When Julie Samuels ’05 and two respected patent law professors engaged in a panel discussion about “patent trolls” on February 25, the event was funded in part by the Hyatt Student Activities Fund. Endowed by Wayne Hyatt ’68 (BA’65) and his late wife, Amanda Hyatt (BA’67, MA’74), the Hyatt Fund provides Vanderbilt’s student organizations with funding for outside speakers and student-planned symposia. During 2012–13, students heard talks by Martina Vandenberg of the Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Center, Marsha Levick of the Juvenile Law Center, and an intelligence lawyer from the CIA’s Office of the General Counsel. Panel discussions addressed gun regulation, water rights and prostitution in addition to patent assertion. Past speakers have included New York Times legal correspondent Adam Liptak.
Students apply for Hyatt funding by submitting a proposal to Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Julie Sandine. “Hyatt events greatly enrich the intellectual life of the law school,” Sandine said. “Each year, students organize amazing events thanks to the Hyatt Fund.”