LIFT AS WE CLIMB SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION The Lift as We Climb Scholarship is offered to one high school senior and one

college student belonging to an ethnic minority group in the Western New York Region. The Scholarship is sponsored by the SUNY Buffalo Law School Students of Color Dinner Committee, a group composed of members of the Asian-Pacific American, African-American, and Latin-American Law Students Associations. Recipients will receive awards ranging from $500-$1000 depending upon the availability of funds. If you have any questions please email soc.ublaw@gmail.com. Applications must be E-MAILED by March 23, 2014. In addition, recipients will be invited to attend SUNY Buffalo Law Schools Annual Students of Color Dinner on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at the Buffalo Niagara Marriott located at 1340 Millersport Highway, Buffalo, NY 14221. Eligibility: ! High school senior or college student ! Excellent academic performance ! Strong leadership qualities and community involvement ! Member of an ethnic minority group Application Process: ! Resume ! Completed Application Form ! Transcript ! Essay PART I: Name: ______________________________________________________________________________ Ethnicity: ___________________________________________________________________________ School and Current Grade: ___________________________________________________________ Home Address: ______________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Phone Numbers(s): __________________________________________________________________ Email: ______________________________________________________________________________ (High School Senior Only) Have you been accepted to attend college this Fall 2014?________ If yes, which college(s)? _____________________________________________________________________________

PART II: Along with this form, please submit an essay on one of the following questions. Your response should be no longer than 2-3 typed pages, double spaced, 12 size font, Times New Roman. Please use 1 margins. 1. Since the December 2012 rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, mayors across New York State, including Buffalos Mayor Byron Brown, have become fierce advocates of restrictions on firearms. For example, proposed gun control laws would expand background checks for gun buyers, increase penalties for people who buy firearms for those barred from owning them and would give law enforcement new tools to combat illegal gun trafficking. Are tougher gun control laws the correct response? Will tougher gun control laws make schools and communities safer or is there an underlying problem that laws will not be able to rectify? What would you propose the city of Buffalo do regarding gun control laws? 2. The practice of opening a legislative session with a prayer dates back to the First Congress. In 1983, the Supreme Court recognized that this practice does not violate the First Amendment so long as the prayer is not used to advance or disparage a particular faith. The Town of Greece, New York, opens its town board meetings with a prayer given by a citizen and encourages members of any faith to volunteer. The town has never rejected a citizens request to give the invocation. Indeed, a variety of religious traditions have been represented, including the Bah faith and Wiccans, but Christians have delivered most of the prayers. New Yorks highest court has ruled that, based on the totality of circumstances, a reasonable observer would believe the town endorsed a particular religion. Should the law be changed so that all legislative prayers are nonsectarian? Should the court allow prayers with sectarian references as long as there is no evidence that they are used to convert or disparage any faith? Should the court disregard the Christian roots of this country and remove faith from legislative sessions as they did in public schools? 3. Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites. Examples of cyberbullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles. The 20082009 School Crime Supplement (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics) indicates that 6% of students in grades 612 experienced cyberbullying. The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey finds that 16% of high school students (grades 9-12) were electronically bullied in the past year. Research on cyberbullying is growing. However, because kids technology use changes rapidly, it is difficult to design surveys that accurately capture trends. This is an issue that has captured national attention due to the teen suicides that have been attributed to cyber bullying. What are the challenges for law enforcement, school administration, and parents in dealing with cyber bullying? Should school administration get involved at all? What are some policies or laws that can be implemented either by the police or school administration to battle cyberbullying?

RETURN THIS APPLICATION FORM AND YOUR ESSAY BY MARCH 26, 2014 TO: soc.ublaw@gmail.com Subject Line: Last Name, First Name- Scholarship Application Students must type the type the required application information and attach that document along with their resume, essay and a scanned version of their transcript to an e-mail.