Law and Justice Lab News

Hamilton College has joined College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, a unique consortium designed by the presidents and convened by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars. The group of 61 member institutions from across the country seeks to advance higher education’s pivotal role in preparing students to be engaged citizens and to uphold free expression on campus.

Here are the first quarter’s national news coverage highlights. They include several essays co-authored by President Wippman, expert commentary on a variety of topics from the Federal Reserve to butterflies. and feature stories on counseling center, career center, and Levitt Center programs.

February’s news highlights ranged from features on career connections and peer-counseling to immersive education and academic freedom.

Following up on a series of webinars held last year, the College-Community Partnership for Racial Justice hosted a discussion on Oct. 28 aimed at assessing the progress of local police reform measures. The earlier webinar series, which featured local experts and community leaders and focused on issues such as racial equity, criminal justice, and the prison industrial complex, was initiated in response to then-Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order mandating reforms for all New York law enforcement agencies.

“We have been building bridges,” says Professor of Government Frank Anechiarico, who has been leading the College/Community Partnership for Racial Justice since its inception last summer.

Last fall, the College-Community Partnership for Racial Justice assembled a series of eight webinars focused on racial equity and police reform, sponsored by the Levitt Center Law and Justice Lab. Since then, the Partnership has collected and organized data from multiple surveys aimed at gauging public opinion on these issues. The results of these surveys were discussed in a virtual town hall on Feb. 11.

Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol, Utica Chief of Police Mark Williams, and Rome Chief of Police Kevin Beach spoke in a webinar about law enforcement reform on Nov. 11. The event, which was moderated by former Syracuse Chief of Police Frank Fowler and Utica College Director of Campus Safety Musco Millner, was the final installment of an eight-part series on racial justice sponsored by the Levitt Center Law and Justice Lab.

Utica City Court Judge Ralph Eannace, marriage and family therapist Kevin Lewis, and Hamilton Director of Community Standards Catherine Berryman discussed the question “How are We Handling Domestic Violence and Mental Health Interventions?” in a webinar moderated by Hamilton Professor Frank Anechiarico on Nov. 4.

Hamilton College Professor Doran Larson, Nation of Islam representative Courtney Muhammad, and re-entry educator Lee Carr spoke in a webinar moderated by Mohawk Valley Community College Trustee Tony Colón on Oct. 28. This was the sixth installment of eight webinars in the series “Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform in Oneida & Herkimer Counties.”

Oneida County (N.Y.) District Attorney Scott McNamara and Save Our Streets Program Director Patrick Johnson discussed how race and poverty intersect with the criminal justice system in a webinar moderated by SUNY Polytechnic Institute Professor Ronni Tichenor on Oct. 21. This was the latest in the collaboration with Colleges and Community for Unity and Change Lecture Series sponsored by Hamilton’s Levitt Center Law and Justice Lab.