Students join SALT advisory council

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Two Penn State Law students were recently selected to join the Society of American Law Teachers’ (SALT) Student Advisory Council. Carlos Camandang, a rising 3L, and Umme Kulsoom Arif, a rising 2L, will join nine other students from law schools across the country, including representatives from American University, Loyola New Orleans College of Law, and University of Minnesota, on the council for the 2017-18 academic year. Both students were nominated to the group by Dean Hari Osofsky, based on their tremendous contributions to Penn State Law and its community.

“Both Carlos Camandang and Umme Kulsoom Arif have contributed so much to the Penn State Law community through their leadership on diversity and social justice issues,” said Osofsky. “I am delighted that they both were selected for the SALT Student Advisory Council. I know they will both contribute a great deal to SALT’s efforts nationally, and am looking forward to mentoring them."

SALT is a community of law teachers, administrators, librarians, students, and affiliates working to advance justice, diversity, and academic excellence in the legal field. The organization developed the Student Advisory Council last year in order to continue the advancement of legal education by connecting law students with professors working to better the educational experience, and create an open dialogue through direct lines of communication. Each student member of the council is assigned a SALT board member as a mentor, serves on SALT committees, and has the opportunity to attend board meetings. In its inaugural year, the council saw great success, and plans to build on that moving forward.

“As someone who is invested in diversity, progressive ideals, and academic excellence, I am honored to be a part of SALT, and am excited to begin my tenure,” said Camandang. “To be able to give back to a community that helped me to get where I am today through mentoring and scholarship is something I aspire to, so being part of SALT takes me closer to that goal.”

Both Arif and Camandang will participate in the council throughout the school year, beginning over the summer months, as last year’s incumbent cohort members will help to transition the duties and responsibilities to new members.

As the council prepares for its second year, anticipation runs high among members.

“As a part of SALT, I hope to explore ways to make the law school classroom a place that affirms the voices of minority students instead of shutting them out or treating their experiences and interpretations of the law as ‘out of the norm,’” said Arif. “Anything the Council has to teach me, I will learn!”