Judicial Affairs Conference
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Winnet Student Life Building, Great Hall, Rooms S2-19 and S2-3
Registration required. This year, the symposium will focus on best practices for achieving student success with an emphasis on Title IX, LGBTQIA and campus policy issues. The event will provide attending faculty and guests the opportunity to hear from local experts on prevalent legal and policy issues. Ebony Staton Weidman, Southeast Regional Director for U.S. Senator Bob Casey, will deliver the keynote address, followed by the College’s Director of Public Safety, Randolph Merced. He will deliver a compelling presentation for faculty on best practices for managing disruptive and dangerous student behavior in the classroom.
The symposium will also feature professional college public safety associates, counselors and legal experts who will lead captivating discussions on Pennsylvania hazing and human trafficking laws, effective responses to threats, sexual violence on college campuses, the opioid crisis, and much more. Attendees will be given the unique opportunity to participate in breakout sessions, encouraging an open discussion on the topics at hand.
*Approved substantive CLE – 3.5 credits
How Many Slaves Work for You?
9:10 to 10:10 a.m., Center for Business and Industry, Room C2-28
There are approximately 47 million children in the world today trapped in modern day slavery. Another 168 million children are forced to work instead of going to school. Learn about child labor and the kidnapping, trafficking, and enslavement of children who are forced to work for products people purchase each and every day, such as the clothes we wear, the electronics we buy, and even the chocolate bars and candies we enjoy. Prepare to be shocked, alarmed and informed.
Presenter: Ari Bank, assistant professor, English
*Approved substantive CLE – 1.0 credits
Philadelphia Veterans Treatment Court: Helping American Veterans on the Homefront
10:20 to 11:20 a.m., Center for Business and Industry, Room C2-28
Tim Wynn, current mentor coordinator of the Philadelphia Veterans Treatment Court, will discuss his own personal story of transitioning home after release from the military and how he became involved in the criminal justice system. He will explain the history of veterans courts and how they began in 2008 in Buffalo, New York. Once a defendant in the Philadelphia veterans treatment court, Tim now has a role in the same court that saved his life. You will hear how these courts play a vital role in saving the lives of veterans and ensure that no one is left behind.
Presenter: Timothy Wynn, USMC Veteran of Iraq War and mentor coordinator, Philadelphia Veterans Treatment Court
*Approved substantive CLE – 1.0 credits
First Amendment Separation of Church and State: Recent Supreme Court Cases and Trends
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Center for Business and Industry, Room C2-28
Two phrases in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution deal with religion. The first is called the Establishment Clause, and it forbids Congress from making a law that establishes an official religion. The second is the Free Exercise Clause, which forbids Congress from “prohibiting the free exercise of religion.” Although on the surface these two phrases seem clear, they often lead to conflicting interpretations, and might at times seem to conflict. This session will present an overview of the evolution of the Supreme Court’s models for considering Church/State cases under the First Amendment, and will examine the approaches taken by the Robert’s Court in recent cases, such as Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer, and American Legion v. American Humanist Association.
Presenter: David Prejsnar, assistant professor, Religious Studies
*Approved substantive CLE – 1.0 credits
Disenfranchisement, Voting Rights and Visions of Restorative Justice
12:40 to 1:40 p.m., Center for Business and Industry, Room C2-28
The Reconstruction Amendments established the right of all American adults to be free from involuntary servitude, to due process and equal protection, and for adult males to exercise the right to vote ... with a few exceptions. Despite these amendments, felony disenfranchisement, prison slavery and other cudgels of white supremacy have been implemented to limit the voting rights of millions of Americans. The presenters will identify historical barriers to voting and policies of disenfranchisement, and will discuss methods of restorative justice and protecting voting rights.
Presenters: Karl Baker, member and officer, the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union and national board of the ACLU, and former National Affiliate Affirmative Action Officer; and Benjamin Nixon, CCP student and Democracy Fellow, Campus Vote Project.
*Approved substantive CLE – 1.0 credits
Documentary Viewing: “13th”
6:30 to 9:45 p.m., Northeast Regional Center, Room 249
The 13th Amendment was passed in the wake of the American Civil War to eliminate involuntary servitude. It contains one very notable loophole that has pushed a legalized form of slavery into modern times. Join Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society for a viewing of the Netflix documentary “13th” and learn more about the shocking depth and constitutionality of prison slavery, felony disenfranchisement and the extension of Jim Crow laws into the 21st century.
*Approved substantive CLE – 1.0 credits