SBA President Welcomes Law Students Back: Outlining SBA's Initiatives for the School Year
Katharine Janes ‘21
SBA President
Hello, UVA Law!
On behalf of the Student Bar Association (SBA), I would like to welcome our new 1Ls and LL.Ms to UVA. The 2Ls and 3Ls are so excited to get to know you over this coming semester and year. Whether it be through student group activities and events, casual coffee chats in the courtyard, or unexpected run-ins at King Family Polo, we are really looking forward to integrating you as a part of our vibrant community. When upperclassmen offer their emails or phone numbers as a way to reach out, they fully hope that you will be in touch. We—as your Peer Advisors, colleagues, and friends—want to be here for you however we can be during your transition to life at UVA Law.
And to the 2Ls and 3Ls: Welcome back! It’s been lovely to see you all on Grounds and over Zoom since classes began two weeks ago.
SBA has been hard at work over the past few months imagining new ways to bring students together this semester. We know that, for now, things cannot be the same as they were before. UVA’s community is what makes this place so special, though, so in the meantime, we are committed to maintaining our school’s culture by offering creative and exciting alternatives.
Pictured: The SBA Executive Board. Top left, Katharine Janes ’21, top right, Savanna Williams ’21, bottom right, Katherine O’Neal ’22, bottom left, Chance Maginness ’22. Photo Courtesy of virginiasba.com
If one thing has remained constant since last spring, it’s SBA’s passion for getting students tasty and subsidized food. Starting soon, in direct response to your comments in SBA’s beginning-of-year survey, our Programming team (led by Chase Harris ’22 and Steph Metherall ’21) will be rolling out bi-weekly food deals and social opportunities for students. Roots delivery is also back in action, albeit in a slightly different form due to Law School delivery restrictions. Monday through Friday, Roots will be dropping off to Pav and Ivy and waiving any delivery charge (check your email for further details). SBA’s Academics & Faculty Relations Committee (co-chaired by Joanna Borman ’22 and Alex Retzloff ’21) is also expanding the “Take Your Professor To Lunch Program.” This semester, if you and at least three other students host a Zoom “lunch” with a professor, SBA will contribute $10 to each person’s meal. Finally, our Health & Wellness team (led by Isabelle Perfetto ’22 and Danny Seidita ’21) has worked to expand access to healthy food by sponsoring weekly deliveries from Bellair Farm, in partnership with Student Affairs.
SBA has also stayed busy throughout the summer advocating for students and their interests. On one front, our Governance Oversight Committee (chaired by Chance Maginness ’22) has drafted its report on student representation, transparency, and academic policies and will be presenting its findings to the administration before the end of this month. The Committee will recommend changes such as eliminating the employment provision from our academic policies, ensuring students are represented in the work of every faculty committee, and changing clinic grading to credit/no credit. In tandem with these efforts, our Diversity Advisory Council (headed by Ida Abhari ’22, Will Hinton ’21, and Christina Luk ’21) is also drafting a memo on changes its membership would like to see made at UVA Law relating to diversity and inclusion efforts, including student involvement in the hiring process for the new Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, securing more support for diverse students at the Law School, providing talk-forums to share experiences, and supporting our diverse affinity groups in their own advocacy. Retaining diverse faculty and recruiting diverse students is a chief concern for the Council. Meanwhile, our Health & Wellness team is seeking to establish services to improve mental and physical health, including expanding access to counseling services and offering free virtual workout classes. Finally, SBA is working with the Darden Student Association to support the elimination of the tuition increase through a letter that will be presented to the Board of Visitors during their upcoming meeting on September 10 and 11. All of this has been done with an eye toward our mission of making UVA Law the best and most inclusive place it can possibly be, and our student advocacy will continue to be a central part of our efforts moving forward this semester.
While we are proud of the work we’ve done—and are excited for the work to come—we could always use more voices at our table. If you would like to become involved with any of SBA’s efforts mentioned above, please consider applying to one of our sixteen committees and subcommittees; we would love to hear your thoughts on what UVA Law needs, as well as get your assistance in making that happen. The application can be found in Savanna Williams’ latest email to students and is due this upcoming Friday. Finally, if there is anything you would like to see offered or hosted by SBA—or if you just want to chat!—swing by one of our SBA meetings, drop in my office hours on Tuesdays from 2:30-3:30 p.m., or get in touch with me or any of the individuals listed above. While there remains considerable uncertainty around how the school year will unfold, SBA is here to help our community navigate these times together.
All the best,
Katharine Janes
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kmj4vg@virginia.edu
sbapresident@virginia.edu