Drake Law School will celebrate Diversity Week Feb. 22–26 with various events hosted by Drake Law student organizations. Events include Gender and Sexuality Awareness Day, a discussion with local Muslim students and community leaders, a panel of diverse judges, and a roundtable on refugees and immigration law.

Schedule of events:

Monday, Feb. 22
Gender and Sexuality Awareness Day
9 a.m.–4 p.m., Cartwright Hall, Porterhouse Lounge

Tables will be set up in Cartwright Hall  with information related to various gender and sexuality issues in law and society, including reproductive rights, the wage gap, how to address clients of different genders, and more. There will also be facilitated discussions about the upcoming abortion and religious freedom cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and how Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing may affect the decisions.

Girls Court Information Session
4:30–5:30 p.m., Cartwright Hall, Room 206

Drake 3L Laura McGuire will present on the Girls Court, a gender-specific court designed to better accommodate victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. McGuire, who has been involved in the process of opening a Girls Court in Polk County, will discuss what the Girls Court is, when it will start, and why it’s important. The presentation will include time for questions.

Sponsored by Drake Law Women and Drake OUTlaws.

Tuesday, Feb. 23
The Muslim Experience in Iowa
4 p.m., Cartwright Hall, Kern Commons

Students are invited to share in a conversation with Muslim students and leaders from the Des Moines community. During the event, the guests will discuss how the past few years of changing political climate has impacted them in Des Moines. Food will be provided.

Sponsored by the International Law Society.

Wednesday, Feb. 24
“We’re All Just a Piece of a Beautiful Puzzle: Do Your Piece”
10 a.m.–3 p.m., Cartwright Hall, Porterhouse Lounge

Various tables will be set up in Porterhouse Lounge. The display will include an interactive element with two puzzles depicting diversity, a variety of photos celebrating differences in people, and candy giveaways containing uplifting messages.

Sponsored by the Black Law Student Association and OWLS.

Thursday, Feb. 25
Diverse Judge Panel
5:30–6:30 p.m., Cartwright Hall, Room 206

This panel will focus on how diversity and the law interact. Various judges will talk about their own experiences and observations with diversity and the law—both on and off the bench. Potential topics include how the judicial system promotes diversity and where it can improve; the role of diversity in judicial elections, elections in general, access to legal education, and jobs; and how diversity will affect the nomination of the next U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Judges confirmed to attend the event include Judge Mary Tabor from the Iowa Court of Appeals, Judge Romonda Belcher from the Fifth District of Iowa, and Deputy Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Michelle McGovern. The judges will speak for about 40–50 minutes, leaving 10–20 minutes available for questions from the audience. Light refreshments will be provided.

Sponsored by the American Constitution Society—Drake Law Chapter.

Immigration and Refugee Reception
6:30–7:30 p.m., Cartwright Hall, Kern Commons

Attend a reception and roundtable discussion on immigration and refugee matters. Local practicing lawyers in the areas of immigration and civil rights are invited to participate in the discussion with students and share their work with refugees, employment law, and other aspects of immigration law. Each table will have prepared questions and topics to discuss. Food will be provided.

Sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.

Friday, Feb. 26
Students are encouraged to get a signature on their activity cards at each event they attend during the week. Students who have attended at least three events can submit their cards to Cartwright Hall, Room 128, by noon on Friday, Feb. 26 to be entered into a drawing to win a $50 prize.

Sponsored by the Student Bar Association.

For more information, visit: www.law.drake.edu/newsEvents/details.aspx?eventID=2016-diversityWeek

—Kayla Choate, Law School Alumni Affairs & Communications Coordinator