As the year comes to an end, SLS President Aaron Rankin sat down with UV to talk about the highs and lows of his reign and his hopes for the future of the law school.
Biggest Challenge: Promoting enough discussion with students in regards to changes in curriculum or academic policy.
While Rankin says that the administration always has the faculty’s best interest in mind, he said that the energy devoted to convincing professors about a certain policy reform means that the process has felt finished to the administration before students were informed and consulted with.
“[On grade reform], the challenge was to promote enough discussion so that students were satisfied or could come to whatever view they were going to come to, which is more challenging when the administration has already made up its mind.”
Best Moment as SLS President: Seeing SLS representatives take ownership of an idea that brought them to the SLS and plan a year-long strategy that includes consultation and research. “So much more gets done that way.”
Worst Moment as SLS President: Realizing that the U of T law versus Osgoode basketball tournament has historically been co-ed and this year was a men’s-only event. “It wasn’t even close to an adequate substitute.”
Advice for next year’s SLS President: Open communication with the administration, faculty and students. “Open communication early and keep it open.”
Any endorsements? Lips sealed. “It produces the most accountability and creativity in terms of platform ideas.”
Goals for the law school: Making clinical education mandatory but perhaps with a U of T twist, so that the requirement could be satisfied by a SUYRP for students who are more interested in academia and not practice.
Rankin also says that serious thought needs to be given to the third year of law school and whether it becomes a valuable vision of learning or “whether the old mantra of third year of where they bore you to death remains true.”
Other goals include the new building and maintaining an open and constructive relationship between administration and students.
Word Association Lightning Round:
- SLS – Team
- Your girlfriend – lovely
- Mayo’s Muffin Madness – manic
- Ultra Vires – hilarious
- Justin Nasseri – reliable
- U of T Law – phenomenal
- Clerking – exciting
- 3L – nostalgic
- Bennett Jones – stalwart
