Hello Everyone!
I hope everybody is enjoying a much-deserved summer break. Law school is already an incredibly demanding endeavor, and the stress was only amplified by COVID-19.
A few weeks ago, the University announced a near-complete return to normal academic and social activities. Like many of you, I am relieved and cautiously optimistic this means we will restore the buzz of activity that usually surrounds the law school.
With that comes two exciting announcements. First, SBA is holding a Back to School Party on August 20, 2021! This will not only be a great opportunity to meet and greet the newly minted 1L’s, but also a chance for the rising 2L and 3L classes to officially meet one another after a year of sharing the same building. More details will be coming shortly. Second, Barrister’s Ball is officially back with it scheduled to be at the Alumni Center on March 26, 2021!
With these two announcements does come a plea from me. We all want a year free of COVID restrictions. I am sure that many of you have seen the rapid return to what life was like before COVID in the past few weeks or even days. As I check right now, Monongalia County has 12 reported COVID cases. Such a dramatic reduction in what we saw over the prior year is inspiring. Lest we forget the great loss of human life and that diseases mutate. This brings me to my plea—please continue to take COVID seriously.
The action items for this plea were best outlined by Dean Taylor. If you have not been vaccinated please begin to do so now so you can be fully vaccinated by the start of the school year. Second, upon vaccination, please notify the University that you have been vaccinated at https://www.wvu.edu/return-to-campus#tell-us-youre-vaccinated. The University has already made it clear that vaccination rates will be used as a benchmark for activities, like for a FallFest-like University-wide concert.
On the topic of Dean’s (now how’s that for a segue?), we are all delighted to welcome Dean Amelia Rinehart not just to the WVU College of Law but to the Morgantown community! We are all excited to have Dean Rinehart on the Hill, and all the new things that will spring from her leadership.
SBA is committed not only to working with Dean Rinehart but also all our fantastic student organizations to ensure that the 2021-2022 academic year is one for the books.
Please feel free to reach out to me with concerns, questions, comments, and even chiding remarks.
With Excitement,
Shawn H. Hogbin
