The Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives
Accommodations
What The PLSI Provides
There are no tuition or other charges to qualified participants to attend the Institute, and the PLSI provides a small living allowance when funds permit. The amount of the allowance when it is provided depends on the number of qualified participants who are admitted (a maximum of 40) and the amount of funds actually received to administer the Institute.
All text books required for the PLSI courses are provided by the Institute, and will be issued to participants at registration. These books become the participants' private property and are their sole responsibility. Text books which are lost, stolen or destroyed cannot be replaced by the PLSI.
The cost for a single student to live in Albuquerque for two months is approximately $1,800 - $2,000. Since we have had to rely on donations to provide living allowances in the past few years, we urge you to contact your tribe or other sources of financial assistance to secure the needed funds. We will supplement whatever funds you were able to raise with the donations we receive.
In addition, the PLSI assists with travel costs when funds are available. Again, this amount also depends upon our success in raising funds, the individual participants and the costs of their travel, but we strive for $200-400 per student. For the past several years, we have not had money for travel costs. However, if we do have funds, you still need to know that participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements and must comply with the following requirements in order to be eligible for travel expense reimbursement, if it is available:
- The cost of coach airline tickets, or the cost of travel by car by the most direct route at $0.25/mile, whichever is less, up to the maximum allowable reimbursement.
- If travel is by airline, a legible copy of the ticket must be submitted at registration.
- If travel is by car, both beginning and ending odometer readings must be submitted at registration. Although atlas mileage will be used to compute reimbursements, federal travel regulations require odometer readings as proof of travel.
- Meals, hotel accommodations and commuting costs are not reimbursable.
What the PLSI Does Not Provide
The PLSI does not provide housing, meals, transportation, household items or school supplies. The PLSI living allowance, when available, is provided for those purposes; acquiring them is up to individual participants. Information about local apartment complexes which allow month-to-month rentals and available sublets will be sent to applicants who have been accepted to the Institute. However, participants are responsible for making their own arrangements and paying any costs or deposits.
We suggest bringing a computer for papers which must be typed, or planning to use the PC's available in the law library (MS Word 6.0 in use as of this writing) for students who prefer them. It is the participants' responsibility to make arrangements for any photocopies needed.
Finally, participants do not receive academic credit for the PLSI. The advantage is that the participants' law school records are not prejudiced by less than stellar grades which often are the result of students making the necessary adjustments to law school. The disadvantage is that attending the PLSI does not qualify participants for waivers of repayment of academic loans.
Places to go in New Mexico
New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment. New Mexico's mountains, mesas, national forests, and cultural sites are inspirational. For more information click on the links below.
New Mexico Links
Albuquerque Links
Local Restaurants
One of the attractions of the Southwest is the excellent New Mexican cuisine. Padilla's Mexican Kitchen, 1510 Girard Blvd. NE (262-0115), and Los Cuates, 4901 Lomas Blvd. NE (255-5079), are two examples of New Mexican fare. The guide below offers a wide range of dining options.
