Pre Law Advising National Council

Minutes of the PLANC Board Meeting

March 2, 2003

Philadelphia, PA

Attending: Roberta Alexander, MAPLA President; Steve Nelson, MAPLA Designated Member; Heather Struck, NAPLA President; Jack Carter, NAPLA Designated Member; Stanley Clark, PCAPLA President; Henry Kopitzke, PCAPLA Designated Member; Howell Smith SAPLA President; Gerald Wilson, SAPLA Designated Member; James Calvi, SWAPLA President; Mel Hailey, SWAPLA Designated Member; Frank Guliuzza, WAPLA President; Verlaine Walker, WAPLA Designated Member; Eileen Crane, Chair; Nim Batchelor, Chair Elect; Chaz Neal, Immediate past chair and Conference 2004 chair; Marty Sommerness, Treasurer; Frank Homer, Co-Editor of PLANC Points and Conference 2004 Registrar; Jerry Polinard, Co-Editor of PLANC Points; Art Martel, Conference 2004 Treasurer; Ann Brandt, LSAC; Vivian Bowden, Access Group; David Lynch, Access Group; Gina Rowsam, NALP; Cassandra Sneed Ogden, CLEO; Ken Kleinrock, LSAC Services and Programs.

 

Called to order: 9:15

Chair Report—Eileen offered some initial comments. Previous meeting’s minutes moved, amended and passed.

Treasurer’s Report—Sommerness handed out expenditure list.  He indicated that the IRS situation was looking good, but that a final notice has not yet been received.  He indicated that he would be requesting two motions from the board a bit later: (1) to get two signatures on the PLANC accounts, and (2) to set the limit for the treasurer’s ability to write checks to themselves to $1,000.  It was moved that we accept the report.  Motion passed.

The Board broke up into various subcommittee meetings from 10:30 to 10:45.

Communication Committee Report—Polinard

1) We expect the next issue of PLANC Points to be published in the middle of April.

2) We will get PLANC Points up on the website.

3) We plan to work on a national directory of Pre-law advisors

Partners Committee—Wilson

1) We need to communicate to the pre-law advisors, through their APLA’s, the role that our partners are playing in support of PLANC.  This could be distributed through PLANC Points, the website, and the book of lists.

2)  We are concerned about outdated resources.  We need to make sure that our publications are up to date.

3)  We need to have a follow up article in APLA newsletters about partner presentations at various APLA conferences

4)  We need to encourage APLA’s to include a partner component to the new comers workshop at each APLA conference.

5)  We need to have a list of staff person contacts for each of our partners.

 

Someone pointed out that there was an inconsistency in the way that people’s names were listed on the roster.  Some mentioned their degrees and others didn’t.  A request for clarification was made.  Wilson moved that the roster not list degrees.  The motion passed.

 

Recruitment Calendar Committee –Crane

1) We want to draft a letter to Pre-law advisors and the PLANC chair to encourage them to act on the LSAC two-year calendar, i.e., in 2003-2004 to have decisions made for 2005 early.

2) It appears that some MAPLA schools are planning conflicting events.  We propose that we draft a letter to Michigan suggesting that they work in better coordination.

3) LSAC recruitment calendar and events should be cross posted on the PLANC website. 

 

Training Committee—Batchelor  

We need to check to see if the “Role and Responsibility of Pre-law advisors” in LSAC publications is up to date.

We want to float the idea of initiating an external evaluation of Pre-law advising programs.  This will not be an accrediting move, but just a validation of quality.

Finance Committee—Kopitzke

1. 5,000 spent expect 5,000 more

     Raise Dues

     Have a shortfall

     Cut expenses

1)  Recommend that we eliminate sending a representative to the AALS.

2)  Recommend that Graham Lee’s workshop at the Political Science Assoc. be eliminated.

3)  Recommend that we raise the dues from $500 to $1000 per APLA.

4)  Recommend that associate members pay $750 dues.  This would include ABA, NALP, Cleo.

5)  Recommend that 10% of any conference surplus stay with PLANC and the remainder can be distributed to the APLAs.

6) LSAC and Access recommend that we set dues to $1000.

 

We then held a discussion of Eileen’s and Marty’s budgets.  Wilson moved that we stop sending a PLANC representative to AALS.  Motion passed.  Struck requested that we update the budget as we go along.  Alexander moved that we delete the Political Science workshop.  Guliuzza spoke in favor of keeping it, suggesting it had real value and reached a lot of people.  Neal also defended it.  Alexander suggested that the APSA was a net drain on APLA membership.  Many pre-law advisors get the impression that they are trained at the political science conference and then they don’t join their APLA.  Polinard suggested that the political science association can be an advocate for APLAs.  Nelson supports keeping it by suggesting that it is a good outreach which pays for itself.  Guliuzza pointed out that being on the agenda helps pay for the travel.  However, there is not a large enrollment at these courses.  A $25 fee gets them the SAPLA Handbook, the Book of Lists, and MAPLA profiles.  Crane suggested that what we need is some accountability—some evidence that our money is really getting something for us.  Struck inquired about what the money was going for--materials? Meal of those who go there?  Wilson stated that this sort of activity was directly within the mission of PLANC.  Hailey indicated that he would recommend that we expand this sort of outreach to other professional organizations and offered reasons in support of that idea.  Calvi spoke against the motion.  Struck again asked whether this was an efficient use of our money.  Alexander said that she did not see any reason why we should be supporting the APSA.  Walker moved to call the question.  The motion to call the question failed by a 6 to 5 margin.  The discussion continued.  It was suggested that some of the money went for printing costs.  Struck asked whether our local institutions would cover that cost.  Homer indicated that printing costs were no necessary.  Wilson suggested that those who do this deserve a dinner and reiterated that this is what PLANC should be about.  Alexander likes the motion.  Neal agrees with Wilson that this is what PLANC is about.  The question was called and the motion to stop paying for the workshop at the APSA failed by a 4 to 8 margin.  Wilson moved: (1) that we fund it for this year, (2) that we ask whoever does it for a complete report by which we could evaluate whether we want to continue it in the future.  Hailey seconded the motion.  Clark indicated that we should give the names of those who attend the workshops to the membership coordinators of the various APLAs.  Wilson’s motion passed unanimously.

12:30—broke for lunch.

1:20 –continued. 

Hailey moved that we reject the suggestion that we charge associate members $750 and reject the notion of charging LSAC and Access $1000.  Alexander seconded.  Brandt indicated that LSAC was happy to sponsor events, but that they were unlikely to provide us with cash.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

Kopitzke and Guliuzza moved that apart from the seed money for the 2008 conference, 25% of the surplus—up to, but not to exceed $20,000—be held back to run PLANC and that the remainder be dispersed to the various APLAs on a per capita basis.  Alexander indicated that if this went to 50 percent, she’d be against it.  She would support the 1/7^th suggestion. [The 1/7 suggestion was that PLANC would receive 1/7^th of the surplus after the seed money was taken out.]  Guliuzza’s motion strikes her as too amorphous.  Guliuzza pointed out that it provides PLANC with an incentive to generate a surplus and that the motion uses Sommerness’ numbers of $5,000 per year operating expenses.  Clark indicated that our expenses are too uncertain and that he did not believe 1/7 would be enough.  Kopitzke amended his motion to say that PLANC should receive 25% of the surplus, not to exceed $20,000.  Polinard indicated that he thinks that $5,000 per year is not realistic.  He indicated that he was concerned with the open-ended nature of the treasurer’s report and that he’d like to see a full four-year budget.  Homer stated that if we look at expenditures and savings, then we can look at new numbers.  Struck indicated that each APLA is different and that NAPLA takes a hit under this plan.  Crane read a passage from the 1997 minutes.  Wilson remembered it.  Guliuzza said that if PLANC is putting on conference, then it should be able to benefit from it.  Polinard pointed out that we are linked to the national conference and accepted Struck’s point that PLANC’s budget is realistically $8,000 to $10,000 per year. Wilson said that we should make a budget that reflects expenditures and that he supports the 1/7^th idea.  Calvi indicated that what he sees is that LSAC money is being funneled to APLAs through the PLANC conference.  He continued by saying that PLANC needs the money more than they do.  Alexander indicated that MAPLA goes to people each year for funding.  Smith said the same about SAPLA.  Bowden indicated that she thought that the conference serving as a conduit of money to the APLAs was a bit deceptive.  Neal pointed out that there was a good deal of direct contributions from law schools for the 2000 conference and that we expected the same for the 2004 conference.  Clark insisted that he believed that dues and 1/7^th was not enough.  There was a bit of discussion regarding how each APLA supports its members.  Guliuzza offered a summary of the motion and it passed 8 to 4. 

 

Kopitzke moved that PLANC set annual dues for each APLA to $1,000 per year starting in 2003.  This motion passed unanimously.  To the suggestion that APLAs would be hurt by this, Hailey said that he would be interested in seeing numbers to prove this.  Crane suggested that we would be sure to have a complete budget report for the fall meeting.   

 

APLA Reports

MAPLA—The 2003 conference will be held in Chicago Oct. 9 – 11.  2003 caravan dates are Sept. 20-23.  Raised concern about the Dean’s letters.

NAPLA—The 2003 Conference will be held June 4 – 7 in Pittsburgh.  Will continue working on the mentoring program and has plans for a “Handbook for Pre-law Students”.

PCAPLA—The 2003 conference will be held in Los Angeles in conjunction with the LA Forum.

SAPLA—The 2003 conference will be held at Duke Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.

SWAPLA—The 2003 conference will be in Houston from Nov. 7-9 and will be held in conjunction with the Houston Forum.  SWAPLA will subsidize its members travel to Boston for the 2004 conference.  Extended an invitation to the PLANC board to join them in Houston.

WAPLA—WAPLA voted to incorporate itself.  The 2003 conference will be held in Denver Oct. 19-20.  WAPLA will subsidize its members who go to the national conference in Boston.

 

Partners

Access—Bowden pointed out that public in-state tuition cost rose faster than both public out-of-state and private.  She described the problems with the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.  Access now has a loan volume that exceeds $1 billion due in part to the new no-fee Stafford loans.   

ABA—The ABA rejected the idea of participating at the 2004 conference as an exhibitor.  They would, however, be happy to be involved as participants, panelists, or speakers.  They also rejected the suggestion that the Dean’s letter regarding rankings include a pitch for pre-law advisors.   They agreed to try to improve the pre-law aspects of the ABA web site.  Finally, the ABA committee intends to do a review of the first 100 sites listed on a Google search of “pre-law” to check for the quality of available information. 

Break: 3:10 to 3:20

LSAC –Brandt pointed out that the LSAC electronic services are increasing and improving at a rapid pace.  Beginning with the June 2003 test, those who have an on-line account will be able to check their scores on-line.  LSAC will continue to “flag” those test scores earned with extra time.  LSAC video material is being converted to DVD format and will be available upon request.  There will now be on-line registration available for forums.  LSAC is now collecting application fees and electronic signatures for schools who what that service.  They are about to begin field testing a listening comprehension section of the.

CLEO— Ogden pointed out that CLEO has a new freshman and sophomore institute.  If any APLA would like a representative from CLEO to attend their conferences, Felice Robinson is willing to do that.

NALP—Rowsam indicated that Randall Scott would be NALP’s new executive director.  She pointed out that the tight job market of 2001 got worse in 2002.  Debt level continues to increase and offers are far less appealing than they were in the recent past.  Salaries are stable.  Overall, things look pretty poor these days.

 

Conference Report—Neal passed around a copy of the stationary and the logo for the 2004 conference.  He reminded us that the 2004 conference would be held in Boston from June 9^th through the 12^th.  Registration fees would be $165 ($130 for the conference and $35 for APLA membership).  Law representatives would be charged a fee of $425 for the first person and $150 for each additional person.  LSAC has agreed to donate $9,000.  Access has also agreed to donate $9,000.  It was pointed out that the seed money should be counted as an expense in the conference accounting.  Batchelor was instructed to send out letters to the law school deans requesting donations.  Our first publicity mailing will go out early in the fall of 2003. 

 

Elections

Jim Calvi was elected to the post of chair-elect and Karen Severn was elected to the post of PLANC Treasurer.  Frank Homer was re-elected as co-editor of PLANC Points.

 

By-Laws—Wilson moved that we accept the changes to the by-laws that his committee recommended and which the board had discussed at its previous meeting.  After a few typographical errors were corrected, the motion passed unanimously. 

 

It was mentioned that at the fall meeting, PLANC should elect or appoint an archivist for the organization. 

 

Neal inquired whether the books had been audited when Sommerness took over as treasurer.  The answer was, no.  Hailey spoke on behalf of the entire board when he extended our collective thanks to Eileen and Marty for their exemplary service to the Board.  He also thanked Ann Brandt for her generosity and professionalism in hosting our meeting.

 

Alexander urged PLANC to approve a motion to ask law schools to discontinue using Dean’s letters.  Homer said that we do not want to indicate that we are against their seeking disciplinary information.  After a brief discussion the motion passed unanimously. 

 

Hailey extended an invitation to the Board that we join SWAPLA in Houston for our fall meeting.  The Board agreed.  Thus we will meet on Nov 8-9.  APLA reports and reports from partners should be in to Batchelor no later than Oct 1^st.  The Houston forum will be on Saturday Nov. 8^th.  Thus, the PLANC Board should meet on Sunday Nov. 9^th and adjourn on later than 4:00 pm.

 

The meeting adjourned at 5:00.