Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Pamela Campbell (left) and Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz.
The Pinellas County School Board honored Stetson University College of Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz and Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Pamela Campbell for their commitment to civics education in Pinellas County through the Constitution Hall exhibit.
As a part of the Gus A. Stavros Institute’s Finance Park, the Constitution Hall is an interactive exhibit that illustrates the role of the U.S. Constitution in forming the three branches of the U.S. government, protecting individual rights, and valuing civic participation. Judge Campbell discussed the project with fellow Stetson Law alumnus James Martin, who encouraged her to bring the project to Stetson.
This summer, Stetson Hall of Fame inductee Bonnie Foreman graciously agreed to underwrite the Constitution Hall exhibit, propelling the project forward. Staff at the College of Law designed the exhibit to teach eighth grade students about their rights under the Constitution, the three branches of government, and the importance of being civically active. Around 10,000 eighth graders will visit the exhibit each year as a part of the Finance Park experience.
Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Michael A. Grego (left) shakes hands with Stetson Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz.Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Pamela Campbell and Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz pictured with members of the Pinellas County School Board.
Stetson University joins a growing list of U.S. colleges and universities to enact a policy to prohibit smoking and tobacco-related products beginning Aug. 1, 2014. The policy will affect Stetson’s residential campuses in DeLand and at the College of Law in Gulfport.
The policy prohibits all forms of tobacco use including e-cigarettes and a variety of smokeless products on Stetson buildings, structures, grounds, parking lots and in university and personal vehicles while on Stetson grounds.
“I am proud that Stetson University residential campuses will be completely smoke- and tobacco-free next August,” said President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “Stetson is committed to providing a safe and healthy living, learning and working environment for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors.”
Stetson began implementing smoking restrictions in 2007 by banning smoking near buildings and air vents. The new policy is the result of several years of research, focus groups and a university task force that determined that smoking was inconsistent with the values of the university.
Stetson will offer a variety of resources to help members of the Stetson University community quit smoking, including a series of free education programs about smoking and free resources for those who want to quit, including cessation products and classes.
The university task force determined, “Our university commitment to health and wellness, one of our shared values, requires us to protect non-smokers but also to support smokers in reconsidering a behavior that has been scientifically proven to have serious long-term health consequences.”
Compliance with this new policy rests with all members of the Stetson community. Community members are empowered to respectfully inform others about the policy and the ongoing effort to enhance awareness of and encourage compliance with this policy. Violation of this regulation may result in corrective action under the Student Code of Conduct, Human Resources Policies and Procedures, or other applicable University Regulations or Policies. Visitors refusing to comply may be asked to leave campus.
Stetson will use the next 10 months to continue to educate the Stetson community and visitors about the new policy with a series of informational sessions, health fairs, human resource training sessions, student tours of campus, in marketing materials and on its website at stetson.edu/breathe-free.
Contact: Mary Anne Rogers, University Marketing
Phone: (386) 822-7215; main line (386) 822-8920; cell (386) 717-5836
French lawyer and international animal law expert Sabine Brels visited professors Paul Boudreaux and Royal Gardner’s seminar class on natural resources law on Sept. 26 to share her expertise in the field with students.
International animal law expert Sabine Brels visited Stetson Law.
“The legal status of animals is very controversial,” Brels told the class.
Brels spoke about the various approaches of animal protection in the law. She explained differing modern views on the treatment of animals, ranging from welfarism in which the use of animals is permissible, to abolitionism in which the use of animals is not acceptable.
Brels stressed the need to build an appropriate legal status leading to more consideration for nonhuman animals.
Animals are considered by the general law as objects of human use, but some are protected as subjects or sentient beings to a limited extent, Brels said.
In order to improve the legal status of animals, some professors have explored, for example, the notions of “animal personhood” (S. Wise) and “living property” (D. Favre), she explained.
Brels described how the traditional animal welfare approach promotes the regulation of animal use, while the radical animal rights approach promotes the banning of animal use.
She described the differences and the links between three approaches of animal protection: conservationism (in environmental law), welfarism (in animal law) and abolitionism (in animal rights).
“A major role of the law is to protect the weak ones for more equity between living beings,” Brels said.
(L-R): Sabine Brels visited with therapy dog James and Professor Peter Fitzgerald while visiting campus.
She stressed the need to avoid animal suffering by making better ethical choices, for example, by not buying animal food or clothing or products that are tested on animals.
She also described some of the negative impacts of factory farming and meat production on global warming, pollution, deforestation and depletion of the world’s water supply.
She emphasized the need for international law to intervene on this topic for the general interest. She said that, for example, vegetable alternatives to meat consumption such as plant proteins would serve human health and repartition of the world’s resources, environmental sustainability and animal welfare in a global way.
Brels has consulted on biodiversity conservation for international environmental organizations and scientific research centers.
Brels visited Stetson Law through Oct. 21 to share her special knowledge in the emerging field of animal law. In addition to class visits, she also addressed the law faculty on Stetson’s Gulfport campus on Oct. 9.
Stetson University College of Law hosted a public Social Justice Lecture Series discussion on Oct. 17 with former Robert F. Kennedy adviser Peter Edelman about ending poverty in the U.S.
(L-R): student Jennifer Quijano, Professor Peter Edelman, Professor Robert Bickel, and student Andona Zacks-Jordan. Photo by Kayla Minton (2L).
Edelman spoke at 7 p.m. on Stetson’s Gulfport campus.
Professor Edelman is an anti-poverty advocate who served as a top adviser to Senator Robert F. Kennedy from 1964-1968. During the Clinton administration, Edelman resigned from his position with the Department of Health and Human Services in protest of welfare reform legislation.
Ethel Kennedy remarked, “Bobby believed that, ‘as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil.’ Much has changed in forty-five years, but as Peter eloquently reminds us, far too many Americans remain trapped in the web of economic injustice. His compassionate and singular voice awakens our conscience and calls us to action.”
A busload of Stetson Law students headed to the DeLand campus on Saturday, Sept. 21, for Stetson University’s second football game of the season.
(L-R): Stuart Boone (3L), Joe Gear (3L), Danielle Creech ’13, Hatters mascot “John B,” and Nick Wise (2L) in DeLand for the Hatters football game on Sept. 21. Photo by Kayla Minton (2L).
Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz joined the Stetson Law students and alumni at the Hatters game.
More than 6,000 fans filled the Spec Martin Memorial Stadium to watch the Hatters play Birmingham- Southern College.
Stetson played Warner University for their first game since 1956 on Aug. 31.
Stetson University College of Law’s bar passage is number one in the state, according to the Supreme Court of Florida’s exam scores and statistics, with 89.3 percent of Stetson graduates passing the Florida bar exam in July.
Among all first-time test-takers in Florida, 77.2 percent of candidates passed the July bar exam.
“Stetson graduates are prepared for the legal profession, and their performance on the July bar is further testimony to their ability to perform with professionalism under pressure,” said Stetson Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz.
Stetson’s bar passage rate has climbed over the past decade. Stetson’s bar preparation program includes bar preparation workshops, an essay-grading program and a study plan to help graduates track their progress while studying for the exam. In February, Stetson’s bar passage rate was 93.9 percent, second in the state.
Stetson University College of Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz has recently been appointed to five committees focused on legal education, professionalism and public safety at the national, state and regional levels.
The Data Policy and Collection Committee makes recommendations to the Council of the Section of Legal Education regarding changes to all law school accreditation-related questionnaires. Dean Pietruszkiewicz joins a select group of nine deans, professors and administrators from law schools across the country serving on the committee.
The Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism oversees the development of judicial professionalism programs and helps promote professionalism in law schools. Dean Pietruszkiewicz serves as a member of a steering and long-range planning commission that creates and implements professionalism programs and seminars.
The Florida Bar Vision 2016 Commission is conducting a three-year, in-depth review of the future practice of law, with committees focused on legal education, technology, bar admissions and the delivery of legal services/pro bono. Dean Pietruszkiewicz was appointed by the president of the Florida Bar to serve on this commission conducting an in-depth review of the practice of law.
Stetson Law alumni Gregory W. Coleman, Bradford D. Kaufman, Mac Richard McCoy, Katherine Hurst Miller, Gail E. Sasnett and adjunct professor Susan S. Demers are also serving with the Florida Bar Vision 2016 Commission. Coleman, who received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Stetson, is president-elect of the Florida Bar.
The Sixth Judicial Circuit Professionalism Committee is responsible for coordinating professionalism activities within the circuit and assisting the Commission on Professionalism. Dean Pietruszkiewicz was appointed to the committee which includes distinguished members of the judiciary and area bar association leaders.
The Hillsborough County Community Violence Prevention Collaborative was created in the summer of 2013 as an initiative to transform the way local policy makers address violence. Dean Pietruszkiewicz was appointed by the chief judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit to the leadership council that includes county and civic leaders.
Pietruszkiewicz, who joined Stetson University College of Law as dean last summer, continues to serve on the Law School Admission Council board and as chair of the LSAC Investment Committee.
He is past-president of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools and has served in leadership positions for the American Bar Association Section of Taxation.
National Wildlife Federation leader John Kostyack ’86 discussed “Conservation in an Era of Intensifying Storms and Floods” at noon on Sept. 26 at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport.
John Kostyack spoke at Stetson Law on Sept. 26. Photo by Kayla Minton (2L).
John Kostyack is vice president of Wildlife Conservation at the National Wildlife Federation and a Stetson Law alumnus. He addressed a crowd of students, alumni, faculty and members of the public.
“You guys are blessed with one of the best places to study law,” Kostyack told the students in the audience. “We were talking before the gathering today and I was recalling to my friends my long swims in the Gulf back in the day side by side with the dolphins. There is nothing to inspire you more to hit the books than living in and experiencing Florida’s nature.”
Kostyack’s lecture explored the future of wildlife conservation and NWF strategies to save endangered wildlife, people and property along the coasts and floodplains where storms and floods are intensifying due to climate change.
“This concept of climate change adaptation is so enormous, the idea that only one, small poor country is going to get themselves out of the box of climate change is a ridiculous notion in my mind,” Kostyack said. “In fact, the notion that any individual by themselves could really make a difference on this acting alone is absurd. What is a solution? It’s going to take a level of collective action and leadership from government, the private sector, universities, and NGOs that is virtually unprecedented.”
John Kostyack spoke with a crowd of Stetson Law students about the future of wildlife conservation. Photo by Kayla Minton (2L).
Kostyack explained that flood insurance reform, disaster planning and flood preparedness should include wildlife conservation.
“Wildlife conservation needs to get a seat at the disaster-planning table,” said Kostyack.
He talked with the law students in the audience about challenging areas where more legal work and reform is needed.
“If you’re passionate about conservation, go out and volunteer,” Kostyack advised the students gathered to hear his talk.
Stetson’s Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series is open to the public and brings leading experts to campus to speak on a range of environmental topics directly impacting the state. Professor Royal C. Gardner directs the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson.
Casey Reich, eighth grade, age 13, tests his knowledge of civics at the opening of the Constitution Hall exhibit.
Distinguished members of the judiciary, alumni and educational leaders gathered for the ribbon-cutting of Constitution Hall. A representative of Congressman C.W. Bill Young’s office presented a U.S. flag that flew over the nation’s capital.
The interactive Constitution Hall exhibit will teach eighth grade students about the importance of being civically active and responsible, the three branches of government, and their rights protected by the U.S. Constitution.
“We recognize that the resolve and participation of our citizens contributes to our democracy. We are delighted that Stetson is going to be part of that,” said Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.
Constitution Hall was inspired by Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Pamela A.M. Campbell and made possible through the contributions of Stetson Hall of Fame inductee Bonnie Foreman, both Stetson University graduates.
Shown L-R cutting the ribbon at Constitution Hall: Bonnie Foreman, Judge Pamela Campbell and Stetson Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz.
The expansion of Finance Park and Enterprise Village is made possible by donations to the Pinellas Education Foundation from local businesses.
Thousands of eighth grade students participate in an annual economic education program at Finance Park that simulates a month in the financial life of an adult.
A crowd of 120 Tampa Bay area high school students gathered in the Great Hall on Stetson University College of Law’s Gulfport campus on Sept. 17 to learn about Constitution Day during a special James Otis Lecture Series presentation. High school and middle school students in Tampa also attended via webcast.
High school students gather for Constitution Day at Stetson Law.
The presentation, coordinated by the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and Stetson, featured remarks from Stetson Law alumni, ABOTA leadership, the Federalist Society, American Constitution Society, law professor Robert Bickel, and Judge Charles Wilson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
The program, now in its third year at Stetson, educates local high school students about the individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. This year’s Constitution Day program was held in conjunction with Values Day at Stetson University, which celebrates the university’s core values of intellectual development, personal growth and global citizenship. Sept. 17 marks the 226th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Stetson University College of Law has recently launched a new Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication.
Stetson’s Institute will serve as a nexus of research, teaching and service to improve the quality of legal communication, particularly legal writing, among law students, lawyers, members of the judiciary and other professionals.
“The creation of the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication, combined with the Center for Excellence in Advocacy, demonstrates Stetson University College of Law’s commitment to helping the next generation of law students build the two primary skills necessary for professional success–oral and written communication with the courts, the public and clients,” said Stetson Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz.
Stetson’s advocacy program has been recognized 15 times in the past 18 years as the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Stetson’s legal writing program is ranked fifth this year by U.S. News.
“The message from every constituency law schools serve—lawyers, bar associations, students, and the public as consumers of legal services and information– is that legal communication deserves more attention as a topic of investigation and instruction,” said Dr. Kirsten Davis, director of the Institute and the legal research and writing program at Stetson.
In addition to Davis, the founding faculty of the Institute includes scholars who are nationally recognized for their work in legal research and writing.
The Institute will support an active community of legal communication scholars and work to develop innovative and effective legal communication teaching methods, studying contemporary legal communication issues and providing legal communication instruction for judges, lawyers, other professionals, students and the public.
Stetson has several advanced research and writing courses including Pretrial Practice, Advanced Legal Writing, and Advanced Legal Research, and offers seven credit hours of Legal Research and Writing credits in the first year of law school. Stetson also offers legal communication courses including Negotiation and Arbitration and Client Counseling. Stetson’s student moot court teams are regularly recognized for their outstanding brief writing, across the country and around the world.
Stetson University College of Law students Kayla Cash, Paul Crochet and Tyler Egbertwon the 2013 E. Earle Zehmer National Workers’ Compensation Moot Court Competition on Aug. 19 in Orlando.
(L-R): Paul Crochet, Judge T. Kent Wetherell II, Kayla Cash, Judge Scott D. Makar, Tyler Egbert and Judge Timothy Osterhaus. Photo courtesy Michael Crochet.
Stetson’s moot court team, coached by Associate Dean and Professor of Law Michael Allen and alumnus Jason Stearns, argued in the final round of competition before sitting judges from Florida’s First District Court of Appeal.
The national competition takes place annually in conjunction with the Florida Workers’ Compensation conference. Teams from Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia competed this year, arguing in front of judges who are experts in workers’ compensation.
“It is incredible for our students to have an opportunity to present before the judges who hear workers’ compensation cases,” said Professor of Legal Skills and Moot Court Advisor Brooke J. Bowman. “We are very proud that our students have demonstrated their skills as top advocates in this national competition.”
