The

BriefA newsletter for Stetson University College of Law studentsSeptember 18, 2007

CONTENTS

Stetson Scenes 2

COLUMN: Best of the Bay 3

Summer Work Experience 4

COLUMN: The Swings 5

Trivia 5

Prospective Employers 5

DeLand News 6

COLUMN: Amnesty 8

Puzzle Solutions 8

COLUMN: ALDF 9

COLUMN: Political Junkie 10

Upcoming Events 10

Flag Football 11

Puzzles 12

Stetson Scenes page 2

Inside Professor lectures in Lagos, Nigeria

In a law school environ-ment, between studying, classes and other extracurricular activi-ties, it is sometimes difficult to stop and smell the roses (or in the case of some Stetson students, stop and throw the frisbee). That didn’t stop stu-dents from competing in the Ultimate Frisbee Tournament on Sept. 9.

Ultimate Frisbee is a chal-lenging sport that could best be described as a cross between soccer and football. The object of the game is to score points

by passing the disc to a player on your team in the opponent’s end-zone. The only way to advance the frisbee is while it is in the air and a dropped frisbee equates to a turnover, giving your opponent possession. Student Bobby Johnson, a par-ticipant in the tourna-ment, appreciates the sport not only for the competitive aspects, but also for the exercise ben-efits.

“Ultimate frisbee is a great

sport because it’s fast-paced and is a great cardio workout.

The Ultimate Study BreakBy NICOLE ARMSTRONGStaff Writer

FRISBEE continued on page 3

Stetson College of Law professor Luz Nagle traveled to Lagos, Nigeria, this summer to deliver the keynote lecture for the Tenth Anniversary Sympo-sium of Human Development Initiatives, a progressive, Nige-rian, non-government organiza-tion committed to social and economic development. The organization, founded and direct-ed by Dr. Bolaji Owasanoye, a prominent law professor at the University of Lagos, is dedicated to combating human trafficking and modern day slavery. Professor Nagle was person-ally invited to deliver her lecture,

The Impact of Globaliza-tion on Human Traffick-ing: An Era of Globalized Servitude, by Dr. Owa-sanoye. Her lecture was primarily concerned with the impact of the globalization of markets and trade regimes and an increase in human trafficking and forced sexual servitude around the world. More than 400 peo-ple attended professor Nagle’s lecture, including Nigerian Supreme Court justices, judges, government officials, United Nations and NGO officials, pros-ecutors, social workers, law pro-fessors and other academics.

“Never in the course of my dozens of presentations have I received a warmer welcome and a more earnest, animated response to my talk and to my

photo - courtesy PROFESSOR NAGLEProfessor Nagle with Nigerian school children

By RACHAEL LEDETEditor

LAGOS continued on page 3

COLUMN

photo - NICOLE ARMSTRONG(L-R): Students Anthony, Gordon, JP, Shirin, Jeff and Christian warm up before the game

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Stetson ScenesPhotos Courtesy of AFIA DONKOR, Staff Photographer

CORRECTIONS TO LAST ISSUE

The Sept. 5 issue of the Brief inaccurately stated that

Stetson University College of Law was named the American Bar Association’s School of the Year at a special ceremony Aug. 10 in San Francisco, CA in the article, “Stetson named ABA School of the Year.” This year’s award was officially called the ABA Law Student Division Award of Excellence. The article also stated that recent Stetson grad-uate Brian Redar completed his term as student representative for the ABA Board of Governors, the highest office any law student can hold in the ABA. This position is not the highest office according to the ABA LSD. The chair of the ABA LSD is the highest office.This is the eighth consecutive year, not the tenth, that the ABA has chosen a Stetson student for a national position.

Want to see more pictures of you and your friends in the Brief? We do too!

E-mail your photos to theBrief@law.stetson.edu to be included in the next issue.

It incorporates the best aspects of soccer and football,” Johnson said.

The tournament, which was sponsored by the Student Bar Association and Phi Delta Phi, took place in the Sandspur Lot on Stetson’s Gulfport cam-pus. The winning team walks away with a $100 gift card to Chili’s, countless bragging rights and recognition in the Brief. Five teams competed in the single-elimination tournament but only one reigned victorious. Team Salva-tion defeated Team

OverCommitted in the championship game. Scouts recruiting for the next tourna-ment were particularly impressed with student Dave Barnhill. It has been speculated that he can throw a frisbee six miles. Congratulations to all the members of Team Salvation: Dave Barnhill, Bob Chap-man, Scott Feather, Shannon Clancy, Adam Brown, Kevin Rudin, Chris Bristow and Ste-fan Moroney.

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FRISBEEcontinued from page 1

participation,” said Professor Nagle of her experience. During her time in Nigeria, profes-sor Nagle also was the guest speaker at the Child Rights Implementation Training program for Nigerian government officials, organized by Human Devel-opment Initiatives and Child Helpline International Nether-lands. “What I saw and experienced dur-ing the two days I was there has had a profound impact on my life and work,” said professor Nagle. “(It) has pushed me to continue my efforts to combat human traffick-

ing and other crimes against humanity, and has made me deeply appreciative of the opportunities and responsibilities I have as a lawyer and as a law professor to try to change the world.”

LAGOScontinued from page 1

Beth’s Best of the Bay: Doing Dali JusticeCOLUMN

By BETH GALBAVYStaff Writer

photo - courtesy PROFESSOR NAGLEProfessor Nagle with Dr. Owasanoye and HDI staff at the University of Lagos Law School.

I decided to culture myself a little for this issue of the Brief, so I thought a local museum was a good place to start. I’ve never been a huge “museum person,” but I enjoy art and thought I could learn a few things at the same time. Honestly, it was time well spent. I learned a lot and I have even been inspired to visit a few more museums.

There are several differ-ent museums in downtown St. Petersburg, with a variety of exhibits and themes. I chose the Salvador Dali Museum, located on Third St. S. Whether you are familiar with the eccentric works of Salvador Dali or not, I would highly recommend visit-ing the museum for a few hours when you have some free time.

Admission is $15 for adults and $10 with a student ID, including a very informative guided tour. Take this tour!

The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg is the largest collec-tion of Dali’s work in the world, with the exception of his home country, Spain. The museum is right on the water with a deli and a marina in walking distance if you feel like getting some fresh air or a sandwich. The current exhibit, “The Fine Art of Collect-ing Dali,” is a collection donated from the Morse family, who were close friends of Dali for 45 years. As a result of their close relation-ship with the artist, there is a lot of insightful information about many of the works that wouldn’t be discovered without intimate knowledge of Dali’s unusual per-sonal life.

The artwork itself is intrigu-ing, strange, and intricately detailed, to say the least. The works range from Dali’s first

painting at six years old, to realis-tic landscapes and portraits, then into his better known Surrealist and Atheist phase when his work got really bizarre, and finally some large scale paintings that he created in his later years.

Each of his paintings are fascinating, strange, complex and intriguing. He uses double imagery, in which you can see different images by switching angles. Dali also incorporated many things from his life experi-ences into his art. For example, he apparently had a huge fear of grasshoppers, an affinity for the natural rock formations in Spain, and a fetish for red shoes, which all show up repeatedly in his dif-ferent paintings. You really have to take the tour, because it pro-vides insight into the symbolism and history behind Dali’s work.

I especially liked the double imagery and some of the large- scale paintings. You could spend hours looking at just one of the

large-scale paintings and still not catch all of the different things Dali incorporated. The key to Dali’s Surrealism is figuring out what Dali was thinking about when he created each piece.

The integration of recurring themes into various paintings creates a continuity in Dali’s work. Some people say Dali was insane, but whether he was or was not, his artwork is amazing.

There is much more to say about his work, and the inter-esting facts about his life, but I recommend going to see the museum for yourself because it is impossible to describe his work in a way that does it justice.

Other museums in the area are the Museum of Fine Arts, the St. Petersburg Museum of Histo-ry, Great Explorations Children’s Museum, the Florida Holocaust Museum, and the Florida Inter-national Museum.

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Hoping to land that per-fect summer job? Start looking early. And don’t forget to make an appointment with a counselor in the office of career develop-ment. That was the advice offered by three Stetson students Sept. 4 at the Summer Experience Panel, which was sponsored by the office of career develop-ment. Chris Mills clerked with Justice Carol Hunstein of the Georgia Supreme Court for seven weeks. Hunstein is a Stet-son graduate and Hall of Fame winner. “You get a lot of interaction

day to day with judges,” he said. “You get to see how the legal system really works.” Mills worked at Georgia Legal Services for the rest of the summer to satisfy Stetson’s pro bono requirements. “It really makes you feel good about yourself,” Mills said. “You feel like you are making a difference.” Annie Banford, 3L, also worked at Georgia Legal Ser-vices. Although the job was unpaid, she was awarded an Equal Justice Works stipend to help cover her expenses. “It was a very well grounded experience,” she said, although she admitted that her first week “was a little scary.”

Chris Sprowls interned with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. He knew he wanted to work in D.C., so he contacted the department to see if they had filled all their summer posi-tions. They had not. Sprowls said he was inter-

ested in immigration issues, the Patriot Act and wiretaps, so he sought out lawyers who were dealing with those issues. His internship was “more of a loose environment,” he said. Sprowls said he was even asked to write a provision for a bill on tort liability.

The summer work experienceBy SHANNON TANStaff Writer

The Bruce R. Jacob Criminal Inn of Court is pleased to announce its newest members:

Lauren BacalisStephanie BendeckHannah Brannan

Adam LevineNicole Mariani

Jennifer McCleanJoseph McCormick

Ashley MeadStanley PlappertChristian Radley

Jason RiceStacey Rickles

Ashley RollinsonLowrey Woodard

Ahmed O’Keeffe (spring)

CONGRATULATIONS

photo - AFIA DONKOR Panel Speakers students Chris Mills, Annie Banford and Chris Sprowls

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It is not clear to me if I am spending either too much or too little time on the playground. However, as yet, no one seems to be complaining. Although, I am beginning to wonder if anyone actually misses me while I’m at the playground. I am not feeling overwhelmed. My 80-hour work weeks haven’t changed. And, to date, although I have not actually made it into the library, I have not yet fallen asleep in the library. I haven’t fallen asleep in a case book yet. I haven’t even fallen asleep in the parking lot before class, in class, or even after class. These are major accomplishments. This is that perfect time in the semester when classes are slowly gaining momentum, class con-fusion is far from reaching its

peak, Research and Writing arguments and deadlines seem distant, most everyone appears happy, and exams seem far, far away. It certainly seems like I have plenty of time. It is a rar-efied time of the year for me in which I have time to read, time to work and time to relax and enjoy the playground.

This is also that time of year when lessons from semes-ters past about procrastination don’t seem to matter… Okay, maybe I’ll limit the time to play, but I do have time for the swings. I enjoy that controlled sense of freedom, of exerting minimal effort while soaring back and forth and enjoying the changing perspective. Can you believe that I’m still with the playground analogy? We’ve cov-

ered the teeter totter, the sand box and now the swings. What comes next? You will have to wait for the next issue. Will there be a song? Yes. Will there be more talk about perspective? Absolutely! Everything is about perspective.

Perspective occasionally brings one of those great neces-

Playground Lessons: The Swings Trivia TestANSWERS on page 8By Fifi Rodriguez

1. MEASUREMENTS: How many are represented by a septuple?2. MEDICAL: What bacterium causes the common disease known as “strep throat”?3. LITERATURE: What was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans?4. GEOGRAPHY: In what city is the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) located?5. MUSIC: Which Eagles’ song contains the lyrics, “It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me.”6. HISTORY: What famous Civil War battle included a disastrous assault known as “Pickett’s Charge”?7. ANATOMY: What does the area of the brain known as “Bro-ca’s Area” control?8. NATURAL WORLD: Marble is composed of what kind of rock?9. MOVIES: What was the name of John Belushi’s fraternity in the movie “Animal House”?10. MATH: How many basic sym-bols are used in Roman numerals?

(c) 2007 King Features

By ADAM LEVINE, M.D., PT LAWStaff Writer

photo - STETSON UNIVERSITYAdam Levine, M.D., Part time law student

COLUMN

PLAYGROUND continued on page 6

How would you like to be one of 15 Stetson Law students in the midst of 100 attorneys and judges? Some of these attor-neys and judges include Chief Judge Morris, state attorney Ber-nie McCabe and Pinellas County Clerk of Court Ken Burke. The office of career development at Stetson University College of Law made it happen last week. On Sept. 6, a group of 15 Stetson Law students went to a St. Petersburg Bar luncheon at no expense, thanks to the office of career development. These students sat at different tables where they were able to chat with attorneys and judges. Beyond networking, these

15 students were privy to first-hand information and opinions about Pinellas County courts from the keynote speaker, Chief Judge Morris. Judge Morris had two main topics. First, he spoke about the common bond of lawyers. He advised that all lawyers should be honest, fair and kind to one another. The judge’s second topic was about the decreased funding Pinellas County Courts should expect to receive. He explained that the court systems in Florida were asked to write their bud-geting plans as if they had a four percent decrease and a ten percent decrease. The legislature wanted to see how the court system would be impacted by a

decreased budget. Judge Morris said that the court systems only geta small portion of the budget. He said that the courts don’t hold extra cash, and that they are frugal in their spending. He

said that one library has already been set to close, and there was talk about closing all public law libraries in Pinellas County on Saturdays.

The judge said that we have

Want to have lunch with 100 prospective employers?By DAVID DELRAHIMStaff Writer

photo - DAVID DELRAHIM(L-R): Students Stephanie Bendeck and Ross Felsher attended the luncheon

PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS continued on page 7

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By CINDI BROWNFIELDContributing Writer

PLAYGROUND continued from page 5

DeLand campus receives federal grant for science scholarships

sities of life – humor. However, humor is dependent upon per-spective. For example, last fall, I went into Stetson’s bookstore for the first time. I ordered a coffee, took some time to look around, found a Stetson shirt and picked up all my first semester books. I went to the register. I waited in line. The total wasn’t too bad; I’ve certainly done worse in the last several years. I gave the nice lady my American Express Card (I never leave home with-out it). Rejected! Huh? What? I was dumbfounded. She calmly told me that my purchase was declined, that I could call Ameri-can Express, and requested that I please allow those waiting behind me to move forward. I called American Express. It was an interesting conversation. American Express explained that I was a doctor and that doctors do not purchase items in law school bookstores. It took a bit

of persuading, but they eventu-ally approved the purchase after I somehow proved that it really was me. Now, I have a tendency to warn American Express in advance of future bookstore purchases. I do, in fact, get really funny looks while wearing green operating room scrubs and car-rying around a Civil Procedure case book.

Scrubs are great. Similar to pajamas, they exist in a semi-per-manent, wrinkled, comfortable state. Usually, they are easy to match and close to one size fits all. Civil Procedure case books, on the other hand, are not quite as comfortable, really don’t match anything but other case books from the same publisher, and have many sizes. Perspec-tive. It is a wonderful thing.

I’m flying with the boss. My apologies.

Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away

If you can use, some exotic boozeThere’s a bar in far off Tampa Bay,

Come fly with me, we’ll fly we’ll fly away

Come fly with me, we’ll just check our jurisdiction With safe rides from the horse-shoe No need to check our in perso-nam condition Come fly with me, we’ll float the blue skies together Come fly with me, we’ll study long today

Once we get there, where the air is rarefied We’ll grab our books, ditch our phones, and we’ll just glide Come fly with me, fly with me and we’ll read a bit more Weather-wise, it’s such a lovely day, no storms at sea You just say the words, and we’ll ditch the books Back down to Philthy Phils and Old Tampa Bay

It’s a perfect beach for after class, they say Come fly with me, we’ll fly we’ll fly away

Swings allow you the chance to experience controlled freedom. You can’t fly too far away. Classes have begun and I am once again at one with my case book. We are inseparable. It is a Zen thing. If I always have it, I might actually read it. If I can manage to fly along and keep up with my reading, I’ll have it made. You would think that after so many years, I would learn about quasi-New Years resolutions. I believe that it is a fundamental right to continue making the same mistakes over and over and over again. In some cases, making those same mistakes with friends is what makes life worth living. It is those friends who will help you to soar.

The National Science

Foundation (NSF) has awarded Stetson University a $597,000 grant to provide scholarships for undergraduate students majoring in Chemistry or Physics.

The scholarships, to be awarded over six years starting in fall 2008, are part of a federal effort to increase the number of scientists specializing in the phys-ical sciences. Nationwide, the number of people selecting col-lege majors and careers in chem-istry and physics has declined as interest in other science fields such as bioscience and bio-tech-nology has increased, said Stet-

son chemistry professor Tandy Grubbs, one of four Stetson pro-fessors overseeing the grant.

“There are fewer students expressing an interest in the core physical sciences – students who wish to focus on disciplines like chemistry and physics that are at the heart of the nation’s scien-tific infrastructure,” Grubbs said. “The federal government has increased funding to undergradu-ate physical science, math and technology scholarship programs offered through the NSF in an attempt to reverse this trend.”

Stetson is one of 90 col-leges and universities nationwide to receive a grant through the NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program.

Each of the scholar-ships is worth $9,750 per year, and students will be eligible to renew their scholarships annu-ally over four years.

The university will start construction this fall on an $8.5 million addition to its Sage Hall science center. The 20,000-square-foot addi-tion will increase space for science education at Stetson by nearly 50 per-cent. The new space will open in January 2009.

photo - STETSON UNIVERSITYBiochemistry major Gail Ferek ’07 does research with assistant professor of Biology Alicia Schultheis at the Sage Hall science center.

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The Brief is produced with the cooperative effort of the Communications Office and the Brief student staff:

BRANDI PALMEREditor-in-Chief,Communications Specialist

RACHAEL LEDETEditor

GRANT KRAPFBusiness Manager

FRANK KLIMExecutive Director of Communications

DAVINA GOULDAssociate Director of Communications

TRUDY FUTCHAdministrative Specialist

Staff Writers:

NICOLE ARMSTRONGR. DALLAN BUNCEDAVID DELRAHIMBETH GALBAVYTRESSA GILLNOAH KORESADAM LEVINEEMILY MORGANJENNIFER PEREZNICOLLE RODIRIGUEZPETERSON ST.PHILIPPESHANNON TAN

Staff Photographers:

AFIA DONKORKEVIN RUDIN

Contributors:

CINDI BROWNFIELDLUZ NAGLEAMIE PATTY

To submit events, stories or information, please e-mail TheBrief@law.stetson.edu or call 727-562-7381.

The Brief is issued on or about the 1st and 15th of each month when classes are in session.

Services or products advertised in the Brief are paid advertise-ment and not endorsed by the Brief.

PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYERS continued from page 5

The Barney Masterson Inn of Court is pleased to announce its newest

members:

Karla AllenDerrick Connell

Ross FelsherMelissa MadsenSarah MantheyJohn Paschal

Monica RobinsonMark Jason Rose

Berc SarafianChristopher White

CONGRATULATIONS

been through worse and always pulled through. He said that those other libraries will not be closed and he said that we should only expect a four percent budget decrease and not the ten percent decrease. Ending the speech, he asked that any and all present tell their legislatures that the courts are being impacted by budget decreases, and that the courts need every cent they are awarded. Stephanie Bendeck, a 2L at Stetson, said, “I liked that the speaker was approachable and that we were able to talk to him.”

2L Ross Felsher said, “I enjoyed the experience greatly. It was a very warm environment.” Ross went on to say that he understands it was only a lunch,

but wished the event could have lasted even longer. Cathy Fitch, the director of career development at Stetson, supports events such as the St. Petersburg Bar Luncheon. Fitch said, “In all of the years that I have been involved in law school career devel-opment, I am still amazed by how often employment opportunities result from networking, most often at the local and state bar

association level.” You could have an opportunity to meet amazing people, hear speakers, and even get a free lunch if you take advantage of opportunitites to attend bar luncheons.

photo - DAVID DELRAHIMStudents Stephanie Bendeck and Ross Felsher had the opportunity to meet several attorneys and judges from the local area

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Puzzle SolutionsTrivia TestAnswers

1. Seven2. Streptococcus3. George Eliot (“Silas Marner”)4. Jerusalem5. “Take It Easy”6. Battle of Gettysburg7. Speech and language8. Metamorphic9. Delta house10. Seven (I V X L C D M)

Puzzles on page 12.

Trivia Test on page 5.

Super Crossword Answer

Amnesty International: The joys and importance of student lobbyingBy AMIE PATTYContributing Writer

Most of us get an image when we hear the word “lobby-ist.” But the act of lobbying is simply letting your political rep-resentative know what you think about an issue. People tend to shy away from getting involved in lobbying because they are not sure how to get involved, or question if lobbying is an effec-tive way to actuate change. I’m here to tell you that lobbying is probably one of the most effec-tive ways to get your voice heard. Having worked as an intern with the Florida State Senate, I can assure you the bills that get passed are the ones backed by passionate people. Whether you make a phone call, send an e-mail or a letter, or organize a visit to a district office (or even the office in Washington) lob-bying is a powerful way to get

involved in the democratic pro-cess. Amnesty International is an international human rights organization with over 2.2 mil-lion members worldwide and a grassroots focus on issues. Sev-eral times a year, Amnesty mem-bers lobby senators and House representatives in their D.C. and district offices on human rights issues. “I find lobbying very rewarding,” says Stetson student Becky Farrar-Koch, group coor-dinator of the Stetson chapter for Amnesty International. “The legislative aides and other staff members are very receptive and tell us that they appreciate hear-ing what constituents think.” Becky led delegations on both issues earlier this year, along with fellow students Adam Nate,

Andrea Ramer, Aisha Sanchez and Genevieve Whitaker. So, you are probably won-dering how can you get involved and make such a vital difference? Amnesty has several lobby-ing opportunities, and one of the most important in recent history is right around the corner. During the week of Sept. 23-28, Amnesty International will be lobbying senators to ask for support in ratifying the Treaty for the Rights of Women. This treaty, officially the Conven-tion on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, is the most complete international agreement for basic human rights of women. This treaty is not a radical treaty that a few countries are trying to pass; 185 countries have already ratified this treaty, and

STUDENT LOBBYING continued on page 9

ATTENTION FALL 2007 FULL-TIME and PART-TIME ENTRANTS

MANDATORY Exam Orientation Sessions have been scheduled as indicated

below. These important and informative sessions will help you better

understand the exam process.

PLEASE NOTE: Attendance at any one of the sessions is MANDATORY.

Please choose the session that best suits your schedule.

• THURSDAY - SEPT. 20 - 1:30 to 3 P.M. - THE GREAT HALL

• THURSDAY - SEPT. 20 - 5 to 5:50 P.M. - THE GREAT HALL

• FRIDAY - SEPT. 21 - 10:30 A.M. to 12 NOON - THE GREAT HALL

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STUDENT LOBBYINGcontinued from page 8

only eight countries have NOT passed this treaty. The United States played an important role in drafting this treaty in 1979, but has not yet ratified it. We are in the company of Sudan, Somalia, Qatar and Iran, just to name a few. This treaty ensures the very basic rights of women. This is not a partisan debate. Many countries with varied politics have already ratified this treaty. This is a simple treaty for a guarantee of human rights for

women the world over. I believe it is important to be an informed lobbyist, and that one should back only those things that compell them. I urge you to learn more about this treaty and other lobbying oppor-tunities by visiting the following Web sites:For more information on the Treaty for the Rights of Women, go to: http://womenstreaty.org To participate in a lobbying visit

on CEDAW to District offices of Senators Nelson and Martinez, contact :Becky Farrar-Koch at rfarrark@law.stetson.edu To get more information on Amnesty International USA, go to :http://www.amnestyusa.org To get more information on the Amnesty International chapter at Stetson, contact Amie Patty, membership coordinator at: apatty@law.stetson.edu

There are many opportuni-ties to get involved with Amnesty International, on the national and local (campus) level. There are also important issues to lobby for at this level.

ALDF attends national conference

It is really exciting to be a part of this newly re-energized student organization at Stetson, and to be among brave and pas-sionate colleagues. Although Stetson took preliminary steps to establish an Animal Legal Defense Fund chapter, no one ever really took the time to (pun intended) “give it legs.” This spring, however, something changed. My classmate and I attended the ALDF National Conference at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass. We both have a great compassion for animals, so we figured it would be an interesting opportunity to see how the law comes into play in their lives. As first year law students, this also seemed like a good way to experience just how broad the scope of the law can be. Our excitement for the trip was born out of many reasons. We would be staying in Boston, mingling with Harvard Law students, and more importantly, we would have some free time to shop. All of those things were as gratifying as we had expected if not more. It was what we didn’t

expect that changed everything for us. We did not expect to be so completely captivated with all of the speakers and the presenta-tions. The conference began with a speech by Joyce Tischler, founding director of ALDF. The goal of her message was simply stated: “Remember When You Thought You Could Change the World? You Still Can.” Her story was remarkable for many reasons. She managed to tell it from the beginning, without ever being sappy. She spoke about the hardships she experienced as a female attorney at a time when it was extremely rare and the difficulties she encountered get-ting anyone to take her seriously when she decided to use her legal education to help animals. The tone of the conference was always geared at making us think about the future of animal law, and how we, even us little ol’ law students, can get involved. Just listening to the bios of some of the guest speak-ers opened our eyes. Who knew that there were people who had devoted their entire legal careers to the study and development of animal rights? One speaker was a Harvard Law grad who happened

to be from a small Midwestern farm town. It was his childhood experience that led him to learn more about animal rights. After he graduated, he began working for a big New York law firm, while speaking at animal law related events on the side. Even-tually, he had so many public speaking engagements that he left his job to educate others about animals full time. As if all of that hadn’t been inspirational enough, they managed to recruit Ben Stein to close the conference as key-note speaker. Who else would come to mind when the topic is motivation and animal law? We were equally surprised. Stein, who graduated as valedictorian of his class at Yale Law School, has been involved in animal rights for quite some time. Aside from his well known career in commercials and movies, Stein has an extensive political background, including roles as a presidential speech writer for President Nixon. Although all of the speakers were exceptional, it was the time spent with other law students that motivated us the most. We realized then that many schools had active ALDF chapters grow-

ing every year. One student who founded his chapter lobbied until animal law became a part of the curriculum. We returned from our Harvard adventure determined to get involved with our chapter. After realizing it had not been active, we began asking around for guidance in the process. It isn’t easy getting a new organization off the ground, and we never expected that it would be. A lot of passion, heartache, sacrifice and persever-ance are involved in success. But as more people learn about the issues affecting companion animals and farm animals, we’re hoping that they’ll be compelled to do something about it. When they do, Stetson’s ALDF chapter will be there.

By JENNIFER PEREZStaff Writer

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Upcoming Events

Tuesday, Sept. 18 - Oct. 1Teddy Bears for Elders Drive

8:30 a.m., Prof. Morgan’s Office

Tuesday, Sept. 18Amnesty International Meeting

12:10 p.m., F&RInternships Info. Meeting12:15 p.m., Classroom A

Tennis Lessons3:30-5:30 p.m., Tennis Courts

Jogging Club6-7 p.m., Fitness Center

Wednesday, Sept. 19Walking Club

6-7 p.m., Fitness Center

Thursday, Sept. 20Weight Watchers Meeting12-1 p.m., Classroom D

Law & Order Meeting12:15-1:20 p.m., F&RTax Society Meeting

12:15- :20 p.m., Classroom ATennis Lessons

2:30-4:30 p.m., Tennis CourtsJogging Club

6-7 p.m., Fitness Center

Friday, Sept. 21Flag Football

8 a.m., Sandspur Lot

Monday, Sept. 24Elder Law Society Meeting

12:15-1:15 p.m., Classroom DAALSA Meeting

12:15-1:15 p.m., Classroom FMonday Night Football

8 p.m.- 12 a.m., Poolside

Tuesday, Sept. 25Fall Pro Bono Fair

10 a.m. - 2 p.m, Great HallTennis Lessons

3:30-5:30 p.m., Tennis CourtsJogging Club

6 p.m., Fitness Center

Wednesday, Sept. 26Walking Club

6-7 p.m., Fitness Center

Thursday, Sept. 22Weight Watchers Meeting

12-1:20 p.m., Classroom DTennis Lessons

2:30-4:30 p.m., Tennis CourtsJogging Club

6-7 p.m., Fitness CenterFriday, Sept. 28

Flag Football8 a.m., Sandspur Lot Saturday, Sept. 29Super Bar Weekend

8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Classrm AMonday, Oct. 1Walking Club

6-7 p.m., Fitness CenterMonday Night Football

8 p.m., PoolRain Location: Great Hall

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By NOAH KORESStaff Writer

Political Junkie: The Door Slamming PartyCOLUMN

Democrats and Republicans have been butting heads since, I don’t know, at least 1983. That’s when I was born. Though, I hear they’ve been at it for longer. The problem is that they both think that they are right. And to prove it, they like to spit on each other from opposite sides of the fence, or aisle, line, whatever. Republicans say the sky is blue. Democrats say it is not. Republicans say cheeseburgers are delicious. Democrats say they are not. You get the picture.

The other day, I was chat-ting with former Stetson Law School Republicans president, Chris Sprowls, and he told me that “Republicans open their own doors.” So, I chewed on that for a minute. We were talk-ing about Florida moving its presidential primary (which I will discuss) and I had an epiphany. It seemed self-evident. If Repub-licans open their own doors, there is one logical Democratic response: to slam their own doors. And that is what the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is doing.

So, the backstory. In an effort to inflate its stature, Florida’s Republican-dominated legislature moved its presidential primary date from March to Jan. 29. Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have traditionally been the states with the earliest primary voting dates, and whose results have been recognized as windows into national senti-ment. On Aug. 25, the DNC warned the Florida State Legis-lature to move its presidential primary date, or be stripped of its 210 DNC delegates, meaning Florida’s vote doesn’t count. Door slam for the Dems! It was a decisive move for the Dem-ocratic “Count every vote” party

to say every vote counts except Florida and Michigan, and any-one else who doesn’t listen. Stetson Democrats Presi-dent Jordan Tawil thinks Florida should adapt to meet the chal-lenges of the upcoming election, and although Florida is a Red state, its Democrats should adapt to its party’s ideologue. Florida’s Democrats should support the party. Though, he acknowledged the problem with the “toe-the-line” theory. Republicans control the Florida legislature. “The over-all state is more important than the individual state,” Tawil said, “when a nation is in a [politi-cal] war, the state should fold under.”

Oh yeah, and the DNC will also forbid Democratic candi-dates from campaigning here, thereby punishing Florida Demo-crats for a Republican initiative. Although, Barack Obama says he’ll still campaign in Florida. Thanks, Barack.

Understanding the Demo-cratic strategy is key to under-standing DNC chairman Howard Dean’s qualm with states moving their primaries. Democrats have been lobbying hard in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. They have invested a lot of time and money to garner support. Now, Democrats are strategically challenged, by nature, so when states go moving their primaries, the Dems feel “punked.” In a way, the DNC is like my mother at the Olive Garden: if it’s not the way she likes it, she doesn’t want it at all. Floridians have been given until Sept. 25, just 30 days after the DNC’s ultimatum, to strike a compromise, which is unlikely considering Gov. Charlie Crist vowed to veto any bill designed to move the primary date later than Jan 29. “What the national parties do in Washington is not relevant to what happens in Florida,” Crist said to the

Associated Press. “It strikes me even if there may be some party leaders in Washington, Demo-crat or Republican, who want to put more emphasis on process than people, that’s their right, but I just think they’re wrong.”

Meanwhile, the Republicans are probably going to be jogging to the “eye of the tiger” as they canvas every church and Waffle House in Florida. Who needs Florida anyway? It is only the fourth largest electorate in the country. “I think Democrats are hurt-ing themselves because they’re telling their people they don’t matter,” said Chris Sprowls. Though, Republicans aren’t alone in wanting an earlier pri-mary. Democrats want it too, Sprowls mused. If a bill to move the primary date came on the legislature floor, it would be crushed. “This is Florida. We’re the swing state,” said Sprowls. “We decide who wants to become president.” (Said like a true door opener). At this rate, they will decide who becomes president. The Republicans, that is. This sentiment is reflected in Michigan too, as it has also stoked defiance. It moved its primary to Jan. 15, ahead of New Hampshire. “It is unconscionable in a democracy that any state such as New Hampshire can have that kind of access to candidates and have candidates consider their issues almost to the exclusion of most other states,” said Michigan Sen. Carl Levin. “It’s wrong.” If states keep leapfrogging each other, Levin postulated, we will end up with primary elections on Thanksgiv-ing. There is a path to salvation for the Democrats, other than to stop closing doors, of course.

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JUNKIEcontinued from page 10

If a few venture beyond the bounds of the DNC’s veritable orange cones surrounding Flori-da, despite the fact that Florida Democrats can’t vote in the pri-mary, those candidates could gal-vanize support among Florida’s

Blue voters.The Democrats have viable

contenders competing for the presidential brass cuffs, who have broad support in electorates like Florida and Michigan. The DNC’s threat of marginalizing

Florida’s Democrats handicaps the party before the race even starts. Instead of being able to sprint from the start, the DNC just weighted their ankles. Democrats can only hope that their candidates have the

integrity to come to Florida anyway. If they don’t, they might as well go slam some doors else-where, because the Republicans are going to take it.

Fall is here, and for some Stetson students, that means only one thing: Intramural Flag Football. Every fall and spring semester, the sports commis-sioner of the Student Bar Association organizes several intramural programs. One of the most popular is the flag

football league. The teams kicked off the season on Sept. 14 at the Sandspur Lot by the baseball diamond. Last year, the league had ten men’s teams and five wom-en’s teams competing. Student Bar Association IM representa-tive, Bobby Johnson, expects that this will be another great year. The season is five games long, followed by playoffs and

a championship game. Team registration was completed by Sept. 11 as well as the first captain’s meeting; however, sev-eral teams have been preparing for the season well before they were even registered. Chris Sis-son, a 1L and captain of Team Man Hands, says his team has been holding weekly practices since Aug. 30. “The competi-tion this year is stiff and we just wanted to make sure we are prepared and playing as a

team. We have a lot of raw tal-ent and athleticism, but we felt we needed to fine tune how we play together.” You can see Team Man Hands and all other teams battle it out on the Sandspur Lot every Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Come see if all that practice paid off for Team Man Hands.

Flag Football begins and the competition heats upBy NICOLE ARMSTRONGStaff Writer

photos - NICOLE ARMSTRONGTeam “Man Hands” practicing out on the Stetson football field in anticipation of Friday’s game

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Puzzles solutions on page 8.