Franklin Pierce Law Center hosts a chat partner program that matches international students for whom English is a second language (ESL) with volunteers who are native speakers of English. Volunteers include students, faculty, and staff-even family members of students who have the time and inclination to help an ESL student improve his or her English language skills.

The partners meet once a week, or as agreed, in an informal and casual setting to practice English pronunciation, listening skills, writing skills and learn about American culture.

In reverse, the volunteer makes a friend from another country and learns about that student's culture. It is very rewarding and sometimes leads to lifetime friendships.

If you are interested, write to Debbie Beauregard, Director of Graduate Programs. 

"Great literature is not written, it is re-written," said Mr. Gruenberg, my wise high-school English teacher. You won't necessarily be trying to create great literature here, but writing well will be key to your success in law school and in your future career.

Academic Success can help you learn to improve your writing. Starting today, they are offering a series of writing workshops which will give you the chance to review essential writing skills including sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation.

Today's session is for MIP/LLM students and will be held in Room 202 at 5:00 p.m. This series will continue for as long as their is interest.

A separate session, for Class of 2010 JD students, will meet tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. in Room 205 and will be held for three weeks. 

Contact Sunny Mulligan for details.

The best writers are those who know they don't write as well as they want to write.

Do you ever feel rushed?  Do you feel like you could use up to 50% more time your first two semesters at Pierce or 25% more time during your third and fourth semesters?  Ever get confused by those tricky homonyms, homophones or just odd word?  Perhaps having a dictionary with you could help?

If English isn’t your first language, you’ve received all of your undergraduate and graduate degrees from non-English speaking institutions, and you submitted your TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language Results) to Pierce Law with your application for admission, then you could be eligible for the above stated exam accommodations!

Act fast!  Offer expires six weeks after the beginning of the semester!  See the registrar’s office for more details!

Monday, September 24

9:00 a.m. to Noon - Tom Bunnell, Director of Pierce Law's Institute for Health, Law & Ethics, will be presenting to the New Hampshire Medical Interpretation Advisory Board on "Health Law, Medical Interpretation & Public Policy," in Conference Room 1 at the New Hampshire Hospital Association building, 25 Airport Road in Concord.

On this day in 1789, The United States Supreme Court, the position of Attorney General, and the United States Post Office Department were established. Two days later, George Washington appointed fellow Virginian Edmund Jenings Randolph the first Attorney General. Randolph was distinguished for his anti-slavery views and his belief that the Constitution did not contain enough checks and balances. 

Tuesday, September 25

Keeping the Faith? Prayer, Policy and Presidential Politics: Scheduled to coincide with the next debate of Democratic presidential candidates, this forum brings together nationally-recognized legal, political and religious experts, including Professor Richard A. Hesse to examine issues of Church-State separation and why using faith to appeal to voters in the Presidential campaign is a slippery slope.

Wednesday, September 26

Tom Bunnell, Director of the Pierce Law Institute for Health, Law & Ethics, has been appointed by the Governor to New Hampshire's State Coverage Initiative (SCI) team.  The SCI team is charged with developing sensible and affordable health insurance coverage reform and expansion options for New Hampshire residents.  Beginning on September 26, Director Bunnell and the New Hampshire team will be attending a three day SCI institute in Chicago, with national experts and representatives from the SCI teams in 13 other states, that is being sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

Thursday, September 27

Got Pennant Race Fever? Pennant Race Dread? Nearly 50 Pierce Law students will travel to Fenway to see the Old Towne Team take on the Minnesota Twins.

Friday, September 28

On this date in 1941, Ted Williams batted 6 for 8 --  four singles, a double, and a home run -- in a double header against the Philadelphia Athletics,raising his batting average from .3995 to .406. Williams is the last person to bat over .400 for the season in the major leagues.

Also...

Professor Mitchell Simon's most recent law review article, "Discreet Disclosures: Should Lawyers Who Disclose Confidential Information to Protect Third Parties Be Compelled to Testify Against their Clients?" has been accepted for publication in the South Texas Law Review, which is well known in the ethics field for its highly regarded annual ethics symposium and is in the top 100 journal cited by courts and other law review authors.

Remember to check the Pierce Law Reporter and the Pierce Law home page for daily postings of news and items of interest to the Pierce Law community: http://reporter.piercelaw.edu/
 
Got news for Next Week @ Pierce Law, September 30th-October 6th? Send your events and notices to jmccrory@piercelaw.edu no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday. NW@PL is produced by the Pierce Law Communications Office and distributed to faculty and staff towards the end of each week.

• Professor Buzz Scherr, former NH Public Defender attorney and ACLU national board member.
• Professor Ellen Musinsky, former NH Legal Assistance lawyer and Pierce Law Clinical Supervisor, and current Externship Director.
• Professor Jordan Budd, former Legal Director of the ACLU of San Diego.
• Megan De Vorsey, former Assistant Federal Defender and current Interim Director of the Social Justice Institute.

...those ubiquitous little black boxes next to many of Franklin Pierce's entrances?  The ones with the flashing lghts?

If not, you may want to consider taking a peek next time you walk into the building.  Just as a student ID card can be used at the Jury Box or copy machine, within the next few weeks students will have to swipe their cards in order to enter Pierce during off hours.  

Don't worry about during the day, as the doors will be unlocked as usual, but next time you feel a need to head to the library at 11:00 p.m. tossing your student ID in your wallet would be a good idea. Director of Computer Services Marc Gosselin stated that "...the doors will automatically lock and unlock..." at certain times.  The new system will aid both the security and maintenance staffs; they will no longer have to worry about forgetting to lock any of Pierce's myriad entryways.

The exact hours where students will need to swipe in will be determined within a week or so, Gosselin said, with implementation to follow shortly thereafter.

Stay tuned for more announcements concerning this exciting story, including the exact hours when they become available.

Sunday, September 30

On this day in 1901, Englishman H. Cecil Booth patented the world's first powered vacuum cleaner, the "Puffing Billy." His invention was used to clean carpets in Westminster Abbey in preparation for the coronation of King Edward VII. Two decades later, Booth's "Goblin" model lost out to Hoover in competition for the household market -- wouldn't it be fun if the English "Goblinned" instead of "Hoovered"? Booth instead built a successful business in large-scale industrial cleaning systems.

It is also the last day of Major League Baseball's regular season.

Monday, October 1

Welcome to visiting adjunct professor Dr. Philip Grubb from Germany. Prof. Grubb will be teaching International and Comparative Patent Law for the next three weeks.

Assistant Director of Admissions Barbara Wilson will represent Pierce Law at the Greater Western New York Law School Fair in Buffalo and also at the Greater Rochester Area Law School Day.

Tuesday, October 2

Dean John D. Hutson will travel to California to give an address at Stanford University Law School on "How to 'win' the war on Terrorism."

Barbara Wilson continues her tour of upstate New York at Cornell University's 27th Annual Law School Day and Ithaca College's 9th Graduate & Professional School Fair.

Wednesday, October 3

Dean Hutson joins Pierce Law alum Rajiv Patel '95 for an alumni reception in Silicon Valley at the offices of Fenwick & West LLP. Director of Publications and Media Relations Sharon Callahan will also attend.

Assistant Dean for Admissions Katie McDonald will visit the University of Delaware. Barbara Wilson will be at Binghamton University Law Day.

Professor Emeritus Richard A. Hesse will perform "A Conversation with John Marshall" for the Inns of Court at the Bedford Village Inn. 

Thursday, October 4

The monthly Staff Meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m. in Room 205.

Faculty Meeting, 1:00 p.m. in Room 200.

Barbara Wilson will attend the Colgate University Law School Admission Fair and Syracuse University's Upstate New York Law School Day.

Assistant Dean and Co-Director of Career Services Mary Sheffer wil attend the NALP/PSLawNet Public Service Mini-Conference at the offices of Arnold and Porter LLC in Washington, DC.

Professor Emeritus Richard A. Hesse will present a talk on Free Speech at 7:00 p.m. at the Hopkinton Town Library. 

Friday, October 5

Professor Jeff Hawley will speak on "How to Maximize the Value of Your IP Assets Globally" at the Practising Law Institute's 13th Annual Institute on Intellectual Property in San Francisco.  

Barbara Wilson will attend the University at Albany Law School Fair.

Moon Festival: The Taiwanese Student Organization invites you to its Mid-Autumn Festival Party, to be held at 6:00 p.m. in the Rich Room Jury Box. Chinese tea, Chinese food, and moon cakes (a kind of traditional Chinese snacks), along with nonalcoholic drinks, will be served. All members of Pierce Law are welcome to the party, which will be a great opportunity to meet and make friends from Taiwan or China. This event is sponsored by the Student Bar Association (SBA).

Saturday, October 6

Dean Hutson, Katie McDonald, Barbara Wilson, Professor Anne McCrackin and students will represent Pierce Law at the Boston Forum, sponsored by the Law School Admission Council. Organizers expect more than 1000 prospective students to attend.

Acting Director of the Social Justice Institute Megan De Vorsey and a delegation of our students will be attending the Equal Justice Works Conference and Job Fair  today and Sunday. The Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair will again offer its trademark features - a national career fair to match public interest employers with applicants, and public interest and social justice workshops, including a special track for law school public interest professionals.

Also...

Pierce Law Reporter and NW@PL congratulate Professor John Garvey on being named to The Best Lawyers in America.

Got news for Next Week @ Pierce Law, October 7th to 13th? Send your events and notices to jmccrory@piercelaw.edu no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday. NW@PL is produced by the Pierce Law Communications Office and distributed to faculty and staff towards the end of each week.  

This past week the Pierce chapter of Hillel had its inaugural meeting, regarded by returning members as possibly the organization's 'biggest meeting ever.'

Both new and old members gathered for a lunch of cheese pizza for introductions and a discussion of the group's planned activities. 

On the schedule for is 'bagel brunch' to be held just before the start of finals each semester where students can gather for a relaxing breakfast featuring the popluar bagel and maybe even lox and cream cheese.  This year's brunch could also include a guest speaker or two on a yet to be determined topic!  Another popular even is a Passover seder, where students can sit down to a full meal inspired by Jewish tradition.

All Pierce students are invited to attend any Hillel event, regardless of religion. 

Speaking of sports, the Sports Club organizes an array of opportunities for students to enjoy some intense intramural athletic fun throughout the fall.  Pickup games are open to all students regardless of experience or skill level.  So put down the books and get outside! Remember what Jack Nicholson said:  "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!"

See the fall schedule below.  All games are at White's Park weather permitting.  Times are subject to change, so check your e-mail or contact the Sports Club at SportsClub@piercelaw.edu.

• Ultimate Frisbee    Wednesday     5:00
• Soccer                 Thursday        1:00
• Tennis                  Thursday        5:00
• Flag Football          Friday            2:30

Last Thursday, over 50 Pierce Law students took a break from studying to see the Boston Red Sox take on the Minnesota Twins at historic Fenway Park.  The trip was organized by Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Fran Canning as an opportunity for students to hangout with each other outside of school.  "The reponse has been great," Canning said, "The bus is completely full.  This is the most students we've had for a Red Sox game."  Although the Sox lost, everyone enjoyed the evening.  "When Ortiz hit that home run, I thought the place was going to explode," recalled 1L David Connaughton.  Thank you to Dean Canning for setting up this trip, and to everyone who came out to support the AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST CHAMPION BOSTON RED SOX!

Stay tuned -- Pierce Law is renowned for attracting students from across the country.  Unfortunately, this means there is bound to be some Yankee fans among us.  With the playoffs starting this week, the Reporter will seek out these lost souls and try to answer the question: "Why?"  Hopefully, we will get them to leave the dark side and join Red Sox Nation!