A damn fine P.A.D.--or a damn fine example to follow

Greetings from District X!

For those of you who don't know me (District Justice Sarah Soucie Eyberg) very well, I attended undergrad at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. Why is that relevant or interesting, you may ask? Good question.I went to St. Thomas because that's where my dad, Fred Soucie--attorney and member of the Twin Cities Alumni chapter, attended and played football.

I visited campus a lot when I was growing up. I fell in love with the stories my father would tell about Tommie football, living in the dorms and his many, many shenanigans. One person featured in a lot of my father's stories was Father James Lavin, known among friends since his time at St. Thomas as "Scooter." Fr. Lavin had a huge impact on my father. Unfortunately, he passed away earlier this week.

Fr. Lavin was a beloved member of the St. Thomas community, and his passing prompted an outpouring of love and memories from all the lives he touched. As I mentioned, my father is one of those lives. Fox 9 news in Minneapolis did a piece in Fr. Lavin's honor. My father was interviewed for that piece which you can view here.

 I wanted to share this with my brothers and sisters for a specific reason. Fr. Lavin, while not a P.A.D. per se, was certainly a P.A.D. in heart and spirit. The stories of what he did for his students reminded me greatly of how our more experience brethren reaches back to the next class, again and again. Fr. Lavin exemplifies the idea of fraternity and brotherhood. He did these things not for his own gain, but because of his love for those who have come after him, just as our brothers do.

I hope some day to have the opportunity to do for the next class what my brothers and sisters have done for me. I feel fortunate to be a part of an organization actively encouraging these acts of giving back. Especially in light of the digital age and the "me" generation.

I thought my P.A.D. brothers and sisters might appreciate the reminder of what kind of impact our actions can have, for generations beyond out own lives.





***DISCLAIMER***

This message is not intended as an endorsement of the Catholic religion or it's clergy in any shape or form. It simply recognizes the impact of one man on the lives of many. One man who embodied many of the qualities P.A.D. honors in its own members. No animals were harmed in the creation of this blog post.

District Conference

Calling all PAD - District X members! This is your DJ speaking!!!!!


Welcome to the District X blog, your one stop shop for all the happenings in your local district. I shamelessly stole this idea from Allison Janowitz, District Justice of District 26. I recommend highly that you follow her blog as well which can be found here!

District X just had its fall leadership conference. We had an amazing time with two initiations, two social events, and two break-out sessions on how to distinguish your legal resume.

We also had two very special guests from the International Executive Board. We were graced by the presence of B.J. Maley, International Board Member At-Large and Last Past District X Justice. We were also honored to have International Marshal John Miquel with us for the weekend.










We kicked off the weekend with a massive initiation of Monroe-ites. The Monroe Chapter recrutited and initiated 45 new members on Friday September 14, 2012!

This is the biggest initiation class Monroe has seen in almost 20 years! And in the words of the Monroe Chapter Justice Matt Bakke, "We're not done yet." Congratulations to Monroe for the great incoming class, and welcome to our newest members of P.A.D. in District X.

After initiation, District X gathered at Shamrock's on West 7th in St. Paul, MN for some fraternal bonding. 

Good times and tacos were had by all...

Bright and early the next morning the district assembled for our fall leadership conference. A delicious breakfast was arranged by Sister Kate Smith-Thompson, and some much-needed coffee was supplied by the District Justice.

Following breakfast, International Marshal, Brother John Miquel gave the "State of the Fraternity." DC attendees learned that PAD has an international goal 6,000 initiates in 2012-2013! And our International Justice Ron Winter has challenged District X to recruiting and initiating 200 new members. Thanks to Butler and Monroe, we are a quarter of the way there, and still going strong.

We were also very fortunate to have a presentation from Steve Hoffman on how to get an article published as a law student. Steve has an impressive CV and gave a comprehensive talk on the ins and outs of publication, including a section on why your excuse to not publish is not a valid one.

Another breakout session this DC was a vignette performed by John Miquel and Matt Bakke. Their skit included an example of how to interview with a pro-PAD interviewer, and also how to respond in the event that your interviewer is dismissive or otherwise reacts negatively to PAD involvement in law school.


Lastly, the District Justice, your undersigned, gave out the District X awards. Below are the awards and their winners:

• Most Improved District Chapter - LaFollette Chapter
• Outstanding District X Chapter Justice - Aleida Ortega, Mitchell Chapter
• Outstanding District X Chapter Vice-Justice - Evie Hudson, Corliss Chapter
• Outstanding District X Chapter Clerk - Jessica Zaiken, Butler Chapter
• Outstanding District X Chapter Treasurer - Andrew True, Butler Chapter
• Outstanding District X Chapter Marshal - Michael Yang, Ryan Chapter
• Outstanding District X Member - B.J. Maley, Int'l Board Member At-Large
• Outstanding District Chapter - Butler Chapter

Congratulations to all our winners! B.J. Maley was further recognized for his many years of service to District X, both as a District Justice and as a good brother. B.J. has greatly impacted the lives of many of our members in countless ways, and will continue to do so in his new role.

After DC adjourned, brothers and sisters traveled to the nearby Gabe's Sports Bar for some fraternal bonding. We were treated to another performance from Butler Chapter member and trained mime, Sister Jessica Zaiken.

Of course her miming was accompanied by narration from Brother Matt Bakke, in his very best Russian-accent impression.

We also discovered another hidden talent of one of our District X members. Brother Michael Yang of Ryan Chapter could make a killing doing impressions of a well-known children's show character. No, it's not Barney or Big Bird or that guy from Blue's Clues. Our dear brother has a second career in impersonating Dora the Explorer!

A special thanks to the many folks who made this DC happen, especially Kate Smith-Thompson--without whom we would have all gone hungry. 

Check back soon to hear more news and upcoming events from District X!