A group of students from Mount Holyoke College, a women’s liberal arts educational institution in South Hadley, Massachusetts, recently created a new academic law journal for undergraduate students.
Founded by Hailee Pitchske, a senior studying politics and anthropology, and Katherine Sloop, a junior studying abroad in France, the Mount Holyoke College Undergraduate Law Journal aims to feature articles about the legal field from students not only studying pre-law, but other disciplines as well.
Currently, the journal has eight student board members and 66 registered student participants. Pitchske serves as founding president and editor-in-chief, while Sloop serves as founding vice president. Mount Holyoke College President Danielle R. Holley, whose teaching inspired Pitchske and Sloop to launch the journal, serves as faculty advisor.
“We just thought that it would be really cool to provide a space for students to channel their passions into something that can be empowering and productive,” said Pitschke. “We thought that [the law journal] would be especially interesting because there seems to be such an interest in generating and engaging with knowledge and analysis of legal decisions. And we thought that it could be a productive skill-building opportunity through an organization.”
The first edition of the Mount Holyoke College Undergraduate Law Journal is set for publication later this semester. Going forward, the editorial team plans to publish a print version of the journal every semester and create a website that will allow students to quickly publish articles on pressing issues.