Prof. Brandeis' research on marijuana law quoted in vox.com article

An Alaska Law Review article by Prof. Jason Brandeis, J.D., Legal Studies faculty at the Justice Center, was quoted in a piece on vox.com, a recently launched general interest online news site.  Prof. Brandeis' article, "The Continuing Vitality of Ravin v. State: Alaskans Still Have a Constitutional Right to Possess Marijuana in the Privacy of Their Homes," was published in the December 2012 issue of the Alaska Law Review.

Read the vox.com article:
"The Next State To Legalize Marijuana Could Be ...Alaska?" by German Lopez, vox.com, May 21, 2014. 

Prof. Brandeis' law review article addresses the unique history and case law surrounding the Alaska Constitution's right to privacy and how it applies to private, personal marijuana use. He teaches courses on constitutional issues and civil liberties.

Prof. Brandeis teaches courses on American government, constitutional law and civil liberties, and is a frequent speaker on constitutional law and other legal issues. Prof. Brandeis also maintains a private law practice through which he provided legal representation in administrative agency proceedings for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska.

Update on the "UAA says NO MORE" campaign

The NO MORE campaign at UAA co-founded by Justice majors/Legal Studies minors Simona Gerdts and Kristen Speyerer continues to gain momentum. Simona and Kristen graduated in May 2014, but they are continuing to work on this project. Below are some recent highlights:

"UAA says NO MORE" officially added to list of NO MORE allies

UAA has been added to the growing list of organizations, clubs, and nonprofits that are uniting to end domestic violence and sexual assault.  "UAA says NO MORE" will now be known as the UAA "NO MORE Alliance." 

 UAA Resource Fair

The "UAA says NO MORE" group staffed a booth on April 17 and held a march to draw attention to the issue of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Kristen Speyerer (l) leads the march in the Student Union.

  

Students staffing the resource table (l to r) Daniel Reinhard,
Camilla Hussein-Scott, Kristen Speyerer, Simona Gerdts.

 

 

 

Meeting with UAA Chancellor Tom Case

Kristen and Simona had the opportunity to talk to Chancellor Case about their work on "UAA says NO MORE."

L to r: Simona, Kristen, and Chancellor Case

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Stories Series - UAA website

 

Simona and Kristen each wrote their story for this series.  Click here to read them.

NO MORE blog features Simona Gerdts 

"The Cycle Stops Here: A Child of Violence Says No More"

Simona Gerdts (r) and her family.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Victims for Justice Banquet

Simona and Kristen were nominated for a Victims for Justice media award for the "UAA Says No More" Facebook page by Cpt. Danyelle Kimp, U.S. Army Alaska SHARP Program (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention) Manager, JBER. They received a plaque in recognition of their nomination at the May 3 banquet.

At the banquet, members  of  "UAA Says NO MORE."
Seated l to r: Camilla Hussein-Scott, Kristen Speyerer,
Simona Gerdts. Standing l to r: Daniel Reinhard,
Sarah Anderson.

 

 

 

 

 KRUA Student Storyboard

L to r: Sarah Anderson (l) and  Simona Gerdts (r)
being interviewed by Kathleen McCoy.

Simona Gerdts and Sarah Anderson, a Native Aleut and UAA student, were interviewed on KRUA for Student Storyboard by Kathleen McCoy of UAA Advancement. The program aired on  KRUA, the student radio station at UAA, on May 2 and May 5. The discussion focused on how Simona's and Kristen's capstone project, "UAA says NO MORE," intersected with Sarah's desire to bring awareness of the problem of domestic violence and sexual assault to her village of Port Heiden.

Photo with Senator Mark Begich

Simona and Kristen had a photo taken with Senator Begich during his recent visit to the UAA campus and presented him with a NO MORE t-shirt.

L to r: Senator Begich, Simona, and Kristen.

"Jammin' for Justice" Legal Services fundraiser honoring Professor Emerita Dr. Nancy Schafer tops $15,000

L to r: Dr. Allan Barnes, Justice Center faculty; Jennifer Schafer-Soderman;
and Dr. André Rosay, Justice Center Director, outside the Tap Root.

The Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) fundraiser honoring UAA Justice Center Professor Emerita Dr. Nancy Schafer who passed away in September 2013 raised over $15,000 to provide legal services for low-income and senior women.

Dr. Schafer's daughter, Jennifer Schafer-Soderman, had made a $15,000 challenge grant to ALSC  - an amount which was matched at the fundraiser - bringing the total donated to over $30,000.

The event, "Jammin' for Justice," was held at the Tap Root and featured musicians Hilary Morgan, Melissa Mitchell, and Marian Call.  Members of the legal community, Justice Center faculty and staff, and former students of Dr. Schafer were among those who attended.

Dr. John Angell addresses the crowd at the fundraiser.

 At the event, Jennifer Schafer-Soderman recalled her mother's commitment to women's rights and access to justice.  Dr. John Angell, former Director of the Justice Center, also spoke and described Dr. Schafer's contributions to justice research and her service to the Justice Center and UAA.

Contract Laura Goss, Alaska Legal Services, for more information:  lgoss@alsc-law.org
or 907-222-4521.

Dr. Rivera presents at UAA's first Healthy Minds Conversation with the Chancellor and Provost

Dr. Rivera (at podium) discusses health problems of
female victims of crime.

Dr. Marny Rivera, Justice Center faculty, and Dr. Gabriel Garcia, UAA Department of Health Sciences, co-presented at UAA's first "Healthy Minds Conversation" on April 22.

They discussed their research on "Health Correlates of Female Victimization" which looked at the effect of race on the health conditions of women who have experienced violence in their lives. Minority women who have experienced violence have significantly increased odds of health problems, including mental health problems.

The goal of the event was to encourage conversation among faculty, staff and students about programs, projects, and research at UAA aimed at supporting mental health.  As the University of Alaska’s health campus, UAA is uniquely situated to take a leadership role in supporting a healthy minds ethos on campus and collaborating with partners both on and off campus.

The program included an overview of the programs in the College of Health, Student Affairs, and the College of Arts and Sciences.  The reports and recommendations from this event will be summarized and distributed.

For more information, contact Pam Cravez, Executive Officer, Communications Directors, pcravez@uaa.alaska.edu The event is available as a UAA podcast.

Dr. Garcia and Dr. Rivera presented to faculty, staff, and students.

Justice Center closed Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day

Snow-capped mountains above Fort Richardson National Cemetery, Alaska

The UAA campus and the Justice Center will be closed on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day.

The Justice Center will re-open on Tuesday, May 27, at 8:00 a.m.

Dr. Barnes attends CAFE's Team-Based Learning Intensive

Dr. Allan Barnes, Justice faculty, attended the May 8 "Team-Based Learning Intensive," presented by the UAA Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFE).

The session is one in a series focused on developing and implementing a team-based learning (TBL) module for a course.  Additional sessions will be held in the fall. Dr. Barnes will be using TBL in his course, JUST 330 - Justice and Society.

Team-based learning (TBL) is an increasingly-popular form of small group learning with four components: 1) permanent teams, 2) readiness assurance, 3) application activities, and 4) peer evaluation.

TBL teachers report high levels of student attendance, preparation, participation and critical thinking, and TBL students report being more motivated and enjoying class more, even when the subject is not in their major. 

Prof. Periman and Law Related Education Committee attend Law Day lunch at Alaska Bar Convention

Members of the LRE Committee and the judiciary pose for a photo after the lunch.
L to r: Russell Johnson; Prof. Deb Periman; Patrick J. McKay, Jr.; Stephanie D. Galbraith Moore, LRE Committee Chair;
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Ralph Beistline; Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe;
9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Morgan Christen; Barbara Jones, LRE Committee Immediate Past Chair;
Mara Rabinowitz, Alaska Court System Communications Counsel.

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Justice Center Legal Studies Program Coordinator, joined other members of the Alaska Bar Association Law Related Education (LRE) Committee at the annual Alaska Bar Convention Law Day Lunch on May 8.

Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Ralph Beistline, and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Morgan Christen presented highlights at the lunch describing the various judicial outreach initiatives of their courts.

L to r: Alaska Supreme Court
Chief Justice Dane Fabe and
Barbara Jones.

Barbara Jones, Immediate Past Chair of the Alaska Bar Law Related Education (LRE)  Committee, was recognized for her contributions and service. Chief Justice Dana Fabe presented her with a framed photo signed by all the committee members.

The winners of the "Justice for All" art contest - open to elementary and middle school students statewide - were also announced.

Justice Center participates in 4th annual UAF global cyber-conference on dispute resolution

The video conference screen at UAA.

The Justice Center was one of over 20 participants in the 4th annual UAF Global Cyber-Conference on Dispute Resolution organized by Prof. Brian Jarrett, UAF Department of Justice, on April 23.

The guest speaker was John W. McDonald - a diplomat, peacebuilder, former international civil servant, mediator, and negotiator.

The program was an informal town-hall discussion and addressed issues related to the following themes:

• Integrating different approaches to mediation
• New developments and applications in therapeutic jurisprudence
• Circle peace-making and indigenous knowledge
• New applications in restorative justice - including methods for local community empowerment, and restorative responses to street riots and crowd violence

L to r at UAA site for the cyber-conference:
 J.P. Ouellette, Conflict Resolution Center, Anchorage; Chris Provost, attorney,
member of the Alaska Bar Association ADR Section; and
Dr. Cory R. Lepage, UAA Justice Center faculty.

Participants included:
Alaska Bar Association, Alternate Dispute Resolution Section, Anchorage
Beyond Borders, Anchorage
Boundary Restorative Justice Program, British Columbia
Carcross-Tagish (Tlingit) First Nation, Canada - Harold Gatensby, Keeper of the Circle
Conflict Resolution Center, Anchorage
Dream Science Canada, Ontario
Hawaii State Telehealth Network, Manoa
Ministry of Justice, British Colombia
Northern Institute of Social Justice, Yukon Territory - Joanne Lewis
Office of Fairbanks Mayor John Eberhardt, Alaska
Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Hawaii County, Hawaii
Rezoud Innovative Resolution Solutions, Florida
Salisbury University, Maryland
University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Hawaii
University of Puerto Rico – David Wexler
University of Regina, Saskatchewan 
University of Santa Cruz do Sul – UNISC, Brazil
University of Victoria, New Zealand
Yukon College, Yukon Territory

The Alaska Bar Association approved the cyber-conference for continuing legal education (CLE) credits.

Questions? Contact Prof. Brian Jarrett, bnjarrett@alaska.edu or 907-474-6790. Go to the cyber-conference website for more information.

Prof. Fortson presents Renting 101 - a renter's workshop for students

Prof. Ryan Fortson, J.D.,  Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, presented Renting 101 - A Renter's Workshop for Students on Tuesday, April 22 at the Student Union.

The program was a joint presentation of the UAA Justice Center and  UAA Student Union & Commuter Student Services.

The program covered the basics of renting an apartment including leases, security deposits, problems with landlord, evictions, moving out, and rights and responsibilities of tenant.

Prof. Fortson is a lawyer and the author of A College Student’s Guide to Landlord/Tenant Relations in Alaska. In his previous employment, he represented tenants in eviction proceedings.

Prof. Fortson discusses the handouts available to the workshop attendees.

L to r: David Murdoch, UAA Commuter Student Services
Coordinator; Lisa Bell, Practicum Student, UAA Human Services
Department; and Prof. Ryan Fortson, UAA Justice Center.

Prof. Periman highlighted in Willamette Lawyer - alumni magazine of Willamette University College of Law

Prof. Deb Periman, J.D., Legal Studies Program Coordinator in the Justice Center, is highlighted in the Spring 2014 issue of the Willamette Lawyer, the alumni magazine of the Willamette University College of Law.  The issue is titled, "Northern Lights: Alumni and students shine in Alaska."

Her work in helping to develop the 3+3 partnership with Willamette is described in the piece titled, "Educating Alaskans: Willamette Law launches 3+3 program partnership with University of Alaska."

“3+3” refers to 3 years of undergraduate credits plus 3 years of law school. Through this partnership with Willamette, UAA students from any major who have completed their required disciplinary credits, all of their GER credits, and a total of 90 credits overall, may apply for admission to Willamette University College of Law.

The issue also contains profiles of alums who practice in Alaska, including Mary Hughes, who is a Willamette trustee, and a member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents.