Letter of the Law: Arizona Law Community Members Pitch In Against COVID-19

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University of Arizona
James E. Rogers College of Law

April 22, 2020

UPCOMING EVENTS

APR

Federal Course Caseloads During COVID

MAY

1

Alums, Submit a Message to New Graduates by May 1

Greetings,

It comes as no surprise that the members of our law school community have moved quickly and thoughtfully to address the COVID-19 crisis in innovative ways.

We've shared some of our Law Cats' responses in recent editions of Letter of the Law, and this week we've compiled more.

Below you will see us highlight some amazing leadership by some awesome alumni, students, and faculty.

I hope that in the weeks to come you will share your own story by emailing alumni@law.arizona.edu to send us the details.

We also invite you to contribute your words of encouragement to this year's law graduates. Click here, and find out more below.

Until the footnotes,

Marc

Arizona Law Community Members Pitch In Against COVID-19

Vanessa Fulton ('15) and the Million Mask Challenge

Washington, DC, attorney and 2015 Arizona Law alumna Vanessa Fulton helped to launch the Million Mask Challenge, a volunteer effort to sew masks for first responders.

Vanessa was recently interviewed on National Public Radio (NPR) regarding the effort, which since March 2020 has involved over 1,500 volunteers and produced over 58,000 masks for health care providers.

Listen to the NPR interview.

Learn more about the Million Mask Challenge.

Dr. Marvin Slepian (2L) Among UA Scientists Designing Innovative Ventilator Prototypes

Because of the shortage of health care supplies due to COVID-19, UA scientists are finding ways to build a ventilator using only readily available items.

Dr. Marvin Slepian, a Regents Professor and the director of the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation -- and an Arizona Law 2L -- recently discussed his designs with Arizona Public Media. One includes a basketball and a 3D-printed piston.

Read the AZPM article.

Alums Address COVID-19 Impacts in Indian Country

Anthony Broadman

Francys Crevier

Gabe Galanda

Katherine Belzowski

Arizona Law alumni are among those working to understand and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 in Indian country.

Anthony Broadman ('07), of Galanda Broadman, is quoted in an article on the impact casino closures are having on core tribal government services, via High Country News. He says:

"The real economic driver in Indian Country, and the way tribes and tribal governments have diversified economic development, has been through gaming. ... In reality and in theory, gaming is the tax base for Indian Country. And without it, tribal governments cannot afford to supply essential government services to members."

Read the High Country News article.

Anthony and his partner Gabe Galanda ('00) also mobilized quickly to hold free call-in legal clinic hours in mid-March in response to the health crisis and related issues.

Francys Crevier ('13), executive director of the National Council for Urban Indian Health spoke in early April with NPR's The Takeaway: "Coronavirus Exposes Public Health Inequities In Indigenous Communities."

Listen to the NPR interview.

Also in early April, IPLP alumna Katherine Belzowski (LLM '11) presented an American Bar Association webinar on "Issues Affecting Native American Communities During the COVID-19 Crisis." Katherine is a senior attorney in the litigation and employment unit of the Navajo Nation Department of Justice.

Around the College -- Online

Send Your Good Wishes to the Arizona Law Class of 2020!

Source: CSRichards, UA Alumni Association (Instagram)

Alumni are the heart of our Arizona Law family.

Day in and day out, you provide advice to students, give talks, help create professional networks, and offer insights to faculty and staff.

The college's Alumni & Development Office is building a slideshow of good wishes for our graduates this year since we can't be together to celebrate them in person. We would love for you to contribute a message.

Please complete this short form by Friday, May 1, to be included.

Bear Down!

New Resource Responds to COVID-19 from Health Law & Policy Perspective

Prof. Christopher Robertson

Prof. Tara Sklar

Professor Christopher Robertson and Professor Tara Sklar, director of the Health Law & Policy Program, have created an informational webpage to address issues relevant to COVID-19.

Resources include a video library of 10 to 15-minute interviews that provide a brief explanation of current topics at the forefront of this pandemic, along with articles, media links, and related material.

Go to the COVID-19 Health Law Resources webpage.

Please browse and share these resources and check back frequently. A sample of current videos includes:

"Quarantine and Isolation: Balancing Individual Rights & Public Health," Professor Leila Barraza, UA Colleges of Public Health and Law

"The Ethical Duty of Care," Dr. David Beyda, UA College of Medicine-Phoenix

"Access to Drugs Before FDA Approval," Professor Alison Bateman-House, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Additional videos feature Professor Jacob Sherkow and Sandy Severson. Future videos will include interviews with Dr. Richard Carmona, Tracy Nuckolls ('70), Elizabeth Hall-Lipsy ('05), Professor Toni Massaro, Andrew Maccabe ('02), Roger Klein, and Professor Shefali Milczarek-Desai ('01).

These experts will cover a range of topics, including liability and licensure issues for healthcare providers, individual rights and liberties, protections for animals during a pandemic, regulatory approval for COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and fear of adverse immigration consequences for noncitizens.

Professor Sklar says that her team will continue to film and share videos as critical issues surface and where they believe there is a need for more accurate, current information.

For more information or suggestions on future topics, email law-healthcare@arizona.edu or visit law.arizona.edu/health.

Fuel the Response

Students, if you are experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, please check your emails to learn more about the Student Emergency Fund, and apply for this resource.

Arizona Law community, if you are able to help fuel the response for Arizona students, and make a gift to the Arizona Student Emergency Fund, please click the link below.

Donate here.

Resources

Coronavirus Response Information from Arizona Law

UA Coronavirus Information

In the News

Faculty News Roundup

CLICK HERE for a roundup of even more faculty commentary and analysis on the various legal issues surrounding COVID-19, from immigrant worker rights to the ethics of testing.

"We're ELATED to announce that we just sent out fellowship offers to 10 University of Arizona Law students. In past years, we've awarded at most 4 fellowships. But our super-generous donors came through big in the last month! They recognized that supporting public interest work is more urgent than ever during the pandemic. Our fellows rely on this funding to pursue unpaid internships at nonprofits and community groups, so this is huge!" >>MORE

@ArizonaLawJAC, Facebook

You can see our alumni leading in the world. Nothing new there -- other than the particular challenge we all face.

Soon our graduates will join alumni ranks. They will never forget this time, but that's true, in part, for reasons none of us welcome.

Please consider sending your thoughts and encouragement, by May 1 (again, the form is here).

Apart but together. Be safe.

alumni@law.arizona.edu

University of Arizona James E Rogers College of Law, 1201 E. Speedway, Tucson, AZ 85721-0176

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