October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  THANK YOU Albany Law School community for donating money and/or time to a group that assists survivors.  If you or someone you know is trying to make life changes,  –help is available (we care about YOU).   Throughout the year we remain aware of this violence,  we also remember the child victims (and survivors) who are witnesses to this violence in their homes:  Click HERE to hear their little voices, and lets never forget them, click above to see how their lives are affected.  We have to continue the fight to keep our children safe, for them to have a peaceful, fear free childhood.   Below is a list of organizations doing good work: 

Albany Law School’s Campus Response to Stop Abuse Against Women Campaign is in place to support you:  Click Here to learn more about our local Albany partners ready to assist you today, with whatever decision you chose.  Hard copies of our “Stop Abuse Against Women” brochures are located in restrooms on-campus and at the two security stations.

For Immediate Assistance & for a supportive ear:
N.Y.S. Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence www.opdv.state.ny.us.  If your partner is threatening or hurting you or your children, you are not alone!  Call toll-free (800) 942-6906.  NYS Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline, 24 Hours/7 Days a Week.    

National Domestic Violence Hotline
Toll free: (800)799-7233: Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, this line is a resource for safety information and can connect any caller with shelters and protection advocates in your area.

Vine (www.vinelink.com): Active in 47 states, vinelink.com allows women to search for an offender in custody by name or identification number, then register to be alerted if the offender has been released or transferred, or has escaped.

Women’s Law (www.womenslaw.org): This site has state-by-state legal information and resources for victims, as well as advice on how to leave an abusive situation, gather evidence of abuse, and prepare for court.

Medical and Financial Resources:
Face to Face (800)842-4546 Toll Free: This program provides free plastic and reconstructive surgery to victims who have sustained injuries to the face, head, and/or neck.

Give Back a Smile (800)773-4227: Front teeth damaged by a violent partner or spouse are repaired pro bono.

Amy’s Courage Fund (www.nnedv.org/projects): The fund gives emergency financial assistance to women trying to escape a domestic abuse situation. Grants are available for up to $2,000.

Education and Job Training Assistance Fund (www.nnedv.org/projects): Grants from the Allstate Foundation help domestic violence victims enter and stay in the workforce. The money (up to $1,000) can be used for classes, clothes, computers, and other resources.

Turning Point, For Women and Families: Click HERE

Inaugural Upstate NY AABANY presentation

APALSA and the Diversity Office at Albany Law School in collaboration with the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) an affiliate of NAPABA, invites you to attend an Inaugural Upstate New York AABANY networking presentation and luncheon on Saturday, September 19th, from noon – 2 p.m. in Matthew Bender Room (Room 425 – in Building 1928) at the Law School.  James Chou, AABANY’s President, will be in attendance.  Over 10 attorneys from DC area, NYC and Upstate will be on hand to offer mentor matches and advice to law students. 

AIDS Walk 2009, Join team Albany Law Today!

Albany Law School will be participating in the 2009 AIDS walk in Albany.  This event will be held on Sunday, September 27, 2009. Please join us in sponsoring a walker.

For information on local, confidential, and anonymous HIV testing, visit:  http://www.nyhealth.gov/diseases/aids

Time of Walk on Sept. 27th is: 1 PM 
Location: Washington Park, Albany 

For some general information:  http://www.aidswalk-capitalregion.org/.  Sponsor Form is HERE.
What we need you to do:
1) REGISTER: Go to http://www.firstgiving.com.  After you go to the page, you can just have people donate there or you can “join this team” and create your own page which will be added to Team Albany Law School.

The Iraqi Refugee Crisis: An International Perspective

This event which is being held on Tuesday, September 1st from 6pm -7:30pm is being co-sponsored by Albany Law School’s Muslim Law Student Association, Amnesty International, the International Law Society, and the Diversity Office in conjunction with the Iraqi Refugee Project Coalition.

Event will take place at Albany Law School, in Room 209 (Rochester Moot Courtroom).   This event is Free & Open to the public.

The event will be followed by a reception at which locally resettled Iraqi refugees will be in attendance to share their experiences.

For more information, contact alumna/moderator,  Zainab Chaudhry, ‘98 at 518-210-8456 or law student Ali Chaudhry, ‘10 at achaudhry@albanylaw.edu.

Kristele Younes, a senior advocate for Refugee International, she has surveyed and advocated on behalf of displaced Iraqis in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, as well as refugees in Darfur, Afghanistan and Pakistan. She was previously a legal officer with the Coalition for the International Criminal Court in the Hague. 

This will be a historic election, no matter what the outcome

Over 130 million Americans are expected to the polls in record numbers on November 4th, election officials have predicted.  In preparation for the election, a total of eleven student groups collaborated to bring renowned experts from across the nation to speak at this special event under the guidance of Professor Maria Grahn-Farley.  The symposium was also co-sponsored by the Diversity Office.  On October 30, three panels discussed issues ranging from: Race, Immigration, and Foreign Policy; Religion, Privacy, and the Constitution; to Health Care, Individual Autonomy and Fundamental Rights.   The evening was capped off by a Debate on Energy Policies and the Economy by representatives from the John McCain and Barack Obama Campaigns, it was moderated by the President & CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, Alan Chartock.  You can view the results of the election HERE.

If you missed any of the panel discussions, you can read all about them at Albany Government Law Review’s blog, titled Fireplace, HERE.

Or, you can listen to the podcasts of each of the panels HERE.

View the brochure, flyer, and photo gallery below:

ELECTION SYMPOSIUM BROCHURE

ELECTION SYMPOSIUM FLYER

Society, Security and Civil Rights: Examining Sanctioned Discrimination Across Three Generations

The Judge Jackson Lecture Seminar on April 4, 2008 was a huge success.

The event’s panels transitioned from the physical detention of American citizens of Japanese descent, to not only the physical but the construct of societal detention of African American citizens during the civil rights era, to the present day struggle of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered community.

If you missed it, you can listen to the podcasts HERE.

Children’s Rights

 The Amnesty International Chapter of Albany Law School hosted a symposium entitled “Lost Childhood: Child Soldiers, Trafficked Children, and Child Rights” on Friday, February 1, 2008. (This event was co-sponsored by the Albany Law School Diversity Office and the Faculty Diveristy Committee)

Room 200 was filled but if you missed it, go to: http://podcasts.classcaster.org/blog/event_podcasts/2008/02/01/childrens_rights_symposium  to listen to the panel discussions.

It was also covered by the TU.  Click HERE to read about it.

Kudos to Andrea Shaw, Pershia Wilkins  and Allegra Edelman for organizing such an important event!