October 13, 2009 -- "Innovations in Massachusetts Public Education: Charter Schools" - A Panel Discussion to be Presented by Suffolk Law’s Rappaport Center

WHAT: "Innovations in Massachusetts Public Education: Charter Schools and Beyond," a panel discussion presented by the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service and the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee. As Massachusetts wrestles with the issue of whether or not to expand the charter school mandate, a panel will present diverse viewpoints on the questions of educational quality, funding, innovation and equity that have been raised in connection with charter schools.

WHO: Chris Gabrieli, co-founder and chair of Mass 2020 will be the keynote speaker. Suffolk Law Professor Victoria Dodd will moderate.
Speakers are: 
• Kevin Andrews, president, Massachusetts Charter Public School Association
• Carol Johnson, superintendent, Boston Public Schools
• Paul Reville, secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Education
• Jim Stergios, executive director, Pioneer Institute
• Paul Toner, vice president, Massachusetts Teachers Association
• State Rep. Marty Walz, chair of the Joint Committee on Education

WHERE: Suffolk University Law School
             First-floor function room,
             120 Tremont St., Boston

WHEN:   6-7:30 p.m. 
             Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

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September 22, 2009 -- Suffolk University to Host Forum on Impact of Water Issues in the Community

WHAT: Suffolk University will host a forum, "H₂O and What You Need To Know," from 6 to 8 p.m. on  Tuesday, September 29, 2009, in the Faculty Dining Room, 4th floor, David J. Sargent Hall, Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston.  The forum will explore the social, political, technological, geographical, and legal aspects that influence community perceptions, as well as the realities, of water issues.

WHO:  The  panel of experts includes:
Jim Hunt, City of Boston Chief for Environmental and Energy Services
Bob Zimmerman, Executive Director, Charles River Watershed Association
Paul Pedini, Vice President of Business Development, Cashman Company
Greta Meszoely, Suffolk University Sociology Adjunct Faculty

The forum, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Suffolk University Sustainability Committee; Organization for Uplifting Lives through Service (S.O.U.L.S.); Suffolk University Environmental Club; Environmental Law Society; Charles River Watershed Association; and the Esplanade Association.

WHERE:  David J. Sargent Hall
                Suffolk University Law School,
                Faculty Dining Room, 4th Floor  
                120 Tremont St., Boston

WHEN:  6 - 8 p.m.
               Tuesday, September 29, 2009

                                                                                    

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March 10, 2009 -- Who Says College is Not Affordable? Higher Ed Expert Offers Solutions

BOSTON, MA -- Despite gloom and doom in the headlines, a college education is not out of reach. 

And Suffolk University’s Marguerite Dennis knows the ins and outs of keeping an education affordable, even in the current economic climate.

As students and parents make decisions on what school to attend – or even if they can afford to go at all in these difficult times – Dennis can offer a roadmap to college affordability and financial assistance programs. She notes that there is a national trend toward awarding financial assistance based on need, not merit.

Her tips include:
Consider commuting from home to save dormitory costs
Use a financial aid estimator
Calculate net, not gross tuition
Find out each school’s discount rate
Find out each school’s appeal process

Dennis, vice president for Enrollment and International Programs at Suffolk University in Boston, has been a higher education administrator for more than 40 years. She is the author of numerous articles and books on higher education administration and in 2004 published “Trends in National and International Higher Education.” She has lectured both in the United States and abroad and has appeared on both CBS and NBC morning news programs.

To schedule an interview with Marguerite Dennis, please contact:  Greg Gatlin, (617) 573-8428, ggatlin@suffolk.edu or Mariellen Norris, (617) 573-8450, mnorris@suffolk.edu, in Suffolk University’s Office of Public Affairs.

 

 

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Feb. 2, 2009 – Suffolk University Law Professor available to comment on Fall River foster care case

BOSTON -- Erik Pitchal, an assistant clinical professor of law at Suffolk University Law School and director of the Child Advocacy Clinic there, is available today to comment on published reports that a four-year-old foster child in Fall River received severe burns from a hair iron, allegedly by his foster mother.

Regarding this story:
 
Pitchal, a national expert in the law of foster care and child abuse, notes that Massachusetts has the fourth worst record in the country in terms of the rate of foster kids who are abused by foster parents, according to national data. Only Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and New York do worse.  The case reported today is just the tip of the iceberg, Pitchal says. 
 
“The Massachusetts record has been this bad for several years in a row.  It begs the question, what is DCF doing to fix the problem?  Unfortunately, the public can never know, because the entire DCF operation is shrouded in secrecy.  Even the Child Advocate can only release a watered-down summary of her investigations and reports.  How can we trust that DCF is doing a thorough job investigating itself and learning from its mistakes if the public is kept in the dark as to why foster children are being abused when they are in state custody? 
 
“While the public is appropriately outraged whenever a child is killed or severely abused, usually the focus is on incidents that occur in families.  When this happens, the tendency is for DCF to ‘err on the side of caution’ and remove more kids from their parents -- sometimes when the kids aren’t really at risk.  What we are seeing with this case today is the dark secret of what happens as a result:  When there are too many kids in foster care who don’t belong there, DCF becomes desperate for foster parents -- and the wrong people get picked for the job.

“The whole point of foster care is to protect children who the state deems are unsafe at home with their own parents.  Foster parents are supposed to be specially screened, trained, and supervised so that the children in their care are totally safe.  Right now, the public cannot trust that DCF is doing an adequate job in this area.”

To arrange an interview with Erik Pitchal contact Greg Gatlin, (617) 573-8428, ggatlin@suffolk.edu; Mariellen Norris, (617) 573-8450, mnorris@suffolk.edu in Suffolk University’s Office of Public Affairs.

 

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Jan. 23, 2009 -- Suffolk University to host Opening Reception for "On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years & Still Organizing"

WHAT: Opening reception for the exhibit On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years & Still Organizing.

WHO:  The public is invited to meet artist, poet and educator Susan Eisenberg, whose installation grew out of her effort to learn from tradeswoman pioneers about the struggle to bring women into the construction trades. The personal testimonies of the many women she has interviewed inform her work, and area tradeswomen will be at the reception.

WHEN: 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30.

WHERE: Adams Gallery, Sargent Hall, Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston.

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Jan. 15, 2009 -- Suffolk University to Participate in The National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions

WHAT:  Suffolk University is participating in The National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions with a forum on Thursday, February 5, 2009, from noon -2 p.m. at Suffolk University Law School, located at 120 Tremont Street in downtown Boston.

The theme for this forum is: What does the new Green Communities Act mean for Massachusetts?  Implications for energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green jobs will be discussed.

On February 5, The National Teach-In will engage millions of Americans at thousands of campuses and other institutions in a dialogue about the clean energy transformation that can stop global warming and renew both the American economy and spirit.  At this time, young people will interact with national political leaders and other key decision-makers in critical face-to-face discussions about their future.

This event, free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by Suffolk University Facilities Planning & Management, Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service, Suffolk University Environmental Law Society, and the Green Roundtable.

WHO: The list of distinguished panelists include: Ann Berwick, Undersecretary for Energy, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Barbara Batshalom, LEED AP, Executive Director, Green Roundtable; Nick d’Arbeloff, Executive Director, New England Clean Energy Council; and a representative from the Boston Green Justice Coalition.

WHEN: Thursday, February 5, 2009, noon-2 p.m.

WHERE:  Suffolk University Law School (Function Room, first floor)
  120 Tremont Street, Boston

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