Borger Receives Drinan Award 2/14/02--Boston College Law School is pleased to announce that 3L student Joshua Borger has been chosen to receive this year's Drinan Family Fund Award. Borger will use the award to pursue his commitment to the field of environmental justice, which he describes as "an amalgamation of civil rights and environmental law."

Borger shows "an unusual degree of initiative and motivation," said BC Law Professor Zygmunt Plater. "[He] has brains, articulateness, and a very nice sense of humor, which complements his abilities and serious desire to wrestle with tough intellectual problems. He came to us with a strong sense of public interest idealism, and that inclination hasn't changed. He has just added to it a solid bunch of professional skills and a keen awareness of the political context in which so many of these battles must be fought. He will represent us well in years to come."

Borger, who graduated summa cum laude from Muhlenberg College in 1998, has researched and drafted legal memoranda for the Natural Resources Defense Council and has analyzed refugee/asylum law for Shelter Legal Services. Among his many other activities, he was also awarded a leadership fellowship to strengthen Israel/ Diaspora ties and has researched, edited and drafted sections of law review articles on international human rights law in Jerusalem.

"Effecting change [in the field of environmental justice] requires a law degree for each pivotal step," Borger writes in a recent essay. A lawyer will be able to inform members of the community of their rights when a company attempts to build a polluting or undesirable facility in their neighborhood, he says, and may represent the community to prevent the permit from being issued. If necessary, a lawyer may appeal the granted permit. "Finally, a lawyer can advise the community as to the process for rezoning parcels in order to prevent the possibility of locating such disastrous facilities."

Named after former Dean and Congressman Rev. Robert Drinan, S.J., The Drinan Family Fund Award provides award recipients $10,000 each year for two years. Its purpose is to provide assistance to recent graduates with loan repayment, so that they may pursue public interest careers. The Fund was established in 1998 by anonymous friends of the Law School.