Student organizations foster engagement

One of my favorite aspects of my role as the associate dean for student affairs is working with our student organizations.

Our student groups plan symposia, host speakers, organize community service events and charitable fundraisers, and coordinate social events. Many of these events have become annual traditions embedded in student life: the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Thanksgiving Food Drive; Women in Law’s (WIL) Pub Night; Public Interest Law Society’s (PILS) Casino Night; International Law Society’s (ILS) Kick-Off Picnic; the Student Bar Association’s (SBA) Race Ipsa 5K Run/Walk and Barrister’s Ball; and the Human Rights Symposium, coordinated by ILS, PILS and the Muslim Law Students Association.

We have great student leaders in Green Hall who dedicate much of their time and energy to building a strong KU Law community. This week, ILS hosted its kick-off picnic at Clinton Lake on Tuesday evening, introducing new students to the numerous international law opportunities at KU Law.

This fall, we look forward to charitable events like Casino Night, the Thanksgiving Food Drive and Race Ipsa; speakers like Robert Levy and Ken Starr, hosted by the Federalist Society; and social events like SBA’s football tailgates and Phi Alpha Delta’s Volleyball Tournament and Multicultural Potluck Picnic.

Next Friday, the Student Organization Information Fair (noon-2 p.m. Sept. 11 in the first-floor commons) will introduce new students to the many opportunities that KU Law student organizations offer. I encourage you to use these opportunities to engage in student life at Green Hall.

Wendy Rohleder-Sook
Associate Dean for Student Affairs