By Chelsea Halpine-Berger, Clerk, Franklin Chapter
On September 10th, the Franklin Chapter traveled to the Phi Alpha Delta District XXX Conference at Whittier law school in Costa Mesa, CA, returning laden with awards, plaques and certificates. The Phi Alpha Delta cubicle, adorned with our accomplishments from the 2010/2011 school year, is a testament to our continuing success as one of the dominant student organizations at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Franklin Chapter was presented with Runner-Up for the Stanley H. Kohn award for best chapter fraternity-wide, in addition to awards for Outstanding Professional Program, Outstanding Alumni Networking, Chapter Merit Award, and a Top Recruiter Award. We are honored to have been counted among the best.
The P.A.D. Executive Board has been implementing new ideas and events to our program to maximize the benefits for our members, while keeping the spirit of the fraternity alive. On general meeting days, it is thrilling and motivating to see our Franklin Chapter t-shirt on over 200 enthusiastic students! Our biggest events this year will be Wine, Cheese, and Judges Pet Peeves in October and the Etiquette Dinner in the spring. Wine, Cheese, and Judges Pet Peeves, our most popular event, will be held on November 1st at Hotel Indigo. San Diego Judges will hold a panel on their biggest courtroom pet peeves and future attorneys will learn what NOT to do in the courtroom. This event is followed by a formal reception with – you guessed it – an impressive spread of wine and cheese. The Etiquette Dinner is another valuable lesson in social, dining and professional etiquette. For more information on these upcoming events, please visit: http://www.tjsl.edu/phialphadelta.
Phi Alpha Delta has hit the ground running this semester, hosting several academic and social events within the first weeks of the fall semester. We welcomed the class of 2014 in style, hosting the first Bar Review and showing that law school isn’t always so serious! New students also packed BAR Basic for the Meet and Greet Social, despite stifling heat (by San Diego standards…) and county-wide power outage, to meet the current members of P.A.D. Franklin Chapter continued a tradition of academic support for 1L students with an Outlining workshop in the first few weeks of school, taught by the Director of the Writing Lab.
Our chapter’s efforts and hard work have not gone unnoticed: we welcomed 68 new members for a record-breaking fall initiation! All new 1L members will be paired with an upper class mentor to help them navigate the 1L experience by providing academic support (and perhaps a shoulder to cry on).
These events are just the beginning of what Phi Alpha Delta has in store for the 2011-2012 academic year. Given our dedicated membership and successful events, Franklin Chapter has their eye on taking home the Stanley H. Kohn award for Best Chapter in the country. There has never been a better time to take advantage of the opportunities provided by getting involved in Franklin Chapter!
Please visit our website: http://www.tjsl.edu/phialphadelta, or find us on Facebook.