Office of Academic Administration and Student Affairs

Asst. Dean Stephen D. Sowle

ASP Workshop on Outlining. The Academic Support Program will present the second of three Fall workshops on Tuesday, October 9, 12:00-1:00 pm, in Rm. 590 (for day students) and Wednesday, October 10, at 5:00-5:50 pm, in Rm. 590 (for evening students). This workshop will focus on different approaches to the course outlining process and will feature students and faculty sharing tips for assembling a useable and complete course outline. Although the programs are mainly aimed at first-year students, all students are welcome to attend.

Student Health Insurance Cards: Now Available for Pick-up. (If you do not have health insurance through the school, you may ignore this announcement.) The student health insurance cards for most students have arrived and may be picked up from Denise Lang outside my office (320C) during normal business hours (except 1:00-2:00pm, when she is at lunch). Note to first-year students: I have been informed by Main Campus that we have only some of the cards for first-year students. If your card is not here when you come to pick it up, we will ask you to put your name on a list, and we will email you when your card arrives.

Construction Notice. The building directly south of the Downtown Campus (565 W. Quincy) will be under major construction starting the second week of October 2007 through September 2008. The construction project consists of taking the existing seven-floor structure and adding eleven more floors for a total of eighteen. The building will end up being 209 feet tall (the Downtown Campus building is 165 feet in height). The outer dimension of the building will remain the same except for the South elevation on Jackson Street, which will be inset slightly. The parking lot on Quincy Street will remain open through all phases of construction.

Construction noise may be significant at different stages during this phase. The general contractor will try to inform us in advance when noisy work is scheduled so alternative classroom assignments can be made during these times, if necessary, for classes that meet on the south side of the building. The General Contractor has the academic calendars for all schools that reside at the Downtown Campus so they can try to avoid scheduling noisy work during any of our exam periods, and they expect to be able to accommodate our request for quiet during exams.

Student/Faculty Book Groups. In an effort to facilitate more student/faculty interactions outside the classroom, we are working on several innovative events for the coming school year. The first event will be student/faculty book groups. A number of faculty members have volunteered to host book groups later this semester on a variety of dates and in a variety of locations (including restaurants, coffee shops, their homes, and here at school). All book groups will meet only once and will read the renowned play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is also this year's "One Book, One Chicago" selection, which means that there will be a number of events taking place throughout the city celebrating this work, including a production of the play at Steppenwolf Theatre.

To participate, all you have to do is go to the Student Lounge on the fifth floor and sign up for the group that you would like to attend (the sign-up sheets are near the south wall); read the play; and attend the discussion group. Each group will consist of a maximum of eight students and the sponsoring professor, so this is a great way of getting to know faculty outside of the classroom as well as an opportunity to read and discuss a classic American play. We have asked the Bookstore to order copies of the play for purchase. We hope that the book groups will be wonderfully successful and something we can make into a Kent tradition.

Museum of Contemporary Art: "Forty Free Days." In celebration of its 40th anniversary, admission to the Museum of Contemporary Art will be free of charge from September 29 through November 14 and will have special programming during that period. For details, get a copy of the latest MCA Mag, available on the Concourse under the stairs.

Joke of the Week. Question: How many art museum visitors does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: Two - one to screw it in, and one to say "My six-year-old could do that!"

Poem of the Week. This week's poem is"Baseball and Writing," by Marianne Moore.

---

Week of September 24, 2007

Student/Faculty Book Groups. In an effort to facilitate more student/faculty interactions outside the classroom, we are working on several innovative events for the coming school year. The first event will be student/faculty book groups. A number of faculty members have volunteered to host book groups later this semester on a variety of dates and in a variety of locations (including restaurants, coffee shops, their homes, and here at school). All book groups will meet only once and will read the renowned play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is also this year's "One Book, One Chicago" selection, which means that there will be a number of events taking place throughout the city celebrating this work, including a production of the play at Steppenwolf Theatre.

To participate, all you have to do is go to the Student Lounge on the fifth floor and sign up for the group that you would like to attend (the sign-up sheets are near the south wall); read the play; and attend the discussion group. Each group will consist of a maximum of eight students and the sponsoring professor, so this is a great way of getting to know faculty outside of the classroom as well as an opportunity to read and discuss a classic American play. We have asked the Bookstore to order copies of the play for purchase. We hope that the book groups will be wonderfully successful and something we can make into a Kent tradition.

Dean's Roundtable Series: Upcoming Events. The Dean's Roundtable series provides students with the opportunity to meet Chicago-Kent alumni who have pursued careers outside the law. The next Roundtable will take place on Wednesday, October 3, 12:00-1:00pm, with Jonathan Carson, Class of 1997, President and Co-Founder of Kurtzman Carson Consultants in El Segundo, California. For more information on the Roundtables and how to sign up for them (spaces are limited), see Dean Krent's section of this week's Record. (Note: The previously announced Roundtable with Ward Parkinson, Class of 1997 and co-founder of Micron Technology Inc., has been posponed to a later date yet to be determined.)

Summer 2007 CALI Award Winners. The CALI Excellence for the Future Award, sponsored by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, is given to the student or students who receive the highest grade in each section of each course. The CALI Award winners for Summer 2007 courses are available by clicking here. Congratulations to all of you who received the award.

Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms: Event for Minority 1L Students. The Chicago Committee on Minorities in Large Law Firms invites minority 1L students to a program entitled “How to Get the Job You Want After Law School.” The program will include several panelists – partners and associates from law firms in Chicago, as well as a federal judge. The program will be held on Tuesday, October 2, 5:30-7:30pm, at the offices of Wildman Harrold, 225 West Wacker Drive, Suite 3000. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Christina Harris at charris@chicagocommittee.org.

Parking in Front of the Building. If you drive to school and park on the street, you may have noticed that the parking meters in front of the building are now labeled with red "Zone 3" stickers. This is part of a citywide program to indicate the cost of parking by color-coded zone markers. Red "Zone 3" meters indicate that parking costs 25 cents for 15 minutes. Please note that parking in front of the building is prohibited between 4:00 and 6:00pm, Monday through Friday (this is strictly enforced), and that parking is limited to two hours between 8:00 and 4:00pm, Monday through Friday, and between 8:00 and 6:00pm on Saturdays.

Joke of the Week. "Probably the toughest time in anyone's life is when you have to murder a loved one because they're the devil. Other than that, it's been a good day." (Emo Philips)

Poem of the Week. This week's poem is"An Irish Airman Forsees His Death," by W.B. Yeats.

---

Week of September 17, 2007

Elective Courses Subject to Mandatory Curve. A list of Fall 2007 elective courses with at least 40 students enrolled, and thus subject to the mandatory curve for elective courses, is available here.

Fire Safety Reminder. In the event of a fire, it is vital that we clear the building as quickly as possible. You should assume that there is a real fire whenever the fire alarms go off and should immediately take the nearest enclosed stairwell to the first floor and exit the building -- do not use the elevators, and do not take valuable time collecting up your possessions or stopping by your locker. Once you exit the building, please move eastward down the sidewalk (toward the lake) so that you will be out of harm's way if any windows shatter. For your safety, please do not cross the street or step into traffic. Failure to leave the building promptly, or failure to follow the directions of Law School personnel, may subject you to a Code of Conduct charge.

Joke of the Week. "To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer." (Paul Ehrlich)

Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "The Soldier," by Rupert Brooke.

---

Week of September 10, 2007

Academic Calendar Reminder. Due to a religious holiday, classes starting 4:00 and later are canceled on Wednesday, September 12, and all classes are canceled on Thursday, September 13.

IIT Emergency Notification Service. The university recently launched iitalert, a self-service, web-based, mass notification system that will enable the university to send instant alerts simultaneously to all students, faculty and staff, no matter where they are. This new system allows IIT to communicate emergency broadcasts and school closings immediately to the individual's cell phone, Blackberry, wireless PDA, text pager, personal email (optional), and RSS reader. This system will complement IIT's existing communication system (mass email, myIIT portal, IIT Today), allowing the university to reach the IIT community at a moment's notice.

Click here to register for iitalert. Registration is easy and takes less than a minute. All you need to do is choose a user name, input your phone/PDA number, and indicate you status (faculty, staff, or student) and what campus(es) you are associated with. (Alerts will be sent out on a campus basis.) If you do not have a cellular phone, pager, or PDA, you can register an alternative, non-IIT email address.

London Law Consortium. Chicago-Kent offers a semester of legal study in London each Spring semester as part of a consortium with six other schools. If you are interested in the London Law Consortium for the Spring 2008 semester, please pick up a copy of the program brochure from Denise Lang outside my office (Suite 320C). Spaces in the program will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We must submit to the program administrators completed applications from all of our participating students no later than Friday, September 14, 2007. If you wish to discuss the program in more detail, contact Professor David Rudstein (drudstei@kentlaw.edu; 312/906-5354).

Bar Registration for First-Year Students. First-year students who plan to take the Illinois Bar Examination after graduation should register with the Illinois bar examiners. The registration materials must be submitted by March 1, 2008. The forms and instructions are available on the bar examiners' web site: http://www.ibaby.org.

Although you are not required to register as a first-year student, the advantage of doing so is that you will avoid paying additional fees of $350 or more if you apply to take the bar at any point after March of their first year. If you are uncertain whether you intend to practice in Illinois, you may want to consider waiting to register and paying the late fee should you eventually decide to take the Illinois bar exam. The application form is very comprehensive and requires you to provide a significant amount of background information, some of which may be difficult to remember or obtain. I suggest that, if you do plan to register by the March deadline, you begin working on the materials sooner rather than later. If you have any questions about the application materials, you may call the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar at 217/522-5917.

All information you disclose on the bar registration application should be consistent with answers to questions on your Application for Admission to the law school. Please note, however, that the bar registration application asks for a considerable amount of information that you were not asked to provide on our Application for Admission. You only need to be concerned about the consistency of your answers for questions asked on both forms. You can amend your Application for Admission, if necessary, by addressing a letter to me setting forth the details of the omission or misrepresentation and the reason for it.

Representatives from the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar will visit the Law School later this semester or early in the Spring semester to answer questions concerning the completion of the bar registration application. We will announce the date and time once the session has been scheduled.

First-year students who think they may practice in another state should contact the bar examiners office in that state as soon as possible to determine their registration requirements. Booklets with the addresses and phone numbers of state bar examiners offices are available for you to consult in the Registrar’s office and in my office.

February 2008 and July 2008 Illinois Bar Applications. Applications for the February 2008 bar exam must be submitted by September 1, 2007. Applications for the July 2008 bar exam must be submitted by February 1, 2008. You may file a late application for the February bar up to December 31, and for the July bar up to May 31, but substantial penalty fees apply. The forms and instructions are available on the bar examiners' web site: http://www.ibaby.org. Please note: Even if you registered with the bar examiners as a first-year student, you must still file a final application. If you have any questions about the application materials, you may call the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar at 217/522-5917.

The law school sends a “Certificate of Dean of Law School Proof of Legal Education” to the Illinois bar examiners for every student who graduates in December or May. Please be sure to file an Application for Graduation so that we will know you plan to graduate in either December or May.

All information you disclose on the bar application should be consistent with answers to questions on your Application for Admission to the law school. Please note, however, that the bar application asks for a considerable amount of information that you were not asked to provide on our Application for Admission. You only need to be concerned about the consistency of your answers for questions asked on both forms. You can amend your Application for Admission, if necessary, by addressing a letter to me setting forth the details of the omission or misrepresentation and the reason for it.

Representatives from the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar will visit the Law School later this semester or early in the Spring semester to answer questions concerning the bar application process. We will announce the date and time once the session has been scheduled.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). The MPRE is required for admission to the bars of most jurisdictions, including Illinois. The exam is administered in March, August, and November each year. You may take the exam after you have completed two-thirds of the credits required for the J.D. degree (at Chicago-Kent, this means you must have completed 58 credits). Applications for the next exam, on November 3, 2007, are available in the Registrar's office. You may also register online by going to http://www.ncbex.org/multistate-tests/mpre. The deadline for applying for the November exam is September 25, 2007 (the late deadline is October 11).

Joke of the Week. Question: What do you call an unemployed jester? Answer: Nobody's fool.

Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Song to Celia," by Ben Jonson.

---

Week of September 3, 2007

Academic Calendar Reminder. In observance of Labor Day, there will be no classes on Monday, September 3.

Student Organization Fair. The annual Student Organization Fair will be held on Wednesday, September 5, from 11:30-1:00 (for day students) and from 5:00-6:00 (for evening students) in the second and third floor atriums. All students are invited.

Legal Writing Ethics Guidelines. This is a reminder that the Chicago-Kent Legal Writing Ethics Guidelines apply to all Chicago-Kent students, including students enrolled in upper-level writing courses (Legal Writing 3, Legal Writing 4, and all seminars). The Guidelines, which address a variety of issues, including plagiarism, are available by clicking here. If you have not reviewed the Guidelines recently, please do so.

ASP Workshop: Preparing For and Getting the Most Out of Classes. The Academic Support Program's first workshop of the semester will address how to prepare for class effectively and how to get the most out of your classes. The program will be held on Tuesday, September 4, 12:00-1:00, in Rm. 590 (for day students) and on Monday, September 10, 5:00-5:50 pm, in Rm. 590 (for evening students). All students are invited to attend, but first-year students are particularly encouraged to attend. For more information about the Academic Support Program, visit the ASP web page.

The remaining workshops for the Fall semester are listed below. Please mark your calendars.

Outlining Your Courses
Tuesday, October 9, 12:00-1:00pm, Rm. 590
Wednesday, October 10, 5:00-5:50pm, Rm. 590

Preparing for and Taking Exams
Tuesday, November 6, 12:00-1:00pm, Rm. 590
Wednesday, November 7, 5:00-5:50pm, Rm. 590

Dean's Roundtable Series. Next week, Dean Krent will inaugurate the Dean's Roundtable series, which will provide students with the opportunity to meet Chicago-Kent alumni who have pursued careers outside the law. The first Dean's Roundtable will take place over an informal dinner on Monday, September 10, 5:00-6:30pm with Greg McLaughlin, Class of 1999, President of the Tiger Woods Foundation. For more information on the Dean's Roundtable and how to sign up for the dinner with Greg McLauglin (spaces are limited), see Dean Krent's section of this week's Record.

IIT Emergency Notification Service. The university recently launched iitalert, a self-service, web-based, mass notification system that will enable the university to send instant alerts simultaneously to all students, faculty and staff, no matter where they are. This new system allows IIT to communicate emergency broadcasts and school closings immediately to the individual's cell phone, Blackberry, wireless PDA, text pager, personal email (optional), and RSS reader. This system will complement IIT's existing communication system (mass email, myIIT portal, IIT Today), allowing the university to reach the IIT community at a moment's notice.

Click here to register for iitalert. Registration is easy and takes less than a minute. All you need to do is choose a user name, input your phone/PDA number, and indicate you status (faculty, staff, or student) and what campus(es) you are associated with. (Alerts will be sent out on a campus basis.) If you do not have a cellular phone, pager, or PDA, you can register an alternative, non-IIT email address.

Security Reminder: Watch Your Valuables! We would like to remind all faculty, staff, and students to guard your valuables to avoid the risk of theft. Please do not leave your possessions unattended in the Library or any other part of the building, even for a short time -- it only takes a second for a thief to grab and run.

U-Pass and ID Distribution. If you have not yet picked up your ID card or U-Pass, they are available in the Registrar's office.

Adding and Dropping Courses. You may add an open course without special permission until the end of the first week of classes. During the second week, however, you may add an open course only with permission of the instructor. You may not add a course after the second week of the semester. You may withdraw from any course except a required course, a clinical course, Law Review, Moot Court, or Intensive Trial Advocacy at any time prior to the date of the final exam or final paper (see § 3.10(c) of the Student Handbook). There is no tuition penalty if you drop a course during the first two weeks of classes. You will not receive a tuition refund, however, if you drop a course after the second week of classes.

Disability Resources. Illinois Institute of Technology provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in university activities, programs, and services. Individuals with disabilities requiring an accommodation to participate in an activity, program or service (for example, exam accommodations or classroom accommodations) should contact the university's Center for Disability Resources.

Center for Disability Resources
Illinois Institute of Technology
3105 S. Dearborn LS 252
Chicago, IL 60616
312/567-5744
disabilities@iit.edu

Academic Counseling. I am available for counseling about course selection, certificate programs, bar preparation, academic rules and regulations, and other academic matters. If you are interested in a particular area of law, I can also arrange for you to meet with a faculty member who specializes in that area. You may contact me by email (ssowle@kentlaw.edu), phone (312/9096-5282), or by stopping by my office (320C).

Private Area for Contemplation. If you would like a private area in the Library to use for contemplation or meditation, please contact the librarian on duty at the Reference Desk.

Spring 2007 Class Ranks/GPA Cut-Offs. The GPA cut-offs as of the end of the Spring 2007 semester are linked to this page.

New Chicago-Kent Law Review Members. I'm happy to report that the students listed below have been invited to join the Chicago-Kent Law Review based on their academic performance, or their successful participation in this summer's write-on competition:

Marina G. Aronchik	Matthew G. Minder
Patrick D. Austermuehle	Daniel C. Mullenix
Adnan Bohri	Shannon O'Boye
Andrew R. Booth	Daniel J. Pylman
Michael G. Booth	Scott J. Richard
Jill E. Bornstein	Aaron J. Rosenthal
Molly Brooks	Laura B. Rowe
Maura C. Coleman	Laura A. Schmieder
Matthew D. Dudek	Jessica Herzog Schultz
Betsy L. Gates	Kara L. Schuur
Robert J. Grindle	Kathleen O. Sedey
David L. Gulbransen	Antonio J. Senagore
John O. Gunderson	Sara L. Siegall
Adam P. Joffe	Christopher H. St. Peter
Drew A. Kelly	Sandra R. Stipp
Jerem D. Kerman	Matthew J. Towey
Ted C. Koshiol	Benjamin W. Tull
Matthew J. Levinstein	Jessica Tyrus
Sandra D. Mertens	Anne M. Walker
Randy R. Micheletti	Tianran Yan

Counseling Services. IIT's Counseling Center will have a staff psychologist at the Law School on Mondays throughout the academic year. She will be available by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call (312) 808-7132. There is no charge for these counseling services.

Bar Registration for First-Year Students. First-year students who plan to take the Illinois Bar Examination after graduation should register with the Illinois bar examiners. The registration materials must be submitted by March 1, 2008. The forms and instructions are available on the bar examiners' web site: http://www.ibaby.org.

Although you are not required to register as a first-year student, the advantage of doing so is that you will avoid paying additional fees of $350 or more if you apply to take the bar at any point after March of their first year. If you are uncertain whether you intend to practice in Illinois, you may want to consider waiting to register and paying the late fee should you eventually decide to take the Illinois bar exam. The application form is very comprehensive and requires you to provide a significant amount of background information, some of which may be difficult to remember or obtain. I suggest that, if you do plan to register by the March deadline, you begin working on the materials sooner rather than later. If you have any questions about the application materials, you may call the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar at 217/522-5917.

All information you disclose on the bar registration application should be consistent with answers to questions on your Application for Admission to the law school. Please note, however, that the bar registration application asks for a considerable amount of information that you were not asked to provide on our Application for Admission. You only need to be concerned about the consistency of your answers for questions asked on both forms. You can amend your Application for Admission, if necessary, by addressing a letter to me setting forth the details of the omission or misrepresentation and the reason for it.

Representatives from the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar will visit the Law School later this semester or early in the Spring semester to answer questions concerning the completion of the bar registration application. We will announce the date and time once the session has been scheduled.

First-year students who think they may practice in another state should contact the bar examiners office in that state as soon as possible to determine their registration requirements. Booklets with the addresses and phone numbers of state bar examiners offices are available for you to consult in the Registrar’s office and in my office.

February 2008 and July 2008 Illinois Bar Applications. Applications for the February 2008 bar exam must be submitted by September 1, 2007. Applications for the July 2008 bar exam must be submitted by February 1, 2008. You may file a late application for the February bar up to December 31, and for the July bar up to May 31, but substantial penalty fees apply. The forms and instructions are available on the bar examiners' web site: http://www.ibaby.org. Please note: Even if you registered with the bar examiners as a first-year student, you must still file a final application. If you have any questions about the application materials, you may call the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar at 217/522-5917.

The law school sends a “Certificate of Dean of Law School Proof of Legal Education” to the Illinois bar examiners for every student who graduates in December or May. Please be sure to file an Application for Graduation so that we will know you plan to graduate in either December or May.

All information you disclose on the bar application should be consistent with answers to questions on your Application for Admission to the law school. Please note, however, that the bar application asks for a considerable amount of information that you were not asked to provide on our Application for Admission. You only need to be concerned about the consistency of your answers for questions asked on both forms. You can amend your Application for Admission, if necessary, by addressing a letter to me setting forth the details of the omission or misrepresentation and the reason for it.

Representatives from the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar will visit the Law School later this semester or early in the Spring semester to answer questions concerning the bar application process. We will announce the date and time once the session has been scheduled.

Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE). The MPRE is required for admission to the bars of most jurisdictions, including Illinois. The exam is administered in March, August, and November each year. You may take the exam after you have completed two-thirds of the credits required for the J.D. degree (at Chicago-Kent, this means you must have completed 58 credits). Applications for the next exam, on November 3, 2007, are available in the Registrar's office. You may also register online by going to http://www.ncbex.org/multistate-tests/mpre. The deadline for applying for the November exam is September 25, 2007 (the late deadline is October 11).

Joke of the Week. "I worry that the person who thought up Muzak may be thinking up something else." (Lily Tomin)

Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Wash of Cold River," by H.D.

---

Week of August 27, 2007

General Announcements:

Student Organization Fair. The annual Student Organization Fair will be held on Wednesday, September 5, from 11:30-1:00 (for day students) and from 5:00-6:00 (for evening students) in the second and third floor atriums. All students are invited.

Chicago-Kent Master Calendar. The Chicago-Kent Master Calendar is available here; it may also be accessed from the main Chicago-Kent web page and from the Record web pages (see, e.g., the link to the right on this page). This site brings together the following different calendars: the Academic Calendar, Admissions Calendar, Alumnae/i Calendar, Events Calendar, Student Administrative Calendar, and Student Organizations Calendar.

Disability Resources. Illinois Institute of Technology provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in university activities, programs, and services. Individuals with disabilities requiring an accommodation to participate in an activity, program or service (for example, exam accommodations or classroom accommodations) should contact the university's Center for Disability Resources.

Center for Disability Resources
Illinois Institute of Technology
3105 S. Dearborn LS 252
Chicago, IL 60616
312/567-5744
disabilities@iit.edu

Student Health Insurance. For information about the 2007-2008 student health insurance plan, please see the Student Health Insurance FAQ.

New Certificate Program in Criminal Litigation. The faculty has approved a new Certificate Program in Criminal Litigation. For the program description, click here. Upper-level students may be able to qualify for the certificate if they have already taken certain courses. We emailed last week all upper-level students whom we believe are eligible to pursue the certificate. If you did not receive an email, but are interested in seeing if you qualify, click here and review the information on the second page. First-year students interested in the program will apply for the program next Spring.

Classes Canceled October 30 for President Anderson's Inauguration. In recognition of the inauguration of John Anderson as IIT's new President, day division classes will be canceled on Tuesday, October 30. Classes starting at 4:00pm or later will meet as usual. A revised Academic Calendar is available by clicking here.

FERPA Rights and Notification of Access to Education Records. The Student Handbook outlines student rights and responsibitilies regarding access to educational records. Please review sections 14.4 and 14.5, which are linked to this page. Please pay particular attention to section 14.5, which lists the types of information that Chicago-Kent classifies as "directory information" (which Chicago-Kent may release at its discretion) and the information published in the online Student Directory (available only to members of the Chicago-Kent community). Section 14.5 also explains how you may request that directory information, including the information published in the Student Directory, not be published or released.

Notice to Students in Substance Abuse Recovery (or who want to be). If you are in recovery for a substance abuse problem, or if you are not in recovery but would like help with a substance abuse problem, consider contacting the Lawyers Assistance Program. This confidential program exists to help lawyers, judges, and law students with alcohol abuse, drug dependency, or mental health problems. If you are already in recovery, there is a weekly A.A. meeting at LAP's Chicago office, Tuesdays from 12:15-1:15 pm, at 20 S. Clark Street, Suite 1820. If you would like to be put in contact with other members of the Chicago-Kent community who are in recovery, call Janet Voss, the director of LAP, at 312/726-6607. If you are not in recovery but would like to find out more about what LAP can do for you, call or stop by LAP's office, or go to their web site at http://www.illinoislap.org.

Reminder About IIT's Political Activity Policy. IIT’s General Counsel would like to remind employees and students of the university’s obligation as a tax-exempt entity to refrain from engaging in any partisan political activities. This policy applies to all academic units within IIT, including the Law School. Violation of the prohibition against such activity could jeopardize IIT’s tax-exempt status. While individuals are free to express their opinions and to support political candidates on their own, it must be clear that the individual is acting on his or her own behalf and not on behalf of IIT. In no event may the name, symbols, or resources of the university be used to participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate for political office. Specific examples of impermissible activities include the use of university letterhead, campus mail, or IIT e-mail accounts to solicit support or contributions for a candidate; using university funds to purchase tickets for a candidate's fund-raiser; and putting campaign posters on university property. If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please contact Mary Anne Smith, Vice President and General Counsel of IIT, at 312/567-3034.

Furniture in the Classroom. If you have any reason to remove tables, podiums, chairs, or other furniture from classrooms temporarily, please be sure that you return them promptly. Missing furniture can cause serious inconvenience to instructors and students.

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg Mock Trial Program. The law firm of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg invites available students to serve as jurors for their Mock Trial Program. The program will run on Friday, October 5, and Saturday, October 6, from approximately 9:00-4:00. This annual program is a valuable exercise for NGE associates and enables them to practice their trial skills and receive constructive feedback early in their careers. The law students will get the opportunity to watch the associates in action and to learn from the partners who serve as judges for the program. Additionally, after the program concludes there will be a cocktail reception for all attorneys and students to meet, mingle and share observations from their experience. Finally, as an added incentive, each student will earn $100 for their participation in our program. If you are interested, contact Jennifer Gallinson at jgallinson@ngelaw.com or 312/269-5226.

To Entering Students:

Student Handbook and Code of Conduct. Please take time to review the Student Handbook, including the Chicago-Kent Code of Conduct (located at the end of the Handbook). For future reference, there is a permanent link to the Handbook on the main Student Portal page.

Amendments to Your Applications for Admission. The Illinois bar examiners reserve the right to check information you disclose to them on your bar application for consistency with the information you provided on your application for admission to law school. The bar examiners also conduct their own investigations to ensure that you disclosed all relevant information on your bar application and your law school application. Some students have had considerable difficulty in the past when the bar examiners found discrepencies between the information disclosed to them and the information on their law school applications, or when they discovered relevant information omitted from both.

I recommend that you review your answers to the questions asked on our application for admission and amend your application if any relevant information was excluded. You can amend your application by sending a memo to my attention describing the omitted information and explaining why you did not include the information on your application. In some cases, disciplinary action under the Code of Conduct may be appropriate. But it is much better to disclose the information now, and suffer whatever consequences may ensue (if any), than to be called before the bar examiners three years from now to explain a discrepency or omission.

Most problems in the past have arisen with respect to the following two questions on the
application:

16. Have you ever been convicted of, plead guilty or nolo contendere to, or received a period of supervision for, any offense other than a minor traffic or parking violation, or is any charge now pending against you concerning such an offense? (A "minor traffic violation" is a violation for which only a citation was issued, e.g., speeding. You must report any other traffic offense, including any offense in which acting under the influence of a drug or alcohol was an element of the offense.) You must disclose each instance regardless of whether a conviction was reversed, set aside or vacated, or the record sealed or expunged.

17. Have you ever been dropped, suspended, placed on academic or social probation or warning, or otherwise disciplined by any college or university, for any reason?

Academic Support Program. You received information during Orientation about the Academic Support Program (ASP), which is designed to assist first-year students in developing the skills needed to succeed in law school. One component of the program is weekly small group sessions focusing on skills development in the context of each of your Fall doctrinal courses. We have sent invitations to selected students to join these sessions. If you do not receive an invitation and would like to petition to join them, click here for the petition form, which is due to me no later than Thursday, September 6. Information about the program and study resources is available on the ASP web site.

ID and U-Pass Distribution. The ID cards are now ready. You may pick your ID card up on Monday in the front lobby between 11:00 and 2:00. I will distribute evening student ID cards outside their 6:00 class on Monday, August 27. After Monday, ID cards will be available in the Registrar's office.

We are awaiting delivery of the U-Passes from the CTA. If they arrive Monday morning, they will be available in the front lobby betweeen 11:00 and 2:00. After Monday, they will be available in the Registrar's office.

About the U-Pass Program: The U-Pass is a discount fare card allowing unlimited rides on all CTA buses and trains. All full-time day students will receive a U-Pass card valid from August 27 (the first day of classes) through December 21 (the end of Fall exams). New cards will be issued at the start of the Spring semester. The charge for the card will appear on the semester bill for each full-time student. Due to restrictions imposed by the CTA, the program is not currently available to evening students or part-time day students. For more details, see our U-Pass FAQ, and visit the CTA's U-Pass web site.

Immunization Records. If you have not yet supplied your immunization records to IIT, please do so as soon as possible. You may have a hold placed on your registration if you do not submit the proper documentation.

To Returning Students:

Welcome Back! I hope you had an enjoyable summer and that you have a successful and productive year. If you would like to see me with a question, problem, or suggestion, please call me (906-5282), come by my office (Suite 320C), or e-mail me (SSOWLE).

Fall 2007 Semester Information. The Fall 2007 Term Information page has most of the information you will need in advance of the start of the Fall semester - click here, or go to the main Student Portal page and click on the Fall '07 link under "Academic term information." Print copies of many of the documents described below are available outside the third floor cafeteria.

•Initial Reading Assignments and Course Materials. Reading assignments for the first week of the Fall semester are available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. (Please note: The list of initial assignments has been updated since it was first, and it may be updated again if we receive additional assignments.) Not all professors submit initial assignments, so do not be concerned if there is no listing for one or more of your Fall courses.

If you have not yet returned to school, you may ask the bookstore to hold your Fall course materials for you until you arrive, or for an extra fee you may request that the books be mailed to you. If you would like to take advantage of either of these options, stop by the bookstore or call 312/906-5605. In addition, you may order your course materials over the Internet by clicking on the Bookstore link on the Student Portal page.

•Course Information Updates. Course information updates for Fall 2007 classes are available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page.

•Revised Fall Schedule (with Classroom Assignments). A revised copy of the Fall 2007 Schedule of Classes, including classroom assignments, is available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. Classroom assignments will also be posted in the front lobby later this week.

•Adding and Dropping Courses. You may add an open course without special permission until the end of the first week of classes. During the second week, however, you may add an open course only with permission of the instructor. You may not add a course after the second week of the semester. You may withdraw from any course except a required course, a clinical course, Law Review, Moot Court, or Intensive Trial Advocacy at any time prior to the date of the final exam or final paper (see § 3.10(c) of the Student Handbook). There is no tuition penalty if you drop a course during the first two weeks of classes. You will not receive a tuition refund, however, if you drop a course after the second week of classes.

•Exam Schedule. A copy of the Fall 2007 exam schedule is available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. The Student Handbook requires that you take your finals at the times scheduled unless you have an exam conflict (as defined below), or you have a "serious illness or other extraordinary or compelling reason" beyond your control. A Final Exam Reschedule Form will be posted later this semester through Web for Students.

A student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if he or she has two exams at the same time, or has two or more exams within 24 hours (e.g., exams at 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or at 6:00 p.m. and 1:15 the following afternoon). A conflict does not exist if two exams are scheduled exactly 24 hours apart (e.g., exams at 8:30 a.m. one morning and 8:30 a.m. the next morning).

•Trial Advocacy Section Assignments. If you are registered for Trial Advocacy 1 or Trial Advocacy 2 for the Fall semester, a list of section assignments is available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. If your section meets at the Daley Center, please be sure to bring your Kent ID card with you, as you will be required to show it before being allowed to enter.

•Bookstore Hours. The Bookstore's hours for the Fall semester are available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page.

•2007-2008 Academic Calendar. The Academic Calendar for 2007-2008 is linked to this page.

•Consider Taking Appellate Courts & Procedure. [From Prof. Steinman] All through law school you read appellate court decisions, and perhaps you plan to litigate. How much do you know about appellate review: About who can appeal, when, where, and how?; about the scope of review available before final judgment? Do you understand what the various standards of review really mean, and what standard the courts will apply to what issues? Are you sure of the degree to which the trial court record and the issues you've raised – or failed to raise – in the trial court limit what you can argue on appeal? Have you pondered when appellate courts feel free to make new law and when they leave law making to legislatures? or the role of intermediate appellate courts in lawmaking? Have you considered how the volume of litigation has altered how appellate courts operate (their internal procedures, their use of staff, the very structure of appellate court systems), and the implications of those changes for how appellate counsel must work? Do you know much about U.S. Supreme Court jurisdiction and certiorari policy, or the role of amicus curiae? If these questions interest you, consider taking Appellate Courts & Procedure, Mon., Tues., Thurs. 1:55-2:50 pm. We'll be using new materials by Meador, Baker, & Steinman.

Spring 2008 Preliminary Schedule. The preliminary class schedule for the Spring 2008 semester is linked to this page. Please note: This schedule is only preliminary; there will be additions to the class list and other changes made before the schedule is finalized. The final Spring 2008 schedule will be issued later this semester, when registration for Spring classes will also take place.

Fall U-Pass Distribution. Fall U-Passes for upper-level students will be distributed in the front lobby on Monday, August 27, from 11:00 to 2:00. After Monday, you may pick up your U-Pass from the Registrar's office.

All full-time day students (determined by your official division status, not by the number of credit hours you take in a particular semester) will be issued U-Passes valid from August 27 (the first day of classes) through December 21 (the end of Fall exams). New cards will be issued at the start of the Spring semester. The charge for the card will appear on the semester bill for each full-time student. If you registered for Fall classes late or do not have a picture in our ID system, we will not have a U-Pass for you. Please let us know that you qualify for a U-Pass and, after we confirm your status, we will order one for you. For more details about the U-Pass program, see our U-Pass FAQ, and visit the CTA's U-Pass web site.

Spring 2007 CALI Award Winners. The CALI Excellence for the Future Award, sponsored by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, is given to the student or students who receive the highest grade in each section of each course. The CALI award winners for Spring 2007 courses are available by clicking here. If a section or a course is not listed, that means the professor elected not to give a CALI award, or we have not yet heard from the professor. Congratulations to all of you who received an award - you should be proud of your achievement.

London Law Consortium: Brochures Available. Chicago-Kent offers a semester of legal study in London each Spring semester as part of a consortium with six other schools. If you are interested in the London Law Consortium for the Spring 2008 semester, please pick up a copy of the program brochure from Denise Lang outside my office (Suite 320C). Spaces in the program will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We must submit to the program administrators completed applications from all of our participating students no later than Tuesday, September 7, 2007. If you wish to discuss the program in more detail, contact Professor David Rudstein (drudstei@kentlaw.edu; 312/906-5354).

Serve as a Mentor to an International Student. If you are an upper-level student, consider serving as a Chicago Mentor to help orient one of our international LL.M. students to life in Chicago and the U.S. This pilot program matches 2L, 3L, and 4L J.D. students with new LL.M. students. As a Chicago Mentor, you would be available to answer questions about life in Chicago, public transportation, social events, etc. You could even get together with your mentee for lunch, invite him or her to a party at your apartment or home, or take them to a Chicago neighborhood festival.

If you are interested in being a Chicago Mentor, send an email to Assistant Dean Lydia Lazar (llazar@kentlaw.edu) no later than Friday, September 7, with the following information:

- Your name and email address
- Your year at Kent
- If there is a language that you speak/read/write
- If there is a particular country or area of the world that interests you
- Your age and if you are male or female
- What type of law interests you
- What neighborhood in Chicago (or suburbs) you live in
- Anything else that you think would be helpful in matching you with an international student.

Joke of the Week. George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill: "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend ... if you have one." Churchill's response: "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second ... if there is one."

Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "How to Be a Poet," by "Wendell Berry.

---

Week of August 20, 2007

General Announcements:

Student Organization Fair. The annual Student Organization Fair will be held on Wednesday, September 5, from 11:30-1:00 (for day students) and from 5:00-6:00 (for evening students) in the second and third floor atriums. All students are invited.

Disability Resources. Illinois Institute of Technology provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in university activities, programs, and services. Individuals with disabilities requiring an accommodation to participate in an activity, program or service (for example, exam accommodations or classroom accommodations) should contact the university's Center for Disability Resources.

Center for Disability Resources
Illinois Institute of Technology
3105 S. Dearborn LS 252
Chicago, IL 60616
312/567-5744
disabilities@iit.edu

To Entering Students:

Welcome to Chicago-Kent! For those of you starting your first year, you chose a terrific law school and we are pleased that you are joining our community. You have an exciting several years ahead of you.

What My Office Does. In my capacity as Assistant Dean for Academic Administration and Student Affairs, I have responsibility for a number of areas that affect your life as a student. I supervise the Registrar's office on scheduling your courses, administering your exams, and maintaining your academic records. I oversee the Student Services office on Orientation, academic and personal counseling of students, and applying the school's academic regulations. More generally, my job is to make sure that your life at the Law School remains as free from administrative hassles as possible. If you think I can be of help, please call me (906-5282), come by my office (Suite 320C), or e-mail me (SSOWLE). If I'm not the right person to help you, I should be able to point you in the right direction. My door is open without appointment, so long as I am not otherwise occupied when you drop by.

Orientation Week. The final schedule for Orientation week will be distributed in the packets you receive when you arrive on August 20. In addition, the Admissions Office has created a special web site for entering students with links to lots of useful information. (A password is required for access to this site; contact the Office of Admissions if you don't have a password.)

Academic Support Program. You will receive information during Orientation about the Academic Support Program (ASP), which is designed to assist first-year students in developing the skills needed to succeed in law school. One component of the program is weekly small group sessions focusing on skills development in the context of each of your Fall doctrinal courses. We will be sending invitations to selected students before the start of the regular semester to join these sessions. If you do not receive an invitation and would like to petition to join them, click here for the petition form, which is due to me no later than Thursday, September 6. Information about the program and study resources is available on the ASP web site.

CTA U-Pass Program. Chicago-Kent is a participant in the Chicago Transit Authority's U-Pass program. The U-Pass is a discount fare card allowing unlimited rides on all CTA buses and trains. All full-time day students will receive a U-Pass card valid from August 27 (the first day of classes) through December 21 (the end of Fall exams). New cards will be issued at the start of the Spring semester. The charge for the card will appear on the semester bill for each full-time student. Due to restrictions imposed by the CTA, the program is not currently available to evening students or part-time day students. For more details, see our U-Pass FAQ, and visit the CTA's U-Pass web site.

To Returning Students:

Welcome Back! I hope you had an enjoyable summer and that you have a successful and productive year. If you would like to see me with a question, problem, or suggestion, please call me (906-5282), come by my office (Suite 320C), or e-mail me (SSOWLE).

Fall 2007 Semester Information. The Fall 2007 Term Information page has most of the information you will need in advance of the start of the Fall semester - click here, or go to the main Student Portal page and click on the Fall '07 link under "Academic term information." Print copies of many of the documents described below are available outside the third floor cafeteria.

•Initial Reading Assignments and Course Materials. Reading assignments for the first week of the Fall semester are available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. (Please note: The list of initial assignments has been updated since it was first, and it may be updated again if we receive additional assignments.) Not all professors submit initial assignments, so do not be concerned if there is no listing for one or more of your Fall courses.

If you have not yet returned to school, you may ask the bookstore to hold your Fall course materials for you until you arrive, or for an extra fee you may request that the books be mailed to you. If you would like to take advantage of either of these options, stop by the bookstore or call 312/906-5605. In addition, you may order your course materials over the Internet by clicking on the Bookstore link on the Student Portal page.

•Course Information Updates. Course information updates for Fall 2007 classes are available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page.

•Revised Fall Schedule (with Classroom Assignments). A revised copy of the Fall 2007 Schedule of Classes, including classroom assignments, is available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. Classroom assignments will also be posted in the front lobby later this week.

•Adding and Dropping Courses. You may add an open course without special permission until the end of the first week of classes. During the second week, however, you may add an open course only with permission of the instructor. You may not add a course after the second week of the semester. You may withdraw from any course except a required course, a clinical course, Law Review, Moot Court, or Intensive Trial Advocacy at any time prior to the date of the final exam or final paper (see § 3.10(c) of the Student Handbook). There is no tuition penalty if you drop a course during the first two weeks of classes. You will not receive a tuition refund, however, if you drop a course after the second week of classes.

•Exam Schedule. A copy of the Fall 2007 exam schedule is available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. The Student Handbook requires that you take your finals at the times scheduled unless you have an exam conflict (as defined below), or you have a "serious illness or other extraordinary or compelling reason" beyond your control. A Final Exam Reschedule Form will be posted later this semester through Web for Students.

A student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if he or she has two exams at the same time, or has two or more exams within 24 hours (e.g., exams at 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or at 6:00 p.m. and 1:15 the following afternoon). A conflict does not exist if two exams are scheduled exactly 24 hours apart (e.g., exams at 8:30 a.m. one morning and 8:30 a.m. the next morning).

•Trial Advocacy Section Assignments. If you are registered for Trial Advocacy 1 or Trial Advocacy 2 for the Fall semester, a list of section assignments is available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page. If your section meets at the Daley Center, please be sure to bring your Kent ID card with you, as you will be required to show it before being allowed to enter.

•Bookstore Hours. The Bookstore's hours for the Fall semester are available on the Fall 2007 Term Information page.

•2007-2008 Academic Calendar. The Academic Calendar for 2007-2008 is linked to this page.

•Consider Taking Appellate Courts & Procedure. [From Prof. Steinman] All through law school you read appellate court decisions, and perhaps you plan to litigate. How much do you know about appellate review: About who can appeal, when, where, and how?; about the scope of review available before final judgment? Do you understand what the various standards of review really mean, and what standard the courts will apply to what issues? Are you sure of the degree to which the trial court record and the issues you've raised – or failed to raise – in the trial court limit what you can argue on appeal? Have you pondered when appellate courts feel free to make new law and when they leave law making to legislatures? or the role of intermediate appellate courts in lawmaking? Have you considered how the volume of litigation has altered how appellate courts operate (their internal procedures, their use of staff, the very structure of appellate court systems), and the implications of those changes for how appellate counsel must work? Do you know much about U.S. Supreme Court jurisdiction and certiorari policy, or the role of amicus curiae? If these questions interest you, consider taking Appellate Courts & Procedure, Mon., Tues., Thurs. 1:55-2:50 pm. We'll be using new materials by Meador, Baker, & Steinman.

Spring 2008 Preliminary Schedule. The preliminary class schedule for the Spring 2008 semester is linked to this page. Please note: This schedule is only preliminary; there will be additions to the class list and other changes made before the schedule is finalized. The final Spring 2008 schedule will be issued later this semester, when registration for Spring classes will also take place.

Fall U-Pass Distribution. Fall U-Passes for upper-level students will take place in the front lobby at the following times:

*Wednesday, August 22, 11:00am - 1:00pm, Front Lobby.
*Friday, August 24, 11:00am - 1:00pm, Front Lobby.
*Monday, August 27, 11:00am - 2:00pm, Front Lobby.

After Monday, August 27, you may pick up your U-Pass from the Registrar's office.

All full-time day students (determined by your official division status, not by the number of credit hours you take in a particular semester) will be issued U-Passes valid from August 27 (the first day of classes) through December 21 (the end of Fall exams). New cards will be issued at the start of the Spring semester. The charge for the card will appear on the semester bill for each full-time student. If you registered for Fall classes late or do not have a picture in our ID system, we will not have a U-Pass for you. Please let us know that you qualify for a U-Pass and, after we confirm your status, we will order one for you. For more details about the U-Pass program, see our U-Pass FAQ, and visit the CTA's U-Pass web site.

Spring 2007 CALI Award Winners. The CALI Excellence for the Future Award, sponsored by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, is given to the student or students who receive the highest grade in each section of each course. The CALI award winners for Spring 2007 courses are available by clicking here. If a section or a course is not listed, that means the professor elected not to give a CALI award, or we have not yet heard from the professor. Congratulations to all of you who received an award - you should be proud of your achievement.

London Law Consortium: Brochures Available. Chicago-Kent offers a semester of legal study in London each Spring semester as part of a consortium with six other schools. If you are interested in the London Law Consortium for the Spring 2008 semester, please pick up a copy of the program brochure from Denise Lang outside my office (Suite 320C). Spaces in the program will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We must submit to the program administrators completed applications from all of our participating students no later than Tuesday, September 7, 2007. If you wish to discuss the program in more detail, contact Professor David Rudstein (drudstei@kentlaw.edu; 312/906-5354).

Serve as a Mentor to an International Student. If you are an upper-level student, consider serving as a Chicago Mentor to help orient one of our international LL.M. students to life in Chicago and the U.S. This pilot program matches 2L, 3L, and 4L J.D. students with new LL.M. students. As a Chicago Mentor, you would be available to answer questions about life in Chicago, public transportation, social events, etc. You could even get together with your mentee for lunch, invite him or her to a party at your apartment or home, or take them to a Chicago neighborhood festival.

If you are interested in being a Chicago Mentor, send an email to Assistant Dean Lydia Lazar (llazar@kentlaw.edu) no later than Friday, September 7, with the following information:

- Your name and email address
- Your year at Kent
- If there is a language that you speak/read/write
- If there is a particular country or area of the world that interests you
- Your age and if you are male or female
- What type of law interests you
- What neighborhood in Chicago (or suburbs) you live in
- Anything else that you think would be helpful in matching you with an international student.

Joke of the Week. George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill: "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend ... if you have one." Churchill's response: "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second ... if there is one."

Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "How to Be a Poet," by "Wendell Berry.