Campus Connections

Issue Date: September 25, 2006

News and Notices

Law school opens one-of-a-kind Small Business Legal Clinic

With 95 percent of Portland businesses employing fewer than 50 workers, small businesses are the backbone of Portland’s economy. But until recently, there were no coordinated legal services in Oregon dedicated to serving the needs of small, low-income, and minority entrepreneurs. Enter a woman with a vision. Lisa LeSage, assistant dean and director of business law programs at the law school, has organized a law clinic to serve small business clients in distressed areas that could not otherwise afford legal help. The Small Business Legal Clinic will open its doors with an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 5, at 11 a.m.

“The Small Business Legal Clinic is a powerful example of how public/private collaboration and a passion for economic justice can create a much-needed resource for marginalized communities, while simultaneously providing valuable education to future lawyers—the collaborative nature of this clinic makes it an innovative model for the country,” says LeSage.

After obtaining funding commitments from the major Portland law firms Tonkon Torp, Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt and Stoel Rives, as well as the Portland Business Alliance and Bank of the West, LeSage approached the Portland Mayor’s Office and the Portland Development Commission and suggested a public/private partnership between the city and Lewis & Clark. The clinic received a $100,000 grant from the city and reduced-cost office space from the Portland Development Commission within its own building on the corner of Northwest Fifth and Everett Streets in downtown Portland.

According to LeSage, the clinic is believed to be the only business law clinic in the country that has a coordinated pro bono component certified by the state bar, as well as funding by the city, the chamber of commerce, business and major law firms.

“This is a win-win situation for business-transactions lawyers wanting to do pro bono legal work and clients who otherwise are unable to access traditional legal services,” says Maggie Finnerty, former finance lawyer for Stoel Rives and newly hired clinical law professor for the Small Business Legal Clinic. “It brings together lawyers, law students and clients in a way legal education and traditional legal services never have before.”

For more information, call ext. 6940.

Princeton Review highlights Lewis & Clark

Lewis & Clark offers students an outstanding undergraduate education, according to The Princeton Review. The New York-based education services company features the college in the new 2007 edition of its annual book, “The Best 361 Colleges” (Random House / Princeton Review, 2006, $21.95). Only about 15 percent of the four-year colleges in the United States and two Canadian colleges are in the book. It has two-page profiles of the schools and student survey-based ranking lists of top 20 colleges in more than 60 categories.

In its profile on Lewis & Clark, The Princeton Review ranks the College sixth for “Most Politically Active Students,” and 11th for “Great College Towns.” The profile also quotes extensively from students surveyed. Among their candid comments on the college: “ The greatest strength of Lewis and Clark College is the strength of the community…the majority of students and faculty are extremely personable. You become friends with everyone quickly.”

Celebrate alumni weekend: October 5-8

Lewis & Clark’s Alumni Weekend offers a chance to celebrate the past and look forward to the future. The extended-weekend event runs Thursday, October 5, through Sunday, October 8.

Highlights include the Alumni College lecture series, the 4th annual tailgate extravaganza followed by the homecoming football game, and a concert with jazz guitarist Dan Balmer ’80. Special milestone reunion events are planned for the classes of 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001.

The Office of Alumni and Parent programs would like to hear from College staff members who are interested in assisting with various events during the weekend. Call the office at ext. 7950 for more information about volunteer opportunities.

Explore missing pieces of the immigrant story

Alejandra Favela is passionate when talking about immigration issues. “I don’t believe we can effectively work with immigrant students and communities without understanding the broader economic and political forces that impact immigration policy and the social organizations that work with these populations,” she says. “There are pieces of the story that are missing.”

Favela, assistant professor of education, will lead an in-depth discussion of Oregon’s immigration issues on Thursday, October. 5, at 4 p.m. at the college. The event, called “Missing Pieces and Whole Stories: The Many Faces and Facets of Immigration,” is free and open to the public.

An immigrant herself, Favela is a bilingual teacher and has a long history of working for social justice and education for marginalized children.

“We all need to be better informed on how immigration policy impacts not only our local ‘receiving’ communities, but also ‘sending’ communities abroad,” she says. “We have always had a rise of anti-immigrant sentiment during economic downturns.”

Favela will lead a broad-ranging discussion that includes current immigration figures and latest policy recommendations; how economic policy and free trade reforms affect immigration; and connections between immigration, privatization, militarization, and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The event is sponsored by the graduate school’s Oregon Center for Inquiry and Social Innovation as part of a yearlong focus on immigration. “Missing Pieces” takes place at the South Campus Conference Center, room 107. For more information, call ext. 6099.

Every building tells a story: Residence Halls

The first permanent residence hall on campus, Akin Hall, was completed in 1949. Its name honors Otis and Mabel Akin for their service to the College. Stewart Hall, opened in 1951, is named in memory of Cora Irvine Stewart. Stewart was a member of the first Albany College graduating class, and later the Albany faculty. She was also the daughter of one of the College’s founders.

Built in 1957, Ruth Odell Hall is named in honor of the wife of Morgan Odell, former president of the College.

Platt-Howard Hall, completed in 1960, is named for two men who made significant contributions to the quality of life at the College. Clemmer Platt served as secretary to the Board of Trustees for 28 years. Charles Howard was dean of the college from 1944 to 1958 and vice president from 1958 to 1963. Stanton, Boles, McGuire, and Church designed Platt-Howard.

In 1963, Copeland Hall was dedicated to Joseph and Helen Copeland. He was a philanthropist, lumber executive, and life trustee. She was a past president of the Women’s League of Lewis & Clark.

The Forest residence complex consists of five buildings named for Pacific Northwest trees: Alder, Juniper, Manzanita, Ponderosa, and Spruce. The Tamarack Lounge is a central location for student gatherings.

Hartzfeld Hall was designed by Paul Thiry and named for Freeda Hartzfeld Jones, dean of women and assistant to the president from 1943 to 1968. In 2002, the College completed three 56-bed residence halls (West Hall, Roberts Hall, and East Hall) designed specifically for junior and senior students. Roberts Hall is named in honor of the late Rev. Harold Roberts and Gertrude Roberts, the parents of donor Maggie Roberts Murdy. It also houses Maggie’s Café. East Hall contains a student recreation center. These new halls are the first phase of the redevelopment of the residential sector of the campus.

IT offers fall classes

Information Technology offers ongoing computer training courses. During the next two weeks, these classes are available: Advanced Trillium, Photoshop Elements, and MeetingMaker. For more information, contact IT at ext. 7020.

Historical snapshot

In 2005, Paul L. Boley Law Library celebrates the acquisition of its 500,000th volume. View more College milestones online.

People News

New faces on campus

Several new faces have joined the Lewis & Clark community recently including: Margaret Savage, dispatcher, Campus Safety; Naomi Hatt, lab manager, psychology; Whitney Grubbs, program manager, National Crime Victim’s Law Institute; Kara Joy Thieleman, administrative secretary, dean of the CAS; and Julie Arcidiacono, campus events specialist, Campus Events.

Published, presented, honors, and achievements

Faculty and staff serve as ambassadors for the College through their publications, presentations, awards, grants, and other accomplishments. Highlights include:

In June, Mark Dahl, assistant director for systems and access services Watzek Library, attended the Frye Leadership Institute. The purpose of the intensive, two-week residential program is to develop creative leaders to guide and transform academic information services for higher education.

Julio de Paula, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of chemistry, released the eighth edition of a textbook titled “Physical Chemistry” (Oxford University Press and W.H. Freeman and Co., 2006). The textbook, coauthored with Peter Atkins from Oxford University, is a best-selling textbook on physical chemistry.

More listings of faculty and staff achievements can be found in our online pressroom.

L&C in the News

College faculty and staff are in the news on a regular basis. Recent mentions include:

The Oregonian: Robert Eisinger, associate professor and chair of political science, comments on negative campaign ads in Oregon’s congressional race. September 13, 2006.

Oregon Public Broadcasting radio: Steven Kanter, professor of law, is interviewed regarding the history and relevance of the Bill of Rights in today’s changing world. September 11, 2006.

KINK radio: John Kroger, professor of law, comments on the effects of a Portland judge’s ruling on a local charity’s lawsuit against the federal government. September 8, 2006.

The Oregonian: Dean of Students Houston Dougharty was featured in an article discussing the increasing amount of “helicopter parents” college deans are now facing. Dougharty’s advises the parents of new students to be supportive without being overly attentive. September 3, 2006.

The China Post (Taiwan): Commentary piece (“Numbers to Make Our Colleges Better”) by President Tom Hochstettler addresses a recommendation by the Spellings Commission on the Future of Higher Education to establish a national student database. September 3, 2006.

For a sampling of how and where Lewis & Clark is mentioned by media outlets across the nation and around the globe, visit the online pressroom.

Events

Law School forum focuses on baby boomer retirement system

The law school’s 12th annual Business Law Forum brings together nationally and internationally recognized experts on tax, labor, and employment law to discuss where America’s retirement policy is headed. The forum will take place on Friday, September 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Wood Hall.

As traditional pensions are being replaced by the defined contribution—or individual account model—medical benefits for both retirees and employees are being cut or restructured to impose more costs on the recipients. The forum will focus on how these changes generate fiscal pressures on Social Security, Medicare, and other mechanisms for social support. In particular, the forum will investigate how the impending retirements of baby boomers coincide with a marked decline of the traditional pension as the prevailing model for retirement income. For more information, call ext. 6756.

New Yorker essayist Ian Frazier speaks at final bicentennial symposium

A the nation wraps up a multi-year bicentennial commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the college’s final humanities symposium brings together national scholars to discuss and assess the expedition’s lasting impact. Keynote speakers include New Yorker essayist and author Ian Frazier and natural resources law professor Charles Wilkinson. The two-day symposium takes place Friday and Saturday, September 29 and 30.

The symposium, titled “Legacies,” features lively discussions on topics including the expedition’s impact on environmental, political, Native American, and public policy issues.

Frazier is a bit tongue in cheek when he talks about the American West. “I’m very interested in the American West as a continuing story,” he says. “For example, was the Lewis and Clark expedition just the first of a series of punches in the nose that this part of the world received from the world at large?” His presentation on Saturday, September 30, at 7:30 p.m. is titled “There Went the Neighborhood: The American West Since Lewis and Clark.”

Frazier’s talk is in the Newmark Theatre (1111 S.W. Broadway). Tickets are $15-20 through TicketsWest (503-224-8499). Service charges may apply. For more information, call ext. 7207.

Most symposium sessions will be held in Agnes Flanagan Chapel and Albany Quadrangle. Members of the Lewis & Clark community may attend symposium sessions for free.

For complete symposium information, call ext. 7207.

William Stafford Writing Workshop

The William Stafford Center invites the campus community to spend a day delving into the archives of William Stafford. The gather, titled “Stafford Studies: Crossing Unmarked Snow,” is a day of directed writing and is part of a continuing workshop focused on Stafford’s life of constant creation. The workshop takes place on Saturday, September 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Campus Conference Center. The cost is $45.

The class, which is open for registration through the William Stafford Center, begins with this Saturday workshop and continues on Sunday, October 1, and for five evenings in the weeks to follow. For more information, call ext. 6162.

Symposium examines fate of environmentalism

Two years ago, Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus declared environmentalism to be dead, and their provocative idea has been expanded in a soon-to-be released book. The pair delivers a keynote address as part of the ninth annual Environmental Affairs Symposium, on Wednesday, October 4, at 7:30 p.m. The symposium, titled Beyond Environmentalism? Debating New Ideas and Strategies, takes place Monday through Wednesday, October 2-4. Most events are free and open to the public; tickets for Shellenberger and Nordhaus’ talk are $5 at the door.

A new book by Shellenberger and Nordhaus, titled “The Death of Environmentalism and the Birth of a New Aspirational Politics,” will be published by Houghton Mifflin in fall 2007.

The symposium features presentations and panel discussions by area faculty members, students, and environmental professionals on six topics: Environmentalism: Birth, Death, and Future; Climate: Time for a Change?; Saving Species: Reconsidering Conservation in the Pacific Northwest; Whose Nature? Taming a Wild Idea; Local and Global: Rethinking Place; and New Political Strategies.

The symposium is organized by students and faculty of Lewis & Clark’s environmental studies program.

Most events take place on campus in Templeton Student Center, Council Chamber. Shellenberger and Nordhaus will speak on Wednesday, October 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Agnes Flanagan Chapel. For more information, call ext. 7378.

Upcoming

Visit the campus Web calendar for events coming up in September and October.