Professor of Law and Political Science Carol Swain and Assistant Professor of Law Brian Fitzpatrick have both been appointed to the Tennessee Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. This is Swain’s second consecutive term on the committee.
Since its inception in 1957, the Commission on Civil Rights, an independent agency of the U.S. government, has been at the forefront of efforts by federal and state governments to examine and resolve issues related to race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. 
During Swain’s first term, she served as director of the commission’s internship program, which was housed at Vanderbilt University.
“Serving on this committee has been an honor and a privilege,” said Swain. “With the assistance of the interns, we were able to help the committee conduct a statewide study of fair housing and formulate recommendations relevant for Tennessee and other states confronting similar problems.”
The commission has a committee for each state and the District of Columbia and appointments are for two years. The commission’s Web site states that “each committee is composed of citizens familiar with local and state civil rights issues. The members serve without compensation and assist the commission with its fact-finding, investigative, and information dissemination functions. “