THE PENDULUM
NEWS
PAGE 411 WEDNESDAY. JULY 29, 2009 _ .
Elon Law School offers students optimal
environment to prepare for bar exam
I • t nntA/ VlOTTlP ill
Pam Richter
Summer Editor
Todav around 1,200 students from across the state of North
Carohna will sit down for part two of the bar exam. Yesterday, part
one of the exam was given at the Raleigh in
The bar exam is the test recent law school graduates take in
order to become attorneys. thu
Countless hours of studying take place in preparation of this
exam which has about a 70 perccnt pass rate.
For about 30 recent Elon law school graduates preparation for
this exam made less stressful, with a live
The Elon Law School offers the opportunity for students to live
on campus for free during the end of May and the entire month
hawn’t^heard any one else doing this," said Damon Duncan, a
member of the Elon Law School’s charter class „ this
Duncan and his wife Melissa, decided to take advantage of this
opportunity. Damon explained that Elon President Leo Lambert
an^Lrry Francis, executive vice president, met with a group o
law school students to figure out the best way possible for the mo
students to pass the exam.
“We can completely focus on studying for the bar exam, Damon
said “It’s almost like going to boot camp. You go and everything
is provided for you and the only thing you have to worry about is
training and getting ready for the bar exam.
The bar exam is given twice a year in North Carolina. The first
time it was given was in February.
It is a two-day exam and on the first day, 12 essay questions are
given Day two consists of 200 multiple-choice questions.
“It’s almost more quantity than competence or_ intelligence,
Melissa said. “Can you learn all of that information? . . ^
Both Damon and Melissa said they have put a solid eight to 12
hours . day Since they moved Into ,hdr new home ,n Colonnades
B on May 25. , „p,,nie fail the exam is
heere°l“mo;:™kS ,he da, and done, have enou.h
'"'"^j/^o^IrTworklnfelght hours a da^
Sto^":andtrn\Srtrwork dunng ^ don’t have
The s^SsXL've iTve'clrca;^^^^
better. It would be difficult if you had to worry about making money
" ?n addftfonTo fSroom and board and free meals the students
were able to receive loans through the university so 'hey could pay
for prep classes for the exam. On the days of the exam Elon rents
out a room and will provide the students with a f^ee lunch_
If both Damon and Melissa pass the bar exam, they said they
hope opTup a branch of Damon’s father’s law firm Duncan
Law, in Greensboro. It will focus on bankruptcy and civil litigation
'^^^“Assuming we both pass, that’s the plan," Melissa said_
For Damon and Melissa — who both graduated from Elon with
undergraduate degrees in 2006 - this solidifies why the selected
to attend the Elon Law School.
“This is what Elon’s all about.” Melissa said. “Taking care of you
as a student and a person and making sure that you re not just a
number.”
Elon alumna Katherine
Southard overcomes
difficulties posed by
scoliosis
Sarah Beth Costello
Summer News Editor
Doctors told her it would
be impossible to dance again,
but Elon alumna Katherine
Southard (’07) didn’t let that
stop her. As the winner of the
Miss North Carolina Pageant
this year, Southard not only
has the opportunity to perfect
her dancing skills, but also
plans to help others who are
facing the same challenges she
once did.
Since early childhood.
Southard has battled scoliosis,
a medical condition that causes
curvature of the spine. Instead
of a straight back, her spine
curved to the side, deforming
part of her body and making
dance extremely difficult.
Southard was only two years
old when her mother enrolled
her in dance lessons, but it did
not take long for her parents,
teachers and fellow classmates
to realize she lacked the ability
to perform like the others.
“(Dancing) was frustrating
because I didn’t look like the
other girls," Southard said. “My
back curved and my ribs stuck
out. And they all tried to get on
me for (dancing) improperly,
but I wasn’t. We finally realized
1 physically couldn’t dance
correctly because of my spine.”
Despite the pain and
difficulty, Southard continued
to dance throughout school and
eventually majored in dance
at Elon. In 2005, Southard
underwent surgery to correct
the curve in her spine with
potentially devastating results
to her dance career.
“I think it’s important not
to give up,” Southard said. “It’s
hard to realize in the moment,
but having gone through this
I feel like I’m a much stronger
person than 1 was before."
Refusing to toss out
her ballet shoes. Southard
continued to dance after the
surgery. Dancing was still
painful and more difficult than
before, but her passion for the
arts proved to be stronger.
“For someone who said I
wouldn’t be able to (dance)
anymore after surgery, the fact
that I overcame it gives more
confidence and encourages
me to overcome obstacles,”
Southard said.
Before her corrective
surgery. Southard participated
in the 2005 Miss North Carolina
pageant.
“When I (competed) in 2005,
it was before I ever had the
surgery and after that I thought
‘I’m done’ because I have to
have this surgery,” Southard
said. “And I had it, and really
pageants are just a way 1 can
get back into dance and try to
be better.”
Southard competed in 2008
as Miss Mount Holly and did
better than she had in the 2005
competition. After placing
second runner-up, she decided
to continue training and
preparing for the 2009 pageant
as Miss Raleigh. After three
years of participation, she was
finally crowned Miss North
Carolina.
“I think it’s one of those
things where you’re in the
moment and you don’t even
think,” Southard said. “I
remember looking at my family.
My sister was jumping up and
down and my dad had a blank,
shocked look on his face.”
Southard’s responsibilities
range from fundraisers and
pancake breakfasts to working
with the United Service
Miss North Carolina dances her way
to the crown despite obstacles
Katherine Southard, who graduated Elon in 2007, was crowned Miss North Carolina after
three years of participation in the competition. She first competed in the pageant in 2005.
PHOTO COURTESY Of WWW.MISSNC.ORG
Organization in support of
troops and addressing the North
Carolina House and Senate on
the issues of scoliosis.
“(I’m working on) getting
information packets to children
so parents can learn how to
screen their child for scoliosis
themselves," Southard said.
“It’s unbelievable how many
people have contacted me. I
had 180 friend requests on
Facebook, many from girls who
didn’t know that (scoliosis) is
an issue.”
Southard plans to travel to
Las Vegas in January for the
Miss America competition. She
said she looks forward to the
different atmosphere and the
possibility of being crowned
Miss America despite the
handicaps and challenges she
has faced.
“You need to embrace
adversity instead of running
from it,” Southard said.
“Embrace the good things or the
bad things that come along.”
Lambert
stresses
experiential
learning in
university
education
From LAMBERT I
PAGE1
and with follow-up
work during the school
year,” Lambert said. “It’s
hard not to have your
heartstrings tugged
watching young students
in Elon Academy.”
Along with Deborah
Long, the director of
Elon Academy, Professor
Thomas Arcaro and his
work on Project Pericles
also earned praise from
Lambert.
“More than any other
project, it underlines
what it means to have a
deepened sense of civic
understanding,” Lambert
said.
Echoing his sentiments
against one-shot service,
Lambert highlighted
Project Pericles’ focus on
long-term investments in
social problems through
years of study and
academic application.
Although he valued
his education out of the
classroom during his
collegiate days, working
on the student paper and
serving as the co-director
of a swimming program
for the handicapped, it
was not until he was at
the University of Vermont
in Burlington that the
importance of experiential
education came to light.
As the assistant director
of the Living Learning
Center at the University
of Vermont, a series
of residential learning
communities featuring
faculty and students living
and working alongside one
another, Lambert had the
opportunity to work with
students outside of the
classroom.
“It was powerful to see
students take charge of
their education,” Lambert
said, noting that many
students, although not
continuously hitting the
books, were nonetheless
investing themselves
in their areas of study
throughout the day and
well into the night.
As for the future,
neither Lambert nor Elon
is looking to rest on its
laurels.
“Experiential learning is
one of the great hallmarks
of the university,” Lambert
said, and as such Elon
is looking to build off
of the projects that, in
Brumbaugh’s experience,
have other schools
wondering just how the
university does it and how
they can do the same.
Lambert wouldnt
divulge any specific details
about the university s
upcoming projects, but
he did hint that the
university’s new strategic
plan, which wi 11 be revealed
in October, will shed some
light as to where Elon will
be in 10 possibly award
laden years.