Nexus: Chapman's Journal of Law and Public Policy

As the Managing Editor of NeXus: Chapman’s Journal of Law and Public Policy, it was my most distinct honor and privilege to attend our Symposium last Friday. Entitled, “The 80th Anniversary of the Great Crash of 1929: Law, Markets, and the Role of the State,” this event certainly provided an incredible amount of insight regarding the current financial climate—how we got here and what to do now that we’ve arrived. As I expected, the distinguished speakers provided just as many questions to their attentive audiences as they did answers. And, because intelligent minds will sometimes disagree, the audience had an opportunity to watch as some of the brightest minds in the fields of economics, law and policy respectfully disagreed with one another. As a biased observer, I must say that the Symposium was a clear showing of what Chapman University School of Law is all about—a marketplace of ideas.

One highlight of the day was our Keynote Presentation, introduced by Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and featuring Chapman’s own Dean Timothy Canova and Professor Tom Campbell. Our speakers presented their thoughts and ideas about the impact of the current financial climate on state and local finances to a packed house. Both speakers owned the room as they spoke, and the question and answer portion of the presentation provided a unique opportunity for both Dean Canova and Professor Campbell to discuss the issues that the audience deemed relevant. One of the most memorable moments was Professor Campbell’s discussion of the water crisis and it’s strangling impact on California single largest economy—agriculture. Professor Campbell provided an example of simple solutions that would strength California’s agricultural economy when he discussed the notion of harnessing run-off water and reallocating it to the Central Valley farming community. As a Central Valley girl, this was music to my ears.

Another highlight was Dr. Vernon Smith’s discussion of the mortgage industry. In a very poignant response to a question regarding the need to regulate this industry and to also assist Americans in buying homes, Dr. Smith delivered clear, honest and simple answers to question posed to him, and it was truly an honor to hear his thoughts. For those readers who were unable to attend the Symposium, all is not lost. A webcast of the entire event will be available on our journal’s webpage for you to view. And, if you have any interest in the current economic climate, I strongly recommend you view it.