DeanWuBlog

Invitation to Students

I write to invite you to “Whack Wu, Part II.” Over the past year, I have been taking fencing lessons. I have arranged to host personally a group beginners’ fencing lesson for approximately a dozen attendees (spectators also welcome). You as well as your partner/spouse or child (minimum age seven years) also are welcomed as participants. Two experienced coaches/instructors will explain the basics of fencing, using a foil as the weapon, and I will then be pleased to accept challenges for bouts from any participant. This will occur at the Renaissance Fencing Club in Ferndale, Michigan, on Tuesday, February 20, 2006, from 7 pm to 10 pm. All safety gear will be provided (men may wish to wear an athletic protector; women will be provided with a breastplate); note a liability release form must be signed in advance.

If you are interested, please RSVP (indicating the total number of participants and spectators, respectively, and whether the participants are right-handed or left- handed) to Ms. Teryn Kennedy (terynkennedy@wayne.edu or 313-577-3933), by 5 p.m., February 12. Only the first five respondents will be accepted as participants. A liability release form, available from Ms. Kennedy, must be signed in hardcopy and returned to Ms. Kennedy by 5 p.m., February 12.

I look forward to this event.

Lifelong Learning

I believe that every educator must be a lifelong learner to be effective. A teacher who is a student as well, who experiences a role reversal from time to time, not only develops knowledge of another field or better understanding of his chosen specialty but also benefits from new pedagogical techniques that may be applied in his own classroom.

For the past few years, I have enjoyed American Sign Language (ASL) lessons. For most people, it is difficult to learn languages later in life. Of course, ASL uses a very different medium of communication.

Since starting lessons with a private tutor, Ms. Lynn Sedlacko, who previously taught ASL at Wayne State University, I have become a much better conversationalist. We have been joined by a 3L student, Ms. Hayley Rohn, who has proven much more adept at acquiring signs as a beginner than I have ever been.

After our sessions, I am reminded of the value of education. I envy the students the opportunity to devote several years of their lives to the intensity of legal education. As scholars, our ideal is to offer more than ideas and doctrines; it is to inspire a passion for intellectual development through constant challenge.

Jewlsh Law Students Association

From time to time, I meet with different student groups to discuss the state of the law school on an informal basis and address any concerns. This Tuesday, I enjoyed lunch with the board members of the Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA), joined by several faculty members with an interest in meeting them. I was very much impressed with the JLSA’s involvement with the Law School, including an interest in working with other student groups, including the Muslim Law Students Association, on projects such as volunteering with Habitat for Humanity later this semester. Their commitment to the Law School, along with their level of civic engagement, is admirable and deserves appreciation.

I was troubled, however, to learn that there is a perception among students as well as the community in general that our campus is not welcoming to Jewish students or may even foster anti-Semitism. I already had a sense that there were issues that I needed to be aware of, and my discussion convinced me that the feelings are widely and deeply held, formed on the basis of various occurrences at Wayne State University in the recent past. I have always believed in the importance of welcoming all students whatever their respective backgrounds, even as each of them may be challenged in the classroom and on campus to consider opinions with which they disagree and to which they should respond. Although some of the activities that were described to me likely are protected by the First Amendment, or are not directly within the responsibility of the Law School, it is nonetheless important for me to offer my own remarks in reassurance and to take responsibility for the overall environment that affects learning here. Whatever the exact cause, there is something wrong if a significant part of the population believes that they face hostility due to their identity. It is crucial for us to work together to form the sense of community that allows vigorous discussion while ensuring participants in that discussion are respected as equals. I look forward to continued dialogue in fulfillment of our shared ideals.