On The Move - Winter 2020

COLLEGE OF LAW
PROFESSOR MICHAEL
MASLANKA, UNTD
COLLEGE OF LAW, GOES
INTERNATIONAL
Assistant
Professor of Law
Michael Maslanka
interviewed with
Aljazeera, the
international news
conglomerate
which reports from Doha, Qatar and
London, England regarding California’s
Proposition 22. The proposition
passed with 58 percent support, and
allows firms like Uber to classify their
drivers as independent contractors,
dodging state requirements for labor
protections and workers’ benefits.
Maslanka specializes in Labor Law and
his legal opinion and expertise are
respected throughout the U.S.
and internationally.
“This is a fierce fight that has been
going on for years,” said Maslanka.
“Those regulations are very, very
pro-employer.” Maslanka views
the California proposition as a
precursor to a vast number of future
litigations in employer protection
against contractors.
The College of Law continues to make
extraordinary strides for such a young
institution, evidenced by the exemplary
competitive showing of its students
(see article below) and the consistently
increasing number of applications
received each semester. For Fall 2020,
the College of Law’s enrollment is up
3% in headcount and 9% in
credit hours.
UNT DALLAS & UNT DALLAS LAW STUDENTS
SPEAK TO THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
REGARDING SENATOR KAMALA HARRIS, THE
NEW VICE-PRESIDENT ELECT
For Black female college students —
especially those who took part in the
election and mobilized around it — Vice-
President Elect Kamala Harris’ ascension
into the vice presidency resonated deeply.
Artichala Wise, a 25-yearold
second-year student
at the University of North
Texas at Dallas College of
Law, said Harris holding
such a powerful role
is “comforting to me,
just knowing that we are represented, that
African-American women have a voice.
It just resonates with me so much more,
because of that representation for Black
women, who have been a very pivotal
backbone for the Democratic Party, for them
to be seen.”
Fellow second-year
student Jordan Avery
Garrett, 26, was in ninth
grade when Barack
Obama first won the
presidency in 2008. She
recalled her mother and
grandmother, both from Chicago, weeping
during his first inaugural address. “It’s
inspirational for young girls, who might
have had dreams of doing more, but might
have been told to ‘Stay in your lane.’ There
is no lane. [Harris] has broken glass ceilings,
UNT DALLAS COLLEGE
OF LAW WINS
AIA DALLAS
DESIGN AWARD
Congratulations to UNT Dallas College of
Law for receiving another preservation
honor. The AIA Dallas Design Awards has
designated the UNT Dallas Law Center as
a 2020 Winner for its responsiveness to
beauty, poetry, site condition and context,
inspiration, process, and environmental,
economic, and social impact. The purpose
of the awards program is to honor the
architects, clients and consultants who
work together to achieve design excellence.
not just for black women, but for all
women.” Garrett said.
This election, however, was different. Wise
and Garrett, both members of the school’s
Black Law Students Association, took part in
peaceful protests in downtown Dallas over
the summer and helped register voters.
Jessica Armstead, a
31-year-old junior at
the University of North
Texas at Dallas, said
Harris’ election should
eliminate any stigma
for students choosing a HBCU or minoritymajority
college like UNT-Dallas over
prestigious private schools or large state
universities. “It just opens so many doors;
it shows me the sky’s the limit,” Armstead
said.Mock Trial, Moot Court and Tax Law.
These accomplishments at the regional
level strongly suggest that UNT Dallas
College of Law students are suitably
matched against peers from larger — and
less affordable — programs.
UNT DALLAS LAW
TAKES INAUGURAL
DFW MOCK
TRIAL COMPETITION
Congratulations to UNT Dallas COL students
Fernando Leal-Calandra, Chase Miller,
Anthony Lyons and Aubrey Eyrolles for their
First-Place win at the 1st Annual Metroplex
Mock Trial Competition. The competition
was held on October 27th in Dallas. Coached
by Profs. Tony Kolenc and Wes Moore, UNT
Dallas Law students outperformed SMU
Dedman School of Law and Texas A&M
Law School.
Special congratulations to Fernando Leal-
Calandra as he also was awarded Best
Advocate for the entire competition!
10 ON THE MOVE | WINTER 2020