Students looking for any legal advice, look no further. 

The Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC) presents the “Advocating for yOU” event, taking place Wednesday, Sept. 25 in O’Dowd Hall, Room 202B, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“Advocating for yOU” will bring in attorneys Hasan Kaakarli, Jasmine D. Rippy, Ameena R. Sheikh and Judge John M. Chmura to give students legal advice.

“They’re coming in to talk about a specific topic, answer some general questions and resolve some misconceptions about the topics,” OUSC Vice President Julia Alexander said.

This meeting is the first in what’s going to be a series of lectures where different legal topics are discussed to inform students and answer any questions they may have. The advice being given in this session will focus on the process when receiving charges for operating while intoxicated (OWI) or driving under the influence (DUI). 

A Q&A session will take place after the lecture where students can ask questions personally or anonymously. Students will also be able to talk one-on-one with the attorneys after the meeting is over. 

 Mina Ghobrial, OUSC student services director, said though it might be awkward, this is the opportunity to ask any and all questions that students may have about the subject.

“It’s wise as a citizen to know what your rights are,” he said. “I think that would be extremely useful and helpful for the student body.”

Whether or not students think something like this could happen to them, Alexander still believes this is an important opportunity for OU students.

“I think in a perfect world, we like to think that college students are going to do the right thing and they know what they’re going to do, but it’s not always the case,” she said. “I think it’s really important for students to know their rights and know what to expect in situations like that because those things aren’t planned for.”

Ghobrial said even if a student doesn’t personally think the discussed topic would apply to them now, something could still happen in the future. 

“After you come to college you might go off, graduate and have a family one day,” he said. “If you don’t know these things, what are you going to do?”

Since this is a series, the OUSC is open to the student body’s opinion. 

Ghobrial encourages anyone with topic ideas to email him. The goal of the “Advocating for yOU” event is to bring topics that could apply to students, so ideas are always welcome.

For more information, visit the event page. Students can also text (707) 506-6872 with any concerns.