THE COMMENTATOR Vol. XL, No. 10 The Student Newspaper of the New York University School of Law February 22, 2006 Dean Revesz Criticizes “Despicable” Union; Is “Horrified” by Pentagon BOBBIE ANDELSON ’08 was well-intentioned. It just did during the application process for There were so many stu- not work, and we will not be doing these positions. dents packed into Vanderbilt Hall’s it again,” Revesz said. Revesz, who spent two years Room 214 on Valentine’s Day for Revesz also addressed ru- chairing NYU’s Clerkship Commit- Dean Ricky Revesz’s Town Hall mors that the student group, tee, disagreed with students who Meeting that there were hardly OUTLaw, was being monitored by felt that lack of credit resulting in enough seats to go around. the Pentagon. “We are horrified lack of exposure to work in the ju- The meeting, which was by these reports,” Revesz said. diciary was hurting NYU in the only supposed to last from 4 pm “We hope to proceed quickly in clerkship application process. He until 5 pm, went considerably filing a report and we will go for- stated that NYU was well-repre- longer, and when Revesz had to ward and litigate if necessary.” sented with clerkships, citing the leave at some point half way into When the floor was opened fact that last year Justice O’Connor the second hour, there were still to student questions, the first stu- had two clerks from NYU, making plenty of student hands left waiv- dent inquiry was why NYU, un- it the first time that any Supreme ing, seeking to further the dialogue like some other institutions, does Court Justice had more than one between the students and the ad- not offer any credit for intern- NYU clerk in a single year. “Ulti- ministration. ships, including judicial intern- mately, our decision on credit is an Revesz was pleased with the ships. educational one, despite students’ turnout and the exchange with stu- Revesz replied that NYU practical concerns.” dents, mentioning the steps he has chosen not to offer credits Revesz chose not to mention takes to stay in tune with stu- toward graduation for judicial in- the elephant in the room: the con- dents, including meeting once a ternships “because of the issue of troversial proposed all-ALSA month with the SBA, scheduling supervision. We have an excel- space, but it was not long before a student drop-in hours once a lent clinical program where we student asked Revesz to address week, and personally responding know that the right level of super- the subject. Revesz said: “This to all of his email each night. Start- vision will take place. Eight-to-one issue has been going on for Team Law School dominated the annual All-University Games. Brandon Chock ing with this semester, Town Hall is the typical student-to-faculty months. There have probably ’06 celebrated by raising the SLAP Football Goblet in victory. Conor French has Meetings with Dean Revesz will ratio in our clinic. If we did not been more meetings on this issue a full article on the night’s action in Sports on page 8. occur twice every semester. have the resources of our clinical than any other student issue this The first issue Revesz program, we might consider going year.” chose to address was faculty hir- the way of other schools and of- In response to the student- ing, which includes both entry- fering credit for internships, but written all-ALSA proposal, Revesz Where Do We Go From level hiring and lateral hiring. NYU that is not an issue.” said that he will be making his de- Law recently extended six job of- The student responded cision in the next few weeks. He fers of tenured professorships. with his belief that NYU students’ will comply with student requests Robert Sitkoff, Associate Profes- representation among the ranks of to make his decision available in Here? Middle East Scholars sor of Law at Northwestern Uni- post-graduation federal judicial writing. Revesz declared that the versity, has already accepted clerks was suffering as a result of substance of the request and not NYU’s offer and will be teaching this policy because of lack of stu- logistical considerations will be the Discuss Stunning Election Trusts and Estates here this Fall, dent experience working for deciding factor in determining CHRIS MOON ’06 mocracy. Within the past 15 years, before spending the two semes- judges harming NYU students Continued on page 2 Quick, what is the Spanish most of the successful political ters of 2007 as a Visiting Professor word for never? No, not nunca. parties in the Muslim world have at Harvard and Yale, respectively. That’s right, jamás! Pronounced, been both “Islamic and Demo- Offers of tenured professor- coincidentally, like the name of the cratic,” according to Feldman. ship have also been extended to group that won the recent Pales- These parties comes forward with Jeremy Waldron, a professor of tinian elections. If you speak Span- the message that, “Islam is the Law and Politics at Columbia; ish, or even if you don’t, it’s a fit- answer.” Asking why Islamic par- Roderick (Rick) Hills, a constitu- ting name: everybody jamás would ties have been so successful, tional law scholar from the Univer- think that Hamas could actually Feldman posited that secular alter- sity of Michigan; Cynthia Estlund, win an election. natives are seen to have been tried a labor law scholar at Columbia and On February 7, 2006, three and failed. Furthermore, with the Heather Gerken, a Professor of Elec- preeminent scholars on the Middle profound corruption of govern- tion law at Harvard, among oth- East convened in Vanderbilt Hall ers. before a standing-room only Hamas? Jamás. Revesz stated that NYU was crowd of over 100 students to dis- likely to make one or two more of- cuss the startling Hamas victory. Si, they won. And fers of tenured professorship this The three speakers included Noah semester. He also encouraged stu- Feldman, professor of law at New for good reasons. dents interested in having more Professor Sitkoff, who visited last Dean Revesz answered questions in York University School of Law, input in the faculty hiring process ments in the Middle East, Islamic semester at the Law School, has agreed front of a packed house at a V-Day whose scholarly work includes to consider involvement with the parties are perceived to be less to leave Northwestern for NYU Law Town Hall Meeting “After Jihad,” a study of Democ- Student Advisory Committee on corrupt, even if that perception racy in Muslim countries; Sami faculty hiring. Interested students isn’t always reality. Zubaida, an NYU Global Visiting may contact SBA president Oliver Professor Feldman then Professor of Law who currently Carter for more information. moved on to the specific example Infra teaches a seminar on Law and The second issue Revesz of the recent Hamas victory. He felt Power in the Islamic World; and choose to address was the Fall that, in his view, the vote for Hamas Zachary Lockman, a professor of 2005 experiment in teaching Pro- was “perfectly rational under the Winter’s Shout-outs p. 3 Middle Eastern Studies at New fessional Responsibility as a large circumstances,” as a response to York University. seminar, with an enrollment of 350 the corrupt regime of the PA. Hop- All-ALSA Space Point-Counterpoint p. 4-5 Coming up to bat in leadoff students. Revesz stated that by ing for peace in the region, spot was Professor Feldman, who all accounts, including those of Feldman feels that Hamas will con- All University Games Wrap-up p. 8 began his remarks by discussing the students and the professor, tinue to implement a two-tiered the dichotomy of Islam and De- Continued on page 2 the experiment was a failure. “It Page 2 The Commentator February 22, 2006 Stunning Hamas Victory Town Hall Meeting Apartments continued from page 1 ciologist came the historian, Pro- Continued from page 1 Revesz said that he worked to ar- fessor Lockman. He views the vic- Sublets & range a memorial service at the law strategy of no violence now, but whether an all-ALSA space will be tory of Hamas as a failure of Oslo. school for a former employee who keeping open violence as a last Roommates provided. First of all, the Oslo Treaty left dif- recently died leaving behind resort alternative. Revesz also did not mention ficult issues on the table, such as young children. The family of the Professor Zubaida began another divisive issue on campus: final borders, the fate of Jewish Find: employee felt compelled to find his remarks by indicating that he the GSOC strike. Law students are settlements, and the question of Apartments another location when they were would look at the current elections not eligible for membership in what to do with Jerusalem, a holy contacted by the Union and told from the point of view of a soci- Sublets or GSOC Union. Recently, however, city to three of the world’s major that the memorial service would be ologist. He felt that the victory of the Union has targeted Public In- religions. Commenting on the Roommates picketed. Hamas, when looked at from the terest Law Center speaker events build-up to the elections, Lockman ALL MAJOR CITIES The meeting closed with a day to day perspective, “hasn’t condemned the use of suicide and job fairs. The views of stu- really altered much.” The major bombers by Hamas, labeling them Nationwide dents on the propriety of target- Hiring profs and problem in Gaza remains.