Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice

Now more than ever, CULR is proud to reaffirm its commitment to diversity, equity, and social justice. Both the legal profession and Columbia’s academic community have histories of elitism and have routinely excluded those who hold marginalized identities. Through community-building, general accessibility measures, and recruitment reform, DESJ aims to create a welcoming environment within the club and assist CULR in achieving its primary goal: educating and empowering students interested in the legal field. 

What Is DESJ?

Team Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice (DESJ) was created in 2021 through an amendment to the CULR Constitution. The Director of Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice and the DESJ liaisons aim to represent a wide range of identities and backgrounds, especially those that have historically been excluded from the legal profession. Team DESJ provides independent oversight of the CULR Executive Board and club operations, plans community building, mentorship, and workshops for CULR members, and handles general accessibility measures and specific accommodations requests.  

Additionally, Team DESJ conducts oversight of the CULR admissions process, ensuring that applications are being evaluated equitably—especially considering backgrounds, identities, and experiences that have been historically excluded from the legal profession.

DESJ Services

Team DESJ is CULR’s hub for accessibility requests. If you have an accessibility request or related feedback, please do not hesitate to contact our Executive Board. 

Accommodations Currently Provided: 

  • Live Transcripts Enabled on all Zoom Meetings

  • Alt Text Available on all CULR Social Media Posts

  • Flexible Meeting Attendance (by request) 

  • Mailing List for Zoom Recordings of Meetings (by request) 

  • Mailing List for Powerpoints of CULR Events with Alt Text (by request) 

Our goal is to destigmatize and humanize the process of requesting disability accommodations. If an accommodation you need is not on the list above, just get in touch!