Academic Committee Hosts Annual Holiday Lunch

It was unseasonably warm on Thursday, December 16, when the Academic Committee hosted their Annual Holiday Lunch in the outdoor dining structure at Wu’s Wonton King in Manhattan Chinatown. Although Academic Committee Co-Chair Tom Lee (Fordham) wasn’t able to make it, Co-Chairs Elaine Chiu (St. John’s), Catherine Kim (Brooklyn), and Donna Lee (CUNY) happily hosted a select gathering, including Board Liaison Suzanne Kim, for a delicious holiday lunch that included shrimp & pork wonton (naturally), as well as a whole fried fish, crispy chicken, and a variety of dim sum dishes. All were grateful to AABANY member Chris Kwok for curating the menu, and to members Francis Chin and Shirley Lin for gracing the gathering with their presence. Lunch conversation ranged far and wide, and included discussion of emojis, and particularly the yellow colored “hands” on Zoom, e.g., the thumb’s up and thank you/high five/prayer emojis. Luncheon participants discussed the importance of distinguishing between “YBD” and “YBC.” Ask yourselves and your colleagues – are you “yellow by default” or “yellow by choice”?  Happy Holidays to All! To learn more about the Academic Committee go to https://www.aabany.org/page/352.

AABANY Hosts Weekly Membership Mixer Featuring the Academic Committee on January 22

On January 22, 2021, the Membership Committee hosted their weekly virtual Membership Mixer, with 20 participants in attendance. This week AABANY featured the Academic Committee represented by Co-Chairs Elaine Chiu, James Cho, Suzanne Kim, and Donna Lee. They shared with the group their career paths from being practitioners to professors, gave tips on how to become adjunct professors, and took questions about careers in academia.

This week, the ice breaker question to participants was: “What was your favorite law school class?” Participants responded that their favorite classes were property, criminal law, corporations, evidence, civil procedure, constitutional law, critical race theory, international human rights, law of international development, civil rights, and law and the movies.

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc, but due to COVID, we have moved online to offer members a weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but many often stay on after 7:30pm for smaller breakout groups.

Membership Committee will continue to host weekly virtual mixers until it is safe to gather together again in person. 

We are giving away door prizes at some of the mixers. In order to win, you must be a member and must RSVP on the calendar entry on the AABANY website to get a raffle number. Non-members can join the mixer but won’t be eligible to win a prize. 

Congratulations to Dianna Lam for winning this week’s prize: a full HD 1080p webcam with microphone and ring light! May your online courses at Fordham go smoothly, and your classmates and professors see and hear you in the best light!

Please join us on January 29, 2021 for our Meet the Board series, featuring Andy Yoo. Register by Thursday, Jan. 28, at https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1468892.