From cleaning microwaves in the student lounge to influencing legislation at the state level, Ivar Gunderson has come a long way within the Student Bar Association.
Gunderson joined the SBA during his first-year and served as the organization’s sergeant-at-arms. As the sergeant-at-arms it was Gunderson’s responsibility to call meetings to order and to keep order within those meetings.
During his time as sergeant-at-arms, Ivar worked with different faculty members, including the dean of students, in order to secure law school representation on the faculty senate — a group of faculty members and student representatives that make decisions on policy at the University of Idaho. SBA acts as the main link between law students and the faculty.
“The law school is a tight knit community, everyone knows everyone and we felt like we needed representation on the faculty senate. As sergeant-at-arms, I helped secure the law school spot on the faculty senate. I attended meetings and found out what we needed to do to get law school representation on the senate,” Gunderson said.
Gunderson was elected the SBA president in February.
SBA vice president Kelsie Kirkham said Gunderson does a great job at staying involved and available for law school students.
“Ivar is very committed to his title, everybody knows him. He keeps everyone on track and is extremely approachable,” Kirkham said.
Being president of the SBA has given Gunderson a multitude of opportunities to work with university officials and other prominent student leaders.
Gunderson attended the National American Bar Association Student Division Conference in August. Gunderson said the event served as a great networking opportunity.
“I attended the ABA law student meeting in San Francisco. We voted members for student leadership positions, and I met prominent people in the field of law. It was a great opportunity to get connected and network with people around the country,” Gunderson said.
The SBA president also gets to network and indirectly communicate with leaders on the state level.
Gunderson said one of the biggest goals of SBA in the coming year is to advocate for a second-year law program at Boise State University.
The University of Idaho currently offers a third-year program at BSU, but with the help of SBA and various state politicians, Gunderson hopes to add the second-year program.
“The biggest topic for the SBA right now is creating a second-year program at BSU through the University of Idaho College of Law. It needs to be approved by the state legislature and the governor. So far the legislature has been very supportive. Last year the legislature approved it, but the governor had more pressing issues in his budget and did not accept it. That is where most of the SBA’s work is at the moment,” Kirkham said.
Justin Ackerman can be reached at [email protected]