Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, September 2003 (Vol. 32, No. 1)

Creighton First to Deliver ABA Dialogue on Freedom

Students at Creighton University School of Law recently became the first law students in the country to conduct the ABA's Dialogue on Freedom program. Created by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the program sends lawyers, judges, and law students to high schools to discuss issues of freedom and democracy.

The Creighton students visited high schools throughout Omaha, Neb., to discuss issues like freedom of speech and how the U.S. justice system compares to those of countries like Iraq.

"Teachers after class would say, 'I've had kids talk more today than all year,'" says Colin Wellenkamp, a 2003 Creighton graduate who led the program. The point of the dialogue, he explains, wasn't to lecture the students but to draw them into conversations and get them to think about the issues.

"One of the hottest debates was about flag burning," Wellenkamp says. "The studentsreally jumped in with opinions on all sides."

Although no law student had conducted a dialogue previously, Wellenkamp asked the ABA if he could start one at Creighton. "Students talking with students seemed like a great idea," he says. "Leadership is more about asking questions than giving answers."

Lisa Andrus, who graduated with Wellenkamp last spring, says it was surprisingly easy to organize the program. She's also pleased with how knowledgeable many of the students were. "They had already given these issues-citizenship, freedom, and democracy-a lot of thought before we even started," she says.

Brian Hohman, a Creighton 3L and member of the Law Student Division Board of Governors, wants to continue dialogues in the future. "We received an overwhelmingly positive response," he says. "Being a participant myself, I saw firsthand just how valuable this program is."

The dialogue program has been successful on a national level, says Jim Landman, associate director for the ABA Division of Public Education. "Essentially, the entire state of Utah adopted the program," he says. "There was a proclamation by the governor, and thousands of high school students [were] involved."

Justice Kennedy also has been a driving force behind the program's popularity, having personally conducted several dialogues. "There have been truly amazing efforts by Justice Kennedy and our ABA leaders to reach students across the country, with some pretty amazing results," Landman says.

Students and others who want to conduct a Dialogue on Freedom can learn more about the program and download detailed instructions at www.abanet.org/dialogue.

Kenneth Gorton