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Eric Adams spent 22 years as an NYPD cop before turning to politics and in his first month as mayor of New York City, it has sometimes seemed like he never left the job. Often clad in an NYPD jacket, hes been racing to crime scenes like the officer he once was making his physical presence just as central to his crime response as his policy platform.

Adams started his first day in office with a call to 911 from a subway platform to report a fight among a group of men. From there, hes spoken at vigils for a baby shot and the Bronx and a woman shoved to her death in front of a subway train. Hes rushed to hospitals where police officers were being treated for gunshot wounds. Hes headed to police headquarters to announce an arrest in the armed robbery death of a young Burger King cashier.

The mayors tendency to be always on the scene is no accident, as Erin reports. Doesnt matter to me if its a police officer shot, or if its a baby shot. Im going to stay in these streets until this city is safe, Adams said in the Bronx last week.

Backers say hes sending an important signal that hes personally invested in New Yorkers safety. But critics say that by still thinking like a cop, the mayor is placing too much trust in a police force with a long history of abuses and too little emphasis on social services and other strategies to reduce crime. Theyre skeptical of both his public persona and his policy proposals, like reviving the NYPD anti-crime unit and rolling back limits on bail.

Showing up is a critical part of the job, said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who endorsed Adams. It signals to folks that this is a mayor whos not going to tolerate the Wild Wild West in our city. But he added that Adams would have to back up his public pronouncements with funding in his upcoming first budget for housing, social services, and neighborhood crisis management teams. Without these things, we can have all the rhetoric in the world, but youll still continue to see shootings.

ITS FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: [emailprotected] and [emailprotected], or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold

WHERES KATHY? Attends funeral services for NYPD Officer Jason Rivera and holds a snowstorm briefing in Suffolk County.

WHERES ERIC? Speaking at the funeral of Police Officer Jason Rivera and giving a snowstorm briefing.

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Mayor Adams Was Granted A Waiver To Hire His Brother At $1 Yearly Salary, by WNYCs Brigid Bergin: Mayor Eric Adams brother will not be raking in the big bucks as head of mayoral security. Instead, Bernard Adams has been granted a waiver by the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) to serve as senior advisor for mayoral security for the nominal salary of $1 a year, allowing him to become an official city employee. The details of COIBs decision are outlined in a written response to the mayors office that Gothamist/WNYC obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request. On Wednesday, COIB sent the opinion to the mayors counsel, Brendan McGuire, which made clear that City Hall walked back its initial plan to pay Adams brother a hefty $210,000 salary but instead sought a waiver for him to play an uncompensated role in the administration, in keeping with the precedents set by previous administrations.

Sarah Palin Dined At Multiple Restaurants After Getting COVID, by Gothamists Jake Offenhartz: Sarah Palin is not letting COVID-19 stop her from enjoying New York Citys culinary offerings. The former Alaska governor returned to Elio's restaurant Wednesday night and dined outdoors just days after it was revealed she tested positive for COVID-19. Palin, who has touted the fact that she is not vaccinated, was seen dining inside the Upper East Side Italian restaurant on Saturday, before her diagnosis. The city requires proof of vaccination to eat indoors. And WNYC/Gothamist confirmed the former vice presidential candidate dined al fresco Tuesday night at Campagnola, another Italian restaurant in the area. The city will not be penalizing Elios for Palins indoor dining on Saturday, City Hall said, because the city does not issue violations unless they are directly observed by an inspector. The vaccine requirement does not extend to outdoor dining.

NYC mayor blasts Palin for dining while infected with Covid-19, by POLITICOs Joe Anuta: On Thursday, the mayor's office said her behavior was putting New Yorkers at risk. By repeatedly flouting CDC guidelines, Ms. Palin has shown a complete disregard for the health and safety of small business workers and her fellow patrons," mayoral spokesperson Jonah Allon said in a statement.

Bribery Case Casts a Shadow Over Eric Adamss Public Safety Chief, by The New York Times Michael Rothfeld, William K. Rashbaum and Jan Ransom: His voice was recorded on federal wiretaps. His luxury overseas trips were scrutinized. His massages, golf outings and steak dinners were carefully cataloged. In the end, U.S. prosecutors documented a range of questionable behavior by Philip Banks III: As a top New York City police official, he accepted paid vacations to the Dominican Republic and Los Angeles, sushi platters, cigars even a ring worn by Muhammad Ali from two businessmen who sought power through connections to New York City leaders. The conduct, detailed by federal investigators, revealed a willingness by Mr. Banks to embrace favor seekers while occupying a powerful government position. It also led prosecutors to label him an unindicted co-conspirator in an expansive corruption scheme.

City Hall has yet to request a waiver to allow Banks to collect his deputy mayor salary on top of his NYPD pension.

New $4B terminal completed at LaGuardia airport, by POLITICOs Erin Durkin: LaGuardia Airports new $4 billion Terminal B has been completed, officials announced Thursday. The overhauled terminal is part of a $8 billion rebuilding of the notorious airport, which broke ground in 2016. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams visited LaGuardia Thursday morning to mark the completion of the new terminal at an airport that President Joe Biden, when he was vice president in 2014, compared to a third world country. Were going to invite President Biden here and when he takes off the blindfold and sees this hell know that we listened, Hochul said. We have literally gone from worst to best, and I love it. The new terminal features 1.35 million square feet of space, 35 gates and a 3,000-car parking garage.

Youth, Advocates See Pros and Cons in Adams Sprawling Public Safety Proposals, by The Citys Eileen Grench: Mayor Eric Adams made a last-minute visit to Horizon Juvenile Center in The Bronx on Thursday afternoon, following reports of a hostage situation there early Tuesday morning, as teen detainees allegedly threatened staff with makeshift weapons and stole their keys. The hastily announced trip, which was closed to journalists, was the latest big move for a new administration that has had a plate full of youth justice issues in its first month. From his support of gang raids and violence interrupters, to a new plan to improve youth employment and help pledged for foster and homeless teens, and now Thursdays listening session with juvenile detention guards, Adams has touted a broad strategy he calls intervention and prevention.

16 Men Died in New York City Jails Last Year. Who Were They?, by The New York Times Michael Wilson and Chelsia Rose Marcius

The odds are stacked against Tom Suozzi. So why does he think he can beat Hochul?, by POLITICOs Anna Gronewold: Just 6 percent of New York Democrats would back Rep. Tom Suozzi for governor, according to the most recent polling, which tied him for last place. The chair of the state party is publicly encouraging him to drop his primary challenge against Gov. Kathy Hochul, who both the right and left called a political force even before she announced a $21 million war chest and a budget full of spending for all. But Suozzi has a plan. It requires roughly $15 million, a very specific coalition of support and for New York voters to hold a level of mistrust toward Hochuls fledgling administration, according to an internal memo shared with POLITICO that lays out the campaigns next steps. The three-term congressman from Long Island, who also ran a long-shot gubernatorial primary against then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in 2006, said he wont be daunted by the perceived long odds.

Suozzi assailed Hochuls proposal to eliminate single-family zoning laws.

Adams Once Lobbied For Raise The Age Law Now His Push To Roll It Back Faces Headwinds In Albany, by WNYCs Gwynne Hogan: In Mayor Eric Adams telling, kids are increasingly falling prey to adults who put guns in their hands an unintended consequence of criminal justice reforms in Albany. As he unveiled his plan to combat an alarming and continued spike in gun violence during a City Hall speech this week, Adams warned, far too many men above the age of 18 are victimizing children by forcing them to carry the weapons. Children are being used as pawns. He then suggested a rollback of the states Raise the Age law, a hard-won piece of legislation that civil rights leaders and Adams himself had lobbied for for years before it was passed in 2017.

New Yorks Landmark Water Testing Law Hinges on State Health Department, by New York Focuss Peter Mantius: Six years after New York health officials were caught flat-footed by a water contamination crisis in Hoosick Falls, the state is set to require what may be the most extensive drinking water testing program in the nation for the PFAS family of forever chemicals. But the laws impact will depend on the approach taken by the state Department of Health an agency with a history of dragging its feet in implementing water quality legislation and the state Drinking Water Quality Council that advises it.

Fewer New York schools face financial strain, by Spectrums Nick Reisman: Only a fraction of the state's more than 670 school districts are under some form of financial strain as of June, according to a report released Thursday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. All told, 23 school districts in New York have been designated as fiscally stressed, down from 31 districts a year ago. The report found New York school districts have largely weathered the financial headwinds created by the COVID pandemic, which had led to uncertainty over state funding and the potential to have tax revenue depleted. The report does not include the state's four largest school districts, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers.

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NYC public defenders call on Biden to visit troubled Rikers Island on his NYC trip, by New York Daily News John Annese: New York Citys public defender services want President Biden to visit Rikers Island when he comes to the city next week to get a first-hand look at the crisis conditions at the troubled jail complex. Biden is slated to meet with Mayor Adams in Manhattan next Thursday to focus on the presidents comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime, the White House announced Wednesday.

He Stole From Me: Stormy Daniels Testifies at Avenatti Trial, by The New York Times Colin Moynihan: Stormy Daniels, the pornographic film star whose lawsuit against then-President Donald J. Trump was at the center of a 2018 scandal, took the stand as a witness in Federal District Court in Manhattan on Thursday in a different matter: the trial of Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who led her explosive lawsuit but who now stands accused of stealing from her. He stole from me and lied to me, Ms. Daniels testified after taking the stand shortly after 11 a.m. Mr. Avenatti, who is serving as his own lawyer in the trial, is expected to question Ms. Daniels himself during cross-examination.

A wake was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral for slain NYPD Police Officer Jason Rivera.

Environmentalists are asking the state to deny a permit to National Grid to expand a Greenpoint natural gas plant.

The city Economic Development Corporation approved up to $62 million in new spending on the NYC Ferry system.

Its going to snow this weekend, possibly a lot.

A Manhattan restaurant had to stop serving 25-cent martinis with lunch after the State Liquor Authority intervened.

A gun was found underneath a toilet used by detainees in NYPDs 110th Precinct in Elmhurst.

More than 2,400 parents who kept their children home from school due to Covid-19 fears were reported for neglect.

Before mid-winter break, New York Citys Department of Education is sending K-12 students home with Covid-19 testing kits.

An Asian woman was struck in the face last week in Brooklyn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.) Fed Vice Chair nominee Lael Brainard is 6-0 former Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.) Alexandra Thornton Clears Maria Comella CNNs Jay McMichael Justin Fox Ellen Hershkin is 75 Donna Redel ... Shalom David Staub ... Jonathan Barnett ... Perry Bloch

KNOWING FRED DIXON Meet the man responsible for bringing tourists back to New York City, by The Points Guys Scott Mayerowitz

MEDIAWATCH Vanessa Mobley will join the NYT as head of the op-ed team. Shes coming from the book publishing world, most recently as VP and executive editor at Little, Brown and Co. Brian Zittel is also expanding his role to be managing editor for op-ed and newsletters. Announcement Adam Aston will join RMI in the new role of chief storyteller. He previously co-founded the NYTs T Brand Studio and was founding editor of BusinessWeeks green business beat. (h/t POLITICO Playbook)

MAKING MOVES Hope Arcuri has been promoted to be senior officer for global communications at the International Rescue Committee. She most recently was a global communications officer for the organization. Anna Maria Atanaszov is leaving the Hungarian Embassy in Washington where she has been head of press and is getting posted to the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the UN where she will be a diplomat responsible for the UNs Second (Economic and Financial) Committee and press.

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Will the City Council approve a Harlem development over the wishes of the socialist local member?, by City & States Jeff Coltin: Its a brand new day in the New York City Council and the next land use battle is already brewing over a project in Harlem, pitting a new council member with few political allies against power players such as the Rev. Al Sharpton. And even though City Council Member Kristin Richardson Jordan has drawn a line in the sand opposing the upzoning to allow the One45/ Museum of Civil Rights project, the developer is going forward with the application. That means the City Council under Speaker Adrienne Adams could once again buck member deference the de facto policy of voting with the local member on land use matters.

Tax Lien Sales Tick Toward Expiration Date Without Alternative in Sight, by The Citys Samantha Maldonado: New York Citys controversial tax lien sales system for collecting unpaid property and water debts expires at the end of next month without any clear path toward what comes next. Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams have both come out against the longtime practice of selling off tax liens to investors, which generates tens of millions of dollars each year and steps up pressure on property owners to pay their bills. The city sold the liens from 2,841 properties in December 2021. It was the first sale since May 2019, after postponing the 2020 sale because of the pandemic.

Turns Out the Standard Hotel Was Literally Falling Apart, by Curbeds Caroline Spivack: Over the past year, anyone visiting the High Line would have to pass under a stretch of scaffolding that surrounded the Standard Hotel. Nothing out of the ordinary for a New York building. Probably a renovation, one might think for the briefest moment before proceeding with their day. In fact, its been up so long that you would be forgiven for completely forgetting that a surfboard-size hunk of cement-and-fiberglass paneling had fallen from the 12th story of the hotel and crashed onto the roof of a neighboring building last January.

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The mayor is an ex-cop, and it shows - Politico

NEW HAVEN Thirty years have passed since Anna Deavere Smith conducted dozens of interviews surrounding the tragic incidents in Crown Heights, a suburb of New York City, that highlighted an accident that resulted in the death of a 7-year-old Black child and the stabbing of a Jewish scholar visiting from Australia.

Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities will be unveiled dramatically at Long Wharf Theatre until Sunday.

It is a disturbing portrait of the racial differences that divide us.

Smith has woven these interviews, using the participants own words, into a personal and powerful reflection of the actions that became the Crown Heights riots in 1991.

On a distinctly African set by Diggle, with sand as a continuum of Black culture and its grounding, the remarkable actress Cloteal L. Horne creates the identity of 26 people from both the Black and Jewish community who are intimately involved in the tragedy.

From well-known personalities such as the Rev. Al Sharpton and activist Angela Davis to Orthodox Jewish women and revered rabbis, the story of the events unfolds in dramatic fashion, as each participant explains their unique perspective on difficult events.

With bare feet and only a few props, and a change in accent and personality, Horne is able to skillfully make each voice distinct and state their message of responsibility clearly. The whole picture becomes clear as so many tragedies are wrapped into one.

Each member of the community has been deeply affected by loss, from the Jewish driver who accidentally kills the little boy to the brother of the Jewish scholar who is the unfortunate victim of retribution by a gang of Black youth.

Along the way, slavery is revealed as a crime against humanity where 250 million are lost over 300 years. It is contrasted with the Holocaust and its toll of 6 million lives taken by the Nazis. Anti-Semitism is exposed as a deep-seated hatred.

The play ends with a communal call: We deserve a better world and Healing is possible.

Nicole Brewer directs this emotional outpouring of testimony.

Theater goers must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask while in the theater.

Be part of the audience that honors the lives lost in Crown Heights Brooklyn and ensures that the anger and rage that prompted it never happen again.

For tickets ($59), call Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Drive, at 203-693-1486 or visit longwharf.org. Performances are Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m, Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

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Theater review: New Long Wharf show honors lives lost in Crown Heights - Middletown Press

In this episode of On Record PR, Gina Rubel goes on record with Maria Feeley, the Chief Legal Officer of Washington and Lee University, to discuss the important role of the general counsel in times of crisis and GCs expectations of outside counsel.

In my experiences, crisis and reputational management issues come in all shape, sizes, and flavors. They each have a unique set of circumstances around them, but they can each have an equally devastating impact on reputation, brand management, and relationships with key stakeholders. They can result in, a firestorm or even, what can be a more damaging these days is a social media storm. Ive been in various roles, I currently chair a college board and have been outside counsel and inside counsel to various institutions from an elite liberal arts college with a $2 billion plus endowment, a large public HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to a university with seven different colleges, and a more modest under $200 million endowment. Then I chaired the board of a small school thats been around for a hundred years but doesnt have anywhere near those resources.

One thing Ive realized is that none of those institutions are immune to crisis, and theres so much overlap in the types of situations that they could face and, and what they can do to prepare. Some examples at one of the institutions, I was there in my first year with a new president and there was a horrific viral internet story. The hashtag was justice for jazzy. I wont go into the horrific details of what one first year student did to another. Twitter was angry and rightfully so and we were being tweeted at, by Jesse Williams, Van Jones, Al Sharpton. We were on MSNBC every night for a while. That was followed by a Title IX lawsuit involving a division one athlete and coach, which gets more attention when youre talking about D1 athletes.

Then we had a stabbing on our campus during accepted students day.

Not only do we have our normal population, but we had all the visiting high school seniors and their parents during a lockdown with the police trying to find the perpetrator. We had an NCAA investigation and negotiated public resolution, which you can also read about. After a while, I was the athletic director, the department thrived, we had our mens of all teams first ever NCAA tournament appearance. as a reward, a few months later, the board voted to go from D1 to D3. Theres now a federal lawsuit pending and relentless media coverage. So, thats just one institutions array of issues that youve got to manage. When I was at an HBCU, at my first public board meeting, they fired the first female president in the institutions history a year and a half into her contract. Two days later, most of the cabinet was separated from the institution.

A few months later, there was a shooting at homecoming resulting in the death of student followed by a football concussion lawsuit.Even at the small liberal arts college, right outside Philadelphia, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, I oversaw a presidential search where we selected to hire the first male president in the history of the institution that until 10 or so years ago was all female. As you can imagine, some people understood the decision, but a lot of alums needed some careful attention in communication. The array of issues that can come at you and turn into something that you didnt expect. Within hours. Theres a lot of things to think about when youre trying to avoid or successfully manage a crisis.

Gina Rubel: Whats fascinating as both lawyers, we deal with reputation, manage crisis communications, and litigation communications. I cant tell you how many lawyers dont appreciate the importance of those issues and dont understand the language of brand management. Theres so much opportunity to add value to the services corporate law firms provide as outside counsel by understanding how these issues interplay with everything.

Hopefully, youve figured that out before the crisis. Its not just as a GC sitting with my board chair hat on. Whenever you get involved at a high level or C-level position or board level governance position with an institution, youve got to do an assessment first. Youve got to figure out what talent is there and who is going to be able to be on the team to successfully navigate through these reputational issues. You might inherit a great team with pros that have connections to the media that know how to talk to the media, or you might inherit a very green team. You might have a first-time president or a first-time board chair or your PR office might not be local. You might have somebody that came from another state, and they have great contacts in Wisconsin, but they dont have any in Georgia where you might be located.

Assessing your team first is important because if you dont know everybodys skillset and experience levels going into a crisis, then you dont know whos capable to do what it takes to manage through a crisis. Thats one thing that I recommend doing. Take the temperature of everybody, get a sense of who is going to be on that team when youre in crisis mode. That is the first thing that a GC or any high-level executive should do when they join an organization.

It is interesting to me how different institutions are in terms of how they identify and choose board members. Most of my experience is in the nonprofit, higher education sector. Corporate is very different and its changing a lot as you have places trying to help diversify boards. But in higher ed space, I find its unique to each institution. One of the things that Ive tried to do as a board chair is to be much more strategic in identifying people to be on the board and to orienting them. They might not know that theyre going to create a crisis, or they might not understand what their role is. You must train them and orient them and educate them about what it means to be on a board. Teach them how, if they speak and purport to be speaking on behalf of an institution, they could create a firestorm. Teach them what to do if they are contacted by the media. Teach them not to speak off-the-cuff and to know the protocol.

Do you train board members around a crisis plan and how crises are managed?

I do. This has been a subject matter expertise area for me, I find that it is way better to train people or educate people or provide them with information well before they need it than to be scrambling at the end to try to control your message, to decide whos going to be the point of contact for media inquiries. I have a very short orientation for new board members that I like to do because you dont want to provide too much information. You want to provide the most important information right away. For me, one of the most important things is understanding that when you are on a board, youre part of a governing body, you shouldnt go rogue and individually do things. That includes speaking or responding to the media and leaking to the media. That is part of the training that I do with the board that I chair. When Im asked to train boards at other institutions, I always incorporate that information.

As I indicated earlier, brand reputation issues, crises, they come in all different sizes, shapes, and forms. They require unique responses to some extent, but there are some things that you can do well in advance before a potential crisis is even on your radar. I include that in planning. From my perspective, there are things that you could do to lay the groundwork so that you are well prepared to navigate quickly. The first few hours of a crisis can be critical. You should already have some things in place so that youre nimble and able to do things quickly. For example, I mentioned assessing the team is the first thing that you want to do but build the right relationships early so that you are not picking up the phone to call an external crisis management firm when the crisis has already been going on for a few hours.

Have that relationship now because you want those external partners to already know your institution, to know the key players, to know your state stakeholders, to understand your culture. How are they going to give you quick and good advice if they dont know you? You want advice thats narrowly tailored to your institution and your specific situation. Building those relationships immediately when you enter the job is important. Then you need to build those internal relationships so that you will be a trusted advisor. How could you be a trusted advisor if people dont know you? It takes some time to build trust. The other thing that is important is to figure out the central point of contact, particularly if theres anticipated litigation. Its important to determine whos going to be central command. Is it going to be in the GCs office? Is it going to be in your marketing and communications office or is it going to be somewhere else because of who you have on the team? Identifying that person so that everybody knows who it is before a crisis is important. You can get into trouble if the right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing, and then you can end up having inconsistent messages and your strategy wont be consistent and on point. Those are two things you could do early on. Building those external partnerships, internal relationships and make sure whos going to be on the team and whos going to take the lead when youre in a situation. If you havent done that before you are in the situation that can eat up a lot of valuable time.

Gina Rubel: One of the things to add to that, especially for our audience of listeners, which is both in-house marketers at law firms and lawyers themselves is to understand when they play a role as well. The type of crisis is going to dictate when your outside counsel is going to need to be a part of that team. Thats defined in your plan based on the type of crisis. If its a cyber breach, for example, you may have your privacy counsel available. Somebody who works in data security available, but you also know that you must contact your insurance provider first, because the cyber policy says that.

Yes, but not connected to the law firm, but outsourced by the law firm. I deal with a lot of big firms that I trust that their very experienced attorneys, have been through this, and they know how to deal with the media. I much prefer to have a relationship where even if the main partner at the firm, doesnt have the subject matter expertise for the particular issue that Im dealing with, he could have the good judgment and experience to understand the big picture issues, because you dont have to be a subject matter expert for example, you mentioned cybersecurity to understand how the social media or the traditional media coverage can go. That person can partner with the crisis communication team that either you select, or they recommend. That way youve got somebody else in the loop that also understands your brand, your culture, and knows your people. Each firm that I work with has a relationship manager. I keep that person involved in everything, even when its not within their subject matter expertise, because they kind of reign in some of their colleagues that might not get that its not just about winning this legal battle.

Ive been doing this a long time and I was in big law for most of my career. Ive built my own network. I dont go through the RFP process. I want to work with people I know that Ive seen and tested. Now if I was ever in a situation where I had to do that, I would. But one of the benefits of coming out of big law is that you have worked with so many of these people and youve been in against them in many different cases. Thats the highest compliment. I often hire people that Ive been on the other side of the courtroom.

Some trends are unique to the schools that arent elite that everybodys trying to get into because of the prestige factor or because they have a high ranking. One trend that is in higher ed right now, which is wreaking havoc is demographic changes so that schools that are largely dependent on tuition revenue for their operating budget are seeing decreased enrollment numbers of traditional aged college students. That has had a ripple effect so that we have seen so many, closings and mergers of colleges and universities throughout the country in a way that we had never seen before. See Inside Higher ed: Pennsylvania Board Votes Yes on Consolidation

It is a national trend and its a crisis throughout the industry because, if you are dependent, if youre not sitting on a multi-billion-dollar endowment and youre dependent on tuition revenue and you are seeing a decrease every year and youre still doing things the same way, delivering services in the same way with the same amount of staff, youre not going to survive. The mass of higher ed thats not in that small category that has the billions of dollars in the endowment has had to adjust and its going to have to continue it to adjust. As there are less students graduating from high school than there were by virtue of demographics changes. You also have a lot of people that dont see the same value. They are getting steered towards different types of careers, they want to take a break, theres a lot more non-traditional age college students that demand to be provided services in a different way. I do call it a crisis because a crisis is something that can bring you down in the end. I do think there are a lot of schools that have been completely brought down and there are more to come if they dont adjust.

This was going on before the pandemic. The pandemic added a new layer, a new wrinkle. You have colleges and universities that were already in fiscal crisis in trying to manage that because of the change in demographics and the enrollment challenges facing most institutions. Then when you add the fact that now a lot of your customer bases decided that theyre going to put college off, or they want it delivered in a different way in the comfort of their own home and they dont want to pay the same amount as they would have for that in-person experience, it has compounded a problem that was already there.

Thats been a huge shift as well. Years ago, nobody talked about mental health. If they did, there were negative connotations and that has changed. This generation of college students understands that mental health is as important as physical health. Theyre demanding attention in that area. Theyre aware of their own mental health and they want it to be cared for. They want support in place if they need it. If you have a place when somebody gets a cold or a flu, they could go to on campus health. Students expect the same thing if theyre struggling or dealing with mental health challenges. The pandemic has exacerbated the issue.

Can you imagine being in school and youre supposed to graduate and youre going to have these great memories with your class and then suddenly tomorrow, the school shuts down. Youre never going to see some of these people again, or you lose those precious last few months, or you dont get the graduation experience. You miss your study abroad experience or you get your division one hopes ripped away right before the championship game. These kids have suffered through many things that nobody wouldve ever anticipated and its challenging. They recognize that they need to take care of their mental health. Theyre demanding more, as they should, from institutions, but it puts institutions in a weird position because a lot of them are not equipped. They dont have the resources. They dont have the funds. Its a struggle, but its something that is a hot topic in the industry now. And its not going to go away and schools are going to need to adjust.

Gina Rubel: Its not going to go away. As a parent of two college age students, I can say, you hit the nail on the head about five times. Were one family and both of our children have been incredibly impacted by the pandemic, whether it was, our son who didnt get a senior year in school, he was at home or our daughter who missed a year and a half of in-person college and the opportunity to go to Ghana to study abroad. As a parent, it is important that universities have the resources necessary to help students through all the different adjustments. If you ever need a parent spokesperson, Im there.

Maria Feeley: I dont want to call them nice disappointments, but we also have the food insecurity issues because people have lost their jobs from the pandemic and that inability to keep the heat on.

Gina Rubel: Theres also the inability to stay at college because their parents lost their jobs, and they didnt have a scholarship. Theres the inability to access because the community doesnt have the resources let alone the university. We havent even talked about the socioeconomic backgrounds and how there are such disparities. We all have an opportunity and a duty to help in those regards to whatever extent we can.

Well, in a good way, young people are engaged and care about issues that maybe wouldnt have been on a lot of students radars years ago. Theyre activists, engaged in social and, political issues, and thats a good thing. But it can also cause a headache for the administration, when they dont like a decision an institution has made or someone who was hired. It is an issue that a lot of college and universities are grappling with these days. Most colleges and universities would be supportive of their students being engaged citizens, of course academic freedom and freedom of speech is something thats a core value for most institutions of higher education. Balancing that when you have a conflict between your students and your administrators or your board or something else can be a challenge.

Yes. First generation college students are huge and its fantastic, right? The fact that we have more people with access to education and going to college is a good thing. When you look at the data, the average earnings of somebody over a course of a lifetime that has a college degree are substantially higher than somebody that doesnt. Thats a good thing but there are challenges that come with serving a population of students that are first generation college students, because they cant call mom or dad and say, how do you do this? Mom and dad dont know because theyve never done that before. Or perhaps there isnt a mom and dad to call.

Making sure that you understand who your students are that you can provide them the support that they need is important. That support might include things that you didnt normally do in the past, including helping them navigate through, for example, the financial aid process in a way that maybe in the past, you assumed that they would do because they werent first generation college students and parents had been through that process before. In terms of the international question, its country specific and especially during a pandemic. Weve hired a firm, which has subject matter expertise that has bases all over the world. We have a robust travel program for our spring term where we send classes all over the world and we want to do it in a way thats safe.

Weve hired a firm that we can pick up the phone and say whats going on, on the ground, in Italy right now. Whats going on in the ground in Ghana right now? Thats one thing thats great about working at a place that has these types of resources and you can afford to do that. But if youre at a smaller place, its very difficult right now navigating through these issues during a global pandemic, especially when the rules are constantly changing.

Gina Rubel: Its fascinating. A key takeaway in this conversation is understanding that crises come in every shape and size. They affect people in different ways. No one is immune. As the attorney on behalf of your institution, as general counsel with a staff of people, you must recognize how each of these issues interplay with the students, the families, the educators, the trustees, the donors, the media, the social media critics and so on. If your outside counsel can do that as well, theyre going to be bringing a great amount of benefit to you.

I dont know how I encourage it in others other than doing the right thing and hoping that message spreads. I find that when you do something and it works and the result is positive, that gets attention and people want to replicate it. Ive been fortunate to have been mentored by some great people that when these issues were important to me early on in my career, didnt say things to me like, you should spend all your time billing hours. Rather, they encouraged me to do those things. Being involved in the affinity groups from the time of being a young lawyer, has been something that has helped me professionally from dealing with imposter syndrome issues, to not feeling like you belong, to being able to be in a room where you see others that look like yourself and might have similar backgrounds.

That was so important for me to be able to make it. To feel like I could continue when as a young attorney, wondering if I made the right decision? Am I good enough to do this? Then being able to have those conversations with young attorneys and seeing them stick around and flourish and get promoted is rewarding. I dont necessarily actively lobby people to do the same type of work that Ive done. I have noticed that Ill get phone calls asking me, I noticed that you implemented this at this place, or I heard you speak at this event. That it happened organically makes me feel good about the work I do.

Yes. One of the luxuries of being the client and being a general counsel is I get to be very frank. Big law attorneys appreciate that, and I am very candid. I expect them to try to advance the missions that they all profess to have to be diverse, inclusive. When I dont see that on a team, Im very vocal about it. Its harder to do that early on in your career. You dont have as much power, but I have buying power now that allows me to have those conversations. Ive made changes based on what I thought was inflexibility or inability to deliver on diversity promises. I get a better product from outside counsel when they focus on these issues.

I dont understand how you think youre going to give an institution thats very diverse, has diverse constituents, stakeholder, donors, alumni, good advice if its from a single perspective. Its shocking to me that people that might not buy into diversity, dont at least understand the business case, because there is a business case too.

Gina Rubel: You are not the only general counsel that weve spoken to that has said that. I hope if anything, that the executive committees and the hiring committees and the new business committees, hear it. We graduated law school with many more women and people of diverse backgrounds, but I didnt know many women partners early in my career. They were few and far between.

Maria Feeley: Women partners still are few and far between in big law.

Gina Rubel: And the pandemic has hurt us in that respect. Ive been fortunate to be surrounded by strong, well deserving leading women. We can only continue to raise the tides for all diverse people, not just women, but everyone. You and I can relate to being female. So thats what I can speak to. But its people of all types of diversity who need to be included and to have a sense of belonging.

Maria Feeley: From hiring outside counsel, thinking about, for example, when youre getting ready to try a case, and youre thinking about whos going to be in the jury, diversity comes in all sizes, shapes, forms. Its not just about gender or ethnicity. It can be for example, even age. You can have a jury that has 18, 19, 20-year-olds and 75-year-olds. If the law firm is providing me with advice through the lens of strictly a 65-year-old, thats not necessarily going to be the advice that I need. It is a no-brainer that understanding a broad perspective and bringing that broad perspective to your advice is critical to giving the best advice.

Gina Rubel: Right down to not just hiring lawyers from the same five law schools all the time, because theyve all been taught the same way. You and I were talking about growing up in Philadelphia and how I admit I did not know that Cowboys were still a real thing when I was a teenager. But it was something you saw on TV, like the perspective of diversity from where youve grown up, what your life experiences have been, your age, your abilities, all those things.

Maria Feeley: If you only go to those few schools, its self-perpetuating because, the opportunity to get there and the path to get there is for some people nonexistent and for others, so difficult. If you want to have access to that broad group of people, youre going to have to move out of that small group of schools sometimes.

Maria Feeley is the Chief Legal Officer of Washington and Lee University, a nationally ranked private liberal arts university established in 1749 with an endowment valued at over $2 billion. She is also Chair of the Board of Trustees of Rosemont College, a private college celebrating its 100th anniversary, ranked #7 as a Top Performer in Social Mobility in this years U.S. News & World Reports Best Colleges Rankings in the Regional Universities North category, up from #15 last year. Rosemont is the only college in the Philadelphia region in the Top 10.

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Maria Feeley

Washington and Lee University Website: https://www.wlu.edu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariafeeley/

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The role of General Counsel in Times of Crisis with Maria Feeley, Chief Legal Officer of Washington and Lee University - JD Supra

American civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton has a resume suited for a legend. The Baptist minister from Brownsville has rattled so many republican cages, he has made it to the list of conservatives most hated political figures.

But why do they hate him so much? Hes been regularly called a fake preacher, a political provocateur, and a racist by the conservative media. Fox News recently attacked Sharpton for discussing the attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, while appearing on MSNBC. Conservative pundits threw out accusations of antisemitism, claiming Sharpton helped strain relations between Jewish and Black communities in the 80s and 90s. What is eye-opening is that when Fox or other conservative pundits talk about Sharpton, they never mention any of the important things hes done for the black community over the years. Sharpton was able to build from the legacy of Jesse Jackson and continue a fight for equal rights that has been an important issue for Blacks since the inception of this country.

Conservatives love to blame Al Sharpton for the 1991 Crown Heights riots but never address the reasons for black unrest at the time.

Anytime black folks so-called riot, white conservatives love to find a black scapegoat. If hes a respected black leader, even betterthey can kill two birds with one stone, tarnish the legacy of a powerful black man, and stoke fear in the hearts of white America. Its been a part of their racist recipe for decades. They did it to MLK, they did it to Malcolm X, and they did it to Jesse Jackson. A black man with the power to move the people must be discredited.

Lets take a look at how Sharpton built such a powerful legacy and how it led to so much republican hate.

Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. was born on October 3, 1954. The church was Sharptons second home. He preached his first sermon at the age of four and was licensed and ordained a Pentecostal minister at the age of nine. He became a Baptist and was re-baptized s a member of the Bethany Baptist Church in 1994. The claim that Sharpton is not a real minister is just a flat-out lie.

In 1969, Sharpton served as youth director of the New York City branch of Operation Breadbasket under the tutelage of Jesse Jackson. The organization focused on promoting better jobs for Blacks in America. A few years later Sharpton would become youth director for the presidential campaign of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. He also founded the National Youth Movement in 1971, to raise resources for poor Black youths.

In 1984, Sharpton learned he had the power to mobilize his community and demand change. This was the kind of power that frightened conservatives and Sharpton leaned into it. December 20, 1986, three black men were attacked by a white mob in queens. A week later, Sharpton had mobilized a march of over 1,200 demonstrators who marched through the Queens neighborhood demanding change. The protest made national news and Sharpton was propelled into the national spotlight.

Sharpton created the National Action Network in 1991. The organization was designed to increase voter education, provide services to those in poverty, and support small community businesses. It is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. They fight for criminal justice reform, police accountability, voting rights, youth leadership, and so much more.

His inspiration goes beyond social justice. His weight loss journey is an inspiration in itself. The civil rights living legend went from 305 lbs. to 130 lbs. in less than five years.

I actually lost more weight than I am, said Sharpton in an interview with People Magazine. And I did it without surgery!

According to the interview, Sharpton started losing weight by weaning himself off of meats and starches.

Its always the same salad: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, two or three hard-boiled eggs cut in, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing, said Sharpton. My doctor said to me, Youve got to have some carbs and you need protein, so he put me on whole-wheat toast.

Right-wing conservatives want you to believe Rev. Al Sharpton shouldnt be celebrated, but if they had their way, we wouldnt have any Black American heroes, except the ones on conservative payroll. Al Sharptons legacy means a lot to the black community and he deserves his flowers right now.

SEE ALSO:

Reverend Al Sharptons National Action Network Combats Food Insecurity Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Al Sharpton Slams Tim Scotts Claim America Is Not A Racist Country During Andrew Brown Jr.s Funeral

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The Legacy Of Al Sharpton: Why Do Conservatives Hate Him So Much? - NewsOne

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Kiren Marshall, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, [emailprotected]Angelo Greco, The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation/Black Womens Roundtable, 917-499-2688, [emailprotected]Lacy Crawford, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, 202-558-7900, [emailprotected]NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.(LDF), 212-965-2200, [emailprotected]Marc Banks, NAACP, 443-608-4073, [emailprotected]Tkeban X.T. Jahannes, National Council of Negro Women, 404-944-1615, [emailprotected]Niamb Tomlinson, National Urban League, 202-629-5750, [emailprotected]Rachel Noerdlinger, National Action Network, [emailprotected]

WASHINGTON Leading civil rights organizations released the following joint statement urging senators to be on the right side of history and pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act:

History will judge senators for what they do to protect voting rights, not arcane rules. The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act will ensure that voters across the country can safely and freely cast their ballots. Every senator who chooses obstruction over protecting our freedom to vote is contributing to the fall of our democracy. Their legacies and our legacy as a country are on the line. Senators are elected to vote, not hide behind procedural rules while our voting rights are under attack. Sham excuses are unacceptable.

The right to vote is our most fundamental right and is the right upon which all our other rights rest. People have died to achieve and protect this precious right. Democracy cannot exist without all of our participation. We cannot tolerate barriers to voting for people of color, veterans, people with disabilities, rural voters, new Americans, senior citizens, or young people. We cannot tolerate efforts to remove local election officials or harass them to prevent them from counting every vote. Instead, we must move forward and protect the voice and vote of every American.

We are especially disappointed in senators of both parties who have supported amending the Senate rules for economic matters, but are unwilling to do so for the most critical matter facing our nation: the protection of the right to vote. These senators are either misguided or disingenuous in their motivations. We are also disappointed in senators who have supported voting rights legislation in the past, but who refuse to do so now out of fear of political retribution from cynical party leadership. History will judge them for it, as it has judged others who have sat idly by as civil rights have been abridged. They will be viewed with as much disdain as those who have actively sought to abridge civil rights. In the tradition of those civil rights giants who fought for voting rights before us, we ask those senators: which side are you on, senator, which side are you on?

As we approach Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we will not accept empty promises in pursuit of Dr. Kings dream for a more equal and just America. Our leaders have a historic opportunity to restore and protect Dr. Kings legacy by passing the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act.

The Senate must act by any means necessary to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act so that every vote counts and we all have a say in our future. This legislation addresses some of the major problems facing our democracy by restoring the power of the Voting Rights Act, setting national standards to protect access to the vote, ending partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, beginning to overhaul our broken campaign finance system, and creating new safeguards against subversion of the electoral process. The filibuster must not be a barrier to protecting our freedom to vote.

The current efforts to advance this important legislation will finally allow for an open and public debate. We will be watching the debate closely. We encourage all to watch closely and note where each senator, regardless of party, stands on preserving democracy and protecting the fundamental right to vote.

This statement was signed by the following organizations:

The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) is one of the most active civil rights and social justice organizations in the nation dedicated to increasing civic engagement, economic and voter empowerment in Black America. The Black Womens Roundtable (BWR) is the women and girls empowerment and power building arm of the NCBCP. At the forefront of championing just and equitable public policy on behalf of Black women, BWR promotes their health and wellness, economic security & prosperity, education and global empowerment as key elements for success.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit http://www.civilrights.org.

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.

Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nations first civil and human rights law organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDFs Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Follow LDF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP.

National Council of Negro Women is a Washington, D.C.-based charitable organization making a difference in the lives of women, children, and families through a four-pronged strategy that emphasizes entrepreneurship, health equity, STEAM education, and social justice. Founded 86 years ago, NCNW has 330 community and campus-based sections and thirty-two national affiliates representing more than two million women and men. NCNWs programs are grounded on a foundation of critical concerns known as Four for the Future. NCNW is known for GoodHealthWINs that provides trusted health care information, for producing the Black Family Reunion and the HBCU College Fair. For more information please visit http://www.ncnw.org or NCNWs social channels via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 91 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit http://www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague and @NULPolicy.

National Action Network (NAN) is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation, with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights plan that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

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Link:
Civil Rights Groups Call on Senate to Take Immediate Action on Voting Rights - Civilrights.org