On November 19, the University of Louisville will institute a policy that prohibits smoking on all campuses.

Our Health Sciences Center campus has been smoke-free since January 2008 when downtown hospitals made that move. Since then, no smoking has been allowed in any indoor or outdoor space within the boundaries of the HSC campus or within 50 feet of any building entrance.

That same policy will be implemented at Belknap Campus and university-owned or -controlled buildings at the Shelby Campus beginning November 19.

There are many reasons why we are instituting this policy:

- Public health: Smoking harms both the smoker and people around the smoker.
- Employee satisfaction: More and more UofL employees are complaining about walking through smoke to enter buildings and about cigarette butt litter.
- Inequity: Many employees also have pointed out the inequity in having a smoking ban only on one campus.

Enforcement will begin November 19 on HSC as employees there have received considerable notice about the policy. Sanctions that could accompany refusal to comply with any university policy could be applied to the no-smoking policy.

From November 19 to June 1, designated smoking areas will be established on Belknap and affected Shelby Campus buildings to allow faculty, staff and students time to adjust to the policy.  [Note: The designated smoking area closest to the Law School will be near Ekstrom Library.]  Starting June 1, however, the designated smoking areas will cease to exist and the policy will be fully enforced on all campuses.

Smoking is an individual choice. This, however, may be an opportunity for many of you who want to stop smoking. Both our Get Healthy Now employee health management initiative and our Campus Health Center can connect you with classes and products that can help you quit. Humana has made a generous offer to partially cover the costs of smoking cessation support, so we will offer an array of products, including pills, patches and gum, as well as behavioral support to people who want to quit. We will communicate more about these opportunities in the coming weeks.

Shirley Willihnganz
University Provost

A copy of the 2010 spring Class Schedule Packet (18 pages) updated to 11/18/2009 is attached.  Print copies may be picked up at the the usual places around school.  A copy will also be posted at the Student Records Web page.

The American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution invites you to participate in their first ever Mediation Video Contest on YouTube®. They seek creative, thoughtful, original three-minute videos that demonstrate the mediation process and benefits of mediation. The goal of the competition is to further public understanding of mediation and to promote the use of mediation as a way to resolve disputes. The video need not address only legal disputes.

Eligibility: The Contest is open to everyone except employees of the American Bar Association and their immediate family members.

Prizes: First Place - $1000 prize, Second Place - $500 prize

Submissions are due (via YouTube) by January 15, 2010.

Submissions will be judged by a committee of ABA Section of Dispute Resolution members and ABA staff. The ABA shall have sole authority and discretion to select winning videos.

The judges will evaluate entries using the following criteria:

• Effectiveness in achieving purpose and goal of the video
• Overall quality of presentation
• Overall appeal to diverse audience
• Overall production quality (including lighting, focus, sound, graphics)
• Originality, Creativity and Adherence to Contest Rules.

The winners will be contacted via e-mail by February 28, 2010. The winners will also be announced on February 28, 2010 on the ABA Dispute Resolution website. The First and Second Place winning videos will be featured at the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Spring Conference in April 2010, with over 1,000 attendees.  The videos of the winners as well as any Honorable Mentions will be linked from the Section website. The Section may also post links to the video submissions that help promote and further the public understanding of mediation.

The University of Louisville Law Library experienced damage to facilities in its lower levels in the August floods.  On October 12, contractors began removing floor tiles under strict safety protocols to prepare surfaces for re-flooring.  While this work is being done, basement areas will be sealed off and no one will be able to enter.  During this period, we will be unable to retrieve materials from the following collections: classified treatises, microfiche, non-Kentucky retrospective state sources, foreign and international materials. The restrictions will not affect collections of current federal and state primary materials, current and retrospective Kentucky materials, and bound periodicals.

Based on progress to date and the work that still remains, it appears that the law library's basement will remain closed until the beginning of the spring semester on January 4, 2010.

Determine your reward system to stay motivated.  The rewards can be large or small depending on the tasks.  You might go to the movies with your family if you study for a certain number of hours.  You might watch one half-hour of television if you complete a smaller task.  Use your imagination for rewards:  a new pair of shoes at the mall; reading a magazine; a luxurious soak in a bubble bath; dinner with friends; a morning at the spa; a run with the family dog.  You will accomplish more and find it easier to start tasks if you have a reward waiting for you.  So, stick to your schedule for studying and then reward yourself.   

Alex Davis and Nancy Vinsel recently took the initiative to do something beneficial for the student body that also demonstrated the skills they've learned here in their first semester of law school. With the help of their classmates in Professor Leibson’s Section 1 Torts class, they embarked upon a clever campaign that raised $1040 for student scholarships.

In exchange for about $10 each and 24 12-ounce cans of Dr. Brown’s Diet Cream Soda, the students acquired David Leibson's golf hat signed by PGA Champion, Byron Nelson, and a presentation of stories from their professor's career.

Alex Davis said that, "This started out as a really small idea, and it was amazing to watch it grow as other students and faculty came up with ideas to make the offer better. We're hoping to challenge future classes to buy the hat from us and raise even more money."

It's not too late to contribute.

 

Read more about it in Alex's blog, 1L at Uof L.

 

Photo credit: Michael Ben-Avraham

 

In 2009, Robert L. Ackerson ('58) was posthumously presented the Lawrence Grauman Award.

Ackerson began practicing law in 1958 and founded the firm which is now Ackerson & Yann. His practice focused on business, tax and personal and estate planning. He was a member of the Regional Counsel and Internal Revenue Service from 1959-1963. In 2008 the Kentucky Bar Association recognized Ackerson as a Senior Counselor for fifty years of service to the Kentucky bar.

He was a strong supporter of the university's athletic program, and the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, a past member of the American Bar Association, the Kentucky Bar Association, Delta Theta Pi and a director of Family Place. He was regarded by members of his firm as a friend, mentor and esteemed colleague-the tribute to him on the firm's website states the following: "We are all saddened and diminished by the loss of Bob. We are grateful for his legacy at our firm and intend to carry on with the highest level of professionalism and competence that Bob provided throughout his distinguished career.

This year, Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson was chosen as the University of Louisville's 2009 Law School alumni fellow.

Justice Abramson serves on the Kentucky Supreme Court. She has served on the courts of Kentucky since 1997. Before serving as a judge, she practiced law for 15 years, concentrating on business and commercial litigation.

Justice Abramson is both an alumna and a staunch supporter of the University of Louisville. She earned a bachelor's degree from UofL in 1977, graduating with highest honors. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1980 and was named the Outstanding Graduate of her law school class.

Justice Abramson is a past president of the University of Louisville School of Law Alumni Council and is a Master of the Louis D. Brandeis Inn of Court. She also serves as a trustee for the Kentucky Judicial Form Retirement System Board, and is the Supreme Court representative on the Kentucky IOLTA Board and the KBA Continuing Legal Education Commission. She is a frequent lecturer for the Kentucky Circuit Judges College and a 2007 graduate of Leadership Louisville.

Justice Abramson is a native of Princeton, Ky. She and her husband, Professor Leslie W. Abramson, have three sons.