Black Law Students Association named national chapter of year

April 19, 2013

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Levin College of Law Black Law Students Association won two prestigious awards at the annual National Black Law Students Association Convention in Atlanta.

UF Law BLSA, also known as the W. George Allen chapter, was recognized as the national chapter of the year, beating more than 200 other groups. It is the National Black Law Students Association’s highest award and honor.

“This award shows yet again that UF is among the top law schools in the country, and that UF’s excellence is consistent in many areas,” said BLSA President Brandon Campbell.

The group submitted a three-part application and competed for the title of regional chapter of the year. After being named chapter of the year for the southern region, UF Law BLSA went on to compete nationally.

The last step in the process included an interview in which Campbell answered questions from two NBLSA board members.

Campbell highlighted the community service outreach that BLSA spearheaded throughout the year, including the Black Law Student town hall meeting, diversity initiatives with pre-law students across the country, the 50-year anniversary celebration of W. George Allen, UF Law’s first black graduate and UF BLSA’s namesake, and a professionalism week program.

“The leadership of our UF Law BLSA chapter has been superb these past years, so the chapter being recognized as the national chapter of the year is a well-deserved and exciting honor,” UF Law Dean Robert Jerry said.

Meanwhile, BLSA’s negotiations team won first place in the international negotiation competition held during the convention. The winning team consisted of Atiya Munroe and Laselve Harrison.

“Getting one national title is a rare achievement for any law school, so the BLSA Negotiations Team also winning the national championship creates an extraordinary combination of awards, demonstrating that UF Law’s students have succeeded in making our BLSA chapter one of the very best, and I would argue the number one chapter, in the country,” Jerry said.

Campbell believes the awards are also representative of the movement toward diversity in education.

“This award is a major step in the right direction, not only for BLSA, but for the advancement of diversity at UF,” he said.

As for what the future has in store, BLSA has already established a conference in September, which will include every chapter in Florida and chapters in Puerto Rico and other states.