The Getting Involved

Week two. So far, so good. Classes are exactly how I thought they would be, which is comforting, even though the classes themselves are not. I've settled into a cozy routine of sleep, work, and class. And of course I leave Saturdays open for college football (Go Hoosiers!) and going out.

But, I haven't felt involved yet. In high school, I was in about a dozen extracurriculars (more, possibly). In undergrad, I participated in a few (limited more by my working than by lack of interest). And I feel like those experiences were priceless (volunteering to help poor individuals file tax returns, for example). So now that I'm in law school, I feel like I should get involved, if not to meet new people than to keep busier.

This week has been "get involved" week, where we get fed free lunch every day and find activities with which we want to get involved. My interests vastly outnumber the hours of free time I have, though, so determining which are best has been tricky.

First of all, I needed to join one of the legal fraternities. I settled on Phi Alpha Delta, mostly because of the size of the network and the names of the more famous members. This group should take care of my need and desire to participate in service projects.

I then needed to find a group to give me outreach in the political environment (especially since one of my libertarian friends turned liberal the other day). Since my choices were American Constitution Society and the Federalist Society, the choice was obvious. I chose the smaller Federalist Society, mostly because I needed a place to talk to fellow conservative-leaning libertarians and network nationally. Who knows who might one day support my campaign?

I then needed something to help get me involved in the practice of law. IU has three practice programs, and the one I chose is the Inmate Legal Assistance Project (or Program?), in which I will travel to the federal prison in Terre Haute and assist inmates with legal issues. This should help me fill my need for justice while offering basic skills like, I don't know, talking to clients.

Lastly, I needed a place to feel political and contribute to the betterment of the law school. I thus decided to run for 1L representative to the Student Bar Association. The election is next week, but I have felt a great deal of support from my classmates. We have buttons made up, and all-around positive press. Even if I'm not elected, the experience of politicking is making me feel alive. As I've always said: "Life is politics."

So what do you think? Did I get involved enough?