{ prima facie } the Temple Law newspaper

By Marla Neufeld, Esq.
West Palm Beach, Florida

Tucson offers a warm retreat to thaw out from the rigid demands of law school. A visit to Tucson, in southern Arizona, takes visitors back to the times of the Old West, with images of legendary cowboys and Indians. The city is replete with scenic preserves, history, adventure, and magnificent ways to relax.

The Sonoran Desert, which surrounds Tucson, is one of only three spots in the world where the majestic saguaro cactus grows. These tall and ancient cacti stand in the shadows of five mountain ranges, which cradle the Tucson valley, and are showered with sunshine over 300 days a year.

Tucson has something for every law student looking for a complete getaway experience. Students can enjoy hands-on museums and lush desert gardens, exciting recreational activities, fine dining, enriching culture and heritage themed events -- all among ample natural beauty. Lovers of the outdoors flock to bird watching, stargazing, rock climbing and mountain biking. Golfers can putt year-round among the saguaro cacti at scenic desert courses.

[The following is the full text of a letter sent by e-mail from announce@temple.edu on Dec. 17.]

Dear members of the Temple University community:

Thanks in large measure to grassroots advocacy efforts of students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni, the state House of Representatives Monday approved Temple’s $181.6 million Commonwealth appropriation for the current fiscal year. Governor Rendell signed the appropriations bill today. After an almost six-month delay, this is wonderful news. The funding represents more than 20 percent of Temple’s operating budget.

US News ranked Temple University Beasley School of Law at #7 in the nation, in the 2009 ratings of part-time law school programs.

Temple Law was ranked #33 in the nation for the best law school value, based on tuition, employment rate, and first-time bar passage rate.

The list, which appears in the September issue of "The National Jurist," (http://www.nationaljurist.com/) was compiled from information in the LSAC's 2009 edition of their "Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools."

Temple Law's Prof. Ohlbaum comments on jurors' facebook postings, as cited on Temple Law's "Faculty in the Media" page:

"Despite judge's warnings, two jurors in [a Lancaster murder trial] wrote entries about the case on their Facebook pages. The incident underscores the perils of social networking tools to the judicial process. 'The judge says don't discuss the case, and these guys go on Facebook, which they expect will elicit a response even if they didn't intend it to. Did they violate the judge's order? Probably,' said Edward Ohlbaum, a Temple University law professor. 'But the question is not so much did they overstep the line. Assuming they did overstep the line, was there any damage or injury?' he said."

Temple's annual Commonwealth funding was unanimously approved today by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, in spite of Rep. John Taylor's earlier opposition, according to a Temple University announcement.

Taylor had previously said he wanted to withhold all of Temple's funds -- $175 million dollars -- because he disagreed with the university's recent decision to convert a university-run hospital to an ambulatory care center.

Temple announced the latest vote in an e-mail from Temple's Ken Lawrence Jr., Senior Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs. Lawrence provides twitter updates on the topic at http://twitter.com/TUGovtAffairs.

A final state budget has not yet been completed, so Temple's funding is not yet guaranteed for the coming year. Temple University has posted a petition to support Temple's funding, which the public can sign, at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/join-the-fight-for-the-cherry-and-the-w....

The university has created a web page to track public policy issues like the funding debate, at: http://www.temple.edu/newsroom/TUGovtAffairs/index.htm, according to Lawrence.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives could determine the fate of Temple University's annual allotment of $175 million in Commonwealth funds as early as August 17, when the House of Representatives returns to Harrisburg.

Pennsylvania Representative John Taylor and other Pennsylvania representatives want to withhold the entirety of Temple University's Commonwealth funding, in the amount of $175 million dollars, because they disagreed with the university's recent decision to convert a university-run hospital to an ambulatory care center.

The House members will cast a vote on the funding when they return, according to an Aug. 11 e-mail to the Temple University community from Ken Lawrence Jr., Senior Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs.

"We have received tremendous bipartisan support as a result of [university supporters'] e-mails and calls," Lawrence wrote in his e-mail. "State Representative Curtis Thomas, State Representative Jewell Williams and State Senator Shirley Kitchen, who represent Temple University's main campus and many of our students, have been tremendous with their leadership."

Temple University staff have created a Twitter account at http://twitter.com/TUGovtAffairs to provide "updates on the Commonwealth appropriation and other legislative issues facing Temple University," Lawrence said.

A university web page devoted to the Commonwealth funds topic lists Pennsylvania representatives and senators who have pledged their support for Temple University and who will vote to provide the usual annual funding this year.

TU funding update: http://www.temple.edu/newsroom/2009_2010/08/announcements/state_funds.ht...