When students at Case Western Reserve University School of Law talked about
diversity in the past, they often did so in groups that weren’t very
diverse.
That’s why a handful of student leaders decided to use funding from
the ABA Law Student Division to create an annual dinner and discussion designed
to bring together the Cleveland school’s entire community. Their aim
was to discuss different experiences with issues of race, gender, sexuality,
and religion.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for people to talk to each other—not past each other,” says James Tsai, a third-year student at Case who helped coordinate last year’s event as the lieutenant governor for diversity for the Law Student Division’s Sixth Circuit.
The Diversity Dialogue event featured a short film composed of clips of Case students talking about the significance of diversity to them, which set the stage for a discussion among the more than 50 students in attendance. Three student moderators led the conversation, which provided an opportunity for students to air their concerns about diversity issues at the school. The event’s focus, though, was to provide administrators and other law school officials with concrete ideas for promoting diversity.
“People walking in were asked to challenge their own world views on diversity,” Tsai says. “Instead of people venting, we wanted to create some workable solutions.”
The conversation continued during a dinner at which participants were urged to sit at tables and strike up discussions with people they did not know. The event has become an annual event, with this year’s session slated for April.
Tsai says ABA funding proved crucial to the inaugural event’s success. Although students looked to Case’s student bar association and other sources for assistance, the Law Student Division’s contribution helped plug one of the last holes in the event’s budget.
“The ABA funding was very, very helpful,” Tsai says. “The event was held toward the end of the SBA’s fiscal year, so there wasn’t a lot of money left in the budget.”
If your student organization is producing an activity and you need funding, the ABA Law Student Division may be able to help.
The Division’s Grant Program supports new programs and projects of student organizations at ABA-approved law schools that provide professionalism and ethics training, promote diversity in the legal profession, and advance public interest and public service efforts in local communities.
Grant applications are reviewed on an individual basis throughout the year, and funds are awarded on a reimbursement basis only. Approved applications may receive $500 or less, depending on the nature of the project and the availability of funding. Applications must be received via e-mail by the Division’s Chicago office at least four weeks before the date of the project, which must be completed by May 1.
For detailed guidelines and to download an application, visit www.abanet.org/lsd/grant.
Craig Linder, a third-year student at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, is Student Lawyer's student editor.
