Hey, how about that?  3 classes, a paper/presentation and one final exam left in my VLS life.  Awesome!!  Last weekend, the Environmental Law Center (ELC) hosted the MSEL/LLM Celebration for all the soon-to-be grads.  It was a mini-graduation ceremony without the cap-and-gown.  All the grads were recognized and given an opportunity to speak to audience.  My dad was very impressed. 

A couple of observations about the ceremony.  First, where were all the faculty and staff? Other than ELC staff and Director Mihaly, Profs. Judy, Bartrum, and Sheldon were the only faculty members that I saw at the event.  In terms of Administrative staff, Dean Atwood was the only one in attendence that I know of (Dean Shields was scheduled to speak, but had to leave town at the last moment).  I was very disappointed.  I suspect the low turnout was a combination of poor follow-up by the ELC, scheduling conflicts, and apathy.  While I hate to be cynical, the low faculty/staff turnout only reinforces the perception (shared by many of my classmates) that the MSEL class does not carry the same status as the JD class.  Shrug.  What can you do?

Other observations.  The ELC should move the event indoors.  It was soo hot on saturday!  Ugh.  The only saving grace was the breeze.  Without that small measure of comfort, the event would have been unbearable.  Our class speaker was rather, umm, entertaining.  Yeah..  I was not moved nor inspired by his talk, but I was entertained.  As always, the food was good and the alcohol flowed – no complaints there.  In all, it was an enjoyable event and I send my sincere thanks to the ELC for organizing the event and giving the MSEL/LLM class a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. 

On the academic front, Prof. Mihaly has deemd my fellowship paper satisfactory!  Oh yeah!!  So, I have met that important requirement of graduation.  All that I need to do now is pass sustainable development and Intl. Envtl. Law!!  Can you say home free?

Lisa is flying in on Friday to help me pack and drive home with me.  Actually, she’ll probably end up doing all the packing, as I will be busy study for and taking my Intl. exam on Saturday.  Lisa tells me that one of the defining moments of any relationship the first cross-country drive.  Well, after marking our one year anniversary on saturday, Lisa and I are going to discover what it is like to be stuck in a truck with the same person for 16-18 hours.  A defining moment indeed! 

Alright, I need to get back to my sustainable development paper. 

tp