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69���� School of Law faculty, students and staff gathered recently to celebrate the new mural on the ceiling of the La Rue Road cottage that houses the law school's clinics. The mural is the work of undergraduates in the Chicana/o Studies Mural Workshop, led by Maceo Montoya, assistant professor, Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies.

“I want to thank the artist, Maceo Montoya, and his students,” Dean Kevin R. Johnson said in opening remarks Jan. 18. “This work would not have come to fruition if it weren’t for the artist and the students, but also the clinical professors and the clinic students who have inspired us for many years with the great things they do.”

The celebration followed two years of work, starting when Johnson approached Montoya about doing the mural. He and his students met with faculty and staff to conceptualize the mural, and finished the painting ilast December.

The mural is in three sections: The left side depicts images of being “trapped,” portraying isolation, hardship and inability to access the justice system. The center represents “agency,” portraying clinic law students, the history of the clinic building as a farmworker cottage, and a hopeful rising sun. The right side shows “liberation,” with chains of oppression transforming into quetzals, and “justice” written in several languages.

Rally supports immigrant academics

More than 100 people turned out for a rally in the rain on Feb. 9 to show their support for academics affected by the federal travel ban. Speakers told stories of canceling trips abroad — over fears they wouldn't be able to return — and extolled the contributions that immigrants have made to this country.

The Iranian Student Association organized the rally in response to President Trump’s executive order (since struck down by the courts) barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

Wesley Young, director of Services for International Students and Scholars, said the United States won't be able to solve the world's most pressing issues — like climate change — without the help of scholars from around the world.

"These are problems a single nation cannot solve," Young told the crowd on the Memorial Union's South Patio. "We need to learn how to cooperate. That doesn't mean we have to agree on everything."

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