October 1999
Animal Law Cited by
New York Times
Current and not-so-current events in our neck of the woods
Compiled by Emily Davis
Lewis and Clark newbies and upper campus isolationists may not know that certain parts of the undergraduate campus underwent a facelift last spring. This eloquent and informative e-mail crossed the wires last spring:
Date: Thu, 06 May 1999
From: Mark
Riskedahl
To: disc-list@lclark.edu
Subject: Need a Study Break?
Witness the ongoing opera of humanity's interaction with the natural world this Friday, May 7.
4:00 p.m. Ultimate Frisbee
Come out for one last run on the grass at the football field on the undergrad campus. On May 17th, this beautiful field will be stripped free of grass and covered with artificial turf.
6:30 p.m. On-Campus Clear Cut
A side trip to the site of one of the most successful ivy-eradication efforts on campus to date. The ever-resourceful undergrad administration was able to curtail invasive ivy infestation by eliminating their host plants (those pesky trees) and mowing down all vegetative undergrowth in the process. Come visit the clear cut and subsequent wood chip piles directly adjacent to the Watzek library that took place two days after undergrad commencement ceremonies.
7:00 p.m. Graveyard Processional to Reception
We'll head on down through the graveyard to convene at the Fulton Pub for a beer or two.
Under the menacing shadow of final exams, NWSL law students reached out to refugees left homeless by the Kosovo conflict last spring. Peter Kirkwood, a 1999 NWSL graduate, organized and hosted an immense garage sale on Sunday, May 16, 1999, in his very own garage and back yard.
The massive effort involved much organization ahead of time, and law students, under Pete's able leadership, jetted all around town to gather donated goods to sell. Dozens of law students set up tables and tents, sorted and priced the donated treasures, and prepared to dicker with savvy garage-sale goers.
Then-2L Jenny Eudy procured a donated tent; said Jenny via e-mail: "we have a tent. 20 x 20. free. whoopeeeee!" This, of course, ensured sunshine.
On the day of the sale, a remarkably long line of cat-calling buyers ("Let us in! Let us in!") formed at the door about two hours before the sale's start, and when the crazed maniacs were let in, they were running toward their prize, a wonderland of bargains. Peter was interviewed by a local television news crew, which helped encourage Portland friends and neighbors to come out and support the cause, and helped Pete do a little networking, too. (He was heard to say into the microphone, "I just graduated from law school and I need a job." Whether he was joking or whether the microphone was even on is unknown.) In the end, the efforts of a small but dedicated group of law students raised almost $2,300 for Mercy Corps, an organization providing ongoing relief to refugees in Kosovo and surrounding nations.
Peter's last e-mail summed up best the subsequent community-wide glow: "The sale was really a highly efficient phenomenon. People who didn't want things transferred them to people who did, and in doing so generated a lot of money. The money now goes to people who need it badly. It's great: everybody wins!
"It is remarkable how much surplus wealth we are all hoarding in our lives (and in our garages!). It feels good to put it to work in a positive way!"
Two pillars of the law school community retired last spring. Alele Rolfe, the information-desk receptionist, was the central nervous system and circulatory system of NWSL. Paula Roucka, Special Assistant to the Dean, Admissions, was an institution unto herself with her trademark warmth and candor.
As staffer Jane McDowell put it, "for many students, their first association with and impression of Northwestern School of Law is closely linked with these two friendly women."
The law school thanked these wonderful people for their contributions to the strength of NWSL at a reception on April 28, 1999.
From a recent Campus Safety report:
"September 17, 1999. A Watzek Library staff member heard the alarm at the front entrance and saw an unidentified white male run down the library stairs. The staff member chased the white male subject, catching up to him in front of the Manor House. The staff member and the subject argued momentarily before the subject pulled a book from his pants pocket and returned it to the staff member. The staff member returned to the library and had no further contact with the subject. The subject was wearing a green ball cap, worn backwards, a white t-shirt, and green camouflage pants. He may have been accompanied by a female of European Indian decent with short black hair and a pierced lower lip with jewelry in the form of a silver ball. Investigation suggests the subjects may have been from Reed College."