3L Vaughn, 2L Lukas Jackson bringNader to campus for campaign stop

ED PEKAREK—GAVEL

bring Nader toCSU in Julywhen she dis-covered hehad an after-noon gap inhis scheduleafter a speechas part of theTown Hall se-

ries in Cleveland.After getting the required per-

mission to bring him here, shebegan running into trouble withNader’s national organization.Dean Steven Steinglass sug-gested she contact SPILO forhelp. It turned out that LukasJackson is a friend of the na-tional field director for Nader’scampaign.

Even though Lukas JacksonSee NADER, page 4

Speakers tackle hatred, hecklers

By Tricia HurstCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Consumers equal voters. Atleast that’s what Ralph Nader iscounting on this Nov. 7.

Nader, the legendary con-sumer rights advocate and presi-dential candidate for the GreenParty, was at Cleveland StateOct. 26 to bring his message ofreform to students.

It’s no small feat to get apresidential candidate to speakon a campus. Those who sawNader have two Cleveland-Marshall students to thank forbringing him here: Asian-PacificIslanders Law Student Associa-tion president Ann Vaughn, a 3L,and Student Public Interest LawOrganization president JenniferLukas Jackson, also a 2L.

Vaughn began working to

GAVEL STAFF

The day was not withoutincident, but for the most partCleveland-Marshall’s first-ever Hate Crimes Syposiumwent off without a hitch.

Highlighted by the returnof Justice Department attorneyLawrence Baca, the daylongsymposium on Oct. 20 also

American Indian civil rights attorney Lawrence Baca retold the storyof his troubled youth at the Hate Crimes Symposium on Oct. 20.

By Clare TaftCONTRIBUTING WRITER

While most Cleveland-Marshall students are finding itdifficult to make time for sleep,two students are fitting bids forpublic office into their already-busy schedules.

Between briefing cases andstudying, 2Ls Brian Hodous andGordon Short enjoy shakinghands and kissing babies as theyprepare for lives in politics.

Gordon ShortShort, a part-time 2L, was al-

ways interested in public serviceand found opportunity in theCuyahoga County treasurer po-sition. He said he saw his day jobas a CPA as the perfect spring-board into the treasurer’s race.

“I wanted to get into politicswhere I could have the best im-pact,” Short said. “I consideredrunning for office before. Thisrace came up a few years aheadof schedule, but it is the sort of

featured moving presentationsby professor Karin Mika anda relative of James Byrd Jr., theTexas man killed by white su-premacists. The event’s pub-licity and the arrival of twosupremicists drew controversy.

Turn to page 4 for more onthe symposium by contribut-ing writer Ed Pekarek.

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Students lureCitizen Ralph

2L candidatesjuggle jobs, lawand high-stakescampaigning

Ralph Nader

Joe Sixpack’s bluesStanding in line at the all-night Kmart and clutching apackage of underwear, 4LDan Pope began to do somesoul-searching. Here’s whathe found — low-down.OPINION, PAGE 8

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT CLEVELAND-MARSHALL COLLEGE OF LAWVOLUME 49, ISSUE 2 P NOVEMBER 2000

See CANDIDATES, page 3

Online research assistance is available from theWestlaw and Lexis student representatives.

Westlaw reps: Lindsay Clayton and MarquettaJohnson, both 2Ls. They assist students with everythingfrom searching for case law to printing to passwords.Their hours are posted in the Westlaw printer room, butthey also answer e-mails immediately.

Lexis rep: Otto Elkins, a 3L. He can be found inthe computer lab Monday, Tuesday and Thursdayfrom 1–3 p.m. and Wednesday from 10 a.m.–noon.Students can train on Lexis one-on-one with Elkins orenroll in Lexis’ new free certification program.

Helpful tips: Visit WWW.LAWSCHOOL.LEXIS.COM formore tips. Get free outlines, enter contests and checkout local information via the “My School” link. If youhave a Westlaw question and neither rep is available,call Westlaw attorneys directly on the blue phone nearthe computer lab printers.

Online research

ShouldKnow

ShouldKnow

YouYou

By KELLY JOHNSON

MOM

Diapers overdepositionsMaureen DeVito ’97,on why she chosevolunteering and

staying home with thekids over becoming anattorney. CAREER, PAGE 6

Clerks chasingan elusive buckLaw clerks are having touse some finesse to scoredecent wages these days.How to get $15 when theywant to pay you $8.LAW, PAGE 2

Local NAACP chief, Jewish leader join forcesBlacks, Jews must worktogether to combat futureracism, say Forbes andMelamed in talk at C-MBy Michelle TibbettsCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Blacks and Jews — two histori-cally oppressed and fractious groups— should unite for the same cause,according to two local leaders whomet in a forum here on Oct. 24.

Former Cleveland councilmanand local NAACP president GeorgeForbes joined Alan Melamed, a lo-cal business leader and Jewish ad-vocate, to discuss the relationshipbetween blacks and Jews as part ofa joint presentation of ClevelandState’s Black Studies Program andthe Cleveland Hillel Foundation.

Both Forbes and Melamed be-gan their speeches by recounting

two examples ofovert racismfrom their child-hoods.

Melamed ex-plained that as aboy he recitedthe rhyme,“Eenie meenieminie moe, catch

a nigger by the toe” — not know-ing what “nigger” meant. AndForbes recalled a nonsense rhymethat ended with, “If your daddychews tobacco, he’s a dirty Jew.”

Forbes said anti-Semitic blackscannot resolve being anti-Jewishtoday.

“If you are anti-Jewish, how doyou defend yourself against anti-black sentiments?” he asked.“Those who have suffered fromdiscrimination or had to fight theirway to this point can’t turn [their]

backs on where [they have] been.”The common experience of liv-

ing through prejudice can bringJews and blacks together, accord-ing to Melamed. The two groupsshare the history of slavery, the ef-fort to achieve freedom and theneed to continue their struggle.

“There is a natural affinity be-tween blacks and Jews,” Melamedsaid. “If anybody should be joinedtogether, they should.”

Forbes added: “If we are goingto rise, we’ve all got to rise to-gether.”

Forbes was asked what role C-Mstudents can play in politics as heleft the moot court room followingthe hour-long discussion.

“Law students and young attor-neys can have the most profoundimpact on the political process. Inmany ways, they are the process,”he responded.

George ForbesNAACP

E. PEKAREK

next day. Plus, such reading ob-viously passes the normalcy test:Normal people would neverwillingly read anything that con-tains words like “demurrer” and“stare decisis.”

6. Spend some time with yourfamily.

Normal people don’t merelydo this on traditional familyholidays. Impress your familyby coming home without yourlaw books, helping Mom in thekitchen, puttering in the yardwith Dad and picking on yourlittle sister. Your family willworry, of course, that you’vedropped out of law school sinceyou’re acting so normal … butthat’s the whole point.

7. Talk on the phone for morethan an hour with your old col-lege friend in California.

There’s nothing like gossip-ing and reminiscing with a goodfriend to remind you that know-ing the holding of Hawkins v.McGee is really insignificant inthe bigger picture. Normalpeople have perspective and cantalk long-distance for hours —guilt-free. The ability to chooseAT&T over contracts is a suresign you haven’t succumbed tothe dark side of law schooldrudgery.

Stickney is a 2L.

2Page

November 2000LawLawTHE GAVEL

Trying to keepcommunicationflowing freelyBy Steven H. Steinglass

In a school as full of activity asours, it is especially important thatwe listen to and hear one another.The Gavel is doing a great job inthis regard. When the editors gave

me a list of someof the topics to betouched on in thisissue, I found it animpressive arrayof subject matter.

I look forwardto reading aboutthe Hate CrimesSymposium, lawstudents runningfor public office,law clerk wages,an alumna’s col-

umn on volunteering and raisinga family and a minority student’sop-ed. These are voices we needto hear: many perspectives onmany topics. For communicatingwell is one of the ways we learnfrom one another how to build astronger law school.

In the past few years, we haveworked hard to create new and ef-ficient channels of communica-tion. “News to Note,” our e-mailcalendar and our Web site’s “Pub-lic Events and News” keep us upto date on coming events. “TheBar Tender” provides crucial ad-vice to students preparing for thebar exam. The career planningoffice posts jobs on its Web site,and through e-mail and leaflets welearn of the pro bono program’sprojects. Several law school bro-chures — the visiting scholarsbrochure and the criminal justiceforums, for instance — give us no-tice of speakers and conferences.

The law school walls are regu-larly papered with announce-ments; we keep students abreastof these events by stuffing yourmailboxes and sending e-mail re-minders. Your professors discusstheir research topics through thefaculty speakers series, and everystudent receives the twice-a-yearpublication of the law alumni as-sociation, Law Notes, which fea-tures a dean’s column, reviews ofthe previous semester’s events,profiles of faculty, staff, studentsand alumni, as well as articles onlaw school history.

All of these are instances ofus telling and our students listen-ing. When do students have a turnat telling? There are many oppor-tunities for lively exchanges anddiscussion during the dean’s fo-rums, my visits to SBA, my meet-ings with student leaders and ourannual dinner together at VikingHall. And I hope all students un-derstand that I encourage them tocome by my office for a talk.

Bulletin boards filled withnews and information, an infor-mative Web site, memos, remind-ers, brochures, leaflets, a prize-winning student newspaper andprovocative e-mail messages —these are signs of a vibrant aca-demic community where much isaccomplished and more and moreis anticipated.

Steinglass is dean of C-M.

TheDean’s

Column

time cannot be billed to the client.“The billing is the only income to cover

all office expenses, library updates and sala-ries,” she explained. “While the rates mayseem high, they are usually designed to meetexpenses.”

But one anonymous 2L said her firm tendsto bill clients for most of her working hours.She said her firm charges clients approxi-mately seven times her hourly rate, which sheadmitted is “on the low end of the scale.”

Be prepared to chase the buckFor many law clerks,making ends meetmeans askingfor more pay

LEIGHTONREPS.COM

Part-time 4L Dan Pope shows little con-cern over what his employer charges clientsfor his work.

“I have no idea at what rate theybill me out to clients,” he said.

“Quite honestly, I don’t care. Ithink it’s a mistake for a clerkto get caught up in how muchprofit a firm makes on them ifthey are getting paid enough tomake ends meet.”

Still, the question remains:Who can make ends meet for $8-$10 an hour while paying law

school tuition?Those applying for clerking

positions who are on a tight bud-get should be prepared to nego-tiate. According to Geneva, it isimportant for students to stress to

employers why they are worthmore than the rate of pay advertised

for the position.“I do not suggest asking in terms of your

own personal need for more money,” she said.“This opens up a can of worms about yourfinancial responsibility.” But she stressed thatstudents should be prepared to walk away fromthe job if the pay is not increased.

Another tool Geneva suggested for thenegotiating process involves inquiring aboutperformance reviews and salary adjustmentsafter the first two to three months on the job.

Pope is one example of a clerk with asuccessful negotiating story. After selling hisstrengths, he told a prospective employerwhat amount he needed to make ends meet.His firm then offered him the position at themidpoint of his requested pay range — andagreed to cover his health insurance, an un-likely prospect for most clerks.

“I can tell you it is an unusual deal inthis town,” he said.

By Dave SteinerCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Student law clerks facetough financial decisions whenthey apply for clerking posi-tions. Often, they choose topostpone rent rather than pass upthe résumé-builder.

What is a fair rate of pay for astudent law clerk? According to Of-fice of Career Planning Director JayneGeneva, law clerk positions in North-east Ohio pay anywhere from $6 to $30 anhour, averaging roughly $15 an hour. Shenoted that smaller firms have recently ex-perienced difficulty finding law clerks at anhourly rate of $8, given that students nowfind they can earn the same wage atMcDonald’s.

To some college-educated law students,$8 an hour is insulting — especially whenthey have the capability to perform compli-cated legal research and writing that only atiny percentage of the population can un-derstand. Others consider low wages an ex-ample of students paying their dues beforegraduation, after which lawyers typicallymake substantially more.

Geneva said law firms generally bill cli-ents for the work of a law clerk at five timesthe rate of what the clerk earns. But she wasquick to point out that, much like lawyers’hourly rates, many hours of a law clerk’s

It is important forprospective law clerksto emphasize why theyare worth more thanthe advertised pay rate.

FOR

1L1L

WISDOMWISDOM

Next in a series

THE

By Melissa StickneyCONTRIBUTING WRITER

You’re a first-year law stu-dent and a few things have al-ready been drummed into yourhead. You’ve already gleanedthe importance of briefing cases,the preeminence of good gradesand the necessity of having animpressive extracurricular activ-ity on your résumé.

These simple, easy-to-followsteps are the traditional meansfor achieving excellence in lawschool and, eventually, landinga position with the perfect firm.Following them is, of course,easy as pie.

What you may not havelearned — and what only thetruly elite are able to achieve —is the ability to be mistaken for anormal person who just happensto be in law school. So listen up,1L. If you can master the follow-ing seven habits, your future as anormal person will distinguishyou from the mass of law schoolgraduates who’ve checked theirnormalcy at the door.

1. Never do schoolwork onFriday or Saturday nights.

The rest of the world is re-laxing, partying or eating. Getwith the program and go out.

2. Watch at least one TV showregularly.

Preferably it should be ashow with a ridiculous premisethat has no connection what-soever to the real world or thelaw (no “Ally McBeal!”), suchas “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,”the “X-Files” or “South Park.”The ability to discuss a mind-less show is a sure sign of nor-malcy.

3. Treat yourself to real-worldrewards for even the slightestaccomplishment.

Read the Palsgraf case? Fin-ished a legal writing assign-ment? Treat yourself and one ofyour fellow students to a coupleof beers in the Warehouse Dis-trict, buy yourself a pair of shoesat Nordstrom or check out thelatest action flick. Participationin the real-world pleasures ofconsumerism — on a schoolnight, no less — is a rare sign of

normalcy. No one will ever sus-pect you’re in law school.

4. One day per month, pre-tend you’re not a law student.

This involves doing no lawhomework, peppering your vo-cabulary with the words “like”and “you know,” walking thedog in the Metroparks, goingout with non–law friends untilthe wee hours and pretendingyou’re planning to sleep in thenext day. The day must be to-tally wasted to pass the nor-malcy test.

5. Read non-law books andan occasional trashy magazine.

Pick up the latest StephenKing novel or Glamour andscare yourself silly either way.The rush of adrenalin from read-ing non-law material will resultin productive study energy the

Seven tips for being mistaken as a normal personPeople gawk at you.Younotice it at the grocerystore, at the gas station,in your car. No one saysword one to you. You area law student. Soundfamiliar? Here’s how toblend in with the crowd.

THE GAVEL P LAW NOVEMBER 2000 P 3

In an effort to improvefairness and replace what was amore arbitrary funding process,the Student Bar Association hasrevamped the way it distributesmoney to student organizations.

Under previous years’funding procedures, organiza-tions were required to submitprojected expenses for the fullyear, which SBA would considerprior to allocating the funds.

This year, each qualifyingorganization has been given a$375 start-up grant for generaloffice expenses. For additionalfunds, SBA instructed theorganizations to submit grantproposals detailing each eventplanned for the first semester.

“The new system gives everyorganization the opportunity tobe the best and most active groupon campus,” explained 3L

Maureen Connors, a member ofSBA’s budget committee.

To qualify, organizationswere required to send representa-tives to an initial funding meetingearlier this semester. SBAreminded the representatives thatfunding for specific projectswould be weighted based onwhether the event is open to allstudents and is on campus.

To receive money for secondsemester, organizations mustagain submit grant proposalforms by Dec. 1 and attend afunding meeting on Dec. 3.

2Ls represent C-M in interna-tional competition — Cleveland-Marshall 2Ls Mat Rieger andPete Holdsworth argued thisweekend at the annual Interna-tional Environmental MootCourt Competition at Stetson

scheduled for Nov. 8. The eventis a dress rehearsal for two C-Mteams chosen to go to thenational competition in mid-November.

The teams will argue againsteach other in front of a panelconsisting of Judges Alice M.Batchelder and Timothy E.McMonagle from the SixthCircuit U.S. Court of Appeals,and Chief Judge Paul R. Matiafrom the U.S. District Court forthe Northern District of Ohio.

Moot Court Night is open tothe public. A wine-and-cheesereception will follow.

A modern twist on contractslaw — Contracts and commerciallaw students should see changesin the way their professors define“signature” nowadays.

On Oct. 1, the Electronic

SBA doles out uniform grants to student groups

CANDIDATES: Short, Hodous live three lives — law, work, politics

College of Law in St. Petersburg,Fla. They battled 20 teams fromthe United States and overseas.

Rieger and Holdsworth wonthe chance to compete in June bysubmitting the best briefs to theInternational Law StudentsAssociation, a C-M student club.

Results from the Stetsoncompetition were not known asof this printing.

Moot Court Night set forNov. 8 — C-M students will beable to watch the moot courtteam at work during its annualMoot Court Night, this year

position I am prepared for.”Attending Cleveland-

Marshall influenced Short’s desireto enter politics. “Law school hasgiven me a thorough understand-ing of the laws and legislature,”he explained.

Short admits the election cutsinto his studying time, but he haslearned to balance work, schooland the campaign. “You have toprioritize things. Certain weeks myjob takes precedence, and some-times school does,” he said. “Rightnow, the election is most impor-tant.”

With Election Day looming,Short’s time is increasingly beingspread thin. “It’s like a second jobyou don’t get paid for. I spend 25to 30 hours per week on the cam-paign. My campaigning time hasdoubled since Labor Day.”

The 26-year-old John CarrollUniversity graduate decided toenter the treasurer’s race in Decem-ber 1999. Short, a Republican,faces Democratic incumbentJames Rokakis. If elected, Short’sterm will begin Sept. 1, 2001.

“I will re-sign from mycurrent job, butthe treasurerposition is a 9-to-5 job, so Ican still con-tinue with lawschool as anevening stu-dent,” he said.

Short sees the trade-off be-tween law school and campaign-ing as a give and take. “Some dayslaw school is life, somedays cam-paigning is easier. I enjoy both,and I have learned to take thegood with the bad.”

“If I don’t win, I will be backfor something else,” he said. “Ithas to be the right opportunity. Ifthe right opportunity arose againbefore I finish law school, I’ll dowhat I’m doing right now all overagain.”

Brian HodousAlthough Hodous has with-

drawn from C-M with honorablestatus, he may return dependingon where his political aspirationstake him.

Hodous is currently campaign-ing for Cleveland City Council inhis neighborhood of Old Brook-lyn. Last year, he campaigned forthe Ohio House of Representativesin the 13th District. His bid endedin March, when he lost the Demo-

cratic primaryto Mary RoseOakar.

This sum-mer Hodousdecided to fo-cus on the newcampaign andput law schoolon hold. “Iwent back and

forth for a while. I wasn’t sure fora while, but the decision camefairly recently,” he said.

While still attending C-M as apart-time evening student, Hodousspent more time on school than onhis campaign. “I still brief all mycases, contrary to a lot of otherpeople. They may not be goodbriefs — they’re brief briefs — butI still did my reading,” Hodous ex-plained. “I was spending at least12 hours each week on law schooland eight to 10 hours per week onthe campaign.”

Hodous, a social workerworking with mentally ill adults,finds connections between hiswork, law school and politics. “Ilike being a social worker, and lawis an opportunity to advocate andmake an impact on the system,”said Hodous. “Social work makesan impact on individual people,and politicians can impact the sys-tem as a whole.”

While Hodous does not thinka law degree is a prerequisite forpolitics, he sees his experience inlaw school as a boon to his cam-paign. “Whether I finish my de-gree or not, it’s helped sharpen mymind. Getting back to school getsyour mind quicker to think in dif-ferent ways and learn new things.”

A career in politics is goal forHodous. As an undergraduate at

Miami University, Hodous was asenator and vice president in theschool government. “I excel at leg-islative positions. At Miami I en-joyed being senator much morethan my executive position,” hesaid. “As a legislator you can pickdifferent issues and advocate them.The legislature is the most power-ful branch of government, althoughno one legislator is very powerful.”

While balancing politics andlaw school, Hodous found classesto be much easier but admittedthat politics was more importantto him. “There was not as muchpressure in law school. I kept upwith the reading, did my briefsand put a lot of time into my ex-ams, but law is so structured,” saidHodous. “The structure is whatmakes law school easier. Politics

is much more self-discipline.”Depending on what happens in

next year’s city council race,Hodous may return to C-M forspring semester 2002, most likelyas a part-time student. “I am prettyexcited about the city councilrace,” said Hodous. “If I can win,I think I can be on city council fora long time. Council has a lot ofyoung, dynamic people right now.”

Continued from page 1 —

Gordon ShortFILE

Brian HodousFILE

Notesin Briefin Brief

NotesSignatures in Global andNational Commerce (“E-Sign”)Act took effect. Signed byPresident Clinton in June, E-Signprovides for the legal enforce-ability of otherwise properelectronic contracts and signa-tures arising in commercialtransactions. The law grantselectronic signatures and otherlegal instruments, such as recordsand contracts, the same status asthose completed on paper, aslong as the electronic version ofthe document can be secured andaccurately reproduced.

Utility cancellations, healthor life insurance cancellations,eviction notices, testamentarydocuments, court orders, productrecalls and hazardous materialshipments must continue to bedocumented in paper form.

— Gavel staff

By Ed PekarekCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Teaching children toleranceand improving hate-crime report-ing procedures emerged as com-mon themes of the inaugural HateCrimes Symposium, held in themoot court room on Oct. 20.

With only a fewdisruptions, thestudent-spon-

sored symposium examined thecauses of and solutions to dis-crimination, hate and xenopho-bia in the United States.

Keynote speaker LawrenceBaca, a senior trial attorney in thecivil rights division of the Depart-ment of Justice who spoke atCleveland-Marshall last year, wasintroduced by 1L Ilah Adkins, theonly C-M student of American In-dian descent. Baca’s return wasfilled with his trademark charm,passion and disarming humor.

Baca is the first Harvard lawgraduate of Pawnee descent and aself-styled “storyteller in a suit.”His tale was a touching timelineof personal and professional chal-lenges in confronting the stereo-types and bias he has encounteredthroughout his life.

He began with stories of simpleschool bus tussles based on preju-dice against American Indians and“Ugh,” the pot-bellied, cartoon-like Indian who served as his highschool mascot. Later he discussedthe bias he experienced at Harvardand later at the Justice Department.

Baca attributes the student in-cidents to attitudes rooted in “cow-boys and Indians” caricatures of1950s television and film, analo-gizing the character “Tonto” withthe black “Sambo.”

He raised the emotional stakesof race hatred as he progressed,finishing his speech by describingvividly the 27 stab wounds of“white justice” his father receivedmore than 40 years ago for seek-ing help in a whites-only bar when

LAW P THE GAVEL4 P NOVEMBER 2000

By Dave SteinerCONTRIBUTING WRITER

Dean Steven Steinglass an-swered students’ questions andspoke about the past, present, andfuture of Cleveland-Marshall atthe dean’s forum Oct. 12.

Permanent midterm gradesfor two-semester courses and a90-credit-hour requirement forgraduation are new curriculumchanges affecting first-year stu-dents, Steinglass said. When stu-dents asked for the rationale be-hind the new permanent mid-term grades, he said 1Ls shouldhave a “clean slate” after mid-terms. Employers also want tosee 1L grades when hiringclerks, he added.

Communication between stu-dents and the administration isrequired to improve the lawschool, Steinglass explained.

Recently expanded hours of thestudent services center and theaddition of library laser printersa few years ago are both resultsof recent student-recommendedimprovements. Several technol-ogy improvements are slated forthe library and some classrooms,according to Michael Slinger, as-sociate dean and library director,who also spoke at the forum. Thecomputers and monitors in the li-brary computer lab will be up-graded, he said. Computers willbe installed in the classroom onthe second floor of the library andcomputer projectors will be in-stalled in other classrooms in thelaw school.

When asked how these tech-nology improvements will affecttuition, Steinglass said that tu-ition probably would continue torise. He noted that funding for

state schools has become increas-ingly difficult to obtain.

Steinglass fielded a variety ofother questions and concerns,including security issues aboutfaulty outdoor campus lights nearthe main entrance and the safetyof students crossing East 18thStreet without a crosswalk to thebusiness school. He said hewould look into the report of thenon-functioning lights. As forthe need of a crosswalk to thebusiness school, Steinglassnoted that he has voiced his con-cern with the school’s adminis-tration several times, but the cityof Cleveland ultimately has thefinal say.

About 30 students and fac-ulty members attended the sec-ond of two forums offered dur-ing the week of Oct. 9 in themoot court room.

Deans discuss 1L grading, technology at forum

Baca returns for first-ever Hate Crimes Symposium

he was stranded on a rural Colo-rado highway. Through tears, Bacasaid the attack has left multi-gen-erational scars. He was given astanding ovation.

Professor Karin Mika launchedthe daylong event by presenting anoften-ignored aspect of the Holo-caust. Mika’s family is Christianbut her parents suffered six yearsin a concentration camp. Regret-tably, Mika’s comments, deliveredto a near-capacity crowd, were theonly ones of the day that receivedany measurable attendance fromC-M faculty.

Bettysue Feuer from the Anti-Defamation League discussed theADL’s efforts in improving statis-tical reporting of hate crimes. Shesaid that across America profes-sionals in real estate, school sys-tems and local politics squelchclassification of acts as hate crimes.

“Some states like Alabamadon’t even bother to report [FBIhate crime statistics],” Feuer noted.

Sandra Holmes of the NationalConference for Community andJustice, a gay-rights initiative, il-lustrated some of the many creativeprograms that exist to counter anti-

gay sentiment ef-forts. Ed Boyte of theLesbian and GayCommunity ServiceCenter offered statis-tics that demonstratean alarming increasein local attacks.

“Hate crimestripled in NortheastOhio between 1997and 1999,” he said.

Former OhioACLU director andC-M professor Kevin F. O’Neilldescribed the “crippling blow tospeech codes” rendered by theSupreme Court in R.A.V. v. City ofSt. Paul, while noting that statutesenhancing sentences for crimesbased on hatred still thrive underWisconsin v. Mitchell.

Gerald Henley, former presi-dent of the Cleveland SchoolBoard and a senior member of theNAACP, spoke about the perva-sive “ripple effects of racism” andproffered a controversial legal con-cept — criminalization of anywrongful or constructive dis-charge based on aspects other thanan employee’s quality of work.

“Job discrimination is the fore-most complaint the NAACP re-ceives,” Henley reported.

Henley introduced RachelStewart, a Clevelander and thegrandniece of James Byrd Jr., thevictim of a hate-inspired draggingdeath in Texas. Stewart’s remarkswere punctuated by chains resem-bling those used to murder hergreat uncle, stretched across theroom while she spoke.

Juan Reyna of the Committeeof 500 Years of Dignity & Resis-tance, a group that supports indig-enous peoples’ rights, cited con-flicts of interest such as when acivil rights attorney worked for

past Cleveland Indians owner Ri-chard Jacobs and when BishopAnthony Pilla’s “right-hand man”took offense to Reyna’s organiza-tion, which publicly criticized theCatholic Diocese for not shunningthe Chief Wahoo mascot.

The symposium was not with-out controversy. One member ofC-M’s faculty took umbrage withthe use of a burning Celtic cross inthe event’s advertising. There waspressure to remove the symbolfrom all advertising prior to theconference. Organizers complied,blacking out the icon.

Student Public Interest LawOrganization member and a eventorganizer Renni Zifferblatt tookthe symbol from a hate group Website and explained that the crossrepresents white power groups.

Professor Tayyab Mahmudtook issue with the development,angrily commenting at the onset ofthe conference that the censorship

was an abridgementof First Amendmentrights.

Associate DeanMichael Slinger re-sponded to the inci-dent by e-mail: “I amsure that the person(s)who designed theposter in questionmeant no malice to-wards Catholics (I ama Catholic). I knowthat the purpose of theconference is to de-nounce hate and I amsure that all of the or-ganizers are personsof good motivation.”

Deans Steven Steinglass and JackGuttenberg reportedly viewed theneed to obscure the symbol as “ri-diculous.” The professor initiallyoffended by the symbol laterapologized, saying he was mis-taken as to the symbol’s meaning.

Two men sporting crewcutsand tatoos provided their versionof “White Christian” viewpointsfrom the audience. One publiclydenied any organizational affilia-tions, but in an earlier debate with2L Peter Traska outside the fo-rum, admitted to attending mul-tiple Aryan Nation rallies. Bacaand Henley expertly dispatchedwith their comments.

Despite flare-ups,SPILO’s forumshowcases local,national activistsfor equal rights

NADER: Dark horse broughtto campus by C-M students

smoothed the way, she pointedout that it was Vaughn who didall the legwork.

That work paid off when stu-dents filled the auditorium at theUniversity Center last Thursday.There were relatively few sign-wavers in the crowd but plentyof enthusiasm.

Vaughn drove Nader fromthe Town Hall appearance andintroduced him to the crowd.

“I had the pleasure of bring-ing Ralph Nader in an Ameri-can and union-made car withseatbelts,” she explained.

Nader spoke directly to thelaw students in the audiencewhen talking about corporatelaw and standardized contracts.He also discussed the environ-ment and campaign finance.

He said he doesn’t agree

with those who think he drawsvotes from Al Gore.

“The only person who cancost Gore votes is Gore,” he said.

As the candidate for alesser-known party, Nader saidhe sees little to distinguish Gorefrom George W. Bush. He saidboth are members of one cor-porate party.

“If you vote for the lesserof two evils, that still leaves youwith evil,” Nader said.

As for his own campaigncontributions, Nader refuses totake PAC money and relies solelyon individual contributions.

Vaughn and Lukas Jacksonsaid the event should not beconsidered an endorsement bytheir organizations for eitherNader or the Green Party.

Nader will be listed on Ohioballots as an independent.

Continued from page 1 —

Analysis

ED PEKAREK—GAVEL (2)Above: 2L Peter Traska, right, listens to one of two whitesupremacists discuss a widespread liberal mediaconspiracy during a break from the Oct. 20 Hate CrimesSymposium. Right: Juan Reyna lambasts Chief Wahoo.

THE GAVEL P LAW NOVEMBER 2000 P 5

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Not the answer.

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November 2000

THE GAVELCareerCareer

INTERNET

You are not lucky, my priest says, but blessed.Use your talents, time and energy to help others.

Commission on Dispute Resolu-tion and Conflict Management.She has 13 siblings — makingher a natural at dispute resolution.

Cook is rated “excellent” bythe Cuyahoga County Bar Asso-ciation and “preferred” by theCleveland Bar Association.

Challenging her is JudgeTimothy Black. A 1975 HarvardUniversity graduate, Black at-tended Chase College of Law inKentucky while teaching full-time. He received his J.D. in1983 and was elected judge ofHamilton County MunicipalCourt in 1994.

Rated the top judge in a law-yers’ poll by the Cincinnati BarAssociation, Black has the larg-est criminal docket in the state.He is an advocate for victims ofdomestic violence and trains po-lice officers and other judges onthe law. He was awarded for hisefforts from the Cincinnati Coa-lition on Domestic Violence.

Black’s vision is to rebuildneighborhoods by advocating forchildren, schools and victims ofcrime. In the right circumstances,he favors treatment of drug ad-dicts in lieu of incarceration.

Another ‘livingdocument’ —the class outlineBy Karin Mika

Q: People keep telling me Ishould be outlining all through-out the semester, but I hardlyknow what’s going on to be ableto outline it. Is it best to putthings together as you go along,or at the end of the semesterwhen you have a chance to con-centrate outside the day-to-daypreparation of class?

A: Different people have dif-ferent learning styles and are ableto “master” information in vary-ing increments.One of the mis-

apprehensionsabout lawschool (andabout learningin general) isthat an outlinehas definitiverules and thatonce youwrite it downon paper it’spermanent

and unchange-able — even ifit’s later discov-ered to be incor-rect. An outline is

no more than a processing of in-formation that enables each indi-viduals to put some organizationto what they’ve learned. It is a toolto organize an individual’sthoughts rather than this creation(looking something like a Gilbert’soutline) that has every conceivablecorrect answer to a test question.

To that end, the answer to yourquestion is that it’s best to do both— every once in a while, stop andorganize what you think you’velearned (even if it doesn’t seemto be a whole lot), and then whenthe semester is over, try to orga-nize the larger picture of the fullsemester’s material.

Additionally, there’s nothingwrong with organizing your ma-terial in conjunction with a usingcommercial publication (such asa hornbook or Gilbert’s) just solong as you use the materials onlyto clear up what you might beconfused about rather than toeliminate the work involved increating your own outline.

I might note that I have seen avariety of outlines students haveused in preparing for exams. I,personally, had only a sketchy,one-page outline of each coursethat jogged my memory about acase or lecture. I had friends wholearned by writing and re-writingtext from lectures, supplementsand other materials winding upwith outlines well over 200 pagesper class. I also had friends whotested successfully using no writ-ten outlines whatsoever. Keep inmind, however, that these latterpeople did not actually skip out-lining. They merely parceled theknowledge as it came in and con-structed their outlines mentally.

It all comes down to the samething: organizing information ina way that is easiest for you aloneto access in an exam setting.

Mika is the assistant directorof legal writing at C-M.

grees, you are blessed. I used to think this acorny statement until I got a bit older. A dearfriend of mine and older priest, Fr. EldonReichert, often corrected me by saying, “Youare not lucky, but blessed.”

You are in the process of obtaining oneof the more highly acclaimed degrees andprofessional licenses. You have been giventhe intellect, skills and drive to be admittedto law school and eventually practice law.While only a select few students will havethe opportunity to start at a six-figure salary,most of you will live quite comfortably.

Now and for the next several years, I hope

Choosing suburbia over suitsCharity, motherhoodoutperform lawyeringBy Maureen DeVito

By Maureen ConnorsCONTRIBUTING WRITER

This past term, the Ohio Su-preme Court has held that prop-erty tax school funding and tortreform are unconstitutional —controversial decisions that makethis year’s race for the court themost important on the ballot, ac-cording to many Ohians.

Here is a brief biography ofeach judge running for the court:

Justice Alice Robie Resnickdrafted the opinion of the courtfor the school-funding and tort-reform cases. Elected to the Su-preme Court in 1988, Resnickreceived her J.D. from the Uni-versity of Detroit and was admit-ted to the Ohio bar in 1965. Af-ter 10 years in practice, she waselected to the Toledo MunicipalCourt where she served until shewas elected to the 6th DistrictOhio Court of Appeals in 1982.

Although her commercialssay she is independent and aboveparty politics (as required by ju-dicial ethics), Resnick has comeunder fire for being a memberof many Democratic clubs.

She helped create Toledo’sCrime Stoppers program in

1981. Her advocacy of genderfairness and women’s educationhas earned her recognition by theOhio Women’s Bar Association,which continues to award the“Alice Robie Resnick Distin-guished Attorney Award” toother attorneys in her honor.

Her challenger, Clevelandnative and 8th District OhioCourt of Appeals Judge TerrenceO’Donnell, commits to bring in-tegrity to our high court. “Pre-ferred” over Resnick by theCleveland Bar Association, he is

Personalities begin to emerge in Ohio court race

AlumniAdvice

most of you will volunteer your skills in yourcommunity. C-M is regionally recognized asfostering a sense of community and encour-aging volunteerism. Many of you already vol-unteer through C-M’s pro bono programs andclinics. In fact, last year more than 20 per-cent of you volunteered for a total of morethan 8,000 hours. In addition, many of youshare your time and talents with yourchurches and other local organizations. Pro-

fessors and staff at C-M can give you sug-gestions on organizations that need your

help — today and in the future.As a mother of four young chil-

dren, I thoroughly enjoy getting outof the house to volunteer. A favor-ite organization of mine aside fromthe ISC is the ClevelandFoodbank. Opportunities to useyour time and skills there vary:While the Foodbank needs pack-ers, the ISC needs researchers tohelp with immigration issues. Callthe Foodbank’s Nancy Newman at

(216) 696-6007 after organizing agroup to repack food on Wednesday

evenings; or see professors PamelaDaiker-Middaugh and Beverly Blair,

who already have groups repacking in No-vember. To join the immigration volunteersat ISC, call me at (440) 333-8762.

When I go to bed exhausted at night, hum-ming Winnie the Pooh tunes, I’m grateful forthe chance to be at home with my toddlersand thankful that I’m not on the recipient endof the volunteer efforts for the needy. In themeantime, I think my kids need to expandtheir musical horizons to fit my likes.

P About Maureen DeVito:DeVito is a 1997 C-M gradu-ate. Prior to attending lawschool, she ran the first threeHarvest for Hunger cam-paigns in Cleveland, raising$3.5 million. She and her hus-band live in Rocky River

with her four girls, one of whom is adoptedfrom China.

LegalWriting

I F YOU READ THE BRIEF BIO BE-low, you should probably ask yourself,“What can I learn from a suburban momwith four little girls?” After graduation

from Cleveland-Marshall, I voluntarily choseto trade in any thoughts of a sleek Lexus fora minivan filled with broken crayons, Barbieheads and pieces of french fries through-

out. I have become the vir-tual reality of “There was anold woman who lived ina shoe.”

Instead of work-ing in a high-profile legal office, Iplay Ring around the Rosie, wiperunny noses, work a bit part-timefrom home on legal issues for myhusband and volunteer wheneverI get the opportunity.

In my limited “my time,” Ivolunteer at St. ChristopherSchool and at International Ser-vices Center doing immigrationwork for those who can’t afford aprivate attorney. I’m the type thatwould rather spend free time help-ing the less fortunate than sippingmargaritas by a sunny poolside.

I chose a career path a bit differentthan most of yours, but to me it’s quitegratifying. Volunteer and non-profit work hasmade a positive difference in my life, and I’dsuggest you find something you enjoy doingand volunteer in your area of interest. You mayeven be more fulfilled by volunteering thanby the work you’ve actually accomplished.

Since you are busy with law school, ex-tracurricular activities and family responsi-bilities, your ability to balance many activi-ties will give you more time to volunteer. Youmay have more opportunity to give your timenow than in the future, when you will besaddled with even greater responsibilities.Besides, volunteering is a great way to gainlegal experience, develop professional con-nections, meet new friends and feel goodabout the work you are doing.

As a law student on the road to obtainingone of the more sought-after professional de-

While incumbentResnick (above)has made nationalheadlines fightingher opponent,Black (left) hasbarely made apeep fighting his.

INTERNET (2)

a graduate ofSt. EdwardHigh School.

O’Donnellearned a J.D.in 1971 fromCleveland-Marshall. Heserves on nu-merous com-mittees andcommissions,including theS u p r e m eCourt’s com-mission forprofessional-ism, the Ohio

Legal Rights Commission andthe Public Awareness AdvisoryCommittee.

Justice Deborah Cook is alsorunning for re-election to theSupreme Court, where she hasbeen since 1995. After receivingher J.D. in 1978 from the Uni-versity of Akron, Cook practicedin Akron until she was elected tothe 9th District Ohio Court ofAppeals in 1991.

Serving on numerous com-munity and public commissions,Cook is a member of the Ohio

THE GAVEL P CAREER NOVEMBER 2000 P 7

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November 2000

Gore promises to keep High Court flexible

THE GAVELCleveland-Marshall

College of LawCleveland State University

Cleveland, Ohio 44115(216) 687-4533

Staff Kevin ButlerEditors Frank Scialdone

Staff Roger Bundy Jr.Writers Michael Cheselka

Kelly R. JohnsonSonja LechowickRoss MatlackMichele McKeeDaniel PopeAnn Vaughn

Advisor Thomas Buckley

A torch songfor part-time4Ls: the JoeSixpack BluesBy Dan PopeSTAFF WRITER

It’s after midnight at the 24-hour Kmart. I’m behind JoeSixpack in the checkout line. Joeis giving me an incredulous look.My suit is out of place here andthe sixpack I’m holding is under-wear rather than beer. I don’tknow what problem Joe thinks Ihave. But I know it’s law school.

Once again my schedule hasn’tallowed a change of clothes frommorning to the last hours of thenight. My sink is full of dishes.The fridge is empty except forcondiments. It takes less time tobuy new underwear than wash allthe laundry overflowing the ham-per. So here I am with Joe.

I work full time while takingnight classes. I was aware it wouldbe a big commitment when Isigned up. Class is a chunk of lifeI’ll never get back but preparationfor exams is where the effort lies.I can’t imagine how much time itwould take to actually do all thereading assigned.

I didn’t realize what I wouldgive up for law school. Mynephew jumped straight from dia-pers to kindergarten. I ceased toexist to friends outside school. Mydog is happier living with my par-ents.

For all the things I’ve given upI’ve gained a few in return. Inter-esting new friends. A heightenedappreciation for a good night’ssleep. The ability to see negativeexperiences in a positive light.There’s nothing like getting yournose bloodied in verbal fisticuffswith a professor or classmate topermanently cement a point oflaw. (Thanks, Lew. Thanks, Dave.I get it now.)

Most of us have never workedas hard for a such long time toachieve a goal. It’s easy to focusso completely on getting it overwith that the process of gettingthere becomes disheartening.

For me, the key to sanity is find-ing value in the day. Whether it isthe palpable feeling of relief whenthe guy next you gets called on, agood story shared by a classmateor the satisfaction of doing wellon an exam doesn’t matter. Justfind one thing each day to keep itfrom blurring into the sustainedeffort of the next or the last. To-day, it’s the look onJoe’s face. No ex-planation I couldgive him wouldchange it.

Pope is a 4L.

JOHN SPINKS—AJC

In the wake of O.J. and Amadou, future lawyersmust recognize the problem before solving it

ALL RIGHTS REVERT TO AUTHORS.

OpinionOpinionTHE GAVEL

in Shaker Heights started usingthem that Reagan declared a“War on Drugs.” I mean, afterall, this is the same person whoreputedly financed the Iran Con-tra scandal by authorizing or al-lowing the sale of cocaine toblack people in South CentralLos Angeles.

I also remember when O.J.Simpson was on trial. Manywhite people were sure he wasguilty, and many black peoplewere sure he was innocent. Imust have encountered 50 dif-

What about you, where do yousee it?

I’d like to give a few ex-amples in which I see racism. Iremember when in the 1980sPresident Reagan initiated the“War on Drugs.” Some peoplesaw his attempt to wage a waron drugs as a governmentofficial’s shot at ending one ofthe country’s social evils.

I see racism. Think about it.At the time, drugs had been inthe black community for de-cades. It was when white kids

ferent white people whofelt it necessary to tell methat they knew O.J. wasguilty. I wonder why thosepeople felt compelled totell me that — did theythink that when O.J. alleg-edly killed those people,black people were all act-ing in concert?

Black people had beentelling the rest of Americathat we needed to fix thejustice system for de-cades. They wouldn’t lis-ten. I find it interestingthat after a black man isacquitted for a murder thatmuch of white Americabelieved he committed,then white people came tothe conclusion that weneeded to fix the justicesystem. Oh, really?

Lastly, what aboutAmadou Diallo? What

subliminal message is sent whena black man reaches for his wal-let in the presence of undercoverlaw enforcement officers and isrepeatedly shot and killed whileunarmed? Does this tell futurepolice officers that they may killyoung black males with impu-nity? What does this tell youngblack males about the sanctityof black life? You figure it out.

The student body of Cleve-land-Marshall will contribute tothe future administration of jus-tice in this country in their rolesas attorneys and judges. Futureperceptions of the justice sys-tem will be based on our ac-tions. We must proceed withcaution. We have been en-trusted with a great responsibil-ity. The stability of our societyin part depends upon us.

I have accepted the chal-lenge. Have you?

Wims is a 2L.

Fear of a black planet

Play ’em, B.B.

GARRY BRECHEISER

iam Rehnquist, 76, and John Paul Stevens, 80,are past the retirement age. In my opinion, a Re-publican president with the Republican Senatemeans that three Republican-appointed justices(Rehnquist, O’Connor and Stevens) are evenmore likely to step down.

George Bush has said on national televisionthat he will appoint “strict constructionists” to theSupreme Court like Rehnquist and Antonin Scalia.Rehnquist and Scalia are very conservative; bothvoted to overturn Roe v. Wade, vigorously dissent-ing from the 5-4 majority that upheld it. Theirrecords on civil rights for minorities, women andgays are dismal to the point of open animosity.

The fact is that we are facing the possible re-placement of two moderates in O’Connor andStevens, one liberal in Ginsburg and one conser-vative in Rehnquist with four conservative judges.Even with the Republican Senate, under a Demo-cratic president we can realistically hope to getat least moderate justices.

Apparently, Bush is counting on the fact thatmost people don’t understand constitutional law,let alone the impact it could have on us for thenext 30 or so years. So if you, or someone youknow, has no other reason to vote, vote for theSupremes. Vote Gore.

McKee is a 3L.

“Many Americans will sharetheir homes with a creature notof this species yet refuse to in-habit the same space as a hu-man being of another skincolor.”

— Anonymous

By David WimsCONTRIBUTING WRITER

I agree with Bill Clinton.Race is the country’s most press-ing problem. It’s amazing to mehow many ways race or racismaffects us. I see it everywhere.

By Michele McKeeSTAFF WRITER

Apathy is running amuck! The last four peopleI have asked about the election told me they“probably won’t vote,” followed with a statementthat it doesn’t make any difference who’s electedsince both candidates are just “slimy politicians.”

This election matters more than any otherprevious election because of the major impactit could have on the make-up of the SupremeCourt. Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Mas-sachusetts came to town Oct. 21 and participatedin a forum to discuss this very topic. Frankpointed out that George Bush (and Ralph Nader)would like you to think that there is no causefor alarm, but anyone who can grasp basic con-stitutional law should know better.

Frank and the other panelists,including OhioState Sens. Rob-ert Hagan and

Eric Fingerhut, dis-cussed the fact that the next presi-dent will appoint at least two andup to four Supreme Court justices.Two justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburgand Sandra Day O’Connor, havebeen very ill and two more, Will-

THE GAVEL P OPINION NOVEMBER 2000 P 9

Appreciate your vote while you have it

We don’t have a perfectvoting system, but weshould be grateful no less.

Silence, conservatives: All Beltway bigwigs look alike

No meat? Atasteless idea

Warning to all students whofrequent Becky’s Bar: The Re-publican-led Congress has de-termined that Washingtonknows how best to fight drunken

driving in Cleve-land, Ohio. Statesshall lower thelegal limit ofblood-alco-

hol concentration to .08 orlose federal highwayfunding. Yet how canthis be? Did not thesesame Republicans runon slogans such as get-ting Washington off thebacks of the states, let-ting the states run thestates, and promoting lo-cal control? Don’t theseRepublicans want lessgovernment in our lives, anddon’t they think that the statesknow how to fight drunk driv-ing best? Don’t they know whatworks in rural Ohio might notwork in Chicago?

Just one more example oftypical right-wing hypocrisy.The party whose leaders runaround their respective Con-gressional districts and stateswailing about too much Wash-ington get to Washington and at-tempt to create a more intrusivegovernment. If this piece of leg-islation passes both houses (it’sexpected to) and Clinton signsit (he’s expected to), then ex-pect the size of local govern-ment to increase. Before copswould be able to let the between.08 and .10 drinkers drive home;now they will have to make ar-rests. More drunk drivers will bearrested and processed throughthe system. This will requiremore cops to make more arrests,more secretaries to processmore paperwork, more prosecu-tors to prosecute more cases,more interns to assist them,

the rule. The latter senator sup-ports the legislation. Dewine ei-ther feels that the Republican leg-islation in Ohio and the Republi-can Gov. Bob Taft can’t do thejob without him as a lieutenantgovernor or he was never as fed-eralist as he claims to be. Voterswill draw their own conclusions.

Statistically, the lowering ofthe blood-alcohol concentra-tion level does nothing to curbthe much more serious threatof chronic, 12-pack-guzzlingdrinkers, driving with orwithout licenses. The major-ity of alcohol-related fatali-ties happen when the blood-alcohol content is higherthan .15. This lowering oflegal blood-alcohol contentamounts to one more step to-ward neo-prohibitionism.

This law is but one ex-ample of myriad examples of

contradictions inherent in con-servative theory and praxis. It

gives one pause to consider howhonest the Moral Majority andmany anti-Washington Republi-cans are, especially when oneconsiders that the RepublicanCongress has spent more moneythan any other in Congressionalhistory, despite claims to cutspending on the election stump.So perhaps Clinton lied aboutfellatio. And Al Gore exagger-ated about how long that littlegirl stood during class in Florida.These sound more and more likeRepublican-drawn red herrings.For Republicans have built theirentire anti-Washington federal-ist philosophy with the bricksand mortar of lies and hypocrisy.

It makes you so sick justthinking about it that you wantto cruise over to Becky’s andthrow back a few beers under thewatchful eyes of Washington Re-publicans.

Petrus is a part-time 3L.

A summary of recent newspa-per headlines from across the coun-try would read as such: “In the eyesof the law, pets are becoming morelike people everyday.” Somepeople have way too much free

time.In Miami’s

airport, a womanstopped me toask if I wouldsign her petition.I asked what iswas about and

she replied that it was “inhumane”to kill animals for food. I asked herif she had told that to the animals,as animals kill animals for food.

“Look it up,” I said. “It’s theway the world was designed. Halfthe animals eat, the other half geteaten, and those piddly, wimpylittle animals that just eat nuts andberries — well, they get eatenfirst!” She looked at me like a deercaught in headlights.

Animal-rights activism is reli-gion for people who don’t believein God. Nature doesn’t need ourhelp; we’re the species with all theproblems. You never drive past abar and see it full of raccoons. Youdon’t find lions in anger manage-ment classes. You don’t see birdspopping up out of the water ex-claiming, “I can’t swim!”

Even when we do try and help,look what happens: Go for a rideout in the country and notice allthe yellow signs with the little deeron the front. Those are deer cross-ing signs. In between the deercrossing signs you will see rab-bits, opossums, squirrels, foxes,frogs, etc., splattered all over theroad. Where are these animalssupposed to cross? Does a rabbithave to strap on a pair of antlersto get any respect in Ohio? Do thewhales that are being chased atthis very moment by Japanesewhaling ships feel better knowingthat Todd has a “Save the Whales”T-shirt on while enjoying a cara-mel latte at his local coffee bistro?

We’re not supposed to eattunafish because every once inawhile they kill a dolphin. Butthey always kill the tuna. Don’ttell me there aren’t tuna in thebottom of those boats thinking,“Hey, I’ll jump through the hoop.Give me a chance!”

To borrow a phrase from Ford,this is not Job One. When thereare no more ethnic cleansings tak-ing place, when there are no chil-dren in third-world sweatshops,when we have thwarted the at-tempts of those who would im-plant diodes under our skin lestwe be tracked by global position-ing satellites, and those otherswho would try and clone Jesus,then, and maybe then, I’ll ask thescientific community to release alltheir disease-ridden rats into theManhattan sewer system.

Human beings meet, date, fallin love and get married. That canbe a real mess. Animals just mate.That works perfectly. For ex-ample, when the female orangu-tan is “in the mood” she secretesa musk that can be detected forup to three miles by all male or-angutans. They come running.They sit in a straight line. Shepicks the one she wants and pre-sents herself to him. Just one time,I’d like to be sitting in a bar …

Cheselka is a 2L.

PaulPetrus

Agree?Do you take issue with an opinion inthis edition? Do you have a specialperspective that would help shedlight on the subject? Tell us. E-mailKEVIN.BUTLER@LAW.CSUOHIO.EDU.Submissions must be signed. Wereserve the right to edit for clarity.

MichaelCheselka

The Weakin Review

more public defenders to defendthe accused, more bailiffs to as-sist more judges to adjudicatemore instances of guilt or inno-cence, more correctional facili-ties … and on and on until wecontinue to have the big Wash-ington-influenced governmentthat the Republicans supposedlyfight against.

Wouldn’t it be closer to theRepublican message of lessWashingtonian influence in ourdaily lives to let the states de-cide how to fight drunk driving?Republican Sen. GeorgeVoinovich so far agrees and hasindicated he will vote no.Voinovich is the exception,however; Sen. Mike Dewine,

ROMAN GENN —IMPOLITIC.COM

Why do Republicans always shout forsmaller government if their Congressspent more than any other in U.S. history?

‘Surprise,Mr. Bush!

Your peopleare just as big-

government as mine.’

and deeply appreciated. Additional fundingfrom CSU Minority Affairs and professorPatricia Falk enabled the symposium to bea truly quality program. Thanks also to thenumerous students, faculty and staff whocontributed their energy and creativity.

Renni Zifferblatt, coordinator andbrainchild behind the Hate Crime Sympo-sium, deserves strong praise and thanks forher endless effort and commitment to thisproject and its success.

Jennifer Lukas JacksonLukas Jackson is president of SPILO.

Response to Dean WhiteI would just like to thank Associate Dean

Frederic White for spelling my name cor-rectly each and every time he used it in hisrecent letter to the editor (October 2000).

Francis S. CwiklinskiCwiklinski is a 2L.

IN THE 1998 ELECTION, BARELYmore than a third of the voting-agepopulation went to the polls. In 1996,

voter turnout was 49 percent of the vot-ing-age population, the lowest voter turn-out on record for a presidential race, ac-cording to the League of Women Voters.

“If you don’t vote, you are letting oth-ers decide the future of your community,your state, your country,” writes theLeague’s Monica Sullivan.

Political scientists claim that voting willmake a difference this year, regardless ofyears past. “We always say turnout mat-ters,” said University of Akron professorJohn Green, “[when] in a lot of elections itreally doesn’t.” This year, it does matter.

I’m continually surprised that Ameri-cans are so complacent about one of theirrights when so many of us had to fight forthat right, and when people around theworld are still fighting for it.

I am reminded of East Timor, where afriend worked as a U.N. elections observer.People and families were threatened, shotat and bombed to prevent them from vot-ing. Even so, they made it to the polls tovote because their opportunity to be heardwas held so dear.

We don’t have a perfect system, but wehave a working system. Be grateful that allwe have to dodge is apathy, inertia andexcuses. Vote!

Moira ArsenaultArsenault is a 3L.

SPILO pays its respectsA formal thank you to those at Cleve-

land-Marshall and Cleveland State whohelped make the Hate Crimes Symposium asuccess. The symposium would not havebeen possible without the guidance of theC-M administration, including deans StevenSteinglass, Jack Guttenberg and FredericWhite. The tireless support of LouiseMooney, Sandra Natran, Louise Dempseyand CSU’s Sandra Emerick was invaluable.

Thanks especially to the following or-ganizations and their leaders: the Asian-Pacific Islanders Law Student Association,Coalition for Equal Rights, Criminal LawSociety, CSU Project Lambda and StudentPublic Interest Law Organization, whoseenthusiasm and financial support made theevent uniquely student organized.

The participation and financial supportof the Student Bar Association was critical

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SidebarSidebarTHE GAVEL

10Page

November 2000

Find your bearingsBy LeA SchemrichCONTRIBUTING WRITER

If you’re thinking your first year is the worst partof law school, you’re right. And if you’vesuccessfully blocked your first year from memory,here’s a reminder of how bad it was.

You know you’re a first-yearlaw student when:

1. You look at the clock and find yourselfthinking that 11:30 p.m. is early.

2. You take your outlines into the bathroom ifyou think you may be awhile.

3. Grocery shopping is a welcome chore.4. Two words — Socratic method.5. You know more about the trials and

tribulations in the lives of your study group then ofyour family.

6. You realize the statement, “It gets easier inthe second year,” does not apply to you.

7. The only place you don’t take your books isBecky’s.

8. The employees at McDonald’s know yourfirst name and favorite sandwich.

9. You’re thinking of raising funds to erect astatue of Emanuel.

10.You’ve entertained the idea of dressing up aseither the “Reasonable Man” or Mrs. Palsgraf forHalloween.

11.You find yourself using the word“reasonable” to describe everything!

12.You can’t begin to imagine life in theclassroom without your cases briefed.

13.Your friend begins to tell you a story aboutwhat happened to him and you find yourself issue-spotting.

14.Of all the things you’ve lost, it’s sleep youmiss the most.

You know you’re a second-year law student when:

1. Your professor makes it to class before you do.2. You read constitutional law opinions and

wistfully remember the days when your cases wereonly three pages long.

3. So long, Socratic method!4. A higher percentage of the class is now

divorced.5. You’re desperately hoping the rumor that all

upper classes are graded on a “B” curve is true.6. You finally learned a majority of your

classmates’ first names.7. You’ve broken the habit of using

“reasonable” to describe everything!8. You can begin to imagine life in the

classroom without your cases briefed.9. Your parents’ friends begin soliciting legal

advice.10.Your priorities shift to the point where losing

the 10 pounds you gained last year from eating somuch McDonald’s is equally important as passingproperty.

11.You look back at last year and realize, almostfondly, just what a fantastic motivator fear of publichumiliation was.

LeA Schemrich is a 3L.“I said, ‘circuit court’!”

COURT JESTERS Gregory Sedmak

FocusFocus On:On:Mark Gould

5413 Franklin Boulevard

Cleveland, Ohio 44102

October 4, 2000

My First-year Peer Mentee

Cleveland-Marshall

College of Law

Dear 1L:

At this time of the year, you are probably wondering if you are doing OK academically. The following

should provide a good measuring stick. If you believe any of these statements to be true, you may need

some assistance:

P A case brief is an undergarment worn at the other law school in Cleveland.

P The SBA was a New Deal policy.

P Learned Hand describes a good juggler.

P Penal laws are federal regulations concerning men’s underwear.

P The Articles of Confederation are still good law.

P Duress is something one does in the morning.

P Mens rea is the masculine term for a common intestinal malfunction.

P Damages can be mitigated with a good shampoo and conditioner.

P Due Process occurs when water condenses.

P The Law Review conducts drill and ceremony and has its own marching band.

P Legislative history includes a discussion of the Roman senate.

P The Supreme Court resolves disputes between the Star Fleet Command and the Klingons.

P Justice Frankfurter is best known for inventing a ballpark meal.

P Conversion involves a sex-change operation.

P Passing the bar means going home early.

P Becky’s is an unpopular place that does not serve beer.

Let me know if I can help.Sincerely,

FrankFrank Cwiklinski,

Your loyal mentor

Frank

A First-year Primer

Note: “Focus On,” which profiles some of Cleveland-Marshall’s more interesting people, begins this month. It willbe a regular feature of the Gavel.

As an undergraduate geology student at Cleveland State, 1LMark Gould took two four-month research trips to Belize. Heparticipated in the Maya Mountains Archaeological Project, aproject started at CSU and funded by National Geographic. Heand five students, as well as 20 Mayan guides and scholarsfrom around the world studied the collapse of the Mayancivilization in Belize by examining its archaelogical sites.

Why did you decide to go to law school? I saw that as ageologist, I wasn’t going to be able to prevent contaminationand pollution from happening. Law would be a way toprevent it as a consultant, to help prevent companies frompolluting and remain in compliance with laws and statutes.

How did the trips to Belize change you? Living in therainforest, I was hiking everyday with our guides, livingwithout a bathroom, on rice and beans, no phone, no TV, nodistractions. I struggled with that at first. But the MayanIndians, who didn’t have all that, were the happiest people.The trip forced me to reevaluate my values and what theyare based on. And it got me over my fear of snakes andbugs.

How will your experience with the MMAP help you inlaw school and later as an attorney? It was a two-day hikeinto the bush with 30-pound back packs. I had toovercome mental and physical challenges similar to lawschool. I’ve done that and survived; that gives me theconfidence that I can do this.

Where do you see your-self five years from now?Practicing environmen-tal law for a small tomidsize firm, andtraveling extensively.

Do you view lawschool differently thanbefore you started?People are more

friendly and lesscompetitive than Ihad heard.

Favoriteclass: torts.Movie: “Brave-heart.” Legaltelevisionshow: “Lawand Order.”

— Clare Taft

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