Online programs offer a myriad of benefits: Flexibility, time and cost savings, improved work-life balance and connecting with a wider network, to name just a few. While you can build meaningful connections with your fellow students and professors in a 100% virtual environment, there is something to be said for meeting in person and experiencing student life first hand. This is where Tulane University Law School’s Immersion Weekend comes into play. As a student in one of Tulane’s Master of Jurisprudence programs, this weekend is your chance to get away from your everyday life and connect with your cohort and the Law School faculty and staff in person in New Orleans.
Read on to learn more about what this weekend is and how it benefits you as a student and professional. Additionally, learn more about this summer’s 2023 event to get a better idea of the experiences and benefits of the Immersion Weekend experience.
What is the Immersion Weekend?
The Immersion Weekend is a critical component to each of our Master of Jurisprudence (MJ) programs. Whether you are earning your MJ in Labor & Employment Law (MJ-LEL), the MJ in Energy Law or the MJ in Environmental Law, this weekend experience on campus in New Orleans is a program requirement. This two-day event is held every summer, which means you can attend during the first or second year of your program. While you are encouraged to attend during your first year in the program, we want you to attend the session that works best for you.
“The thing I am looking forward to about Immersion Weekend is getting to meet and connect with my students offline and in real life here on campus,” said Adjunct Professor Laura Avery.
During this weekend, you will explore the campus and the city of New Orleans as you build a deeper connection to your peers. This is an excellent time for networking, as you will meet your classmates, professors and other professionals working in your field. The connections you forge during this weekend will also benefit you academically as you continue to work with your peers and faculty in each of your online classes.
MJ-LEL student Dori Browne noted, “This is my second time attending. Immersion Weekend is great because you don’t have to see people in those little boxes anymore!”
“It’s good to see people on camera but much better to see people in person,” echoed MJ-LEL student Adam White.
Highlights of Immersion Weekend 2023
Students arrived in New Orleans, La. (NOLA) ready for a weekend of connection, insights and fun. Each program followed a tailored schedule that allowed students to get to know their faculty members and gave them the opportunity to discuss topics relevant to their focus areas.
Anticipation for the weekend was running high. “I’m looking forward to meeting my cohort of partners, meeting other students that are also HR professionals because we can bounce ideas off each other,” said MJ-LEL student Donnisha Santiago-Anderson. “I’m looking to explore the city. I love the Creole House, I love their bread pudding, so that’s my thing when I come here. Overall, I’m just looking to have a good time with colleagues and like-minded people.”
“I’m looking forward to interacting with my professors, with my cohort and getting to know them,” said MJ-LEL student Karine Kersaint-Fonrose. “I’m also looking forward to learning a lot from them so I can apply it to what I do in my daily activities.”
The MJ-LEL students started their day on Saturday, July 21, with a delicious breakfast and a chance to hear from Sally Richardson, interim dean, and Saru Matambanadzo, senior director of online programs. The morning then transitioned into a roundtable discussion—“General Counsel Roundtable: What We Wish You Knew”—led by practicing attorneys who serve as general counsel at leading corporations, large employment law firms and world famous universities.
“I’m so proud to have been a speaker at the 2023 Immersion Weekend. While here, I was able to give my perspective on life as a general counsel of a couple of companies,” said Aurelio Perez, general counsel and corporate secretary at Wonolo. “I’m just extraordinarily excited to meet the students here, to support this program at Tulane and just to be here and let all of it sink in. I look forward to doing anything I can to help support next year!”
Following a coffee break, MJ-LEL students were able to choose their own adventures by picking a faculty workshop. Students were able to choose between three live workshops with Professor Jennifer Cooper (“The State of Non-Compete Agreements,”) Professor Andrea James (“Introduction to the Metaverse”), and Professor Laura Avery (“So You’re Being Deposed: the Who, What, When, Where and Why of Depositions in Employment Cases”). These interactive workshops were designed to give a live classroom law school experience to MJ students in the LEL program.
After lunch, students made a trip to the bookstore and had a chance to get their student ID cards. Getting their official Tulane ID cards solidified the fact that the MJ law students are indeed an important part of the Tulane community. Then, they met with attorneys from Ellis Investigations (Professor Tracy Law), the New York City on Human Rights (Mr. Michael Griffin), and Reed Williams (Donald Reed Williams, Jr.) to learn more about state-based employment law.
After enjoying snoballs and a second line (more on these later), the night was concluded with dinner and a keynote address from Tulane Law JD alumna Professor D. Wendy Green, director of the Center for Law Policy & Social Action at Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law. She is founder of Free the Hair, an organization that celebrates and advocates “the right for people of color to freely wear their hair as it naturally grows or in accordance with their personal choice.”
On Sunday, July 22, students began the day with a presentation on the history and future of organizational labor, led by a Professor Ashley Banks, staff attorney for the Federal Courts, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Professor Camille Walsh, legal historian from the University of Washington, Bothell, and Ms. Ramya Ravindran, member at the law firm Bredhoff & Kaiser and former counsel for the National Basketball Association Union. During the panel, students were able to ask questions about the limits of unfair labor practices and gain insight into the history of organized labor in the United States. Students then participated in an alumni roundtable, which gave them the chance to hear from leading alumni who have used the program to thrive and grow in the profession:
- Dr. Karyn Collins, Regional Director of Legendary People (Texas Roadhouse)
- Brad Eddy, Senior People Leader (DoorDash)
- Pavithri Kilgore, Owner/Consultant (KPSK Consulting)
- Gary Maxwell, Human Resources Specialist (Wayne County, Michigan)
Saturday afternoon featured a director’s forum, where Professor Beth Ribet, Professor Mariya Volzshkaya and Mr. Micharl Razeeq addressed cutting edge issues in disability law and universal design, pension benefits law and privacy law in private companies. The afternoon ended with a social media game show, where the MJ law students did a scavenger experience, becoming intimately familiar with Weinmann Hall and all of the secrets it holds for those who study there. Finally, the weekend was capped off with camaraderie, fun and drinks. The Master of Jurisprudence students enjoyed a delicious dinner of authentic New Orleans food and drinks at Mulate’s New Orleans Cajun Restaurant.
Tulane Law School’s First Immersion Weekend for the Master of Jurisprudence Degrees in Energy Law and Environmental Law
For the first time, Tulane Law held a comprehensive Immersion Weekend experience for its students in the online Master of Jurisprudence Program in Energy Law and the online Master of Jurisprudence Program in Environmental Law. Students in these programs experienced New Orleans through energy and environmental law field trips. Led by Faculty Director Mark Davis and Deputy Director Chris Dalbom, students visited the IHNC-Lake Borgne Surge Barrier to understand the nature of coastal living in New Orleans and the impact that climate change will have on the delicate balance of the Gulf South. To focus on energy resilience, students also visited the Valero Solar Array.
During the academic panels, MJ Energy Law and MJ Environmental Law students heard from leading voices in energy law and environmental law from organizations like Earthjustice, Entergy, Valero and leading attorneys from firms like Hinshaw & Culbertson and Walzer, Wiygul and Garside. During Friday evening, Ms. Manisha Patel, deputy executive director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Counsel, provided a keynote speech. Professor Larry Kahn and students from the program also presented insightful original research.
Sampling the NOLA Lifestyle
A highlight for all Immersion Weekend participants was the chance to get more familiar with New Orleans culture. NOLA is a vibrant city with a storied history. Students attending the Immersion Weekend were able to indulge in the cuisine and the music.
“I love Immersion Weekend. One of the reasons why I love Immersion Weekend and why I’m looking forward to it so much is because this is the first time we’re having a Second Line and really bringing a taste of New Orleans to our students this year,” said Professor Matambanadzo.
Students enjoyed a Louisiana staple, the snoball. The snoball is the icy cousin of the snow cone and is a tradition in many cities and towns across the southern part of the state. The first “Sno-Bliz” machine was developed in 1934 by Ernest Hansen.1 This sweet treat is made of shaved ice and topped with any number of flavors. Immersion Weekend participants got the chance to try a snoball and cool down as they pursued various cohort tables and continued to get to know their peers.
Students were escorted to the keynote speaker on the first night by a second line brass band, the Saints Storyville Jazz Band (the official band that plays at all New Orleans Saints home games). Second lines are a quintessential New Orleans Experience for all of Tulane Law Students. Second lines began with the African-American community as a part of neighborhood celebrations, and they were also used to honor members of the community who had died, which popularized second lines at funerals.2
These jazz funerals play a sad dirge to the cemetery to mourn the lives of those who passed on. On the way from the cemetery, however, a joyful vibrant selection of brass band jazz music is played to celebrate the life of the deceased. When encountered out and about in the city, anyone is welcome to join in behind the musicians as they make their way through the streets. Of course the Immersion Weekend second line was all about celebrating life, learning and new opportunities.
Check out some snapshots of the 2023 Immersion Weekend:
Learn Online and Benefit from In-Person Immersion With Tulane Law
Are you ready to level up your career with a legal education without having to earn a JD? Tulane University Law School is pleased to offer an array of world-class educational opportunities online. Grow your expertise by earning one of our three innovative MJ degrees. Develop comprehensive legal knowledge to excel in HR and related-fields with the online MJ-LEL program. Master complex and evolving regulatory frameworks with the online MJ in Energy Law program or MJ in Environmental Law program.
Our master of jurisprudence students are more responsive than outside counsel, more innovative than the legislature and are faster than the courts. Create legal policies that drive real change at your organization or in your field.
Ready to get started? Apply online. Or, if you want to learn more, get in touch with our helpful admissions team. Schedule a call at your convenience to get your questions answered.
- Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from explorelouisiana.com/blog/snoballs-quick-history-louisianas-coolest-treat
- Retrieved on August 8, 2023, from neworleans.com/things-to-do/music/history-and-traditions/second-lines/