Student leaders reflect on the challenges and opportunities for running an equity group during a once-in-a-generation pandemic.
With school going back online, making connections is harder than ever. In the past, equity clubs around the law school have held a large role in building connections by fostering communication, organizing events, and advocating for inclusivity in the legal community. This begs the question: how has that changed during the pandemic? Ultra Vires (virtually) sits down with the Faculty of Law’s various equity clubs to talk about how they have adapted in response to COVID-19.
Ultra Vires (UV): What does your club do in a typical school year?
Asia Law Society (ALS): ALS typically holds socials, organizes academic panels, and contributes to the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers’ (FACL) events.
Black Law Students’ Association (BLSA): BLSA hosts a combination of social and professional development events to support current Black law students, in addition to hosting events/programs for the Black Future Lawyers Program in partnership with the U of T Law administration.
Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF): Normally CLF hosts weekly lunch meetings to discuss topics related to integrating faith with work and life. CLF also hosts social events, participates in a student conference, and aims to organize at least one event for the broader Faculty of Law community.
Indigenous Law Students’ Association (ILSA): ILSA aims to (i) provide social support and networking opportunities for Indigenous students and those interested in Aboriginal Law, (ii) provide opportunities for the rest of the law school community to engage with Indigenous issues, and (iii) advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous content in other aspects of the student experience.
Jewish Law Students’ Association (JLSA): In a typical school year, JLSA hosts a mixture of social events, holiday celebrations, networking events, and speakers.
Muslim Law Student’s Association (MLSA): MLSA seeks to raise awareness of issues affecting Muslims within the law school community. MLSA also seeks to eradicate legal barriers to justice within the local Muslim community, and to provide support and advice for Muslims entering the legal profession.
Women & the Law (W&TL): Women & the Law organizes events, including panels and socials throughout the year. Our biggest event is a 150-person networking event where we invite woman-identifying lawyers from varying practice areas to the law school to meet with law students in an informal setting.
UV: How will COVID-19 impact your club’s operations?
Most clubs traditionally hosted a mix of networking events, panels, social events, and holiday celebrations. However, due to COVID-19, most (if not all) future programs are moving online. This comes with its obvious problems, but has also led to unexpected advantages.
ALS: Virtual events are sometimes blessings in disguise: they allow us to be more creative with our social events and we don’t have to worry about commuting for joint socials with Osgoode Hall’s Asian Law Students Association.
BLSA: Trying to build a community of support for our 1L students despite COVID-19 restrictions has been a learning process. On the other hand, the transition to virtual events allows us to collaborate with folks and BLSA Chapters across Canada!
JLSA: Networking is a real challenge. We’re promoting events to a wider range of people, as there are no geographic constraints, but obviously networking is less effective in a big Zoom call. Celebrations of Jewish holidays are also going to be difficult this year. We won’t be able to have in-person Sabbath dinners or Hanukkah parties, but hopefully we will be able to celebrate some holidays together on Zoom.
MLSA: We hope to revive the MLSA and create a welcoming community for Muslim-identifying students on campus. We strongly believe that it is possible to create meaningful connections virtually — and we hope to do just that.
W&TL: Unfortunately, our big networking event will not be happening in 2021, for the first time in twenty years. However, we are excited to put our creativity to the test to host a range of virtual events and non-traditional initiatives throughout the year. For example, we have planned a virtual event each month and are currently exploring merchandise options!
UV: How will your club preserve what makes it special? How will it continue to provide its members with events, support, and social connections?
ALS: We’ll continue to provide opportunities for students to connect with each other and with alumni, and to advocate for equity within the legal profession. We plan to continue hosting (virtual) socials, and are brainstorming ways we can celebrate Lunar New Year together online. Other planned events this year include a panel on the intersection of mental health, Asian identity, and the legal profession, and a recruitment-based event.
BLSA: BLSA has always been a very tight-knit group given our small membership. Maintaining these ties and building a community of support for new members has been our biggest challenge so far. We support our students through hosting wellness events and creating informal mentorship within our team. We work to create a culture within BLSA where any member can reach out to any of the execs for guidance when they need it.
CLF: Our club has focused on creating a space where people can come together to have a community within the law school. We want to be present so that people can feel comfortable sharing their experience and contributing to our conversations. We want to preserve this by continuing to offer community in small groups online, to check in with each other, and to engage with the broader law community online as well.
ILSA: It’s been really important for ILSA to find ways to continue offering events this year and to make sure all our Indigenous students are getting the support they need despite the shift to remote learning. Further, Indigenous communities across Turtle Island are still out there defending their land and their rights, and so it is important that our law school community finds ways to stay engaged with these ongoing issues. COVID-19 has required an adjustment in how we approach these goals, but it hasn’t changed their importance. If anything, the need to support our Indigenous communities at the law school and beyond is more urgent than ever.
JLSA: We’re trying to have Zoom events, but frankly it’s tough. Recently, we amped up our social media presence and created a Facebook group to encourage people to engage and interact more.
MLSA: We hope to facilitate relationships between law students and the wider legal community through special events and mentorship opportunities.
W&TL: We are planning self-care events, including a movie night, trivia, and yoga social. We are also partnering with many clubs to increase our outreach and presence in our virtual community.
UV: Outside of events organized by equity clubs, what are some other ways students can connect with peers and stay involved with the larger legal community?
ALS: Stay connected with alumni and peer mentors, and look out for opportunities to get involved through organizations like FACL.
BLSA: Being at the Faculty of Law can be incredibly challenging, even in the best of circumstances. We suggest that folks take advantage of the ease at which you can join a virtual event and the enthusiasm of lawyers/alumni to help out law students, while keeping in mind the importance of physical and mental wellness.
CLF: Use clubs as a starting point to connect with other students on a more personal level.
JLSA: It’s important to find your community and to keep connected with the people you already know. It’s too easy to get isolated in these weird times, and friends and colleagues appreciate people reaching out and checking in.
W&TL: One silver lining of COVID-19 is the opportunity to attend events and put yourself out there from the comfort of your home. We recommend attending the many virtual social events hosted by SLS or creating your own and inviting peers to unwind and re-connect. Both the Women Lawyers Forum and the Women’s Law Association of Ontario offer free memberships for law students!
UV: Do you have any other comments for our readers about your club, how to handle being a law student during this time, or anything else in general?
CLF: Be conscious of caring for your physical and mental health. Make time for the things that fill you up, whether that’s connecting with friends, caring for your body and mind through exercise, or finding a creative outlet.
JLSA: Equity groups are all about creating supportive communities. I hope Ultra Vires readers, especially upper years, take the initiative to build connections and support one another. Law school is hard, but gets so much easier when we have people to rely on.
MLSA: While we may have to be physically distant, there is no need to isolate socially. Stay connected: join a club, hop on Zoom calls with your classmates, and study with some peers.
These interviews have been edited for brevity and clarity.
