The year is off to a good start for the KU Public Interest Law Society (KUPILS). Our hallmark event, Casino Night, is shaping up to be a hit, in no small part, because of the generous donation by Alvamar Country Club of the use of its banquet hall. The money raised supports the Public Interest stipends, which help students afford to work in volunteer public interest jobs in the summer.
In addition to Casino Night, PILSians are once again active in the Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP). This program assists low-income families in Sedgwick County in obtaining guardianship papers for dependent family members. One particularly encouraging sign is the amount of interest shown by this year’s 1Ls — the GAP training session recently had nearly ten 1L members participate. The student volunteer work saves these families about $2,000 each in legal bills every year.
KUPILS is also proud to again be participating in the Human Rights Symposium in the spring semester. We are cooperating with the International Law Society and the Islamic Law Students Association. KUPILS has invited Angela Ferguson, a noted immigration attorney from Kansas City, to speak on immigration issues and human rights.
It’s an exciting year to participate in PILS and we’re looking forward to all of the public interest supporting events throughout the year.
Jon Ruhlen, 2L