Your responses continue to come in; the class participation rate is wonderful.  It tentatively looks like all first year students who have volunteered thus far will be able to work on one of their three choices.   If you have not volunteered yet, please do so by July 27.

At this time, Brightside has unlimited openings, as this is our spillover activity.   We will make room for all who volunteer for this.

We also still have limited openings in:
Habitat
Hosparus
Kentucky Refugee Ministries
Masonic Homes
St. Vincent DePaul

Some of these have only one or two slots available, though, so get your RSVP in now!   Scroll down to the earlier announcment for the basics and and then check your UofL email for details.

We will hand out your project assignments at orientation.  As always, email me if you have questions. 

Students:  The response from your class for your Community Service Day has been incredible!  

 

If you haven't responded yet, check your UofL email inbox for the details on the various service projects available, including time, place, number of volunteers, and any special notes.  (Brief descriptions are pasted below.)  Then visit the websites of the organizations if you are not familiar with them.   Finally, send an email with your first three choices to lawrsvp@louisville.edu by July 27.  ALL projects are on Friday August 14 except for Habitat, which is on the 15th.

 

Operation Brightside; http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Brightside/; Litter cleanup. We pick the time and location(s) and Brightside provides bags, gloves, and will pick up the filled bags.

St. Vincent De Paul; http://www.svdplou.org/; May vary, but will probably include painting, project work in the clothes closet, and helping to move the thrift store and the maintenance shop. Specifics will vary depending on the number of volunteers.

Habitat for Humanity; http://www.hfhlouisville.org/; NOTE: this project is on Saturday August 15; Working alongside skilled construction staff in renovating and maintaining Habitat-owned buildings. Types of Construction Projects: Volunteers work on nearly every facet of home construction, helping with dozens of tasks including preparing the site for construction, framing, insulating, siding, hanging drywall, painting and landscaping, just to name a few.

Family Scholar House; http://familyscholarhouse.org/; Assembling Baskets of Cleaning Supplies for the residents of the Scholar House.

Animal Care Society; www.animalcaresociety.org; Painting, walking dogs, bathing dogs, cleaning, yard work, possibly some organization tasks at this no-kill facility.

Kentucky Refugee Ministries ; www.kyrm.org; Organizing donation basement, possibly assisting a family that arrives to resettle.

Hosparus ; http://www.hosparus.org/index.php; Several small projects, e.g., stuffing envelopes and doing labels for 1000 invitations for a charity event; putting together packets for incoming medical students.

Masonic Homes of Kentucky; http://www.masonichomesky.com/; Work with approximately 15 residents on a craft project.

Home of the Innocents; http://www.homeoftheinnocents.org/; Approximately two hours will be interacting with children (reading to them and wheeling them around); then lunch (provided); then from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., students will help to organize store room area.

 

Preview of Course Registration

 

The start of law school is getting close! And so is course registration. 

All class sections and times are assigned for full-time students.  In the immediate days before orientation, you will receive this information.  At the same time, you will receive instructions on how to register for your classes.   You will do this on-line.   During the registration process, you will have the option of ordering your books from the University Bookstore (you may also order your books elsewhere; just make sure you have the correct editions, etc.).   If you do order from the University Bookstore, you will have the option picking them up at the bookstore or having them delivered to the law school.  If you choose delivery to the law school (many students do), you will be able to pick up your books after the last orientation session, which is Thursday afternoon, August 13.   If you want them earlier (many do), choose pick-up at the University Bookstore.

First year students are assigned to one of two sections; we will send your section assignment to your University of Louisville email address no later than August 7 - possibly a day or two earlier.   Please watch for this email and plan to register for your classes before Monday August 10.

Keep checking this page, as the pace of announcements and information postings will be increasing.

Kathleen S. Bean
Professor of Law
Associate Dean, Student Life
Dated July 23, 2009

First Year Students: 

Check your UofL email inboxes.   

The list of Community Service Day projects has been emailed to you.  Visit the websites to learn about the organizations and use the rsvp email address (included in the email) to let us know what activity you would like to do.  Participating in Service Day is the best way to get to know other first year students and additionally, faculty, staff, and upper-level students.  Please respond by July 27.  Questions?  Email Professor Kathleen S. Bean, Associate Dean, Student Life:  kathybean@louisville.edu.

We've had an issue or two with our Information for Admitted Students website, but we think those have been resolved.  Assuming so, a more detailed orientation schedule and information about registration for classes will be coming.  Very soon.   

[orientation]

START THE SEMESTER FRESH
COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT
FOR ALL FIRST YEARS

Class of 2012:

As your Student Bar Association Secretary, I am organizing a community service event on behalf of the entire incoming first-year class. This year, we will be helping Family Scholar House. This organization was formed to help end the cycle of poverty by assisting single-parents with getting their four-year college degree. The organization currently provides housing, childcare, and academic assistance to 56 families. This service project involves a "START THE SEMESTER FRESH" campaign.

All Family Scholar House students rely on food stamps to feed their children. However, food stamps do not cover cleaning supplies. We would like for each of you to bring in items listed below. If your last name begins with A-M, please bring in a mop and paper towels. If your last name begins with N-Z, please bring in a broom and all-purpose cleaner. Although we understand that you are extremely busy, we encourage you to bring in as many items as feasible and to ask those you know to donate some of the listed items as well. We need enough items for 56 families. One of our community service projects on August 14 will be sorting these supplies for delivery to the families. I assure you this is a worthwhile cause. You can find more information about the organization at: http://familyscholarhouse.org/.

So that we will be assured that we will have enough items, could you please send an email to let us know that you commit to bring something. Email me, and just put in the subject line Fresh Start. That will let us know we can count on you.

I look forward to meeting each of you at orientation.

Sincerely,

Jenna Glasscock
SBA Secretary

Needs include:
mops
paper towels
bathroom cleaner
Pledge/Endust
dust rags
glass cleaner
brooms
Clorox wipes
all-purpose cleaner
toilet bowl brush
dish detergent

July 12, 2009

Students:

Your Student Bar Association (SBA) President, Victor Revill, and the SBA Vice President who is the liaison for orientation, Rachel Carmona, have written a letter to you about the Community Service Day for Orientation 2009 (see below). They are right that we hope your Community Service Day will be the most rewarding segment of the week.

Soon we'll be posting the service opportunities available and asking that you indicate your first three choices. We'll provide information about each project: the specific time; the organization and where it's located; whether the location is on the bus line; what the activity is; and how many students will be assigned to the activity. All but one of the service activities will take place on Friday, August 14 (Habitat had to be scheduled for Saturday, August 15). We'll give you your assignment during orientation, along with any other needed information.

Rachel and other student leaders have put together a great list of projects and we'll try to put you with one of the projects you request. And in addition to your classmates, some of the upper-level students, faculty members, and staff members will be participating.

Finally, another member of our student family is planning, on behalf of your class, a service project that can involve all of you. Her letter will be posted soon, but the project will be to collect cleaning supplies for the Family Scholar House, http://www.projectwomen.org/. We'll ask each of you to bring an item or two to orientation, and then one of our projects will be to assemble baskets to take to the Family Scholar House. Watch for details!

/s/
Kathleen S. Bean
Professor of Law
Associate Dean, Student Life

 

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE
STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION 

July 10, 2009  

 

University of Louisville
Brandeis School of Law
2301 South 3rd Street
Louisville, KY 40292

 

Dear Colleague:

 

You are about to embark on a fruitful journey.  During your tenure at Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, you will learn about your rights and how to protect them.  You will learn about service, but, most importantly, you will learn how to become a better servant to others.

 

Justice Louis D. Brandeis once said, "If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable."  In making the law respectable, we must serve others, so that they may see our example and make similar choices.   We are hopeful that this principle will be an element of the foundation of your practice.

 

On Friday, August 14, 2009, we will have "Community Service Day" during your Orientation as a "1L" at the law school.   We hope that it will be the most rewarding segment of the week.   You have the opportunity to choose which community service event you would like to be involved in.  We ask that you start off your legal career by joining your fellow classmates in a day of service.

 

Congratulations on being accepted into our prestigious law school and we look forward to fellowshipping with you when you arrive.

Sincerely,

 

/s/
Victor Revill
Student Bar Association President

 

/s/
Rachel Carmona
Student Bar Association Vice President

 

Dear First Year Students:

 

Right now the School of Law staff members are busy planning your orientation program, which will take place on August 11, 12, 13 and 14. 

 

Tuesday, August 11, will include a welcome program in the morning to which friends and family are invited.  Later in the day, you'll get your campus picture IDs, attend a law school IT training session, get a tour of the campus and law building, get your locker keys, and do other nuts and bolts sorts of things. 

 

On Wednesday, August 12, you will attend several information sessions designed to prepare you for academic success in your first year of law school. 

 

Thursday, August 13, will include a class on Contracts (your assignments will be sent in advance) and an opportunity to meet your professors. 

 

And Friday, August 14, is your opportunity to participate in Orientation 2009 Community Service Day.  Your Student Bar Association officers have planned a number of service events and we hope you'll all choose to participate.  The community of Louisville will benefit from these projects but you'll benefit too, in two ways:  you'll feel good about your volunteer work and you'll get to know your workmates, i.e., your classmates and upper-level students, along with some faculty and staff members.  We'll have everything from litter pick-up in the park to serving meals at a shelter to painting walls at an animal rescue center to assembling care baskets for the Louisville Scholar house, a residential complex that offers affordable housing, education and child care for single-parents. 

 

And there's more.  So check back here for details and we'll keep you posted as plans progress.

 

Kathleen S. Bean

Professor of Law

Associate Dean, Student Life

 

Orientation Calendar

 

The University's technology store, iTech Xpress, and the Brandeis School of Law have teamed up to offer recommended laptop configurations from Apple and Dell. Louisville Law students are not required to own a computer, but it is strongly recommended.  For more information and to purchase one of our recommended systems online, click here.