Making Their Voices Heard: Students Join With College In Promoting Dialog On The Presidential Election And Confronting Social Justic Issues

Contact: Linda Wallace, 215-751-8082, liswallace@ccp.edu
Annette John-Hall, 215-751-8021, anhall@ccp.edu

 

PHILADELPHIA (Feb. 15, 2016) —For 17 years, Law and Society Week at Community College of Philadelphia has confronted issues of social justice and embraced civic engagement. This year, students will help lead the way.

With the presidential election now in full swing, members of Associate Professor Julie Odell’s English 101 class will present research on topics they want to see addressed this election year –topics such as prison reform, climate change, health care, gun control and campaign finance reform. Their panel is called “The Presidential Election: Students Explain the Issues,” and it will take place from 11:20 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, in the Center for Business and Industry (Room C2-28), which is located on the corner of 18th and Callowhill streets. In addition, throughout the week, voter registration drives will be held on the Main Campus and manned by a student volunteer from Julia R. Masterman High School. (March 28, 2016 is the last day to register before the April 26, 2016 election.)

The 17th Annual Law and Society Week (February 29 – March 4) offers workshops, screenings and lectures that will examine some of society’s most pressing – and, sometimes, controversial – issues through a legal lens. The week informs students and the general public of emerging legal issues and trends, while providing practical advice from respected experts. More than two dozen workshops, lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations during the week are free and open to the public and attorneys.

“When people see how law relates to the technology they use, the food they eat, and just about every topic imaginable, that’s a real light bulb moment for them,” explains Kathleen M. Smith, J.D., director of the Fox Rothschild Center of Law and Society, who launched Law and Society Week with husband David Freeman J.D., an associate professor of Social Science at the College.

Some of the Law and Society Week lectures qualify for Continuing Legal Education credits for legal professionals. To learn how to receive continuing education credits, contact LawCenter@ccp.edu

Among the newsworthy sessions this year:

> Reducing Philadelphia Incarceration Rates: Perspectives from the Criminal Justice Community: A panel of experts discusses innovative initiatives that seek to address this critical challenge. Panelists include: Dr. Caterina Gouvis Roman, assistant professor of criminal justice at Temple University; Byron Cotter, director of alternative sentencing at Defender Association of Philadelphia; Derek Riker, Assistant District Attorney and Chief of Diversion Courts. Moderated by Tara Timberman, Founder/Coordinator of the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society Reentry Support Project. The panel will begin at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 29 in the Great Hall (S2-19) of the Winnet Student Life Building, 17th Street, between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets.

> Domestic Violence and Updates to Protection From Abuse Laws: A discussion of the nuts and bolts of the Pennsylvania Protection from Abuse Acts, as well as the new Protection from Sexual Violence and Intimidation Act. Presented by William Love, Esq., Criminal Justice professor, Community College of Philadelphia. Tuesday, March 1, 9 a.m. to 10:30, Northwest Regional Center, Room 216

> New and Old Threats to Free Speech on Campus: This talk will look at threats to the exercise of free speech on campus and examine emerging issues of free speech on college campuses. Presented by Joe Cohn, Legislative and Policy Director of Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Wednesday, March 2, 1:50 to 2:50 p.m., Great Hall, Room S2-19, Winnet Student Life Building

> Election Year Focus! David Thornburgh, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, will share his observations about this critical election season and set the stage for a discussion with a panel of local political observers. The program begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 in the Great Hall (S2-19) of the Winnet Student Life Building, 17th Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets. Invited panelists include George Burrell, Esq; Sharmain Matlock-Turner, Urban Affairs Coalition president and CEO; and Nia Meeks, socio-political commentator, “Philadelphia’s Inside Story” (WPVI-TV).

> Investigating a Cold Case Homicide: When a homicide goes unsolved, it eventually ends up in the cold case files. The Vidocq Society is a Philadelphia-based organization made up of law enforcement experts who volunteer their time to help solve unsolved murders. Last year, during a workshop about the “Boy in the Box,” an unsolved homicide investigation in Philadelphia, an audience member provided a new lead and as a result, police re-opened the investigation. Presented by Linda Edelson-Slocum, D.M.D., a forensic dentist and member of the Vidocq Society. The presentation will begin at 9:10 a.m., Wednesday, March 2.

 

Law and Society week closes March 4 with an Expungement Assessment Clinic from 9 a.m.-12 noon in Room 216 of the Northwest Regional Center, 1300 West Godfrey Ave., Philadelphia. Attorneys and Paralegal students will be available to help citizens understand the process of addressing issues related to one’s criminal record. Those who qualify may be able to receive free legal help. It is co-sponsored by Community Legal Services. No appointment is necessary, but the clinic is first come, first served. Photo ID requested to enter all college buildings. Note: This clinic is for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas matters only.

For a full schedule of events, visit: Law And Society Week

 

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