These Lawyers Do Care (We Swear) From: University Currents Date: April 28, 2000 Story and photo by: Carey Hoffman Phone: (513) 556-1825 Archive: Campus News, General News Laura Foster easily recalls the benefits she got from the generosity of her fellow UC law students: "Plane tickets and malaria pills." It's better than it sounds. Student donations helped provide essential funding for Foster's Summer Public Interest Fellowship two years ago in Botswana, when she interned at the Metlhaetsile Women's Information Center. Now, as the president of the college's Public Interest Law Group (PILG), Foster helped lead this year's "Give a Damn, Give a Day" campaign, which raised more than $8,000 from UC law students to support the fellowship program. Lawyers take a bad rap on a number of counts in our society, but a visit to the College of Law last week would have shown that those stereotypes don't always prove true. On one floor in the college, students and faculty donated blood to the Hoxworth Blood Center's mobile unit. On another floor, the Black Law Students Association conducted a canned food drive for Easter. And throughout the college, students anted up for PILG's campaign. "The general reaction is that everyone sees this as an opportunity to do good," says Mina Jefferson, the college's director of public service and professional development. "Most students come into law school with that as a goal, but then reality sets in, and you realize that you're headed towards private practice, and this is a way to kick in and do something good." Students in the "Give a Damn" campaign are challenged to donate a day's wages to support the PILG fellowships. PILG only has 12 members, but "the whole school gets involved in this," Foster says. "It's really a coalition effort among a number of the student groups." Summer fellowships are funded up to $2,500 by donations along with the support of benefactor Judge S. Arthur Spiegel. Thus far, six fellowships have been announced for the summer of 2000. They include: Second-year student Erin Corken, who will serve with the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London. Second-year student Natasha Jones, who will serve with Cooperation for Research Development and Education in Botswana. First-year student Anne Lucas, who will serve with the European Roma Rights Center in Budapest, Hungary. First-year student Lycette Nelson, who will serve with the Human Rights Committee of Capetown in Capetown, South Africa. Second-year student Lea Webb, who will serve with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle. Second-year student Kris Weller, who will serve with Protection Advocacy Inc. in Oakland, Calif.