PILF General Meeting on LRAP: Wed, Oct 10, 3:30-4:30, Rm 3260
We will have guest speakers on the current status of the UW LRAP, why you should care, what you can do to help, and an update on the recent legislation on loan forgiveness for public servants.

LRAP Development Committee Continues To Work

The Loan Repayment Assistance Program Development Committee has been holding regular meetings since last May in order to meet its December deadline. During the summer, the committee developed several key aspects that make up a viable LRAP and discussed how those components would look in the UW Law School�s proposal. Some of those main points of discussion include whether to include spousal income when calculating eligibility, how much each student should be required to contribute toward their debt, whether city adjustments should be made, and how much the law school will contribute toward student debt each year.

The committee is working hard to reach final agreements as to the structure of the new LRAP and plans to have a written proposal to deliver to the law school administration by December of 2007.

We Still Need YOUR Help

Now is this time to keep up the strong momentum from last year, the Dean is supportive of our LRAP efforts and has been impressed by the work students have accomplished in the past year. However, students need to show the administration that our interest will not fluctuate. There are a number of large issues that LRAP is looking to tackle this year:

* Reaching and educating an alumni audience with help from Jini Rabas
* Forming a coalition with members of a variety of student groups to show widespread continued commitment to LRAP
* Forming a single LRAP account to consolidate lists of supporters
* Educating UW law students (old and new) about LRAP
* Providing concrete reasons for the entire law school community to support LRAP

LRAP continues to need your help and support, so if you have creative ideas and/ or are willing to lend a helping hand, please contact Bryn Heimann at bmheimann (at) wisc [dot] edu to contribute/ find out ways you can get involved.

There has been a lot of exciting activity regarding LRAP initiatives in recent weeks. LRAP Coalition representatives met with Dean Davis and requested the establishment of a joint faculty, administration, and student Committee with a mandate to design models and funding structures for an improved LRAP by December 2007. The Dean has agreed and the Committee is underway!

Members of the LRAP Committee include:
* Alumni Relations: Jini Rabas
* Career Services: Kristin Davis
* Professors: Lisa Alexander, David Schwartz
* Students: Paul Burant, Zina Deldar, Cathleen Dettmann

This is a very exciting landmark in the process of remodeling the UW LRAP. However, our work is far from done.

Awareness efforts are more necessary than ever in order to educate possible supporters and donors about LRAP. The Committee will also need extensive student support with research and outreach efforts in order to meet its goal. To meet this need the Student LRAP Coalition will be continuing with projects such as faculty meetings, alumni newsletters, and student awareness events. We are also continuing with our fundraising efforts including a Kickball Tournament and of course the 3L Pledge drive.

If you are interested in meeting with professors please email Anne Applebaum, if you would like to submit your story to the alumni newsletter or write articles for the newsletter please email Karen Siettman, or if you have ideas for new projects please email us at uwlrap@gmail.com. Thank you for your continued support!

The ABA Law Student Division is working hard to advocate for loan assistance for law students on a national level. This session of the United States Congress is filled with legislation on loan forgiveness for law students and debt repayment for lawyers working in the public interest. Here are ways that YOU can help:

1. Share your personal experience or hardships relating to loan limits and law school debt. Your story will be shared with congressional representatives and will aid the ABA Law Student Division’s effort to increase loan limits and decrease student debt. Include your debt level, the type of financial aid you receive (Stafford Loans, Student Plus, Bar Loans, Private Loans, Personal Loans, other types) and the impact this has had on your career choices. Let’s make sure UW law students are represented!

2. Contact Herbert Kohl, Russ Feingold, or Tammy Baldwin, and encourage them to support legislation involving loan repayments and debt forgiveness.

3. Join them for ABA Day in Washington, April 18-19.

For more information, visit the ABA Law Student Division website. There is information on their federal advocacy plan, lobbying Congress, law student debt, and LRAPs around the country.

Want to know more about law school debt? Check out the new links on the right.

Join LRAP in celebrating Community Justice Week! We will be handing a letter to the Dean during Community Justice Week. The letter asks the Dean to make LRAP a fundraising priority, and to create a plan to develop a real LRAP by December 2007. We already have collected over 200 signatures, but we need your help to collect more! Talk to your friends, your classmates, and your classmates’ friends, and tell them why LRAP is important. Then have them fill out a blue “I Support LRAP” card. There are spare cards in Travis Weller’s 2L hangfile, and you can turn completed cards into the PILF mailbox. The deadline is the end of the day on Friday, March 2.

***Check out LRAP related events during Community Justice Week***

Tuesday:
Keynote speaker Paul Hoffman speaks about his work as a human rights lawyer.
Kickoff for the 3L Pledge Drive for LRAP.

Thursday:
An alumni receiving an LRAP talks about her path to public interest at Appetizers and Alumni.
LRAP Bar Review - all donations go towards the UW LRAP!

Over 50 students attended the LRAP Kickoff and discussed why there is a need for a viable LRAP at UW Law and how they could support the cause.Interested in joining us? Send us an email at uwlrap@gmail.com and let us know.

We need help in the following areas: mobilizing students, mobilizing faculty, educating alumni, creating an LRAP model, organizing a pledge drive, designing a newsletter, and improving our web presence.

Click here to see the LRAP Fact Sheet