Advocacy for Policy Change (LGLS 161b)
is supported by generous commitments
from Ethics Center International Advisory
Board Member Norbert Weissberg and
former Board Member Judith Schneider.
Present and Defend
Projects from Advocacy for Policy Change
Friday, April 30, 2010
10:30 am-12:00 pm
Levine-Ross
Hassenfeld Conference Center
Join the students of Advocacy for Policy
Change (LGLS 161b) as they present and
defend the legal advocacy projects they have
developed over the course of the semester.
Projects include:
• in-state tuition for undocumented residents
• METCO funding
• foreclosure reform
• CORI reform
• taxing soda and candy
• cyberbullying
• funding for the Hinton State Laboratory
Institute, a public health and infectious
disease laboratory
MS 086 P.O. Box 549110
Waltham, MA 02454
781-736-8577
ethics@brandeis.edu
brandeis.edu/ethics
twitter.com/EthicsBrandeis
facebook.com/EthicsBrandeis
This course is supported by generous commitments from Ethics
Center International Advisory Board Member Norbert Weissberg
and former Board Member Judith Schneider.
For more information:
brandeis.edu/ethics
781-736-8577
Open to the public
Brandeis University
About Advocacy for Policy Change
In 2009 the Ethics Center launched an initiative designed to
encourage citizens to bring moral and ethical insights to the process
of making and revising laws. The centerpiece of this initiative
focuses on Brandeis undergraduate students, through a legal
studies course introduced in spring 2010 taught by Professor
Melissa Stimell: “Advocacy for Policy Change.”
“Advocacy for Policy Change” (LGLS 161b) combines an
investigation of the ethical dilemmas that arise in the process of
lawmaking with hands-on advocacy work with entities seeking to
reform laws perceived as unjust or to propose new ones that
redress social wrongs. Students will engage with the complexities of
shaping laws for constituents who hold diverse viewpoints, and they
will explore the nuances of how bills progress through the legislative
process.
Guest presenters have included leaders of advocacy and non-profit
organizations along with elected officials, including Massachusetts
State Representative Jay Kaufman ʼ68, MA ʼ73 of Lexington.
Representative Kaufman introduced students to how work gets
done in the State House, provided insider insights into the
legislative process, and conferred with students on their group
research projects.
Legislative advocacy projects are a key feature of the course. Prof.
Stimell and her students chose existing laws they felt could be
credibly challenged on ethical or moral grounds, or proposed laws
being promoted to redress perceived wrongs. The issues students
explore will be different each year.
Students researched the issues and designed and implemented
advocacy projects to address the range of issues surrounding the
particular law. Students worked with a member of the legislature – a
legislature mentor – and/or a member of an advocacy organization
– an advocacy mentor – who helped them understand the
lawmaking process, connect with colleagues, and set realistic goals.
Todayʼs event concludes the course by providing an opportunity to
present and debate these issues with the Brandeis community.
Students also have the opportunity to compete for funding to
continue their projects beyond the scope of the course.
Present and Defend
Projects from Advocacy for Policy Change
Nora Bradshaw ʼ11
"
Funding for METCO program for inner-city students to
"
attend public "schools in suburban communities
Scott Beaulac ʼ12
"
Proposal for a new tax on soda and candy
Rebecca Wilkof ʼ10 & Daniela Montoya-Fontalvo ʼ11
"
Legislation to educate students, parents, and teachers to
"
better handle cyberbullying
Rebecca Ratner ʼ10, Ben Ostrow ʼ10, & Kayley Wolf ʼ12
"
Hinton State Lab funding to enable lab to continue to
"
investigate and make recommendations on issues
"
involving infectious disease
Liz Macedo ʼ10, Jenna Rubin ʼ11, & Jake Erlich ʼ10
"
CORI reform legislation to enable rehabilitated individuals
"
to obtain employment and housing
Vanessa Kerr ʼ11 & Morgan Manley ʼ11
"
Legislation to grant undocumented immigrants the ability
"
to attend public colleges at in-state tuition rates
Micaela Preskill ʼ10 & Jarrad Kirsh ʼ10
"
Foreclosure reform legislation to allow tenants to remain
"
in foreclosed homes