The Government imposed a nationwide lock down for several weeks as a way to save lives from Covid-19. Raymond Ellwood used this period to talk with fellow classmates about their time in, what he likes to call, home detention and what they had learned about themselves and others in the level 4 lock down and what they are looking forward to doing in level 3. Tamahou Thoms Nickname: Professor T (No one has ever called me this). Super power: Always a good time and also talks too much. Party trick: Real good at disappearance acts (asked me mates). Year of study: 4th year of hell, I mean fun. 1. What did your isolation bubble look like? My bubble had two of my flatmates because none of us went home. 2. What new things did you learn about yourself and others in your isolation bubble? I learnt that these weeks in lockdown was the longest period where I had consistently stayed in Christchurch without leaving and going to some other part of the country in the last two years. Also that I’m definitely the loud flatmate 3. What new hobby or habit did you pick up during this time? Waking up before 9:00 am consistently, I somehow managed to create a sleep routine that had me up before 9:00 am everyday even if I went to sleep at 4:00 am. 4. What did you miss during this lock down period? What couldn't you go without? I missed a few things but mostly I missed spending time with my mates; it was unusual not to see them for that long. 5. What will you miss about this lock down period? Definitely not having to worry about being here, there and everywhere. 6. What are the five things that you are looking forward to re-engaging with after lock down? - Seeing my mates when I want without worrying about Covid-19. - Study at Uni, because at home not much gets done. - Have a reward beer at the foundry for all the studying. - Drive to Kaikoura and spend the weekend at the Marae. - Go on a spontaneous road trip somewhere at the drop of a hat. Sondos Quraan Nickname: I don’t really have one, and most people call me Sondos and even that’s a struggle for them. It is interesting to see hear all the different variations people come up with. Superpower: Mind-reading. The Bachelorette or Married At First Sight: I’m more of a love island girl. Year of Study: Third Year. Favourite law course: Immigration and Refugee law. I’m super passionate about immigration and refugee advocacy and the material is so refreshing! Also loving Crimes as my last 200 level paper. (I definitely miss Stephen Todd’s passion for torts though.) 1. What did your isolation bubble look like? My Mum, Dad, 4 siblings, brother-in-law and my adorable niece, it would be fair to say my lockdown bubble was jam-packed! 2. What new things did you learn about yourself and others in your isolation bubble? All I can say is shout out to anyone who works from home, or does distance learning. I don’t know how you guys manage to stay productive consistently. It’s been a challenge, but I found new ways to stay on track and on top of work and I’m quite proud of that little achievement. 3. What new hobby or habit did you pick up during this time? I’ve always loved baking and it’s always been my favourite way to destress, but this lockdown amped that hobby to new levels. It’s fair to say that a significant amount of butter was consumed within the 4 weeks. 4. What did you miss during this lockdown period? What couldn't you go without? I think just being outside really—without any limits. I miss being able to go for a hike if I wanted to or go to a spin class. I missed going on spur of the moment adventures with my friends just to procrastinate University work. I also miss having an excuse for not having done something—like I’ve been locked in my house for four weeks, phone in hand, what possible excuse could I have for not answering a text or procrastinating till the very last minute? At least pre-lockdown I could lie to myself. 5. What will you miss about this lockdown period? Dr. Ashley Bloomfield and Jacinda Ardern’s daily news updates, they really did make the lockdown a little easier to come to terms with. I’m also just going to generally miss all the family bonding time. In the past year, I’ve spent so much time out of the house and I just didn’t realise how much I needed to be around my Mum and Dad. 9. What are the five things that you are looking forward to re-engaging with after lockdown? - Travel for sure—university and my bank account might say no but it is what it is. - Eating at cafes and going out to restaurants with my friends (I’m tired of doing the dishes after every meal). - Throwing a little ‘welcome to the world’ party for my new niece. She was born just before lockdown so we never really got the chance to celebrate her arrival, and she’s so cute, I mean you have to. - GYM, I’ve surprisingly kept quite active throughout this lockdown, but I want to exercise somewhere other than my garage or backyard. Maddie Dempsey Nickname: Mads Super power: Time travel Party trick: Can always get the trick shot in beer pong! The Bachelorette or Married at First Sight: The Bachelorette Year of Study: 5th Favourite law course: Law of Torts! 1. What did your isolation bubble look like? I was with my parents and my boyfriend. My work was also considered essential, so my workmates were technically in my bubble! 2. What new things did you learn about yourself and others in your isolation bubble? I learnt I’m not the type of person who can watch movies all day. I have to keep busy because when I get bored all I want to do is snack! 3. What new hobby or habit did you pick up during this time? I tried to get out and go for a run every day and realised that running isn’t so bad! 4. What did you miss during this lock down period? What couldn't you go without? I missed being able to get takeaways! I also missed the gym. 5. What will you miss about this lock down period? Not having to get ready every morning! I could be a little more lazy in the mornings. Also extra time with my bubble was nice as we are all usually quite busy! 6. What are the five things that you are looking forward to re-engaging with after lock down? - I can’t wait to see my friends - go to the gym - travel - go on big walks around Christchurch - and eat out! Thank you to everyone that partook in this investigation and to Raymond Ellwood for his work carrying out interviews.
We made it to the end of the most challenging semester you’ll hopefully ever face at university. Congratulations!
As a club, LAWSOC has always done most of our business on campus. Being away from UC, it was important to us that we continued to provide a service to law students throughout the lockdown, so we adapted. Never did we imagine needing to run online mooting, or have our tutors livestreaming to hundreds of law students from their bedrooms, but that’s what we did. Here’s hoping we can have a relatively normal Semester Two. Law students are a bunch who like to talk and we like to help each other out, but the lockdown kept us away from our peers. Between the law clubs, one of the things we decided to do was create the Meremere Members Facebook group. Our aim is for every law student at UC to be a member. It is an online space to connect law students and promote all our respective club initiatives. The group is also a platform for students to raise issues, which the clubs will anonymously pass onto the faculty. Advocacy has been on the forefront of our minds recently and we have made your voices heard. We all now enter a challenging period as law students and future lawyers. LAWSOC held an interesting panel discussion with the College of Law on what the future entails for us. It’s clear that the coming years will be a period of adjustment. We hope to see the profession become a more inclusive and diverse community as we go through this adjustment period. Firms may start to reevaluate their expensive office real estate, lawyers may increasingly work from home, and there may be increased demand for lawyers with specialist knowledge outside the law. Our panelists also stressed that students looking for law jobs will be in demand, especially when borders open and hundreds of lawyers will travel for overseas experiences. Finally, I would like to make you all aware of some flagship events coming up soon. First, Law Ball. You should be marking 25 June as the highlight of the your 2020 social calendar. Yes, there will be food this year. Secondly, Law Revue will be live on stage in August. Thirdly, LAWSOC elections are fast-approching. You’ll see the 2020 executive still running events until the end of the year but late-August is the time to find our successors. Keep an eye on our social media for updates. I highly encourage you to run for any of our challenging but rewarding executive roles. I would like to make special mention of all those who missed their opportunity to graduate in April. We recognise your years of hard work. Robert Petch LAWSOC President At a time where motivation is at an all time low for many of us, we are extremely lucky to have had Raymond conduct a series of interviews to include within this blog. Not only are these pieces very informative, but they have helped to alleviate the workload and allowed all of us to focus on other important things, like finally nailing three stars in all the spec ops missions on Modern Warfare 3 and watching that saucy Polish number that has been trending on Netflix. Interview with Professor Ursula Cheer (UC):Q: How has the faculty adjusted to this uncertain time? A: The Faculty, both staff and students, has adjusted really well, as far as I can tell. Of course, we have all had difficulties adjusting to the lockdown and having to work at home with the many distractions and responsibilities there, but overall, my impression has been that everyone is doing amazing things. For many, that means learning how to use new forms of technology, both to teach and to learn. It does require a reasonably high level of responsibility and organisation, and I think both staff and students are rising to those challenges. The important thing is to make sure you maintain structure and diversity in your lives. That means trying to maintain regular hours working on your computer, but making sure you take regular breaks, and in particular, get outside for some exercise, fresh air and sunlight. Q: How did the law school cope during the earthquakes? Secondly, what measures did the law school put in place to ensure that students still received their assessments and were able to study for their courses? A: We had limited access to our buildings but we were able to get back on to campus quite soon, which is different to now. The main thing to cope with then was the constant stress of regular aftershocks, some of which required us to go home again. We did teach some courses online, but then moved quite quickly to face to face teaching again, in tents at the start and then in an amazing mixture of lecture rooms. All students were able to study and sit assessments and complete their courses. It could hardly be said that was done in the normal way, of course, but the fact is that students completed their studies and graduated and we were and are really proud of that and of those students. Q: Coming back to the lock down environment, what were the steps taken to come to the decision to put course material online? A: We have been guided by decisions taken by the University generally and have followed UC general requirements. This has taken hours and hours of discussion and meetings and none of it has been easy. We have tried throughout to consider the needs of all our students and staff and what is possible and desirable within the resources we have in the context of this crisis. The process has been an ongoing one of dealing with issues as they arise, combined with trying to plan ahead as much as possible, as well as supporting and informing students as we go along. Q: I remember from the LLB guidelines that the degree is not meant to be conducted via correspondence. If online studies and the tests prove to be successful, and the grades reflect this success, could the Law School change that rule and put some courses online? A: The CLE regulations do require that the core courses in the LLB degree are not to be taught by distance. However, in the light of the Covid-19 lockdown, the CLE has passed a resolution allowing those subjects to be taught and assessed online for the balance of the 2020 academic year. We very much intend online studies and tests to be successful for 2020, because our goal is that our students will be able to complete their studies this year as planned. However, the Law School cannot change the regulations for the future beyond lockdown – only the CLE can do that. Therefore, if any changes are proposed in the future, they will have to be discussed and agreed by the Law School and then put to the CLE for consideration. I have to say there are mixed views on teaching the LLB online and about online teaching generally. Law is a discipline which I personally believe needs to be socialised to be taught properly. Any major changes to how we teach in the future would require considered discussion and consultation and certainly could not happen overnight. Q: I can imagine level 200 tutorials and faculty meetings could be done well through Zoom, so could that happen more often in the future? A: Well, meetings are very different from tutorials, but I believe tutorials can be adequately carried out via Zoom in a crisis situation. However, the question whether that may happen more in a normal future will require careful consideration and consultation to determine what is most effective in terms of teaching and learning. Q: To finish on a light note, what are things that you learnt in your bubble? Secondly, what are things that are a must have in your bubble? A: I have been amazed at some of the things students are sharing with me. For example, in my Media Law class, students can contribute to a Haiku wiki if they wish. Here is a fantastic haiku series I received in the first week of lockdown. Humour is a really important skill we can use to get through difficult times: 'self isolation', a haiku series: to do assignment or to rearrange all the bedroom furniture? _______ still in dressing gown at 4pm, student vows 'I'll be productive!' _______ extensions, thank God! nothing finished, but at least I wrote some haiku. Otherwise, my family, my dogs Maggie and Milo, takeaways, Mad Men, and National Theatre on YouTube are must haves in my bubble. Interview with Dr Matthew Barber (MB):Q: How has this lock down period impacted on you personally? What did your isolation bubble look like? A: I’m here with my wife and our three young children. Because we live out of Christchurch, and I work from home occasionally, I already had a good home office, so I’ve been lucky enough to be able to work effectively from home (and to still have a job at all). Q: What did you learn in your isolation bubble? A: That when you lecture in person the feedback you get from students is much more than just them asking questions. Q: What are the best things to have in your bubble? What kept your spirits up? A: Music – we have three designated lockdown albums: ‘A Gift From a Flower to a Garden’ by Donovan; ‘Endless Summer’ by the Beach Boys, which is a compilation of their earlier stuff; and ‘Ambient 1: Music for Airports’ by Brian Eno, especially useful when the kids need to calm down before going to bed. Q: What could be some of the problems that will come to light in commercial law and contracts as a result of this lock down period? A: This is likely to play out over a number of years. In contracts where frustration will not apply (mainly because of the duration of the lockdown), the actual terms of the contract will be key (and the characterisation of the lockdown with respect to the terms). This is in itself an interesting phenomenon, since the lockdown (or something like it) would likely not have been within the contemplation of the contract drafters. This may be the same for consumer contracts, since the normal guarantees and protections extended to consumers will often not be engaged in relation to the lockdown. These bad boys are the ultimate crowd-pleaser and so easy to make! Impress your bubble by whipping them up for Saturday brunch. Don’t forget to customise with your favourite toppings. If you’re a fan of Mexican food, you might like to put some classic Mexican spices in the batter. Think chilli, paprika, cumin, even a tiny bit of cinnamon! Top with fresh coriander and guacamole. This will make 12 small fritters. You can double the recipe if there are more than 3 people in your bubble (or if you’re feeling especially hungry). Creamed corn can be substituted with grated zucchini. Finely chopped red pepper can be added to the batter for a pop of colour. Disclaimer: I’m not the world’s most precise cook so all measurements are estimates! Ingredients - 1/2 can of Watties Cream Style Corn - 1 egg - Salt and pepper - 2 tablespoons of milk - Handful of chopped Parsley - 3/4 cup self raising flour - Cooking oil (olive, canola, sunflower etc) Method Beat together the eggs and milk. Stir in creamed corn, parsley, and seasoning. Fold in flour until the mix forms a thick batter. You may want to adjust the mixture with more flour or milk to reach the desired consistency. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium pan. When the oil is hot, fry fritters over medium heat. Turn halfway through and cook until golden. Rest fritters on paper towels to remove any excess oil. Serve with your favourite toppings. Options include; sweet chilli sauce and sour cream, maple syrup, salsa, poached eggs, smoked salmon, grilled bacon, sliced avocado, tomato sauce. Written by Catherine Hattaway.
Welcome to the first ever fully online edition of Obiter; how very progressive.
We are putting out this edition in the hopes of maintaining a link with members of LAWSOC during the uncertain times of present. While face to face interaction and certain beloved events have fallen to the wayside, we want to reinforce the idea that not only in our capacity as the executive, but as fellow classmates, we are doing our all to ensure the transition back to normality goes as smoothly as possible. We cannot promise you a 5% increase in grades (hey thanks mate) however we’ve chucked together a few pages of stuff to take your mind off things as you wind down after exams. In this edition we are lucky to have had Raymond Elwood contribute a significant amount of work he has undertaken, in interviewing faculty, fellow students, and practitioners. Some Obiter staples such as red card ideas are unfortunately omitted due to the current climate, however we'll give you some inspiration (free of charge) to get you through; we call it Drinking with your flat because some of them went home for lockdown, have just got back, and drinking is the social glue that binds you. It's actually remarkably simple. Purchase some vintage William Mavericks at the local; no need for refrigeration, simply leave them overnight in the living room that your landlord swears has sufficient insulation to meet the legal requirements. Just for fun, incorporate the evening news into your imbibing and take a sip every time a new story comes on that makes you want to buy 2020 a mirror so it can take a long hard look at itself. Karen does't want to wear a mask because it's an infringement of her rights? Mav. Authoritarian foreign government passing further restrictive legislation? Mav. Recession just as you are about to graduate? You know the drill. While the seamless combination of high quality bourbon and refreshing cola is obviously not a healthy long term method of therapy, it is important to make the most of a bad situation and always keep in mind that course related costs where created for the express purpose of stimulating the commerce of local liquor stores. Having said that, 2020 has obviously been a weird one so far, and keeping in mind all that has gone on, it is more important now than ever to make sure we are looking after each other. We encourage anyone struggling, whether it be due to international events or having issues winding down, to reach out to loved ones, friends, or the array of services available through UC. LMFAO (lotsa mother frigging aroha only), Ed and Islay x |
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