Four Boston University professors spoke to approximately 70 students in the BU School of Law Friday afternoon about what to expect during Donald Trump’s presidency.
The panel was moderated by the School of Law’s Associate Dean Peggy Maisel, and featured BU Law professors Jack Beermann, Karen Pita Loor, Jay Wexler and Gary Lawson.
“I’m hoping students get answers and information that everyone’s really looking for right now,” Maisel said. “People want more information and ideas on how the faculty and the students can work together and think about ways to follow up.”
Maisel noted the importance of students hearing the faculty’s political opinions, something that rarely happens in the classroom.
“There are a lot of things that the faculty simply don’t have the time to talk about in class and to be responsive to all the student questions and concerns,” Maisel said. “We wanted to have a time to do that and that’s why this panel has been long in discussion. We’re happy that this could finally happen now.”
After a brief introduction by Maisel, each of the featured professors spoke for 15 minutes, giving students a distinctive points of view on the next four years of government.
Wexler presented first, speaking about the captivating change of authority that the American public is now witnessing.
“Even when the government turns over, even when the new president isn’t somebody as interesting as Donald Trump, it’s always interesting when there is a transition of power, no matter who becomes the new president,” Wexler said.
Following Wexler’s remarks, Pita Loor delved into the specifics behind immigration policies under the Trump administration.
“I don’t know how you’re all feeling, but I’m feeling like it’s been a really long week,” Pita Loor said.
She then spoke about the executive orders that Trump has already signed, as well as those he will sign in the coming days.
The conversation then turned to Beerman, who discussed administrative law and transition-specific topics. Beerman said people don’t realize that the transition into the Trump administration will actually be relatively similar to past transitions of power.
“Those who have heard me speak at events before know that I normally start with some sort of silly joke,” Beerman said. “But since the tragic events of November, it’s been hard to keep my sense of humor. If someone had told me that Trump and the [Chicago] Cubs would both win in 2016, I wouldn’t believe them.”
Lawson concluded the presentation with a more conservative outlook on the Trump administration.
“I actually think the Trump administration is the best chance in my lifetime to put some breaks on the expansion of executive power,” Lawson said. “The entire national government is a deranged abomination. All three departments do things they’re not supposed to, and fail to do things that they are supposed to.”
After the presentations, BU law students said they were pleased with what the professors shared.
Michael Onah, a second-year graduate student in BU Law said the discussion addressed many of the issues students are most worried about.
“I thought all the speakers did a good job of laying out basically what our present issues are on a lot of our minds … trying to lay out whether or not they are legal, whether or not they can be done or carried out effectively and what the limits are facing a Trump administration carrying out some of their policy points,” Onah said.
Arash Zainaleain, a first-year graduate student in BU Law, said it was interesting to hear his professors speak about politics when they typically refrain from doing so in the classroom.
“I feel like in the classroom they try not to express their political opinions but they know a lot about the subjects they teach and it seems like they would have some interesting political thoughts,” Zainaleain said. “A lot of the issues it seems like there’s not really an answer for right now, it’s too early to tell. I wish we could get more concrete answers but all in all, I thought it was very important.”
