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Tennessee gains confidence after convincing win against UT Martin
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Clarence Brown stages “Amadeus” with KSO
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 Issue 14
E D I T O R I A L L Y
http://dailybeacon.utk.edu
Vol. 115
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PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 N E W S P A P E R
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New chief justice offers advice to law students Will Brewer Staff Writer The newly sworn-in chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court spent her second day speaking to a crowded room of law students on Thursday. Cornelia Clark was sworn in as chief justice on Wednesday in her hometown of Franklin, Tenn. Clark’s term as chief justice will last for two years and is a position that all members of the Supreme Court will fill during their eight-year term. Clark attained her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt and taught high school Cornelia Clark for four years before
deciding to return to her alma mater for law school. After several years as a trial lawyer and a partner in a law firm, Clark became involved in politics. “I ran for the state legislature in 1984,” Clark said. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Clark’s campaign and future involvement in politics garnered attention from Ned McWherter, who appointed her to a judgeship in the circuit court in 1989. “You never know when the things you say or do will cause somebody to give you opportunities down the line,” Clark said in regards to gaining McWherter’s attention. She explained that the relationship between her new role and the rest of the bench was similar to that of a drum major and the band. “The drum major is there to keep time and make sure the band is in tune,” Clark said. “It is up to the rest of the band to make the music.” Clark said that she was excited about working with her colleagues on the bench. “It gives us great strength and energy to know that we will be together for four more years,” Clark said. In terms of opportunity and her journey, Clark encour-
UT law college attracts top students Blair Kuykendall Staff Reporter This fall, a historically large and diverse group of students will begin its pursuit of law degrees here at UT, now ranked one of the Top 20 Best Value Law Schools in the country. The National Jurist, a leading legal news source, has given the UT College of Law its Best Value distinction in its recent issue of preLaw magazine. Some of the main criteria used to select among law schools include a program’s bar pass rate, employment rates after graduation, tuition costs and average indebtedness of graduates. Excelling in this criterion, the College of Law’s bar pass rate was 92 percent, higher than the state average. Graduates also consistently left UT around $65,000 in debt — a small sum compared to many law school debts around $100,000. “We are as good as, and probably better than, any law school in the country at preparing our students to effectively begin practice when they graduate,” Doug Blaze, dean of the College
of Law, said. “And we strive to remain as accessible and affordable as possible. This ranking is based on criteria that demonstrates that the law school is comparatively very affordable, and that our students graduate with a great chance of passing the bar exam, getting a job and not being saddled with an enormous debt load.” Students taking advantage of the education provided by UT’s school of law are more diverse this year than ever before. Students of color represent a record 27 percent of the incoming class, which also has a female population of 40 percent. The incoming class has a higher median GPA than last year, combined with an LSAT median of 161. Consequently, Blaze said this group has one of the most outstanding academic records the College of Law has ever witnessed. “Every class is unique and special,” he said. “And we are excited about this class because it is one of our most diverse and academically talented classes ever. The breadth and variety of experience and background of the students will
really enrich the educational experience for everyone — students and faculty.” The newest class is composed of 169 students, chosen from 1,500 applications. The large number follows a national trend in larger graduate school attendance, potentially related to the downtrodden economic climate. Eighty-two percent of the new class calls Tennessee home, with one-third earning their undergraduate degrees from UT. Many of the students, however, are from out of state, bringing new accomplishments and backgrounds to Knoxville. “The class is slightly larger, but its members seem to be making friends quickly,” Karen Britton, director of law school admissions and financial aid, said. “Many of them decided early that UT was their choice, so they had months to get acquainted over Facebook. This class seems relaxed, prepared and excited to be here.” Her hopes for the incoming class are high, believing they will be readily acclimated to the law school environment.
“Class members bring interesting, diverse backgrounds and life experiences,” Britton said. “I think they will learn so much from each other and take advantage of all UT Law has to offer.” Britton also has some good advice for those currently considering law school. “We were told that a combination of factors — bar passage, employment, graduate indebtedness and tuition — were considered,” Britton said. “Prospective students need to take a consumer approach and ask about these benchmarks and others when they consider law schools,” Britton sent a message to UT students, specifically regarding their own legal aspirations. “UTK has always been the largest feeder school for the UT College of Law, making up one-third to onehalf of most entering classes,” Britton said. “Come visit and talk with us about what you are seeking in a law school. Many UT graduates have found their law school home right here on campus.”
Joy Hill • The Daily Beacon
The UT College of Law was recently named as one of the 2010 Top 20 Best Value Law Schools. The school was recognized for its high passing rate of the state bar exam, high graduate employment rate and low overall graduate debt and tuition.
aged the students to always take advantage of opportunities. “However you get opportunities, you have to earn them,” Clark said. “But you have to live up to expectations once you get those opportunities.” There is also an initiative by the Tennessee Supreme Court to teach the general public about the importance of the rule of law. “Anywhere that I can teach somebody something, I am going to go,” Clark said. “I think that is important.” Bethany Dumas, professor in English and legal linguistics, liked what Clark had to say to her audience of potential lawyers and jurists. “I really liked her message of opportunity and the journey she took to get where she is today,” Dumas said. “That is something that you won’t get to hear anywhere else.” Penny White, professor in the College of Law, expressed her excitement at the new chief justice coming to speak to students. “We are so fortunate to have justices that care so much about legal education,” White said.
Corrections joint effort saves $33M Associated Press NASHVILLE— A collaborative effort between the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole and the state Correction Department to improve the chances an inmate released on parole won't be arrested again has saved the state $33 million within its first year, correction officials say. The two departments launched the joint effort last year to save taxpayers’ money, reduce recidivism, preserve expensive prison beds for the most dangerous offenders and make communities safer. Correction Commissioner Gayle Ray and Parole Board Chairman Charles Traughber recently sat down in an interview with The Associated Press to discuss the progress made since the plan was implemented. Ray said population projections last year indicated the state would probably need to build a new prison by 2016. However, she said those projections have since decreased and the prison recommendation has been extended to 2020. Instead of a population of 30,511 in 2016, correction officials now anticipate having a population of 28,072. "This is the most excited that I've been since I've been involved in the criminal justice world, because we are starting to see results," Ray said. "Had we not come up with this joint plan, there would have had to be early releases. We had no early releases. In addition ... we've seen an actual reduction in recidivism." The plan uses evidence-based practices that have proven to be effective in other states. For instance, one initiative is aimed at "technical parole violators" — probationers or parolees who may get in trouble for minor offenses such as driving on a suspended license or missing a counseling session. As part of the initiative, the state tries to identify factors that indicate whether offenders would be more likely to violate probation or parole — from substance abuse to mental health and medical issues. When the indicators show that an offender is at high risk, the state plans to offer help through a network of more than 20 social workers. "If you get people to think different, they'll act different," Traughber said. Funding for some of the plan was part of the governor's budget, and correction officials believed it would more than pay for itself through savings from not having to send violators to prison. Apparently, they were right. For instance, Ray said not having to build a prison anytime soon saves the state about $200 million. "But that's a drop in the bucket compared to the yearly operational cost of running a prison," she said. "And in these tough economic times, boy is that money needed so desperately in education, health care and economic development to bring more jobs to Tennessee." Correction officials say they're currently working on developing more resources in the communities to help offenders when they're released, such as finding employment. "It's a lot cheaper to help people on the outside, than it is to try to pay for them when they get back into difficulty," Traughber said. James Settles, founder of Aphesis House, a network of transitional living homes in Nashville and Memphis for ex-offenders, said helping such individuals get back on their feet actually benefits the community. "What it does for men and for women, is that it actually puts them in the driver's seat of being taxpaying citizens again," he said.