First Day Of Class

The day had come. The day where all of us would finally be doing what we were sent to Columbia to do. Irene and I arrived at our classroom in Hamilton Hall and I was surprised to see that we were in a lecture hall with 3 instructors. Our class had somewhere in between 20-30 students which surprised me because I had expected our class to be the American Presidential Powers course where there is about 15 students. Once the clock struck 10 AM, our instructors introduced themselves and explained that our entire class would meet together for the morning session with Ms. Rader and will spend the afternoon session divided among into three rooms with each group being taught by either Ms.Rader, Mr. Lenowitz, or Ms. Krimmel. Fortunately, Irene and I will be taught by the same instructor which is nice because it’s reassuring to have a familiar face in a new environment.

When we dived into the meat of the class, I was hooked. I found that the discussions that we will have once we cover the basics will be extremely interesting. For example, each citizen is entitled to equal protection from discrimination for race, religion, gender, and veteran status. While “white” and “black” bathrooms are prohibited due to equal protection for race, what about male and women bathrooms? In addition to this question, there are always the core debates for issues such as gun control. Those who want to purchase whatever weapons they wish will argue that according to the second amendment it’s “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” while gun control advocates will argue that the second amendment wasn’t intended for anyone to purchase a weapon of their choice unless it is for “a well regulated militia” or “being necessary to the security of a free state.” I am truly looking forward to learning how to make convincing arguments based on the Constitution by reading the opinions of cases written by likes of Chief Justice Roberts.

Moreover, I really think I’m going to enjoy the afternoon session classes because of the small class size, nine students, which allows for great discussions regarding interpretations of the Constitution. While I will be learning from justices, I have a lot to learn from others in my class, many of whom are aspiring lawyers. I cannot wait to learn how to take the vague laws of country and make a decision whether or not something such as is the same privacy guaranteed to a motor home as a house, or is a motor home guaranteed the same privacy as a vehicle?

This is what I have been waiting for!