. We also have a Q&A session to help 1Ls register for next years’ classes, as well as another Q&A session for second semester finals. Lastly, on April 11th will be our Annual Charity Auction. This event has been very successful in the past and we ask you to please come out and bid on some of the spectacular items (past items include cleaning services, car washes, tax filing, theater tickets, baseball tickets, and even Notre Dame football tickets!) and help us finish off what has been a great year with flying colors!

Welcome to December, Valparaiso Law. I sincerely cannot believe it is the end of 2007 already. As many of you know, this is my last writing to you as President of your Student Bar Association. It is bittersweet for me as I believe that there is still much to be done. However, I know you all are in very capable hands. I wanted to highlight some actions that your Student Bar Association is pursuing so that the Our School can continue to move forward. Great things are happening at Our School, some in plain sight and others behind the scenes.

The Student Bar Association has focused much of its time this semester working to attend to the ever growing problem of poor lightening, the lack of safety call boxes and finally the poor condition of our parking lots. Joe Baruffi (the Director of Student Services) and I have submitted a formal request to our Institution for action. Also, sitting in the SBA office is a petition that will be delivered to the leaders of Valparaiso University. I encourage you all to read and sign this petition—perhaps it will further our progress with this issue.

Also, the SBA has worked hard to improve our image and our pride. We expect to continue our very successful Student Advisor Program next year and we anticipate several first year law students to step up and take the lead. You are no longer new here, this is your school: improve it! Furthermore, other initiatives that the Student Bar Association is working towards are a Diversity Group, as well as Student Alumni Council. It is envisioned that in the future, these groups will increase the already robust sense of community within our Halls.

Finally, save your pennies over the Holiday as the penny wars between the classes will begin at shortly after next semester commences. The total monies collected will go to the Indiana Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program. This SBA is personally committed to not only dedicating its efforts for the betterment of our Law School community but giving back to others as well. There are always great opportunities to help others here at the law school from the VU Day of Caring, to the Book Drive, PDP’s pumpkin carving event for local children, PAD’s adopt a family program, and many more.

Next, I want to introduce you to the new President of your Student Bar Association, Laura Wishart. Laura is a second year law student and is thoroughly committed to continuing the mission of improving Our School for our students. I have worked with Laura the past two years and have witnessed her commitment first hand. Go to her and our other representatives with your concerns and problems just as many of you have approached me in the past. She and the rest of your Student Bar Association want to help. You can reach Laura at laura.wishart@valpo.edu

Finally, as I will make the transition from a student at Our School to an Alumnus, I will leave you with some final thoughts. Administration and Staff: thank you for your ever present commitment to improve Our School. Your dedication to progress is inspirational. Please continue to listen to the ways students believe this school can improve. Faculty: thank you for your open doors, minds, and hearts. Thank you for your devotion to our education and demanding the very best from us every day in class. You all are to be extremely commended for dedicating your life to educating others. Lastly, fellow colleagues: we all have an affirmative duty placed upon us the day we enter as first year law students at the Valparaiso University School of Law. I am not discussing the commitment we make to ourselves to be the best student we can be. Rather, this obligation is to commit a part of our journey into and out of here to improving Our School. Take Pride not only in yourself, but also this school—Our School. Pride stands for Personal Responsibility In Daily Excellence.In my assessment, the Valparaiso University School of Law will be much different in the future. The question is how it will be different. Sure, we could all forget about Valparaiso Law when we leave here and yes, it would probably be OK. However, OK is not and should not be good enough. We can improve Our School more, plans are coming in place to really move forward. Will you be a part of this progress? You each are an integral part. Ask how you can help, volunteer, respond, Act! Please join in our endeavor to improve Our School, not only while you are a student here, but also as a proud graduate.

In closing, thank you, Valparaiso University School of Law, for the wonderful memories, the life long friendships I have made, and, in my estimation, one of the best legal educations in America. It was an honor and privilege to serve you.Best Regards, God Bless, and Happy Holidays.

J. Sebastian Smelko

President, Student Bar Association

jsebastiansmelko@gmail.com

By Kelly Kruger, SBA Philanthropy Chair

The SBA and the American Red Cross put on their annual blood drive on October 30th. The event was another overall success! The Red Cross collected 33 units of blood from 1-6pm. Overall, there were 39 people who signed in along with 14 new donors. Some of the other numbers crunched were 8 deferrals and 2 extra units from the Double Red Cell procedures done.

The beginning of the blood drive especially started with a bang as 17 people came in the first hour. We apologize for any extra wait time as this rush of donors made it busy, but everything went smoothly in the end. The Red Cross was very grateful for every unit donated and looks forward to success in the future. For those who may not have had the chance to donate this time or are not sure about the process, please know that the donation process is safe and simple. Every blood donor goes through registration and a medical history process, a mini physical, the donation, and finally refreshments are given out. The entire process lasts about one hour, but the donations last only 10-12 minutes.

Donating blood is scary to some people, but remember that every two seconds someone in America needs blood and 38,000 blood donations are needed every day. This is a great way to give, especially for law students who may not be able to give financially or donate a lot of other time outside of the law school to local charities. So get ready for the blood drive next semester!

In other news, the SBA’s 1st annual book drive ended last month with a good number of books collected. The books will be sorted and donated to local elementary schools in Valparaiso. Since reading is often cited as being fundamental to a young child’s future success in school and life, this book drive was developed to give back to our local community. Your SBA wants to thank everyone who was able to donate!

Have you seen the little houses around the school lately near the waste collectors? These are the Ronald McDonald pop tab houses that are there to collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The Ronald McDonald House Pop Tab Collection Program was established in 1987 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Ronald McDonald House community. The program provides a “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

To date, more than 400 million pop tabs have been collected, generating more than $4 million. While the actual cost to operate a room varies from $50-$100 per night, families are asked to donate an average of $5-$25 per night to stay at the House. However, the fee is waived for those who cannot afford it. The difference is made up through donations. Thanks to support from individual and corporate donors, families are never turned away because of their inability to pay. More than 10 million families around the world have benefited from the comfort provided by a Ronald McDonald House. Please save your pop tabs and drop them in the house before putting your cans in the recycling bins. Together our law school can make a difference! For more information, please go to www.rmch.com and bring in your pop tabs!

SAVE YOUR PENNIES NOW! Let’s put good old Abe to work with another philanthropic event that will be held during law week (February 10-16). We will have penny wars between the classes (1L, 2L, and 3L). The total monies collected will go to the Indiana Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program. The class that collects the most money will get a pizza party. Thank you to everyone who has been able to help with these events so far this year! Your SBA has personally committed this year to not only dedicating its efforts for the betterment of our law school community but giving back to others as well. There are always great opportunities to help others here at the law school from the VU Day of Caring, to the Book Drive, PDP’s pumpkin carving event for local children, PAD’s adopt a family program, and many more. Your SBA is always looking for dedicated students willing and able to help in these great causes.

Anyone interested in helping with the philanthropic committee should contact Kelly Kruger at kelly.kruger@valpo.edu for more information.

It’s November, which means it is election time! The Valpo Law Democrats have been active in supporting campaigns both in Porter County and LaPorte County. Thank you to everyone who volunteered time to work on the campaign.

November also means it is time to remember our veterans and those in active service of our country. The VLD is proud to be a supporter of the Conversations Project, whose program on November 7th is titled, “Honoring our Veterans: Theory and Practice.” This program is designed to explore the experiences of veterans returning from the various fronts in the war on terror. Panelists will address the problems faced by returning veterans, including coping with physical and mental injuries and reintegrating into civilian society.

The VLD will conclude its semester by creating care packages to send to our deployed Indiana National Guard members in Iraq. We ask all students, faculty and staff for their support in writing a personal note of gratitude to our service members this holiday season. Please stop by our table in the atrium, or send an email to jsheetz@valpo.edu, to sign a card and to donate items for the packages.

Warm Regards, Jennifer Sheetz President – Valpo Law Democrats

Jus Vitae is Latin for “the Law of Life” or “the Right to Life.” A national law reform organization originally founded at Valparaiso University, Jus Vitae is a student group which reserves the sanctity of human life from conception through death. Our members comprise a variety of ideologies, yet share in this righteous conviction. Consequently, we strive to improve our society’s quality of life through community service and Pro-Life-themed events.

By the end of the semester, Jus Vitae will have hosted four guest speakers, including Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., and James Sedlak, Vice-President of American Life League. The last guest this Fall will be Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society in Chicago. Tom is a prominent Pro-Life attorney who will be discussing his legal work and a variety of issues relating to abortion and the law on November 14th at 4pm.

All inquiries can be directed to jusvitae2007@gmail.com.

By Sherwin Tsai, Clerk
Phi Alpha Delta

As the holiday season draws near, the weather turns cold and our hearts grow warm. That’s right folks, it’s that time of year where we give thanks for all that we have and give to the less fortunate. Phi Alpha Delta, in collaboration with the Women’s Law Student Association, invites everyone to take part in the spirit of giving at the Adopt-a-Family Kickoff.

The event is scheduled for Friday, November 30, 2007 at Martini’s, located at 1004 Calumet Avenue. The festivities will begin at 9:00 p.m. and will most likely run until midnight. All those attending are encouraged to donate whatever they can, from monetary donations to toys to clothing. For every monetary gift or brand new item received, that generous donor will receive a free pint of beer, courtesy of PAD and WLSA.

So gather all you can to donate and bring the items to the Adopt-a-Family Kickoff. This is your chance to help those in need enjoy a momentous holiday season with your generous gifts. Not only will you take pleasure in a fun-filled evening with your peers, but you will also benefit from the knowledge that you helped someone less fortunate.

By Justin Markley

On October 15, 2007, the Business Law Society was delighted to host special guest speaker and accomplished V.U.S.L. alum Mr. Devin Klein. Mr. Klein, the Vice President of Franchise Recruitment and Development Department for Kumon North American, Inc., shared with the BLS his interesting and unique story about how he achieved his current position in the corporate world. In addition to informing the BLS of the challenges he has faced along his career path, Mr. Klein reiterated what business law challenges current law students may face in the future during their legal careers. It was a pleasure to have such an insightful view of the day-to-day legal concerns faced by today’s corporations.