Moot Team :-)

COULD I BE ANY COOLER??

From: sol-info@law.pepperdine.edu
Subject: Interschool Appellate Advocacy Competition Team Selection
Date: April 10, 2006 4:48:06 PM PDT
To: Community@law.pepperdine.edu
Reply-To: katrina.olson@pepperdine.edu

We would like thank the 92 students (20% of the 1L and 2L classes) who applied for the Pepperdine Interschool Moot Court Competition Team.

The following students have been selected, based on the writing samples submitted, to advance to the next step of the process, the oral tryouts:

Elizabeth Alvarez
Dan Bane
Hailey Benton
Brad Benham
Kyle Cox
Ari Friedman
Sally Goodfellow
Gunnar Gundersen
Wendi Gundersen
Melissa Higashi
K. Jake Hoffenagle
Jennifer Holliday-Bowden
Ted Holmquist
Mary Huebert
Erik Johnson
Joseph Le
Daniel Lengeman
Jean Loh
Audrey Maness
Jeffrey McDonald
Royi Moas
Jackson Moll
Justin Parkey
Andrea Prohaska
Natalie Rainforth
Emily Riley
Brian Roach
Mary Skouras
Rebecca Shult
Lauren Skophammer
Joshua Snead
Jamin Soderstrom
Kari Sowers
Emily Wallerstein
Eric Willis
Dina Yadegarian

Because of Passover and Easter, the orals tryouts will be held Monday and Tuesday, April 17 and 18. The students listed are invited to sign-up for a time slot with Patty Hayes in Room 206 (the Alumni Office next to the Deans' Suite) starting Wednesday morning.

Please do not be discouraged if you were not selected this time around. It is a highly competitive process here at Pepperdine Law School. We encourage you to participate in the Arabian Appellate Advocacy Competition in the Fall and submit an application in the Fall for the Spring 2007 Team.

Nancy McGinnis
Nancy L.N. McGinnis
Associate Dean
Advancement, Alumni and Public Affairs
310.506.6454

VICTORY

I feel as if I never left.

WELL ladies and gentlemen - today was the 1st Year Moot. Let me just say that with my timer in hand, the same timer that has been with me since round one in Mercedes High School in the Fall of 1997, I felt right at home. I cannot TELL you how many rounds that timer has been through. Policy, LD, extemp, whatever man - you name it I've been there w/ that timer. Jay cut the speaker lines and today, on March 25, 2006, that timer went to it's first Appellate Advocacy Round.

I have been working hard on this for two weeks, and this morning I was ready. I knocked it out of the park. :-) After the round was over, my judges said I was the best performance they had seen out of a first year EVER!! Then, later that afternoon, I went off brief on the WRONG issue and STILL was told I was the best in the room and MUST be on the Moot Traveling team.

I am too exhuasted to finish this. But now this is ALL over I will be well rested and can write more this week :-).

XPANDOS Revisited

I wish I could pen something of value this evening, but there really isn't much to say. I have noticed as the weeks have become seemingly shorter and shorter thatI am being drawn ever closer to the end of my first year of law school. It is Friday night, and although this past week was Spring Break, I don't really have much to report in the name of "fun" or "adventures".

A week ago today on last Friday, when school let out for Spring Break, our section had a Cigar Smoking Party. It was great fun - watching our profs smoke cigars with their kids. I didnt smoke a cigar though. Rather, I had a Sees Candies Chocolate Cigar which was provided for those of us with asthma or any other tendency that spurns us to avoid inhaling carcinogens.

Later that evening, I headed over to Kate's in Santa Monica where a bunch of us played Play Station Karoke and most everyone else had shots. Then, we all got into three cars and headed out to Club Cabana in Hollywood. This little troop of adventurers included Kate, Deborah, Lisa, Pam, Chevon, Jamie, Diana, Scott, Elina, Baggio, and myself. Once there, we met up with Dave, Dbor, Andy, S, Christy, and Osborne. It was pretty much a Section C take-over. It was so much fun. We stayed out at Cabana until almost 2, and then went to Mel's Dinner for some food. After that, we all went home and crashed.

Since then I haven't really done much but work on this dumb Appellate Brief. They assign each first year either Appellant or Appellee in teams of two as per an appeal to the 9th Circuit. This assignment is basically our final in LRW II. The catch? They give it to you OVER SPRING BREAK so you can't go home or do anything fun. Sucks. I mean, I suppose it's better than having it during school, but still. Sigh. My Jonathan is my partner and we will in fact be TROUNCING everyone. That's all that NEEDS to be said about that, although it will not stop me from saying more. I must say, our brief is slammin'. What's more, a small portion of the grade is based on our performance in the 1st year Mock Appellate Advocacy on the brief on Saturday. It has come to my attention that there are those in my LRW Section who purposefully sought out another team to oppose so they would not have to risk opposing Jonathan and I in a luck-of-the-draw match. Jonathan and I had hoped to go up against Jay and his partner, Chris, but Chris wouldn't have it as he is scared of me. I am bemused. :-)

Jonathan and I have worked really hard on this brief and I think it's really good. But, we managed to have some fun during the week. We've had Marmalade's like 5 times, and yesterday had lunch at my favorite Mexcian Restaurant & Cantina. I just finished working up the MOI for oral args and would like everyone to know that I have indeed made XPANDOS for the occassion. So, for those of you who thought I would outgrow XPANDOS when I left my debate career behind in undergrad - THINK AGAIN. I AM THE DEBATE QUEEN AND IT IS ALL ABOUT COLOR-CODED XPANDOS.

Clearly, I need a nap.


[but maybe not since Saxer says that people who use "clearly" have not done their research..."

Home

I wish I were home. It's spring break and I can't go home. I just; I have this dumb paper - an appellate brief - worth 65% of my grade in LRW and they give it to us OVER spring break. So, I can't go home. It's 7:07 now and I'm waiting for My Mystery Man to come and fix something for me. He's late - he's NEVER late, and he never forgets, so I wonder where he is??? Oh well. I have to leave soon to go Kate's house for a night on the town. If he doesn't show up soon, I'll miss him entirely and shan't see him till at least the end of the week.


Sigh. All I ever really loved I left at home...except that one thing that is with me wherever I go.


Michael Buble - Home Lyrics
Another summer day
Is come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
"I'm fine baby, how are you?"
Well I would send them but I know that it's just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aerorplane
Another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I've got to go home

Let me go home
I'm just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life
It's like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
But this was not your dream
But you always believe in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
And even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I'm surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
Oh, let go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I've had my run
Baby, I'm done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all right
I'll be home tonight
I'm coming back home

I Feel So Lazy

I feel so lazy because I never post. I haven't blogged in a while, this is true. But I'm so flippin' busy...

Friday evening Dan, Jay & I had supper at the cantina just north of here on the PCH. It is such good Mexican food...REAL Mexican food. I had carnitas. After supper was all said and done, we headed back to school. I don't really know what Dan did this weekend but Jay and I went to our "casas". I went to Tio Mike's and Tia Nancy's. Jay went home.

I have my own room at Tio Mike's and Tia Nancy's. It is soooo pretty: it has yellow walls and this gorgeous wooden bed frame from Mexico with a Sun and a field of lillies and sunflowers carved and painted on the head-board. The curtains have three dimensional flowers on it and the whole room is just simply gorgeous.

I had a wonderful time with la familia. On Saturday we went to Tia's brother and sister in law's house with all her family. You know you are Mexican when extended family includes the family of your aunts and uncles by marriage...I love it. There can never be too much family. I also got to watch Sleeping Beauty and Mulan this weekend - I have a strange obsession with Disney movies.

I bought my own Martinelli's Apple Juice this weekend...no longer shall I depend on Jay for my apple juice fix. In addition, I was able to procure those that come in the original glass jars. I gave Jay half: they don't make them in the glass jars anymore so WICKED is all I have to say.

Last night I tutored Gina in Spanish. I guess I forgot to mention that huh? Gina is the daughter of Lorraine G., Dean Saxer's assistant. I have started tutoring her in Spanish. It's a double bonus for me because now I don't have to spend extra time to do my own Spanish grammar everyday now, plus I get paid ($40.00 an hour...nice).

Jay showed his movie this weekend at La Sierra's homecoming: he said it went over really well. I'm really really proud of him. He has done such a good job doing all that stuff even while we are in school. He worked so hard on that movie and I'm glad it went over so well for him.

This week will be a busy week for us. Tomorrow is Project Uganda for IJM. We also have a midterm on Wednesday, and one on Friday. In addition, we have the ABA conference this weekend. Plus, we have a midterm next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Sigh.

I am exhausted but I do this for Justice.

Victims of child sex trafficking don't want to hear how tired I am. They want to see me at their front door with that arrest warrant and the sense of safety only justice can provide them.

Rough

My Mystery Man and I had a bit of a tiff today: and I don't really want to talk about it, mostly because I am not ACTUALLY sure what it was about. It reminded me of a fight I once had with Jeremy. We fought for like 2 hours. When it was over, it was all traced back to a comment someone had made about Strawberry Jam...

This wasn't quite about Strawberry Jam, but it was started with something equally dumb: Jr. High Kids doing Hello Dolly. LONG STORY...so DON'T ask. Suffice to say I can't believe the people in the apratment didn't hear us.

I am home now: I came home about an hour ago. But it's all ok now...sometimes things take more work than you thought to make them work...but as my Mochi says: "Nothing will work if you don't".

When two different worlds co-operate at a distance, or occupy the same space with a large buffer zone in between them, negative energy and conflict are minimal. But as the two spheres of existence collide, and try to exist very close together in tandum things become more difficult.

That's not to say it cannot be done.

CHECK IT OUT MAN!!

Well, it's not the Optimist or anything, but it looks as if my free reign of the school has begun!! This came out in the Pepperdine Undergrad Paper, THE GRAPHIC, just a few days ago. LOOK OUT PEPPERDINE!!



Campus group seeks justice

NICOLE KLIEST
Staff Writer

Senior Jonathan Hudson spent his sophomore year studying in Pepperdine’s Florence program. While most Pepperdine students spend their time overseas absorbed in Eurail and house drama, Hudson gathered much more while away.

He heard about human trafficking on a Spring Break mission trip to Albania attended by students from various overseas programs that year. It is there that Hudson first learned about the abductions of young girls who were forced to go into prostitution in Italy.

“It blew me away,” Hudson said. “It was then and there I vowed to do whatever I could.”

Upon returning to campus, Hudson found his outlet in Pepperdine’s chapter of International Justice Mission. Hudson, now president of the club, does his part by working to “inspire vision” and “engage the community” on campus.

Human trafficking is only one on a long list of social concerns touted by the club with chapters at college campuses like Pepperdine across the nation.

IJM’s official Web site explains that it is a human rights agency aimed at rescuing people around the world who are victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery and oppression.

Hudson said the club has a threefold purpose: to pray for resolution of social ills, to bring awareness of injustice to the community and to raise support for IJM’s national and international work.

“Prayer is our most effective weapon in the fight against global evil,” Hudson said. “We also seek to support other organizations fighting for the same causes.”

Pepperdine is the first university to have a law school chapter of IJM. First year law student Elizabeth Alvarez, who was highly involved as an undergrad student with the IJM chapter at Abilene Christian University, co-wrote the constitution for Pepperdine’s first graduate IJM chapter.

“The focus and goal of IJM,” Alvarez said, “Is to use existing laws and infrastructures to help rescue people who are victims of oppression.”

Hudson and Alvarez said they plan to take advantage of Pepperdine’s law school and undergraduate chapters to foster cooperation between the two.

“There are so many resources at the law school for this type of work,” Hudson said. “They bring unique assets, and we want to be able to compliment each other and work as a team.”

Pepperdine’s IJM chapter is unique in that it focuses on the spiritual aspect of social injustices, urging students to pray for both the victims and perpetrators of social injustices as well as for the safety of those who work to resolve the issues.

“The magnitude of the human rights issues is so daunting,” Alvarez said. “The people that work for IJM are out in the fields. They are giving everything they have for very little money to help people.”

Ashley Nolan, associate director of the Pepperdine Volunteer Center (PVC), said she agreed that the best way to support IJM and other organizations is to simply attend the events. Nolan said she hopes the programs like IJM on campus will inspire motivation in students and move them to want to make a difference.

“I think at times justice issues can seem very overwhelming.” Nolan said, “IJM has been successful in breaking these issues down and personalizing them. They educate in a way that is more approachable.”

Alvarez attributes the club’s rapidly increasing membership to this sense of approachability. Hudson said the club is now up to about 45 active members with a mailing list of more than 100. The club meets every Monday at 9 p.m. in CAC 304.

Hudson added that the club is open to working with others, to finding out “where God is moving” and try to help out.

For instance, IJM worked together with Intercultural Affairs and Amnesty International to put on events throughout the week of peace, hope and justice. The intent of the week’s events was not only to inform society about social injustices, but also to encourage them to use that knowledge.

“I think that as Americans we take simple things for granted,” Alvarez said. “We don’t realize that there are people all over the world who cannot even begin to dream what it is that we have.”