SBA Year in Review: 2008-2009
Dear Students,
This year’s Florida State College of Law SBA Executive Board sought to build off of the success of past boards and still blaze its own trail. We you will agree that we were able to accomplish just that. The board worked hard to mix established FSU SBA events with new, innovative programs to help enhance FSU Law students’ academic and social experience. Below, you will find a list of programs SBA sponsored and services it provided this year. The board hopes that it was able to make a positive impact on your law school experience this year, and we thank you for the honor of serving you.
Sincerely,
The 2008-2009 FSU SBA Executive Board
Events and Programs
“Help Sierra Leone” presentation and social
For the past two years, FSU SBA has held a social to help Mo Haidara, an FSU Law alum and a native of Sierra Leone, raise money for those in his home country. Haidara has created a charitable organization which can send a child to school for a year for only $20. Last year’s fundraiser, held late in the spring, raised more than $500 for this cause. However, this year’s board knew that our student body could do better than that.
Therefore, the board agreed to move the social to the beginning of the fall semester, when turnout is often at its highest, and to have a lunchtime presentation from Haidara on that same day to tell students about his work and how badly their donations were needed. SBA provided food for the lunch event and publicized the events to groups outside of the law school for the first time. Between the lunch event and social, this year’s board was able to raise more than $1,700 to help the children of Sierra Leone.
Mental Health Week
Last year’s ABA Law Student Division Board of Governors’ made mental health issues a top priority, and the 2007-2008 FSU SBA board followed up by instituting a Mental Health Day in the spring. This year’s board took this a step further by holding a Mental Health Week in the fall. By having this event in the fall, the board felt it would be more effective in helping students (particularly 1Ls) develop good, healthy habits and practices for the exam period. The week’s schedule included:
- A panel on stress and time management featuring councilors from the FSU psychology department and members of the law review.
- A free, healthy breakfast for students.
- A seminar on how to maintain a healthy diet during finals and other stressful times.
- A wiffle ball game on the law school green.
Legislative Preview
On Feb.4, 2009, FSU SBA, along with the Democratic and Republican Law Students Association, sponsored its 4th Annual Legislative Preview at the law school. Two members of the Florida Senate and two members of the House (including the Speaker designate) spoke to students about the upcoming legislative session and the problems the Florida legislature most needs to deal with. The event was moderated by Sandy D’Alemberte, former president of Florida State University and former president of the ABA.
Not only was there a strong turnout of law students at this event, but there were also a significant number of undergraduate students and other members of the general public in attendance. One member of the Florida House even showed up to watch and expressed interest in participating next year. Also, the Florida Channel (sort of a state-wide C-SPAN) taped the event and has been playing it regularly on television. In all, this event provides a unique opportunity for FSU students to interact with legislators and to take advantage of being in the state capitol.
Law School Olympics
The first-ever FSU Law Olympics were held this year. President Will Hall got the idea for the Olympics at the ABA Annual Meeting in New York, and the board worked hard to make this an event everyone would look forward to. The Olympics were held in February and included events in which the three classes competed for gold, silver, and bronze metals. These events included flag football, a pie eating contest, bocce ball, and a tug-of-war. The winning class (the 1Ls) was announced at the Barristers Ball at the end of the week.
Other Examples of Significant Programs and Achievements
- Helped secure donations to the school from 71 percent of students during the student annual fund drive (up from 67 percent last year).
- Helped publicized and organize the Steven G. Gey 5K Run/Walk, which raised more than $4,000 for ALS research. The board also organized a “Tribute to Prof. Gey” panel to help pay tribute to his achievements and encourage students to take part in the 5K race. Prof. Gey is a popular professor at FSU who is battling ALS.
- Helped bring U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart to the law school to discuss how his background as a lawyer has aided him in public service.
- Sponsored a panel on how to start your own law firm featuring prominent local attorneys Daryl Parks and Sean Desmond.
- Brought in Tommy Warren, a prominent civil rights lawyer, to speak about the importance of public interest law and diversity in the legal profession.
- Brought in George Sheldon, the Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, to speak with students about the employment opportunities his department provides.
- Organized a voter registration drive for law students.
- Sponsored several tailgates before football and basketball games.
- Organized a "FSU v. UF" canned food drive which collected more than 445 items for Thanksgiving.
- Reinstituted the SBA “Professor of the Year” award.
- Organized a book exchange at the beginning of the spring semester which allowed FSU Law students to drop off their old text books and supplements and other students to buy them.
- Provided affordable and high-quality FSU Law t-shirts and drink cozies to students.- Expanded its annual diversity day into an entire week of events, featuring events such as a discussion of LGBT issues in the law and a belly-dancing demonstration by the Middle Eastern Law Students Association.
- Sponsored a panel featuring faculty and students with advice to 1Ls on putting together their class schedule.
- Brought a DUI attorney to speak to students about his practice and their rights.
- Started hosting free yoga classes for students in the law school rotunda.
- Made improvements to the “Welcome to Tallahassee” guide for incoming students, including more restaurants, entertainment venues, and pertinent information that 1Ls would need to know.
- Created a master calendar for all of the FSU Law student organizations. Student Organization leaders were all asked to email SBA with the date of any events they had planned. Those events were then all placed on the publicly-viewable, online calendar, which allowed organization leaders to see whether there were conflicts with possible event dates.
Socials events
- Increased attendance to Barristers’ Ball.
- Increased attendance to the “Woodser” and added a hayride to the event.
- Valentine’s Day Date Auction Social, which raised $475 for the University of Fondwa in Haiti.
- 1L Orientation social at Clyde’s.
- "Help Sierra Leone" social at Clyde’s.
- "Black, White, and Grey" social at Mint Lounge.
- 80’s social at Potbelly’s.
- Halloween social at Clyde’s.
- FSU vs. NC St. football watch party social at A.J.’s.
- "Medical Malpractice" social (including MBA students) at Potbelly’s.
- "Going Green" social at Paradise Bar and Grill.
- End of finals social at Potbelly’s.
- Non-drinking social at the FSU Reservation.
- Happy hour at Finnegan’s.
- Happy hour at Chez Pierre.
- Happy hour at Fermintation Lounge.
- Admitted Students Day happy hour at Andrew’s
- Tailgate before the Western Kentucky football game.
- Tailgate before the Wake Forest football game.
- Tailgate before the Virginia Tech football game.
- SBA/LitiGators social before the UF football game.
- Tailgate before the UNC basketball game.
- SBA also provided free taxi rides from SBA socials for law students who had no other safe way home.
Representing Students’ Needs to the Administration
One issue that SBA has lobbied the administration on for years is improving the student lounge. This year, the idea finally came to fruition. The FSU Law lounge is now a state-of-the art facility featuring plenty of seating, meal service, and several flat screen televisions. Although many of the design idea’s were proposed by last year’s board, this year’s board was also involved in the process. The board was also instrumental in helping students to cope while the lounge was closed for construction during the fall semester. It lobbied the administration to offer quality lunch service elsewhere in the law school and tried to help student organizations who were left without office space for the semester find places to store their materials.
Other examples of interaction with the adminstration
- Lobbied to prevent the scheduling of fall exams for the week following Thanksgiving, as was the case in the fall.
Thank you to all of the members of the Executive Board whom made these events possible!