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Suffolk University Law School SBA Executive Newsletter

Issue 15: February 2, 2015

SBA NEWS
Contents
Message from SBA
President Tom Davis
1
SBA Happenings
2
Committee of the Month:
Student Concerns
3-4

Dear Students:
I hope you all enjoyed the snowstorm and subsequent
snow days. In this weeks SBA News, please take note of
a few changes and key events. First, to further increase
student engagement, the SBA will be hosting bi-weekly
coffees for both day and night students. From 9:00
11:00am and 5:00 7:00pm on 2/2, 2/17, 3/2, 3/16, 3/30
and 4/13, various SBA executives, directors, and reps will
be on the 4th floor to offer students free coffee and
snacks. In addition, we will be handing out hard copies
of SBA News, along with fliers of various upcoming
events for the student body. If you have any questions or
ideas for the SBA, these coffees will also effectively serve
as office hours.
Second, if you are yet to read our semester report, please
take a few minutes to do so to learn about the many
things the SBA has done for the Suffolk Law community
so far this academic year. The report can be found in last
weeks SBA News.
Finally, I hope to see many of you at the SBA organized
Boston Area Law Schools Ice Skating Mixer, which will
begin at 8:30pm on Thursday, February 5th. Furthermore,
please be on the lookout for details regarding ticket sales
for the annual Ski Trip, which will take place from
February 20th 22nd. Moreover, keep an eye open for
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Student Spotlight:
Ian Bagley

Alumni Spotlight:
Judge Gelp
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Contact List & Preamble
7

ways in which you can participate

in the first ever SBA organized
Diversity Week, which will begin
February 23rd.
Enjoy the week,
- Tom

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Suffolk University Law School SBA Executive Newsletter

Issue 15: February 2, 2015

SBA Announcements & Happenings

On Thursday, February 5th at 8:30pm
the Suffolk Law SBA has organized
an Ice Skating Mixer with other
Boston area law schools. Join us for
skating at the Kendall Square Ice
Rink (only 1.5 miles from
school!) and an after party at the
Champions Sports Bar. Be sure to
bring your student ID as there will
be free food and drink tickets,
skating is free, and there is only an
$8 charge for skate rentals.
On Thursday, February 12th the
SBA Social Committee is hosting
the annual Valentines Day Party at
Sidebar (check the Social
Committee Facebook page at
Suffolk University Law School
Social Affairs for more information)
The annual SBA Ski Trip is
February 20 22 at Jay Peak. The
bus will leave from school around
7am on Friday the 20th. The cost is
$290, which includes skiing, lodging, and some food. As a new addition to the trip
this year, there will be an attorney up from Boston who will be available to meet
with students over the weekend. The trip is limited to 50 students so email the SBA
Social Committee ASAP at sbasocial@suffolk.edu if you are interested.
On Monday, February 23rd at 6pm the SBA Diversity Committee invites you to
attend the annual Diversity Dinner. This will also serve as the kickoff of the SBAs
first ever Diversity Week. SBA President Tom Davis and the Diversity Committee
have worked hard this year to dramatically increase the awareness of diversity and
inclusion and the importance of all it encompasses. For more detailed information
check out our next SBA News issue as well as our Facebook page at Suffolk Law
SBA.
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Suffolk University Law School SBA Executive Newsletter

Issue 15: February 2, 2015

Committee of the Month: Student Concerns

Sandra Bauer-Evans, Leah Brady, Kristina Foreman
The SBA Student Concerns Committee, made
up of Co-Directors Sandra Bauer-Evans and
Kristina Foreman and Associate Director Leah
Brady, finished last semester as the SBA
Committee of the Month. Sandra, Leah, and
Kristina accomplished much in the Fall semester.
Starting before the semester, they planned and
implemented the return of the 1L Mentorship
Program, which paired 1Ls with upperclassmen
who could answer any and all questions.
Through this program, over 100 1Ls were
afforded the opportunity to reduce stress and
increase performance. The Student Concerns
Flyer for the October Town Hall Meeting
Committee also hosted two Town Hall Meetings,
one with school deans and administrators and one
with SBA leadership. These meetings opened the floor for students to ask questions directly and get
immediate answers. Both were recorded and posted to the SBA website. Read below to learn more
about Sandra, Kristina, and Leah.

Co-Director Sandra Bauer-Evans

Where are you originally from?
Walla Walla, WA
What year are you?
I am a 4L evening student graduating January 2016
Are you focusing on a certain area of the law?
Public Interest and human rights
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
I enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen and also photography (which I am
hoping to do more of once this part of my life has passed)
What part of being on the Student Concerns Committee have you enjoyed?
Getting to know people from different sections.

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Suffolk University Law School SBA Executive Newsletter

Issue 15: February 2, 2015

Co-Director Kristina Foreman

Where are you originally from?
I'm originally from Michigan.
What year are you?
I'm a 3L day student - last semester woohoo!
Are you focusing on a certain area of the law?
I hope to go into Family Law.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
Outside of law school, I enjoy traveling.
What part of being on the Student Concerns Committee have you enjoyed?
I've really enjoyed working with Sandra and Leah. We get along really well which makes
team meetings a lot of fun!
Anything else you would like to add?
We look forward to continuing our work with the student body and will hopefully
collaborate with some other committees this semester to make some fun events!

Associate Director Leah Brady

Where are you originally from?
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
What year are you?
2L
Are you a day or evening student? Day
Are you focusing on a certain area of the law?
Appellate advocacy
Do you have any plans/goals for after law school?
Hopefully working in a mid-sized firm, but everything else
is up in the air at this point.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
A friend of mine recently referred to me as "Princess
Netflix."
What part of being on the Student Concerns Committee
have you enjoyed?
Working with my fellow committee members to put on the
Associate Director Leah Brady
Town Halls. They are whip smart and fantastically funny.
Do you have any events planned for the Spring semester?
Nothing set in stone yet, but some things in the works.
Are you on a clinic, journal, or any other school organization?
Moot Court Honor Board.

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Suffolk University Law School SBA Executive Newsletter

Issue 15: February 2, 2015

Student Spotlight
Ian Bagley Section 7A
Ian Bagley, a member of Section 7A, is from Townsend,
MA, and attended Cornell University.
Are you currently focusing on a certain area of law or do
you have plans to do so?
Civil litigation (personal injury, contract disputes, real
estate).
Do you currently have a job/internship?
I am a law clerk for Dragan & Associates, P.C., a small
firm in Milton, Massachusetts.
Are you on a journal, a clinic, or do you have a
leadership role in a club?
I am an Articles Editor for the Suffolk University Law
Review.
What do you enjoy doing outside of law school?
I enjoy going to the movies, reading, spending time with
my family, skiing, and swimming.

Ian with his 3year-old

son Benjamin

Anything else you would like to add?

I am infinitely grateful to my beautiful, wonderful wife, Lizzie, with whom I have shared
the burden of balancing work, school, and parenthood for almost four years. I could not
have done it without you sweetie!
Ians Favorites:
Favorite place to study: Library kiosks on the seventh floor of the law library, above the
main reading room.
Favorite study break: Dunkin Donuts run.
Favorite part of Suffolk Law: My fellow students. Although my schedule doesn't allow
me to socialize as much as I would like, I have met so many interesting, thoughtful,
dynamic classmates with diverse backgrounds and interests. I love my section. The
professors are my second favorite part. My third favorite part is the law school building,
and in particular the library. Suffolk is a terrific place to study law.
Favorite coffee shop near school: Dunkin Donuts.
Favorite movie: REDS (Directed by Warren Beatty, starring Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton,
Jack Nicholson).
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Suffolk University Law School SBA Executive Newsletter

Issue 15: February 2, 2015

Alumni Spotlight
Judge Gustavo Gelp --- Class of 1991
Judge Gustavo A. Gelp, a member of the class of 1991, taught the Federal
Criminal Practice Seminar class over intersession here at Suffolk Law. Judge
Gelp is a U.S. District Court Judge in the Puerto Rico District and he was
awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Suffolk in 2006. The below
information was provided to Erin Knight, Co-Director of the SBA Alumni
Affairs Committee, as she was able to take Judge Gelps Intercession class.
Judge Gustavo A. Gelp was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1965.
In 1987 he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration
in history, from Brandeis University and received his law degree in
1991 from Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. He was
admitted to the Massachusetts bar that same year. In 1992, he was
admitted to the New York and Puerto Rico bars, and in 1993 to the
Colorado and U.S. Virgin Islands bars.
Following law school, Judge Gelp served as a law clerk to Judge Juan
M. Prez-Gimnez from 1991-1993. From 1993-1996 he served as an
Assistant Federal Public Defender, representing criminal defendants
before this court and the United States Court of Appeals for the First
Circuit. In 1996, while at the federal defenders office he was detailed to work as Special Counsel at
the United States Sentencing Commission, in Washington, D.C.
In 1997 Judge Gelp returned to Puerto Rico and commenced working at the Puerto Rico
Department of Justice, where he served first as an assistant in federal matters to the Attorney
General, and then as an Assistant Attorney General in the Department's Office of Legal Counsel. In
1999, Governor Pedro Rossell, with the advice and consent of the Commonwealth Senate,
appointed Judge Gelp to be the Solicitor General of Puerto Rico, a position which he occupied until
December of 2000. As the Puerto Rico Government's counsel, Judge Gelp argued various important
constitutional and public policy issues before this court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the
First, Second, and District of Columbia Circuits, and the Puerto Rico Supreme Court and Court of
Appeals.
In 2001, Judge Gelp joined the litigation department of the McConnell Valds law firm. His tenure
there was quite short; on June 29, 2001, he was appointed United States Magistrate Judge of this
court.
On August 1, 2006, President George W. Bush, with the consent and advice of the Senate, appointed
Judge Gelp to be a United States District Judge. He was sworn-in by Judge Juan M. Prez-Gimnez
on August 2, 2006.
Judge Gelp served as President of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the Federal Bar Association during
2000 and in 2002 became a Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association. In 2006, he was
awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Suffolk University Law School.
Judge Gelp is an avid basketball fan, especially of the Santurce Cangrejeros, the Boston Celtics, and
Teams USA and Puerto Rico. He is also a comic book collector. His favorite quote comes from the
original 1963 Spiderman story, "With great power there must also come great responsibility!"
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Suffolk University Law School SBA Executive Newsletter

Issue 15: February 2, 2015

Contact Information
Name
Tom davis
Monica Bellevue
Neil Lindquist
Callie grossman
Kelley Sweetser

Position

Email

President
Vice President
Chief of Staff
Chief of Operations
Treasurer

trdavis@suffolk.edu
mkbellevue@suffolk.edu
nlindquist@suffolk.edu
cgrossman@suffolk.edu
ksweetser@suffolk.edu

For a full contact list of all SBA Directors please visit our website at
suffolklawsba.com

Vice President Monica Bellevue and

President Tom Davis

SBA Constitution Preamble

We the Students of Suffolk University Law School, in order to support and
encourage academic excellence and professional development; to preserve the
right of students to acquire a quality legal education in a just and reasonable
environment; to provide a means of communication between students and the
Law School; and to maintain a connection with alumni, do herby establish this
Constitution for the Student Bar Association of Suffolk University Law School.

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