$700 Billion Bailout

On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected a $700 billion bailout of Wall Street corporations proposed by President Bush and Treasurer Paulson. The bailout failed in a vote of 205 to 228 despite support from Republican and Democratic party leaders. In a recent poll, “46 percent [of those surveyed] say they don't know enough about the bailout plan, while 38 percent oppose the bill.”

Here is how each member of Congress voted:

NY Times Interactive Roll Call

Here’s how the six major presidential candidates come down on the issue:

Chuck Baldwin (Constitution) – OPPOSED
Bob Barr (Libertarian) – OPPOSED
Cynthia McKinney (Green) – OPPOSED
John McCain (Republican) – SUPPORTS
Ralph Nader (Independent) – OPPOSED
Barack Obama (Democrat) – SUPPORTS

What do you think? Do you oppose or support a $700 billion taxpayer bailout of Wall Street companies? Why or why not?

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Playing Nice: NYCLR's Call for Papers

Legal System’s Response to Violence in NYC - New York

New York City Law Review: A Call for Papers

"The New York City Law Review is currently seeking papers for our Spring 2009 symposium on the legal system’s response to violent behavior. With a particular emphasis on violent behavior within New York City, we will critically explore the increase in criminalization, mandatory arrests, and zero tolerance policies through four panels on the areas of domestic violence, sex offenses, juvenile justice, and police brutality. We will be highlighting progressive legal responses within the present legal system, as well as ideas for new responses both within and without the legal framework. The symposium will take place on February 13, 2009 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. We are in the process of securing CLE credits.

If you are interested in submitting a paper, please email nyclawreviewsymposium [at] gmail.com by November 1, 2008 with your name, school or organizational affiliation, and an abstract of no more than 250 words describing your article. Selected authors may be invited to serve as panelists at the symposium. Selected articles will be published in the spring of 2009. All completed articles must be submitted by January 1, 2009."

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And now for something completely different

I am taking it upon myself to keep this blog from devolving entirely into banality, gossip and muckraking, because once all the salaries have been pored over, a girl can only read so much Huffington Post in one day (although my newest addiction is the Infamous Abortion Blog -- snaps to you, abortionee, for taking what could have been a self-indulgent Ode to My Lady Bits and hopefully turning it into a catalyst to turn back the e-tide of anti-choice, anti-woman propaganda that comes up when women deciding what to do about an unplanned pregnancy are trying to inform themselves using Google).

Anyway, here's a little something for all of you going through the somewhat demoralizing process of applying for jobs/fellowships/clerkships. I sometimes watch this (usually during finals) and imagine that CUNY lawyers fall in that ending cavalcade of "helping professions" somewhere between police officers and nurses. Critical question: it the inclusion of an ASL interpreter undermined by the fact that you can't see him? Discuss.

And no, this is not a ratification of any of my buddy R's actions; but, between you and me, I don't see nothin' wrong with a little bump and grind.

Enjoy. But plug in your headphones so nobody blows a gasket...

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Rant: The Library

Despite the leaky ceiling, uncomfortable chairs and odd smell in the basement, I love the library. In addition to offering the best librarians around, I love the it because it is the only place in the building I can actually get work done.

So, with my law school success completely dependent upon working in the library, I offer the following rant.

Cell Phones:
Just because no one can see you talking on your phone in the library does not mean that no one can hear you. Interestingly, when I see you talking on your phone, I can also hear you. Trust me, it is really, really, really easy to tell people to hold on and then go outside to talk.

To borrow from Nate's forum posting last spring:
* Are you a librarian?
* Are you calling 911?
* Are you part of a street-art group trying to make a funny YouTube video about how to make me or Megan angry?

If the answer to these questions is 'no,' please take your call outside.


Music:
If it is between the hours of 8am and 11pm it is probably safe to assume that you are not the only one here and thus should not blast your music. Also, when I ask you to put in headphones, don't look at me like I'm the crazy one. And please, put in headphones, don't just turn it down.

Talking:
Whisper for short conversations and go outside for long ones.

Seating:
I understand that our library can be short on space. However, if I am one of three or the only other person in the library, I fully expect that someone will not sit as close to me as possible with out actually sitting next to me. I understand that we all have favorite places to study, but its just annoying when you are sitting at one of the big tables and someone sits at the nearest table facing you when every other table on the first floor is open. Or if you are at one of the six little tables and someone sits right behind you when all the tables on the other side of the wall are empty. Also, recently I have noticed that the primary perpetrators of my space invasion have been men. Please, give me some freaking space.

I also think it is rude to occupy a table with your stuff while you are in class, on vacation or doing a task outside the library that takes more than a half and hour (or so).

Security Door:
Seriously, wtf.

I don't want to be a library dictator, but i do expect people to be aware of those around them.

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The more you know....

Thanks to anonymous for showing us how to find all the information we posted yesterday!*

1. go to www.cuny.edu
2. login (or register)
3. Scroll down past SSO Applications for Students
4. in the applications for faculty and staff, click Chancellor's and University Reports
5. most of the information is in the university reports. almost all of the law school data is under Queens college instead of the Law School.

The info here is much less annoying to sift through than the Board of Trustee dispositions and minutes on the public site.

Happy hunting and please let us know what you find!

*just goes to show we are only as good (or annoying) as the information we receive.
for posting access, email cunylawblog@gmail.com, send us a tip to the same address or find me in the hallways.

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Grad Fellows and Transparency

Someone posted this information in the comments to an earlier post, which gives us the perfect opportunity to blog about the grad fellows program. Below is a screen shot of the information posted (instructions on how to find such info coming soon).

The screen shot includes the names and salaries of the grad fellows from the class of 2008, 2009 and 2010. The salaries are listed for only a few months, but we think that is a mistake and it is the salary for the entire year.

Fellows received in-state tuition and fees as well as this salary. In exchange for this 'stipend' (as it is called here) students work 225 hours a year. They also get a fancy title that has something to do with Haywood Burns and civil rights.
1l's = $10,547
2l's= $12,723
3l's= $13, 149

This works out to the following earnings per hour:
1l=$46.87 (cf $10/hr for all other 1l's)
2l=$56.54(cf $12/hr for all other 2l's)
3l=$58.44(cf $14/hr for all other 3l's)

Strangely, the school as erased all information about how the program allegedly targets those with public interest experience and about how fellows provide academic support for other students. (our brief search on the Internet archive came up empty)

What was never on the web is the answer to the following questions:
Who picks the fellows?
What’s it really for?
What criteria do they use in addition to public interest work (which is not hard to come by here)?
LSAT? GPA? Ivy school? Other indications of privilege?
Why is everyone so secretive about it.

Though we do not edit the comments, we sincerely hope that the discussion the occurs is about the process of the fellows program and not about any individual fellow. We recognize that often, the critique of process is best illustrated by individuals. However, we do not want this blog to become a slam book.

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Student Government Resolution to Cancel Classes For Election Day

From anonymous:

Below is a SG resolution passed unanimously to cancel classes on Election Day.

Today several students proposed it to the Dean at the Forum. She has said CUNY Central will not allow her to cancel classes. However, she has said that she will support the student movement and respect any professor's wish to reschedule classes and has committed to working with students and professors to make accommodations for canceled classes. Keep and eye out for an email from the Dean with her official position.

Election Holiday Proposal - Upload a Document to Scribd

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CUNY Deans rewarded with bonus'

Please bear with us while we learn how to best post images!

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Richard Storrow's Pay Confirmed!

Below is a screen shot of Professor Storrow's pay! ($131,250)

Also of note:
he was appointed with tenure.

Word on the street:
He and his partner (who was also offered a job here but took a job at Rutgers) are good friends with Dean Anderson.

Also, he does not seem very invested in teaching seminar (i.e. canceling class).

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Back in the day: Assembly

Back in the day is our new feature that will highlight some of the things CUNY used to do and the ways we used to be.

Back in the day: Assembly

Back in the day, before staff and faculty meetings were split and closed, there were weekly assembly meetings that were open to students, faculty and staff. These assemblies were the place where issues affecting the community were addressed, updates about the school were given and where dialogue about topics occurred.

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Undergrads and the Clinic: What's up?

Yesterday, a number of Brooklyn College undergrads were in some of the clinics, and it seems, will be joining them in a limited capacity for the rest of the semester. It is our understanding that Professor Ashar made this decision without consulting Clinic Faculty and at least a few professors are not happy about it. Feedback from students has also been less than glowing. Students seem to be concerned about confidentality (in discussing internships/placements) and sharing what is one of the best experiences at CUNY.

Thoughts?

Should we have to share clinic?
Why was no one consulted?
Are there benefits to this arrangement?

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Shared Governance

Word on the street is that Dean Anderson is having conversations with (or at) the Faculty about shared governance within the law school.

Maybe students can get in on this?

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cunyscrapbook.blogspot.com

For an awesome sense of CUNY history, check out cunyscrapbook.blogspot.com.

The blog "Contain[s] Genuine Documents Which Are A Part Of CUNY's Living History; CUNY SCRAPBOOK Is Dedicated To The Memory Of Our Dearly Departed Friends And Colleagues, Carlton Clark and Henry Chin."

The documents posted so far illustrate an interesting history between Professor Farago and Dave Fields. Though Dave Fields is not a professor, he does work for CUNY and is the chancellor's representative on the Academic Standing Committee.

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Faculty Union, Executive Pay and transparency

Word on the street is that some faculty members are being offered (and are receiving) executive pay lines by the Dean. This means that the faculty members are receiving more money than union scale but also, while they are on the executive lines, they are not part of the union and thus have no union protections. For faculty who are tenured, this is less of an issue becuuse if they loose the line, they would just go back to being tenured teachers. It becomes tricky however, when nontenured faculty (like Gomez- Velez) assume these positions and are at-will employees of the dean.

There has been some rumble that Dean Koster is telling people that with the exec. pay, they can still be members of the union while on that line.

What's interesting about this is that some faculty have expressed dismay at the lack of transparency in the process.

---->> UPDATE: Images of Salaries posted below.

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Associate Deans and Transparancy

We would like to thank DEEPTHROAT for her/their/his posts about the Executive Compensation Plan.

The Waiver of Search code listed in the plan has caused some uproar by faculty. For example, Sameer Ashar was hired to replace Professor Bryant using the standard search procedures. Thankfully for us, he was chosen to be the clinic director.

Based on circumstances we are not aware of, Professor Ashar was given, unilaterally by Dean Anderson, the title of Assistant Associate Dean and an executive compensation plan with out a search, without input from the faculty and with absolutely no transparency.

Last week at the faculty meeting, a few professors brought this up and tried to find out from Dean Anderson why this was done. It is important to note that no one was questioning whether Professor Ashar was qualified for clinic director or whether he should have gotten the Clinic Director position. Rather, professors were concerned that the Dean is is disregarding the process and completely excluding professors from a process designed to be, at least on some level, collaborative. There was also the concern by some that if the position had been advertised as a dean position, there might have been a different applicant pool.

For us, these actions by the Dean are the most troubling because at the end of the day, who is teaching us is more important than the bathroom signs Dean Koster makes.

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Presidential Politics: More voices, more choices?

Ron Paul recently held a joint press conference with the main independent and third party presidential candidates including Independent candidate Ralph Nader, Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney and Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin. In this press conference, Ron Paul refused to endorse either McCain or Obama and called on all his 3 million supporters (Chris M.?) to vote for one of the third party candidates and oppose the two establishment parties. Ron Paul and the other third party candidates also called for opening the presidential debates to third party candidates. So…

What does this say about the state of American politics, should third parties be allowed to debate, and more importantly, whom are you voting for and why?

Please post a comment. Maybe we can even get the blog administrators to create an online poll to allow people to cast their vote that way too. CLB?

1. Chuck Baldwin (Constitution)
2. Bob Barr (Libertarian)
3. John McCain (Republican)
4. Cynthia McKinney (Green)
5. Ralph Nader (Independent)
6. Barack Obama (Democrat)

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Clerkships

Ah, fall: the season of new school supplies, new facebooks and clerkship applications.

Now that the deadline for applications has passed and interviews are starting, we would like to add some transparency to the process.

Last year, between applications and interviews with judges, Dean Anderson interviewed around six students so she could decide on whose behalf she would call judges. Word from last year is that she ended up calling for three people (she called one judge per person). It is our understanding (which might be wrong or slightly misinformed as we are only as good as the info we receive) that almost all of the people interviewed were on law review and had a 4.0 or almost a 4.0 gpa. All three people Dean Anderson called for received clerkship offers.

In previous years, under the watch of Dean Booth-Glenn, there was a committee of faculty members who attempted to arrange calls for all students who were applying for clerkships. This process involved pairing students with judges and evaluating the various relationships with judges. Despite its flaws, it sounds like there was some level of transparency and fairness because of the number of people involved in the process.

All we have heard about the process this year is that Sam Sue is working with Dean Anderson.

We are, given the purpose of the blog, for processes that are transparent and accountable.

What do you think?
----
9/15/08 UPDATE:
Sam Sue, allegedly the real one, left the following in the comments section about this process:

"It's mistaken to think that high grades and law review were the only factors that go into this. As a matter of fact, there were about 14 students who applied. Support from the Dean could have been in the form of a Dean's letter being sent to the top 20 judges identified by the student and/or in the form of the Dean calling 2-3 judges for a smaller subset of these students. Those students who provided me a list of their top 20 judges got a Dean's letter of support sent to many of the judges in their list. There were other students who got phone calls made--not everyone who got a phone had the highest grades. There were some that were 4.0's but there were many getting the Dean's support who were below that as well. Law review membership was a factor as much as publishing an article or being a research assistant to a judge. These are factors because being a good writer is THE most important factor. Certainly having good grades is a factor. There is little mystery and great transparency in the factors as they were factors in a scoring system chart that was set forth in the clerkship handbook that students had in hand.

There were some students who had not evidenced writing ability either through law review membership, publishing and/or serving as a research assistant and they did not make the cut and that was a very small number.

Other students who didn't respond to my request for a whittled down list of 20 judges, also were left out since letters couldn't be sent out to the 100 or so judges they had applied to.

The process has been as transparent if not more than in the past. Dean Glen handpicked students who applied and match them up after meeting with students. Dean Anderson based on the criteria above supported applications either through letters and/or calling the top judges of the applicant's choosing.

The criteria that is used is realistic in light of the rather hyper-competitive federal application process. We try to be supportive in different ways to all students and help them with getting the best materials out there. In fact, this year we paired up most of the applicants with CUNY alumni who had previously served as clerks. This appeared to help enhance the quality of the applications and the competitiveness of CUNY candidates.

By the way, this is the first posting ever made by me on this blog. I've noticed a previous posting under my name, but that wasn't from me."

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watch your belongings

In the two weeks since school has started two laptops have been reported stolen to security. Supposedly today a student was studying in a classroom, left for a few minutes to go to the bathroom, and when she came back her computer was gone. During the first week of school another laptop was also stolen. One security guard said he has never seen anything like this at our school in the many years he has worked here. Is a student doing this? Have other students had things go missing in the past two weeks?

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Student Government: Elected President Transferred

Last year, student government (wisely) changed their constitution so that elections for officers could happen in the spring for the following year. This change was to help SG hit the ground running.

Given this change, it is ironic that Jason Starr, the 2L elected to be SG president, transferred to Cardozo. (and from the word on the street, did not tell anyone in SG).

No good deed....

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