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Greetings,
Arizona Law Wildcats (aka Law Cats) find many ways to give.
Last week we shared the story of the Huerta Scholarship Program, named for Judge
Lawrence Huerta ('53), and our current Huerta Scholars. We are grateful to the many alumni and friends of the college who contributed to the Giving Tuesday campaign, which culminated on November 27 but continues to accept contributions
here.
This week, we highlight a new scholarship established in 2018 by the family of
Anthony ('65)
and Nancy Ching (also a University of Arizona alumna, with degrees in education).
This week we also feature a group of current Arizona Law students who are giving back by volunteering within the local community. Student volunteers with Pride Law spent time prior to the Thanksgiving holiday assisting others through the Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic, now in its fifth year. Their efforts are a great example of Arizona Law students making a difference -- using their legal resources and their time to help individuals in need of support.
Until the footnotes,
Marc
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Pride Law Holds Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic
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Weekday clinic volunteers included (l-r): Hannah Chute, supervising attorney Abby Jensen, Ashley Daltrey, Christina Rinnert, Nate Goodman, Ryan Bishop, Bethany Munson, Softie Pearce, Cory Rodas, Claire Maguire, and Garrick Nowak.
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The Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic is a semi-annual clinic to help trans and gender non-conforming people legally change their name and gender markers. The clinic was most recently held on November 15 and 17, serving 25 individuals in need of assistance.
Ashley Daltrey, an Arizona Law 2L and the current president of Pride Law, explains that, through the clinic, Pride Law students help members of the community with
forms prepared by the Southern Arizona Gender Alliance (SAGA). This year, 21 student volunteers received training and assisted with the event.
Although anyone can change their name without a formal court order, these forms petition the court for an order that helps the trans or gender non-conforming person with the process of changing their name on their forms of identification. All of the forms and the process are also available on SAGA's website. Ashley says,
"The process is straightforward but can be scary for people who are unfamiliar with the system, so having a little bit of help can go a long way."
In addition to helping with the petition for a name change, SAGA also has a sample doctor's letter including language that is required to change a gender marker with the Social Security Administration, the Arizona MVD, and on a passport.
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Weekend volunteers included (l-r): Ryan Bishop, Ashley Daltrey, Abby Jensen, Garrick Nowak, Jordan Paul, Peggy Rowe, Claire Maguire, Nate Goodman, Dakota Francis, Gabriela Elizondo-Craig and Softie Pearce.
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The clinic was started by
Angie Menard ('16), a former president of Pride Law, and
Abby Jensen, the vice president and general counsel for SAGA. Abby was invited by Professor
Barbara Atwood to give a talk to students from the Family & Juvenile Law Program and Pride Law about issues that affect the transgender community. Angie asked Abby what they could do to help, and Abby suggested starting a name change clinic. The two of them began planning in Fall 2014 and held their first clinic in Fall 2015. Abby is still the supervising attorney for the clinic, and offers continuity across the years even as the board changes.
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Student volunteer Christina Rinnert welcomes all to the clinic.
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This year, Ashley says, the group decided to hold the clinic on two different days during the semester instead of just one, hoping to make it more accessible to members of the community.
Pride Law held a training session for potential volunteers prior to the event, with a strong turnout for the training. In addition to coordinating with SAGA on the event, they worked with organizations across main campus and around town to spread the word.
This year Pride Law also worked with the law school's Justice Advocates Coalition to host a recent Transgender Clothing Swap. Ashley says that both the clinic and the clothing swap event were planned as part of the group's recognition of the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th. She said,
"We hope that both of these events will help the members of the transgender and gender non-conforming communities here in Tucson."
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New Scholarship Celebrates Anthony ('65) and Nancy Ching
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I recently had the opportunity to participate in a celebration of life for alumnus and Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, the late
Anthony B. Ching ('65) and his wife, the late
Nancy Ching. Their children have generously established a scholarship fund in honor of their parents to support future College of Law students.
Anthony's 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award reads, in part:
"Anthony B. Ching, a true citizen of the world, has devoted his legal career to the ideals of justice and equality.
Educated in France and England before attending St. John's College in New York, Ching earned a bachelor of science degree in geology from the University of Arizona. Ching graduated from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1965 and received his L.L.M. from Harvard in 1971.
Committed to using his legal education for the public good, he served as Director of Litigation for the Legal Aid Society of Pima County. Litigating on behalf of marginalized groups, Ching achieved landmark rulings such as Graham v. Richardson, a decision from the United States Supreme Court that confirmed constitutional protection for resident aliens under the Equal Protection Clause, and Perez v. Campbell, a decision invalidating a driver license suspension statute under federal bankruptcy law."
Nancy was also a Wildcat, earning undergraduate and master's degrees in education from the UA. She and Anthony met on campus at the Newman Center. They married in 1961 and were loving parents to eight children: Anthony Jr., Alice, Alexander, Andrew, Ann, Audrey, Anastasia, and Albert.
After Anthony and Nancy passed away -- he in 2017 and she in 2015 -- the family, including many Wildcats, decided to establish a scholarship at the College of Law in their honor. After the recent memorial their daughter,
Ann Ching, wrote,
"The celebration of life was a wonderful opportunity to share memories and hear stories about our parents, Anthony and Nancy. We are so glad that their legacy of public service and education will live on through the Ching Scholarship at the College of Law."
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Students at the annual Scholarship Lunch share their stories and their thanks
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As the end of the year approaches, please consider making a gift the Law College Association of the University of Arizona in support of our students!
Our vision is that no student will be kept from a legal education because of cost.
Now more than ever, the world needs effective, ethical legal professionals. University of Arizona Law offers more options than any other institution to help students realize their dreams and create meaningful careers. By financially supporting Arizona Law, you help create an enduring impact for our students.
We keep our tuition lower than almost all other top-tier law schools, and two-thirds of students receive additional financial assistance. Our students tell us that financial support is one of the most important factors that influences their decision to attend Arizona Law.
By investing in the next generation of legal professionals, you can make a real difference in the careers and economic well-being of worthy students.
If you have any questions or concerns about your gift, please call 520-621-8430.
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Government Technology, commentary by professor Toni Massaro
Politico, commentary by professor Toni Massaro
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It is good to celebrate our heroes, and to share with our current and future students the difference that law, and leadership, can make.
Anthony Ching and
Lawrence Huerta are two such heroes. They made the world a better place through lives of principle and perseverance, and through an understanding of the ways laws can harm or help our society. Both experienced formal and social discrimination -- for who they were, for what they sought, and even for who they loved. When both saw imperfections in the law and their community, they dedicated their lives to fixing them. And they both succeeded, again and again.
Look at our students and recent graduates today -- look at Angie Menard and Ashley Daltrey and all our students working in the Name and Gender Marker Change Clinic -- and you will see the same intelligence, passion, and leadership.
Look more closely, and across generations of Arizona Law graduates, and you will recognize in these amazing people and in their acts the words of Martin Luther King (himself drawing on the text and sermons of earlier generations) that, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
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