Archive entries are in reverse chronological order.
SUMMER 2009
Week
of August 10, 2009
Fall 2009 Semester Information.The Fall 2009 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 '09 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 2009 Term Information page. (Please note: The list of initial assignments has been updated since it was first posted, 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 2009 classes are available on the Fall 2009 Term Information page.
•Revised Fall Schedule (with Classroom Assignments). A revised copy of the Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes, including classroom assignments, is available on the Fall 2009 Term Information page.
Classroom assignments will also be posted in the front lobby a few days before classes start.
•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 2009 Term Information page. Please note: If your section meets at the Daley Center, please be sure to bring your Kent ID card with you, as you may be required to show it before being allowed to enter.
•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 2009 exam schedule is available on the Fall 2009 Term Information page. Please note that you are permitted to register for courses with exams scheduled at the same time; one exam will be rescheduled for you.
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).
•Bookstore Hours. The Bookstore's hours for the Fall semester are available on the Fall 2009 Term Information page.
•2009-2010 Academic Calendar. The Academic Calendar for 2009-2010 is linked to this page.
Spring 2010 Preliminary Schedule. The preliminary class schedule for the Spring 2010 semester is available on the Fall 2009 Term Information 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 2009 schedule will be issued later this semester, when registration for Spring classes will also take place.
Weeks
of July 27 & August 3, 2009
Notice to Graduating Seniors. If you graduated in the Spring, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know. Note: If you are not graduating this semester, you will keep your e-mail account and locker until you graduate.
•Email and Network Accounts. Email and network accounts will be terminated on Monday, August 3 (shortly after the summer bar exam). After this date, you will not be able to recover any emails that are currently in your @kentlaw.edu inbox. If you would like to save your emails, you may download a .pst file of your inbox, following the instructions here. Please note that you must be on campus in order to download your .pst file, as you need access to the Chicago-Kent server for the download. Moreover, please be sure to have a flash drive or recordable CD on which to save your emails, as the files are generally too large to send by email. It is your responsibility to make a backup of your emails to a .pst file. If you have questions, please contact the Center for Law and Computers at pchelp@kentlaw.edu or (312) 906-5300, but note that they cannot complete this process for you.
As a Chicago-Kent graduate, the Alumni Association is pleased to offer an email forwarding service using an @alumni.kentlaw.edu email address. This service is available through the Alumni Online Community at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu and allows you to choose a username@alumni.kentlaw.edu address that will be forwarded to your specified personal email account (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or work e-mail, etc). Your username can be your current kentlaw.edu username, or you can create a new one. The advantage of the e-mail forwarding is that once you give your forwarding address to friends and colleagues, you’ll no longer have to notify everyone in your address book of a new or discontinued e-mail address; you can simply update the email account to which the email forwarding address sends to by logging into the Alumni Online Community. Please note that any emails sent to your current @kentlaw.edu address DO NOT automatically get sent to your alumni forwarding address. You must notify your contacts of your new address.
In order to access e-mail forwarding, you must sign up for the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community, which, in addition to email forwarding, allows you to update your alumni information, search the alumni directory, join groups, network with fellow alumni, and keep up to date with all the news and events at Chicago-Kent. Accounts for May 2009 graduates will be available by mid-July. Click here to sign up now and we will send you your login information when you have access! For questions or concerns, please contact the Chicago-Kent Alumni Association at alums@kentlaw.edu or 312.906.5240.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Friday, July 31. Anything left in lockers after that date will be removed. If you are unable to clear your locker out by that date, please contact me to make arrangements for your locker contents to be set aside for you.
Weeks
of July 13 & July 20, 2009
No new headlines this week.
Weeks
of June 29 & July 6, 2009
Spring 2009 Class Ranks/GPA Cut-offs. The class ranks as of the end of the Spring 2009 semester have been posted and are available through Web for Students (go into your Webmail account, click on Web for Students, then click on the "Spring 2009" link under "Grades and Rank" on the left hand menu). For those of you who just graduated, this information constitutes your final GPA and class rank.
The GPA cut-offs as of the end of the Spring 2009 semester are available by clicking here.
Spring 2009 CALI Awards. 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 2009 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.
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:
Kelly S. Albinak |
Mark L. Mazzone |
Mark M. Berardi |
Aimee E. Sabolyk |
Patrick M. Bickley |
Grant S. Shackelford |
Ashley E. Crettol |
Tanya Kristina Solis |
David A. Franklin |
Keith L. Southam |
Stephen J. Gorski |
Keith R. Syverson |
Christopher M. Hoffmann |
Elizabeth E. Tempel |
Karen S. Hwang |
Jerry D. Thomas |
Katherine C. Jahnke |
Conor D. Weber |
Andrew M. Jung |
Michael S. Young |
Yana Karnaukhov |
Jacqueline R. Zablocki |
William M. Lopez |
|
Summer 2009 Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exams for the Summer term are listed in the Schedule of Classes available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Reschedule Requests. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please contact Jenna Moroney (jmoroney@kentlaw.edu) no later than Wednesday, July 1. A student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student has two exams at the same time, or has two or more exams within 24 hours.
•Exam Method Registration. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
Notice to Graduating Seniors. If you graduated in the Spring, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know. Note: If you are not graduating this semester, you will keep your e-mail account and locker until you graduate.
•Email and Network Accounts. Email and network accounts will be terminated on Monday, August 3 (shortly after the summer bar exam). After this date, you will not be able to recover any emails that are currently in your @kentlaw.edu inbox. If you would like to save your emails, you may download a .pst file of your inbox, following the instructions here. Please note that you must be on campus in order to download your .pst file, as you need access to the Chicago-Kent server for the download. Moreover, please be sure to have a flash drive or recordable CD on which to save your emails, as the files are generally too large to send by email. It is your responsibility to make a backup of your emails to a .pst file. If you have questions, please contact the Center for Law and Computers at pchelp@kentlaw.edu or (312) 906-5300, but note that they cannot complete this process for you.
As a Chicago-Kent graduate, the Alumni Association is pleased to offer an email forwarding service using an @alumni.kentlaw.edu email address. This service is available through the Alumni Online Community at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu and allows you to choose a username@alumni.kentlaw.edu address that will be forwarded to your specified personal email account (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or work e-mail, etc). Your username can be your current kentlaw.edu username, or you can create a new one. The advantage of the e-mail forwarding is that once you give your forwarding address to friends and colleagues, you’ll no longer have to notify everyone in your address book of a new or discontinued e-mail address; you can simply update the email account to which the email forwarding address sends to by logging into the Alumni Online Community. Please note that any emails sent to your current @kentlaw.edu address DO NOT automatically get sent to your alumni forwarding address. You must notify your contacts of your new address.
In order to access e-mail forwarding, you must sign up for the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community, which, in addition to email forwarding, allows you to update your alumni information, search the alumni directory, join groups, network with fellow alumni, and keep up to date with all the news and events at Chicago-Kent. Accounts for May 2009 graduates will be available by mid-July. Click here to sign up now and we will send you your login information when you have access! For questions or concerns, please contact the Chicago-Kent Alumni Association at alums@kentlaw.edu or 312.906.5240.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Friday, July 31. Anything left in lockers after that date will be removed. If you are unable to clear your locker out by that date, please contact me to make arrangements for your locker contents to be set aside for you.
Weeks
of June 15 & June 22, 2009
Summer 2009 Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exams for the Summer term are listed in the Schedule of Classes available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Reschedule Requests. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please contact Jenna Moroney (jmoroney@kentlaw.edu) no later than Wednesday, July 1. A student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student has two exams at the same time, or has two or more exams within 24 hours.
•Exam Method Registration. Students have three choices for taking most exams: hand writing the exam, taking the exam on their own laptop computer, or taking the exam on a lab computer. Some professors do not permit one or more of these options (e.g., some require all students to hand write the exam).
Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to hand-write the exam, or take it on a lab computer (subject to space availability). Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam.
If you wish to register to take an exam by hand or on a lab computer, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form. The form will be available beginning Friday, June 19. The deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, June 24.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
Notice to Graduating Seniors. If you are graduating this semester, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know. Note: If you are not graduating this semester, you will keep your e-mail account and locker until you graduate.
•Email and Network Accounts. Email and network accounts will be terminated on Monday, August 3 (shortly after the summer bar exam). As a Chicago-Kent graduate, the Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to offer you the option of setting up an alumni.kentlaw.edu email address through our email forwarding service. This service is available through the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community and allows you to choose a username@alumni.kentlaw.edu address that will be forwarded to your specified personal email account (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or work e-mail, etc). This system allows you to use a simple e-mail address to give to family and friends, and your username can be your current username@kentlaw.edu or you can create a new one. You'll never have to notify everyone in your address book of a new or discontinued e-mail address because you can simply update your personal e-mail address by logging into the Online Community, and emails will subsequently be forwarded to your email address.
In order to access email forwarding, all you have to do is sign up for the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community. Accounts for May 2009 graduates will be available in mid-July. Click here to sign up now! For questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alums@kentlaw.edu or 312.906.5240.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Friday, July 31. Anything left in lockers after that date will be removed. If you are unable to clear your locker out by that date, please contact me to make arrangements for your locker contents to be set aside for you.
Weeks
of June 1 & June 8, 2009
Notice to Graduating Seniors. If you are graduating this semester, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know. Note: If you are not graduating this semester, you will keep your e-mail account and locker until you graduate.
•Email and Network Accounts. Email and network accounts will be terminated on Monday, August 3 (shortly after the summer bar exam). As a Chicago-Kent graduate, the Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to offer you the option of setting up an alumni.kentlaw.edu email address through our email forwarding service. This service is available through the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community and allows you to choose a username@alumni.kentlaw.edu address that will be forwarded to your specified personal email account (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or work e-mail, etc). This system allows you to use a simple e-mail address to give to family and friends, and your username can be your current username@kentlaw.edu or you can create a new one. You'll never have to notify everyone in your address book of a new or discontinued e-mail address because you can simply update your personal e-mail address by logging into the Online Community, and emails will subsequently be forwarded to your email address.
In order to access email forwarding, all you have to do is sign up for the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community. Accounts for May 2009 graduates will be available in mid-July. Click here to sign up now! For questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alums@kentlaw.edu or 312.906.5240.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Friday, July 31. Anything left in lockers after that date will be removed. If you are unable to clear your locker out by that date, please contact me to make arrangements for your locker contents to be set aside for you.
Research Assistant Opportunities for Continuing Students. As we all know, these are difficult financial times. If you are a continuing student and have not yet found summer employment, we hope that your patience and persistence will be rewarded and that you will find a job or other opportunity. If not, we want to make you aware of the possiblity of working as a research assistant for a faculty member this summer. Working as a research assistant provides an opportunity to hone your research skills, get to know faculty, work on interesting projects, and enhance your resume.
*Being a research assistant for credit or pay. You can receive one credit for your work as a research assistant. Regular tuition must be paid to earn this credit. You and your supervising faculty member will determine the number of hours you must work to earn this credit, but generally 80 hours of work is expected. Alternatively, if the faculty member has research funds available, you can receive pay in lieu of receiving credit.
*Special projects. Some faculty members may be involved with special projects that would benefit from participation by law students. Although this work would likely be on a volunteer basis, these kinds of projects can provide valuable experience and give you the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member. Recent examples of such projects include Prof. Perritt's work to create a database for tracking incidents of gender-based violence in Iraq, and Prof. Birdthistle's writing of an amicus brief in an investment fund case pending before the Supreme Court.
If you are interested in being a summer research assistant or volunteering on a project, contact professors you might be interested in work with and include a copy of your resume; or contact me for information about professors who have already indicated that they are looking for assistance.
UPDATE: As of June 3, the following professors have indicated they are looking for summer assistance. I will update this list as I receive further information. If I received any details from the professor, I have included them.
Prof. Atuahene - for credit.
Prof. Baker - for credit; research on importance of gender identity to psychological health (psychology background preferred but not required).
Prof. Batlan - for credit, or volunteer project; will be working on projects related to gender and the law, and legal history.
Prof. Bosselman - for credit or pay; will be working on the following projects: history of oil and gas exploration and development in the Peruvian Amazon (requires ability to read Spanish); update a book chapter on nuclear power (background in nuclear engineering or related subjects preferred); recent changes in laws relating to fuel efficiency, biofuels, etc. (interest in, and knowledge of, motor vehicles and fuels preferred).
Prof. Coyne - for credit.
Prof. Godfrey - for credit; assist with book on Lawyer as Investigator.
Prof. Laser - for credit or pay; research in civil procedure, including personal jurisdiction.
Prof. Leader - for credit preferred (for pay is possible, though); will be working on two book updates - one related to employment discrimination, the other related to stock options and other incentive agreements.
Prof. Marder - for credit or volunteer preferred (for pay may be possible, though); research on jury trials and/or other jury-related issues.
Prof. Perritt - for credit, or volunteer project; will be working on the following projects: PHP and MySQL coding for Iraqi Kurdistan Gender Based Violence Database; completion of law review article on new business models for popular music; initiial work on a new article on new business models for video entertainment; and the economics of micro advertising (behaviorally targeted) advertising to support popular music, video entertainment and journalism.
Prof. Rosado - for credit; will be working on the following projects: child labor in Guatemala (must be able to read and speak Spanish); rule of law and in China and labor law reforms in China; proposed labor law reforms in Mexico (requires fluency in Spanish).
Prof. Steinman - for credit preferred (for pay is possible, though);will be working on one or more of the following topics: res judicata effects of class action judgments; claim definition in appeals; Supreme Court directions to lower courts and/or limiting appellate review; appealable issues after remand.
Prof. Strubbe - for credit; research on harassment law.
Prof. Tarlock - for credit.
Estate Planning Conference: Reduced Rate for Law Students. WealthCounsel, a national organization of estate planning attorneys, is inviting law students and faculty from Chicago-area law schools to participate in the 2009 Planning for the Generations Symposium, which will be held August 5-7, 2009. The event presents an opportunity for those who may be considering a career in the estate planning or elder law fields to obtain a sense for the hottest topics in estate and elder law planning. You can network with attorneys who may be looking for interns and associates, ask questions during the breakout sessions, and learn how an automated drafting system is critical to efficiency and profitability. The reduced fee for students and faculty is $75 per day (or 3 days for $200), which includes admittance to all sessions, breakfast, and snack breaks. To register, please complete the registration form found at:
http://www.wealthcounsel.com/Admin/UserFiles/Student_Flyer_and_Registration_Form.pdf For information about WealthCounsel, please visit http://www.wealthcounsel.com. For questions, please email marlene.frith@wealthcounsel.com.
Weeks
of May 18 & May 25, 2009
Notice to Graduating Seniors. If you are graduating this semester, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know. Note: If you are not graduating this semester, you will keep your e-mail account and locker until you graduate.
•Email and Network Accounts. Email and network accounts will be terminated on Monday, August 3 (shortly after the summer bar exam). As a Chicago-Kent graduate, the Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to offer you the option of setting up an alumni.kentlaw.edu email address through our email forwarding service. This service is available through the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community and allows you to choose a username@alumni.kentlaw.edu address that will be forwarded to your specified personal email account (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or work e-mail, etc). This system allows you to use a simple e-mail address to give to family and friends, and your username can be your current username@kentlaw.edu or you can create a new one. You'll never have to notify everyone in your address book of a new or discontinued e-mail address because you can simply update your personal e-mail address by logging into the Online Community, and emails will subsequently be forwarded to your email address.
In order to access email forwarding, all you have to do is sign up for the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community. Accounts for May 2009 graduates will be available in mid-July. Click here to sign up now! For questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alums@kentlaw.edu or 312.906.5240.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Friday, July 31. Anything left in lockers after that date will be removed. If you are unable to clear your locker out by that date, please contact me to make arrangements for your locker contents to be set aside for you.
Summer 2009 Term Information.
•Classroom Assignments. The final Schedule of Classes for the Summer 2009 term, including classroom assignments, is available on the Summer 2009 Term Information page (also available by going to the main Student Portal page and clicking on the Summer '09 link).
•Initial Reading Assignments. A list of initial reading assignments for Summer 2009 courses is available on the Summer 2009 Term Information page (also available by going to the main Student Portal page and clicking on the Summer '09 link). Please note: If a course is not listed, that means we did not receive an initial assignment from the professor.
Research Assistant Opportunities for Continuing Students. As we all know, these are difficult financial times. If you are a continuing student and have not yet found summer employment, we hope that your patience and persistence will be rewarded and that you will find a job or other opportunity. If not, we want to make you aware of the possiblity of working as a research assistant for a faculty member this summer. Working as a research assistant provides an opportunity to hone your research skills, get to know faculty, work on interesting projects, and enhance your resume.
*Being a research assistant for credit or pay. You can receive one credit for your work as a research assistant. Regular tuition must be paid to earn this credit. You and your supervising faculty member will determine the number of hours you must work to earn this credit, but generally 80 hours of work is expected. Alternatively, if the faculty member has research funds available, you can receive pay in lieu of receiving credit.
*Special projects. Some faculty members may be involved with special projects that would benefit from participation by law students. Although this work would likely be on a volunteer basis, these kinds of projects can provide valuable experience and give you the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member. Recent examples of such projects include Prof. Perritt's work to create a database for tracking incidents of gender-based violence in Iraq, and Prof. Birdthistle's writing of an amicus brief in an investment fund case pending before the Supreme Court.
If you are interested in being a summer research assistant or volunteering on a project, contact professors you might be interested in work with and include a copy of your resume; or contact me for information about professors who have already indicated that they are looking for assistance.
UPDATE: As of May 15, the following professors have indicated they are looking for summer assistance. I will update this list as I receive further information. If I received any details from the professor, I have included them.
Prof. Atuahene - for credit.
Prof. Baker - for credit; research on importance of gender identity to psychological health (psychology background preferred but not required).
Prof. Batlan - for credit, or volunteer project; will be working on projects related to gender and the law, and legal history.
Prof. Bosselman - for credit or pay; will be working on the following projects: history of oil and gas exploration and development in the Peruvian Amazon (requires ability to read Spanish); update a book chapter on nuclear power (background in nuclear engineering or related subjects preferred); recent changes in laws relating to fuel efficiency, biofuels, etc. (interest in, and knowledge of, motor vehicles and fuels preferred).
Prof. Coyne - for credit.
Prof. Godfrey - for credit; assist with book on Lawyer as Investigator.
Prof. Laser - for credit or pay; research in civil procedure, including personal jurisdiction.
Prof. Leader - for credit preferred (for pay is possible, though); will be working on two book updates - one related to employment discrimination, the other related to stock options and other incentive agreements.
Prof. Perritt - for credit, or volunteer project; will be working on the following projects: PHP and MySQL coding for Iraqi Kurdistan Gender Based Violence Database; completion of law review article on new business models for popular music; initiial work on a new article on new business models for video entertainment; and the economics of micro advertising (behaviorally targeted) advertising to support popular music, video entertainment and journalism.
Prof. Rosado - for credit; will be working on the following projects: child labor in Guatemala (must be able to read and speak Spanish); rule of law and in China and labor law reforms in China; proposed labor law reforms in Mexico (requires fluency in Spanish).
Prof. Steinman - for credit preferred (for pay is possible, though);will be working on one or more of the following topics: res judicata effects of class action judgments; claim definition in appeals; Supreme Court directions to lower courts and/or limiting appellate review; appealable issues after remand.
Prof. Strubbe - for credit; research on harassment law.
Prof. Tarlock - for credit.
Fall 2009 Initial Reading Assignments and Course Materials. A list of initial reading assignments for Fall 2009 courses will be posted on the main Student Portal page (click on the Fall '09 link) no later than Monday, August 3.
You may ask the bookstore to hold your Fall course materials for you when they arrive, or for an extra fee you may request that the books be mailed to you over the summer. If you would like to take advantage of either of these options, stop by the bookstore before you leave, or call the bookstore at 312/906-5605. In addition, you may order your course books over the Internet by clicking on the Bookstore link on the Student Portal page.
Joke of the Week. Talk is cheap - until lawyers get involved.
SPRING 2009
Week
of May 11, 2009
Have a Nice Summer! Congratulations on (almost) completing the school year. For those of you who will be back next year, I hope you have a productive and restful summer. For those who are graduating this semester, I look forward to seeing you at Commencement -- and I wish you good luck on the bar and in starting your careers.
Spring 2009 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. If you have not received your exam room assignments by email, you can check them by logging into Webmail, clicking on Web for Students, and then clicking on "Spring 2009" under "Schedule" in the lefthand menu (then scroll down until you see your exam schedule).
•Exam Emergencies.If an emergency occurs that may prevent you from taking a final exam, you or someone on your behalf should call me (312/906-5282) or Jenna Abhijeet (312/906-5005) as soon as possible. If you cannot reach either of us, call the Registrar's office (312/906-5080). Do not contact your professor about any problem connected with your exam, as this may compromise your anonymity. Please read Section VII of the Student Handbook, which contains the rules governing exams, exam conflicts, make-up exams, missed exams, and related issues; and review Article II of the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook.
•Consulting Laptops During Exams. Unless your professor specifically authorizes it, you may not consult materials (notes, outlines, etc.) stored on your laptop computer during an open book or limited open book exam; you are limited to consulting print materials authorized by your professor. Please note: This is separate from the issue of whether you may write your exam on your own laptop. The limitation described above applies whether you are writing your exam by hand or on a lab or laptop computer.
•Cell Phones During Exams. You are not permitted to use a cell phone during any exam, including during any restroom breaks. If you have a cell phone with you during an exam, it must be turned off and stored out of sight.
•Access to Computer Labs During Exams. Because we use the computer labs during many of the exam slots during exam period, access for other purposes (e.g., printing out papers or exam outlines) is limited. Please keep in mind that there is a printer in the 5th Floor Student Lounge that you can use if the labs are all in use.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
•Exam Method.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. The Computer Center has emailed information to all students about the procedures for doing this. You may also find this information in the Computer Center's section of the Record. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
Notice to Graduating Seniors. If you are graduating this semester, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know. Note: If you are not graduating this semester, you will keep your e-mail account and locker until you graduate.
•Email and Network Accounts. Email and network accounts will be terminated on Monday, August 3 (shortly after the summer bar exam). As a Chicago-Kent graduate, the Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to offer you the option of setting up an alumni.kentlaw.edu email address through our email forwarding service. This service is available through the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community and allows you to choose a username@alumni.kentlaw.edu address that will be forwarded to your specified personal email account (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or work e-mail, etc). This system allows you to use a simple e-mail address to give to family and friends, and your username can be your current username@kentlaw.edu or you can create a new one. You'll never have to notify everyone in your address book of a new or discontinued e-mail address because you can simply update your personal e-mail address by logging into the Online Community, and emails will subsequently be forwarded to your email address.
In order to access email forwarding, all you have to do is sign up for the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community. Accounts for May 2009 graduates will be available in mid-July. Click here to sign up now! For questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alums@kentlaw.edu or 312.906.5240.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Friday, July 31. Anything left in lockers after that date will be removed. If you are unable to clear your locker out by that date, please contact me to make arrangements for your locker contents to be set aside for you.
Research Assistant Opportunities for Continuing Students. As we all know, these are difficult financial times. If you are a continuing student and have not yet found summer employment, we hope that your patience and persistence will be rewarded and that you will find a job or other opportunity. If not, we want to make you aware of the possiblity of working as a research assistant for a faculty member this summer. Working as a research assistant provides an opportunity to hone your research skills, get to know faculty, work on interesting projects, and enhance your resume.
*Being a research assistant for credit or pay. You can receive one credit for your work as a research assistant. Regular tuition must be paid to earn this credit. You and your supervising faculty member will determine the number of hours you must work to earn this credit, but generally 80 hours of work is expected. Alternatively, if the faculty member has research funds available, you can receive pay in lieu of receiving credit.
*Special projects. Some faculty members may be involved with special projects that would benefit from participation by law students. Although this work would likely be on a volunteer basis, these kinds of projects can provide valuable experience and give you the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member. Recent examples of such projects include Prof. Perritt's work to create a database for tracking incidents of gender-based violence in Iraq, and Prof. Birdthistle's writing of an amicus brief in an investment fund case pending before the Supreme Court.
If you are interested in being a summer research assistant or volunteering on a project, contact professors you might be interested in work with and include a copy of your resume; or contact me for information about professors who have already indicated that they are looking for assistance.
Summer 2009 Term Information.
•Classroom Assignments. The final Schedule of Classes for the Summer 2009 term, including classroom assignments, is available on the Summer 2009 Term Information page (also available by going to the main Student Portal page and clicking on the Summer '09 link).
•Initial Reading Assignments. A list of initial reading assignments for Summer 2009 courses is available on the Summer 2009 Term Information page (also available by going to the main Student Portal page and clicking on the Summer '09 link). Please note: If a course is not listed, that means we did not receive an initial assignment from the professor.
Fall 2009 Registration. We have finished running the registration priorities for Fall 2009 classes. The registration system has now reopened for students to see what classes they were admitted into, and to make adjustments to their schedules. You may continue to make adjustments to your schedule until the end of the Fall add/drop period (Friday, September 4). If you have not already done so, please log back into the online registration system (available through the Fall 2009 Term Page) to see what classes you were admitted into. If you did not register during the initial registration period, you may do so now.
Cancelled Courses/Sections
The following Fall 2009 courses/sections have been canceled due to low enrollment or other reasons:
Consumer Health Benefits (378-51 & 614-51): M 7:35-9:25 pm.
I.P. Financial Markets (490-01): M 1:55-3:45 pm.
Rule of Law in America (604-81): Th 4:00-5:50 pm.
Transportation Law (208-81): M 4:00-5:50 pm.
Added Course/Sections
Legal Writing 3 (431-10): MW 4:00-4:55 pm.
Legal Writing 3 (431-11): TTh 4:00-4:55 pm.
Other Changes
*Advanced Legislative Advocacy (486-01): This class will meet Thurs. 9:00-10:50 am (not
Thurs. 11:45-1:35 pm).
*Tax Policy (491-81): Students taking this class as a regular course (instead of as a seminar) will
take an exam on Sat. 12/12 1:15 pm (rather than having no exam, as previously indicated).
Fall 2009 Initial Reading Assignments and Course Materials. A list of initial reading assignments for Fall 2009 courses will be posted on the main Student Portal page (click on the Fall '09 link) no later than Monday, August 3.
You may ask the bookstore to hold your Fall course materials for you when they arrive, or for an extra fee you may request that the books be mailed to you over the summer. If you would like to take advantage of either of these options, stop by the bookstore before you leave, or call the bookstore at 312/906-5605. In addition, you may order your course books over the Internet by clicking on the Bookstore link on the Student Portal page.
Change in Curve for Upper-Level Elective Courses. At its May meeting, the faculty voted to change the curve for upper-level elective courses with 40 or more students enrolled from a mandatory curve to a highly recommended curve. This change will take effect with Fall 2009 classes; any Summer 2009 elective class with 40 or more students enrolled will be subject to the mandatory curve. Note: Professional Responsibility is a required class, and is thus subject to the mandatory curve for required courses, not the elective course curve.
Joke of the Week. Talk is cheap - until lawyers get involved.
Week
of May 4, 2009
Spring 2009 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. If you have not received your exam room assignments by email, you can check them by logging into Webmail, clicking on Web for Students, and then clicking on "Spring 2009" under "Schedule" in the lefthand menu (then scroll down until you see your exam schedule).
•Exam Emergencies.If an emergency occurs that may prevent you from taking a final exam, you or someone on your behalf should call me (312/906-5282) or Jenna Abhijeet (312/906-5005) as soon as possible. If you cannot reach either of us, call the Registrar's office (312/906-5080). Do not contact your professor about any problem connected with your exam, as this may compromise your anonymity. Please read Section VII of the Student Handbook, which contains the rules governing exams, exam conflicts, make-up exams, missed exams, and related issues; and review Article II of the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook.
•Consulting Laptops During Exams. Unless your professor specifically authorizes it, you may not consult materials (notes, outlines, etc.) stored on your laptop computer during an open book or limited open book exam; you are limited to consulting print materials authorized by your professor. Please note: This is separate from the issue of whether you may write your exam on your own laptop. The limitation described above applies whether you are writing your exam by hand or on a lab or laptop computer.
•Cell Phones During Exams. You are not permitted to use a cell phone during any exam, including during any restroom breaks. If you have a cell phone with you during an exam, it must be turned off and stored out of sight.
•Access to Computer Labs During Exams. Because we use the computer labs during many of the exam slots during exam period, access for other purposes (e.g., printing out papers or exam outlines) is limited. Please keep in mind that there is a printer in the 5th Floor Student Lounge that you can use if the labs are all in use.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
•Exams Method Registration. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. The Computer Center has emailed information to all students about the procedures for doing this. You may also find this information in the Computer Center's section of the Record. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
Notice to Graduating Seniors. If you are graduating this semester, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know. Note: If you are not graduating this semester, you will keep your e-mail account and locker until you graduate.
•Email and Network Accounts. Email and network accounts will be terminated on Monday, August 3 (shortly after the summer bar exam). As a Chicago-Kent graduate, the Office of Alumni Relations is pleased to offer you the option of setting up an alumni.kentlaw.edu email address through our email forwarding service. This service is available through the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community and allows you to choose a username@alumni.kentlaw.edu address that will be forwarded to your specified personal email account (e.g. gmail, yahoo, or work e-mail, etc). This system allows you to use a simple e-mail address to give to family and friends, and your username can be your current username@kentlaw.edu or you can create a new one. You'll never have to notify everyone in your address book of a new or discontinued e-mail address because you can simply update your personal e-mail address by logging into the Online Community, and emails will subsequently be forwarded to your email address.
In order to access email forwarding, all you have to do is sign up for the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community. Accounts for May 2009 graduates will be available in mid-July. Click here to sign up now! For questions or concerns, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alums@kentlaw.edu or 312.906.5240.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Friday, July 31. Anything left in lockers after that date will be removed. If you are unable to clear your locker out by that date, please contact me to make arrangements for your locker contents to be set aside for you.
Summer 2009 Term Information.
•Classroom Assignments. The final Schedule of Classes for the Summer 2009 term, including classroom assignments, will be posted shortly.
•Initial Reading Assignments. A list of initial reading assignments for Summer 2009 courses will be available no later than Monday, May 11. It will be linked to this page, and available on the main Student Portal page (click on the Summer '09 link). Please note: If a course is not listed, that means we did not receive an initial assignment from the professor.
Fall 2009 Registration. We have finished running the registration priorities for Fall 2009 classes. The registration system has now reopened for students to see what classes they were admitted into, and to make adjustments to their schedules. You may continue to make adjustments to your schedule until the end of the Fall add/drop period (Friday, September 4). If you have not already done so, please log back into the online registration system (available through the Fall 2009 Term Page) to see what classes you were admitted into. If you did not register during the initial registration period, you may do so now.
Cancelled Courses/Sections
The following Fall 2009 courses/sections have been canceled due to low enrollment or other reasons:
Consumer Health Benefits (378-51 & 614-51): M 7:35-9:25 pm.
I.P. Financial Markets (490-01): M 1:55-3:45 pm.
Rule of Law in America (604-81): Th 4:00-5:50 pm.
Transportation Law (208-81): M 4:00-5:50 pm.
Added Course/Sections
Legal Writing 3 (431-10): MW 4:00-4:55 pm.
Legal Writing 3 (431-11): TTh 4:00-4:55 pm.
Other Changes
*Advanced Legislative Advocacy (486-01): This class will meet Thurs. 9:00-10:50 am (not
Thurs. 11:45-1:35 pm).
*Tax Policy (491-81): Students taking this class as a regular course (instead of as a seminar) will
take an exam on Sat. 12/12 1:15 pm (rather than having no exam, as previously indicated).
Fall 2009 Initial Reading Assignments and Course Materials. A list of initial reading assignments for Fall 2009 courses will be posted on the main Student Portal page (click on the Fall '09 link) no later than Monday, August 3.
You may ask the bookstore to hold your Fall course materials for you when they arrive, or for an extra fee you may request that the books be mailed to you over the summer. If you would like to take advantage of either of these options, stop by the bookstore before you leave, or call the bookstore at 312/906-5605. In addition, you may order your course books over the Internet by clicking on the Bookstore link on the Student Portal page.
Dean's Certificate for Illinois Bar. We will mail a Dean's Certificate to the Illinois bar examiners for every graduating student after final grades for the Spring semester are received and processed, and we can confirm completion of all graduation requirements. We compile the list of graduating students from the list of those who submitted Applications for Graduation listing Spring 2009 as their final semester.
Bar Exams in Other Jurisdictions. If you plan to take a bar exam outside of Illinois, you should provide the Registrar with appropriate forms for the Law School to complete as soon as possible.
Joke of the Week. "There's a fine line between fishing, and standing on the shore looking like an idiot." (Steven Wright)
Week
of April 27, 2009
Academic Calendar Reminder. Please note the following dates for the closing period of the semester:
Last day of classes: Friday, May 1 (Monday classes meet, King Birthday make-up; Friday classes do not meet)
Read Period: Saturday, May 2- Tuesday, May 5
Exam Period: Wednesday, May 6- Friday, May 15
Fall 2009 Registration. The final Fall 2009 schedule, the Registration Bulletin, and the course and exam grids are available by clicking here or by going to the main Student Portal page (click on the Fall '09 link). Print copies are available on the table outside the third floor cafeteria. Registration will take place from Tuesday, April 28 through Friday, May 1. You may register at any time during that period.
After the end of the registration period, the registration requests will be processed according to each student’s registration priority. In other words, registration will not be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis; as long as you register during the designated period, you will have an equal chance of being admitted to a class as other students within your registration priority group. To learn what classes you have been admitted into, you must check the online registration site on or after Thursday, May 5. Registering for a class during the initial registration period is no guarantee that you will be admitted into the class – you must check the web site on or after Thursday, May 5 to learn what classes you have been admitted into.
Spring 2010 Preliminary Schedule. To help with planning your Fall 2009 course schedule, the preliminary schedule of classes for the Spring 2010 semester is available on the Fall 2009 Term page -- click here, or go to the main Student Portal page (click on the Fall '09 link). 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 schedule will be issued during the Fall 2009 semester, when registration for Spring 2010 classes will take place. If you have any questions or comments about the preliminary schedule, please feel free to contact me by e-mail (SSOWLE), phone (6-5282), or by stopping by my office (Rm. 320).
Intensive Trial Advocacy. Please note that registration for both the August 2009 and the January 2010 sessions of Intensive Trial Advocacy take place as part of Fall 2009 registration. See the listing for Intensive Trial Advocacy in the Schedule of Classes for details.
Spring 2009 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Emergencies.If an emergency occurs that may prevent you from taking a final exam, you or someone on your behalf should call me (312/906-5282) or Jerry Seaton (312/906-5271) as soon as possible. If you cannot reach either of us, call the Registrar's office (312/906-5080). Do not contact your professor about any problem connected with your exam, as this may compromise your anonymity. Please read Section VII of the Student Handbook, which contains the rules governing exams, exam conflicts, make-up exams, missed exams, and related issues; and review Article II of the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook.
•Consulting Laptops During Exams. Unless your professor specifically authorizes it, you may not consult materials (notes, outlines, etc.) stored on your laptop computer during an open book or limited open book exam; you are limited to consulting print materials authorized by your professor. Please note: This is separate from the issue of whether you may write your exam on your own laptop. The limitation described above applies whether you are writing your exam by hand or on a lab or laptop computer.
•Cell Phones During Exams. You are not permitted to use a cell phone during any exam, including during any restroom breaks. If you have a cell phone with you during an exam, it must be turned off and stored out of sight.
•Access to Computer Labs During Exams. Because we use the computer labs during many of the exam slots during exam period, access for other purposes (e.g., printing out papers or exam outlines) is limited. Please keep in mind that there is a printer in the 5th Floor Student Lounge that you can use if the labs are all in use.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
•Exams Method Registration. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice About Exam Methods: Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, our default assumption is that you will take your exams on laptop. During the exam method registration period, you were able to change this either to hand writing or lab computer, if you wished. If you did nothing during the exam method registration period, then you are registered to take the exam on your laptop computer (assuming your professor authorized exams on computer).
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. The Computer Center has emailed information to all students about the procedures for doing this. You may also find this information in the Computer Center's section of the Record. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
Dean's Certificate for Illinois Bar. We will mail a Dean's Certificate to the Illinois bar examiners for every graduating student after final grades for the Spring semester are received and processed, and we can confirm completion of all graduation requirements. We compile the list of graduating students from the list of those who submitted Applications for Graduation listing Spring 2009 as their final semester.
Bar Exams in Other Jurisdictions. If you plan to take a bar exam outside of Illinois, you should provide the Registrar with appropriate forms for the Law School to complete as soon as possible.
Joke of the Week. "There's a fine line between fishing, and standing on the shore looking like an idiot." (Steven Wright)
Week
of April 20, 2009
Academic Calendar Reminder. Please note the following dates for the closing period of the semester:
Last day of classes: Friday, May 1 (Monday classes meet, King Birthday make-up; Friday classes do not meet)
Read Period: Saturday, May 2- Tuesday, May 5
Exam Period: Wednesday, May 6- Friday, May 15
Fall 2009 Preliminary Schedule. The preliminary schedule of classes for the Fall 2009 semester will be distributed early in the week of April 20 outside the third floor cafeteria; an online version will be available on the main Student Portal page.
"Where Do We Go From Here?" Program: April 22. This program introduces first-year students to the course requirements after the first year, the certificate programs offered by Chicago-Kent, and clinical, externship, and other program opportunities available to upper-level students. The program will be offered at the following times:
Day Division: Wednesday, April 22, 11:30-12:30 pm (Auditorium)
Evening Division: Wednesday, April 22, 5:00-5:50 pm (Rm. C40)
Spring 2009 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests. The period is now closed for requesting an exam reschedule due to an exam conflict or other reason. We are now processing the requests. If you submitted a request, we will notify you of our response as soon as possible.
•Exams Method Registration. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice About Exam Methods: Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, our default assumption is that you will take your exams on laptop. During the exam method registration period, you were able to change this either to hand writing or lab computer, if you wished. If you did nothing during the exam method registration period, then you are registered to take the exam on your laptop computer (assuming your professor authorized exams on computer).
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this.The Computer Center has emailed information to all students about the procedures for doing this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Teaching Evaluations. Teaching evaluations will be distributed in the coming weeks to elicit students' opinions about the quality of teaching at the Law School. Instructors will review the responses to improve the quality of their instruction and courses. The evaluations are also considered as one important factor in tenure, promotion, and compensation decisions for full-time faculty and are used as a factor in determining the effectiveness of part-time instructors. Evaluations are anonymous and will not be available to professors until grades are turned in.
Trial Team Tryouts: April 22. Tryouts for the 2009-2010 Trial Advocacy Team will be held on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. All interested students should meet in the Marovitz courtroom (first floor) at 5:30p.m. The only requirement is that you are a full-time Kent student. First-year students may try out. This will be an open competition; we will pick 1-4 students to participate. Both regional competitions will be held the second or third week in February 2010. The Regionals for the National Trial Competition will be held in Indianapolis, and the Regionals for the AAJ Competition will be held in Chicago. The winners of the Regionals will proceed to the Nationals in March 2010.
We have assembled three excellent coaching faculties. The National Trial competition is the largest trial competition for law schools in the country. It begins with more than 300 teams throughout the nation. Over the last 27 year Chicago Kent has been one of the most successful programs in the country. Kent has been regional champion 20 of the last 27 years, winning three national titles, in 1988, 2007, and 2008. The national competition is sponsored by the ABA, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the Texas Young Lawyers Association.
The AAJ competition is the largest specialized bar association competition in the country. It is also national in scope. Our goal as a faculty will be to provide the students on both teams with the highest caliber of instruction possible. If you are selected for a team, you will be asked to commit a substantial part of your time to practice. Our purpose is to turn you into trial lawyers.
Additionally, for the fourth year, Chicago-Kent will be entering a team in the BLSA Thurgood Marshall Trial Competition. This competition is also national in scope. We will be selecting four students for the "Marshall" team at a future date; the details of where and when are not yet finalized.
During the tryouts, you will be asked to present up to 3 to 5 minutes of an OPENING STATEMENT, CLOSING ARGUMENT and a DIRECT and CROSS EXAMINATION. We will be using State v. Fletcher and Morris, a case file in the Mauet & Wolfson, Materials in Trial Advocacy. The witnesses will be Mr. Green and Ricky Edwards. Please prepare an opening statement and a closing argument for one side, not both sides. When you come into the room you will be asked which side you are doing the opening statement and closing argument for, as well as being asked which witness you wish to direct and cross. (In other words, you will be asked to do part of an opening statement, part of a closing argument, part of one direct examination, and part of one cross examination.) We will announce those who have been selected on the night of tryouts, so please be prepared to wait until the decisions have been made by the coaching faculty as to all of the positions. (This process usually takes the entire evening, so be prepared.)
Joke of the Week. "Here's something to think about. How come you never see a headline like 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?" (Jay Leno)[
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "The Enkindled Spring," by D.H. Lawrence.
Week
of April 13, 2009
Summer 2009 Registration. Initial registration for Summer 2009 classes is now over. With the exception of the canceled classes listed below, we were able to accommodate all student registration requests -- we did not have to drop anyone due to oversubscribed classes.
The registration system has reopened. You may add an open class, or drop a class and receive a tuition refund, through the end of the first week of the Summer term. Click here for links to the revised Summer schedule and the online registration system.
The following Summer 2009 classes have been canceled due to inadequate enrollment:
-Chicago Legal Clinic Practicum (Prof. Shoenberger), 238-01
-Consumer Protection Law (Prof. Porter), 212-81
-Remedies (Prof. Warner), 280-81
-Tax Procedure (Prof. Decatorsmith), 580-81
Fall 2009 Preliminary Schedule. The preliminary schedule of classes for the Fall 2009 semester will be distributed early in the week of April 20 outside the third floor cafeteria; an online version will be available on the main Student Portal page.
Spring 2009 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests: Submit by April 15. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please complete the Final Exam Reschedule form. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Final Exam Reschedule form. The deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Wednesday, April 15, at 5:00 pm. If your request is approved, you will be notified later this semester of the rescheduled date, time, and location of your exam.
Under current policy, a student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student 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).
•Exams Method Registration: Submit by April 15. Students have three choices for taking most exams: hand writing the exam, taking the exam on their own laptop computer, or taking the exam on a lab computer. Some professors do not permit one or more of these options (e.g., some require all students to hand write the exam).
Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to hand-write the exam, or take it on a lab computer (subject to space availability). Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam.
If you wish to register to take an exam by hand or on a lab comuter, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form. The deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, April 15, at 5:00 pm.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Early Bird Bar Preparation Program for Kent Students. BAR/BRI will present four free lectures to all third-year and fourth-year students. You do not need to be signed up for the regular BAR/BRI program to attend these lectures, and you do not need to RSVP if you plan to attend. These lectures are not meant to replace a commercial bar course, but are meant as a way to jump start the bar exam preparation process.
Saturday, April 11: Introduction to the Illinois Bar Exam and Torts (focusing on Intentional Torts) - Prof. Richard Conviser - 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, Rm. C50.
Saturday, April 18: Evidence (focusing on Hearsay) - Prof. Bill Elward - 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, Rm. C50.
Sunday, April 19: Commercial Law (including Commercial Paper and Secured Transactions) - Prof. Jason Kilborn - 12:00 noon - 3:00pm, Rm. C50.
Saturday, April 25: Multistate Practice Test (MPT) Workshop - Prof. Michael Spak - 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, Rm. C50.
Bar Exam Preparation Courses. For information on bar exam preparation courses, click here.
Trial Team Tryouts: April 22. Tryouts for the 2009-2010 Trial Advocacy Team will be held on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. All interested students should meet in the Marovitz courtroom (first floor) at 5:30p.m. The only requirement is that you are a full-time Kent student. First-year students may try out. This will be an open competition; we will pick 1-4 students to participate. Both regional competitions will be held the second or third week in February 2010. The Regionals for the National Trial Competition will be held in Indianapolis, and the Regionals for the AAJ Competition will be held in Chicago. The winners of the Regionals will proceed to the Nationals in March 2010.
We have assembled three excellent coaching faculties. The National Trial competition is the largest trial competition for law schools in the country. It begins with more than 300 teams throughout the nation. Over the last 27 year Chicago Kent has been one of the most successful programs in the country. Kent has been regional champion 20 of the last 27 years, winning three national titles, in 1988, 2007, and 2008. The national competition is sponsored by the ABA, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the Texas Young Lawyers Association.
The AAJ competition is the largest specialized bar association competition in the country. It is also national in scope. Our goal as a faculty will be to provide the students on both teams with the highest caliber of instruction possible. If you are selected for a team, you will be asked to commit a substantial part of your time to practice. Our purpose is to turn you into trial lawyers.
Additionally, for the fourth year, Chicago-Kent will be entering a team in the BLSA Thurgood Marshall Trial Competition. This competition is also national in scope. We will be selecting four students for the "Marshall" team at a future date; the details of where and when are not yet finalized.
During the tryouts, you will be asked to present up to 3 to 5 minutes of an OPENING STATEMENT, CLOSING ARGUMENT and a DIRECT and CROSS EXAMINATION. We will be using State v. Fletcher and Morris, a case file in the Mauet & Wolfson, Materials in Trial Advocacy. The witnesses will be Mr. Green and Ricky Edwards. Please prepare an opening statement and a closing argument for one side, not both sides. When you come into the room you will be asked which side you are doing the opening statement and closing argument for, as well as being asked which witness you wish to direct and cross. (In other words, you will be asked to do part of an opening statement, part of a closing argument, part of one direct examination, and part of one cross examination.) We will announce those who have been selected on the night of tryouts, so please be prepared to wait until the decisions have been made by the coaching faculty as to all of the positions. (This process usually takes the entire evening, so be prepared.)
Teaching Evaluations. Teaching evaluations will be distributed in the coming weeks to elicit students' opinions about the quality of teaching at the Law School. Instructors will review the responses to improve the quality of their instruction and courses. The evaluations are also considered as one important factor in tenure, promotion, and compensation decisions for full-time faculty and are used as a factor in determining the effectiveness of part-time instructors. Evaluations are anonymous and will not be available to professors until grades are turned in.
Joke of the Week. Three vampires walk into a bar. The first one orders a pint of O-negative blood and the second orders a pint of A-negative. The third one ponders for a moment and then asks for a pint of blood plasma. The bartender says, "So let me make sure I've got this right -- that'll be two bloods and a blood light?"
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "The Enkindled Spring," by D.H. Lawrence.
Week
of April 6, 2009
Summer 2009 Registration. The Summer 2009 Registration Bulletin, including the Schedule of Classes, is available outside the third floor cafeteria. Online versions are also available on the Student Portal page (click on the Summer '09 link near the top), or by clicking here.
The initial registration period for Summer classes will end this Wednesday, April 8. To register, go to the Student Portal page and click on the Online Registration link (under "Registration & grades"). You can use any computer with Internet access, either inside or outside the Law School.
After the end of the initial registration period on April 8, the registration requests will be processed according to each student's registration priority. In other words, registration will not be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis; as long as you register during the initial registration period, you will have an equal chance of being admitted to a class as other students within your registration priority group. Evening Division students have priority over Day Division students for Summer registration. Within divisions, registration priority is based on anticipated graduation date, with the earliest graduation date having the highest priority.
To learn what classes you have been admitted into, you must check the Online Registration site on or after Monday, April 13. Registering for a class during the initial registration period is no guarantee that you will be admitted to the class -- you must check the web site on or after Monday, April 13 to learn what classes you have been admitted to.
Spring 2009 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests: April 6 - April 15. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please complete the Final Exam Reschedule form. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Final Exam Reschedule form. The form will be available beginning Monday, April 6; the deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Wednesday, April 15, at 5:00 pm. If your request is approved, you will be notified later this semester of the rescheduled date, time, and location of your exam.
Under current policy, a student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student 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).
•Exams Method Registration: April 6 - April 15. Students have three choices for taking most exams: hand writing the exam, taking the exam on their own laptop computer, or taking the exam on a lab computer. Some professors do not permit one or more of these options (e.g., some require all students to hand write the exam).
Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to hand-write the exam, or take it on a lab computer (subject to space availability). Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam.
If you wish to register to take an exam by hand or on a lab comuter, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form. The form will be available beginning Monday, April 6; the deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, April 15, at 5:00 pm.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Early Bird Bar Preparation Program for Kent Students. BAR/BRI will present four free lectures to all third-year and fourth-year students. You do not need to be signed up for the regular BAR/BRI program to attend these lectures, and you do not need to RSVP if you plan to attend. These lectures are not meant to replace a commercial bar course, but are meant as a way to jump start the bar exam preparation process.
Saturday, April 11: Introduction to the Illinois Bar Exam and Torts (focusing on Intentional Torts) - Prof. Richard Conviser - 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, Rm. C50.
Saturday, April 18: Evidence (focusing on Hearsay) - Prof. Bill Elward - 10:00 am - 12:00 noon, Rm. C50.
Sunday, April 19: Commercial Law (including Commercial Paper and Secured Transactions) - Prof. Jason Kilborn - 12:00 noon - 3:00pm, Rm. C50.
Saturday, April 25: Multistate Practice Test (MPT) Workshop - Prof. Michael Spak - 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, Rm. C50.
Bar Exam Preparation Courses. For information on bar exam preparation courses, click here.
Congratulations to SBA Award Winners. Congratulations to the following faculty and staff members, who received awards from the Student Bar Association during the recent Law Week celebrations.
Full-Time Faculty Member of the Year: Christopher Leslie
Adjunct Faculty Members of the Year: Jeffrey Rubenstein and Lawrence Brenman
Administrative Staff Member of the Year: Theda Mickey
Student Organization of the Year: Federalist Society
Ralph Brill Award: David Erickson
Welcome Theda Mickey to My Office. I am happy to announce that Theda Mickey has joined my office as Administrative Assistant. Theda formerly worked in the Administration and Finance Office. Please join me in wishing Theda all the best with her new position.
Joke of the Week. My doctor told me to cut back on red meat, so I've stopped putting ketchup on my hamburgers.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Euphorias," by Philip Appleman.
Week
of March 30, 2009
Law Week Activities. The Student Bar Association has a great line-up of events for Law Week, starting on Monday, March 30, with Dean Krent's annual State of the Law School Address and culminating on Saturday, April 4, with the Barrister's Ball. Click here for a list of all the events and more details.
Summer 2009 Class Schedule and Registration. The Summer 2009 Registration Bulletin, including the Schedule of Classes, is available outside the third floor cafeteria. Online versions are also available on the Student Portal page (click on the Summer '09 link near the top), or by clicking here.
Registration for Summer classes will take place from Thursday, April 2 through Wednesday, April 8. You may register at any time during that period. To register beginning on April 2, go to the Student Portal page and click on the Online Registration link (under "Registration & grades"). You can use any computer with Internet access, either inside or outside the Law School.
After the end of the registration period, the registration requests will be processed according to each student's registration priority. In other words, registration will not be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis; as long as you register during the designated period, you will have an equal chance of being admitted to a class as other students within your registration priority group. Evening Division students have priority over Day Division students for Summer registration. Within divisions, registration priority is based on anticipated graduation date, with the earliest graduation date having the highest priority.
To learn what classes you have been admitted into, you must check the Online Registration site on or after Monday, April 13. Registering for a class during the initial registration period is no guarantee that you will be admitted to the class -- you must check the web site on or after Monday, April 13 to learn what classes you have been admitted to.
Change of Division Requests: Deadline April 3. Students wishing to request a change of division for the Fall semester (e.g., from evening division to full-time or part-time day division, or vice versa) should submit a Change of Division request. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and then click on the link (in the left-hand menu) entitlted, "Request to change division." The deadline for submitting the form is Friday, April 3, at 5:00 pm. Changes are permitted on a space-available basis. If all students can be accommodated, all will be permitted to change divisions; if all students cannot be accommodated, a lottery drawing will be held to determine which students will be permitted to change. We will notify you as soon as possible after April 3 whether your request is approved.
Spring 2009 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests: April 6 - April 15. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please complete the Final Exam Reschedule form. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Final Exam Reschedule form. The form will be available beginning Monday, April 6; the deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Wednesday, April 15, at 5:00 pm. If your request is approved, you will be notified later this semester of the rescheduled date, time, and location of your exam.
Under current policy, a student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student 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).
•Exams Method Registration: April 6 - April 15. Students have three choices for taking most exams: hand writing the exam, taking the exam on their own laptop computer, or taking the exam on a lab computer. Some professors do not permit one or more of these options (e.g., some require all students to hand write the exam).
Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to hand-write the exam, or take it on a lab computer (subject to space availability). Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam.
If you wish to register to take an exam by hand or on a lab comuter, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form. The form will be available beginning Monday, April 6; the deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, April 15, at 5:00 pm.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest. Also, please note that SofTest is supported only for the following operating systems: Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business Edition, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Additionally, all laptops running a supported Windows operating system must be fully configured for the Chicago-Kent network (with network drives visible at login). Taking exams on Mac computers is not supported regardless of whether the Mac is running a Windows operating system.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
CLC Computer Center Services Survey. The Center for Law and Computers has extended the deadline for completing its online survey about computer center services. The new deadline is Friday, April 3. The survey takes only a few minutes to complete. All responses will be collected anonymously. You can access the survey by clicking on this link: www.kentlaw.edu/clc/surveys.
Please feel free to contact the CLC Help Desk at pchelp@kentlaw.edu or 312-906-5300 if you have any problems accessing or completing the survey.
Joke of the Week. My doctor told me to cut back on red meat, so I've stopped putting ketchup on my hamburgers.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Euphorias," by Philip Appleman.
Week
of March 23, 2009
Law Week Activities. The Student Bar Association has a great line-up of events for Law Week, starting on Monday, March 30, with Dean Krent's annual State of the Law School Address and culminating on Saturday, April 4, with the Barrister's Ball. Click here for a list of all the events and more details.
Summer 2009 Class Schedule. The Summer 2009 Schedule of Classes and Registration Bulletin will be issued no later than next Monday, March 30. Registration details will be announced at that time.
Change of Division Requests: March 23-April 3. Students wishing to request a change of division for the Fall semester (e.g., from evening division to full-time or part-time day division, or vice versa) should submit a Change of Division request. The form will be available beginning Monday, March 23. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and then click on the link (in the left-hand menu) entitlted, "Request to change division." The deadline for submitting the form is Friday, April 3, at 5:00 pm. Changes are permitted on a space-available basis. If all students can be accommodated, all will be permitted to change divisions; if all students cannot be accommodated, a lottery drawing will be held to determine which students will be permitted to change. We will notify you as soon as possible after April 3 whether your request is approved.
Joke of the Week. "I will never understand why they cook on TV. I can't smell it. Can't eat it. Can't taste it. The end of the show they hold it up to the camera, 'Well, here it is. You can't have any. Thanks for watching. Goodbye!'" (Jerry Seinfeld)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Embarrassment," by Brenda Shaughnessy.
Week
of March 16, 2009
No new entries.
Week
of March 9, 2009
Academic Calendar Reminder. Spring Break begins Saturday, March 14, at 12:00 noon. Classes resume on Monday, March 23.
Joke of the Week. If you want to know more about paranoid people, follow them around.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Embarrassment," by Brenda Shaughnessy.
Week
of March 2, 2009
Certificate Programs: Informational Session. For students interested in one or more of Chicago-Kent's certificate programs, there will be an informational session on Monday, March 2, 4:15-5:45 pm, in the 10th Floor Event Room. Meet faculty and students in the certificate programs, gather information, and have a snack! We currently have certificate programs in the following areas:
-Labor & Employment Law
-Intellectual Property Law
-International & Comparative Law
-Environmental & Energy Law
-Criminal Litigation
-Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution (LADR)
-Public Interest Law
Additional Fall 2008 CALI Winners. Congratulations to the following student for earning a CALI Award this past Fall. The complete list of CALI winners is available by clicking here.
-Climate Change: Bryan C. Lamble and Walter Tersch.
-Corporate Governance: Ivailo K. Ivanov
-Legal Writing 3 (Prof. Boulware): Daniel T. Chavka and Jonathon P. Spagat.
-White Collar Crime: Katherine A. Martin and Theresa M. Williams.
Joke of the Week. "Having children is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain." (Martin Mull)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "The Poetry of Bad Weather," by Debora Greger.
Week
of February 23, 2009
Certificate Programs: Informational Session. For students interested in one or more of Chicago-Kent's certificate programs, there will be an informational session on Monday, March 2, 4:15-5:45 pm, in the 10th Floor Event Room. Meet faculty and students in the certificate programs, gather information, and have a snack! We currently have certificate programs in the following areas:
-Labor & Employment Law
-Intellectual Property Law
-International & Comparative Law
-Environmental & Energy Law
-Criminal Litigation
-Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution (LADR)
-Public Interest Law
Additional Fall 2008 CALI Winners. Congratulations to the following student for earning a CALI Award this past Fall. The complete list of CALI winners is available by clicking here.
-Climate Change: Bryan C. Lamble and Walter Tersch.
-Corporate Governance: Ivailo K. Ivanov
-Legal Writing 3 (Prof. Boulware): Daniel T. Chavka and Jonathon P. Spagat.
-White Collar Crime: Katherine A. Martin and Theresa M. Williams.
Joke of the Week. Question: Why did Abraham Lincoln wear that tall black hat? Answer: To keep his head warm, of course!
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Monday," by Billy Collins.
Week
of February 16, 2009
Fall 2008 CALI 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 Fall 2008 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.
Fall 2008 Class Ranks/GPA Cut-offs. The GPA cut-offs as of the end of the Fall 2008 semester are available by clicking here.
Elective Courses Subject to Mandatory Curve. A list of Spring 2009 elective courses with at least 40 students enrolled, and thus subject to the mandatory curve for elective courses, is available here.
Joke of the Week. Question: Why did Abraham Lincoln wear that tall black hat? Answer: To keep his head warm, of course!
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Monday," by Billy Collins.
Week
of February 9, 2009
Fall 2008 Class Ranks. The class ranks as of the end of the Fall 2008 semester will be posted early in the week of February 9. To see your rank, log into your Webmail account, click on Web for Students, and then click on the Fall 2008 link under "Grades and Rank" on the lefthand menu. Note: Class ranks are calculated only for students who have been at Chicago-Kent for at least two semesters. First-year students, and students who transferred into Chicago-Kent at the start of the Fall 2008 semester, will receive their first class ranks at the end of the Spring 2009 semester.
Elective Courses Subject to Mandatory Curve. A list of Spring 2009 elective courses with at least 40 students enrolled, and thus subject to the mandatory curve for elective courses, is available here.
ASP Small Group Sessions. Information about the Academic Support Program, including membership criteria for ASP small group sessions and the process for petitioning into the small groups, is available by clicking here. Petitions to participate in the Spring Semester are due on Friday, February 13. For more information about the Academic Support Program and study resources, please visit the ASP web site.
Joke of the Week. "I believe that my decision to remain unfit at the age of thirty-four will serve me well in the future, as I'll never have to endure the hushed observation that I've really let myself go." (Janeane Garofalo)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Glass," by Troy Jollimore.
Week
of February 2, 2009
ASP Small Group Sessions. Information about the Academic Support Program, including membership criteria for ASP small group sessions and the process for petitioning into the small groups, is available by clicking here. Petitions to participate in the Spring Semester are due on Friday, February 13. For more information about the Academic Support Program and study resources, please visit the ASP web site.
U-Pass Distribution. If you have not yet picked up your U-Pass, they are available in the Registrar's office. For more information on the U-Pass program and which students qualify for participation in the program, see the U-Pass FAQ. If there is no U-Pass for you but you believe you qualify for one, please contact Jenna Abhijeet (jabhijeet@kentlaw.edu).
Joke of the Week. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Praise Song for the Day," by Elizabeth Alexander.
Week
of January 26, 2009
Adding and Dropping Courses. Upper-level students 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.
First-year students have fixed schedules that cannot be changed. You may withdraw completely from the Law School, without tuition penalty, during the first two weeks of classes. If you are considering withdrawing, please contact Dean Sowle for more information on the procedure for doing so.
U-Pass Distribution. If you have not yet picked up your U-Pass, they are available in the Registrar's office. For more information on the U-Pass program and which students qualify for participation in the program, see the U-Pass FAQ. If there is no U-Pass for you but you believe you qualify for one, please contact Jenna Abhijeet (jabhijeet@kentlaw.edu).
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.
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.
Counseling Services. IIT's Counseling Center provides counseling services at the Law School by appointment. To schedule an appointment, call (312) 808-7132. There is no charge for these counseling services.
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 university 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.
Joke of the Week. If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Praise Song for the Day," by Elizabeth Alexander.
Week
of January 19, 2009
Welcome Back! Congratulations to all first-year students on completing your first semester of law school, and to upper-level students for making it one semester closer to graduation. I hope everyone had a restful holiday break.
U-Pass Distribution. Distribution of Spring 2009 U-Passes will take place as follows:
*Thursday, January 15, 2:00-3:00pm, Front Lobby
*Friday, January 16, 12:00-1:00pm, Front Lobby
*Tuesday, January 20, 12:00-1:00pm and 3:00-4:00pm, Front Lobby
After Tuesday, January 20, you may pick up your U-Pass from the Registrar's office. For more information on the U-Pass program and which students qualify for participation in the program, see the U-Pass FAQ.
You will not receive a U-Pass during the initial distribution period if you registered for classes late or do not have a picture in our ID system. In either of those cases, please contact Jenna Abhijeet (jabhijeet@kentlaw.edu) to explain your situation, and we will put you on our supplemental order list after we confirm your status.
Note to International LL.M. students: You qualify for a U-Pass if you are registered for at least 12 credit hours for the Spring semester. If you are reigstered for fewer than 12 credit hours, you do not qualify for a U-Pass.
TVs for Viewing Inauguration Events. We will have TVs broadcasting inauguration events on Tuesday, January 20, beginning at 9:00 am in the following locations: Rm. C40, Rm. 270, Student Lounge, and the second floor of the cafeteria.
Spring 2009 Semester Information. The Spring 2009 Term Information page has most of the information you will need in advance of the start of the Spring semester - click here, or go to the main Student Portal page and click on the Spring '09 link under "Academic term information." Print copies of many of the documents described below are available outside the third floor cafeteria.
Initial Reading Assignments. Initial reading assignments for the first week of the Spring semester are available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page. The list of assignments has been revised from its initial version as follows:
*New assignments added 1/11/09: Business Organizations (Prof. Hill); Evidence (Prof. King); International Trade (Prof. Hill); Patent Litigation (Prof. Field).
*Revised entries 1/11/09: Medial Law (Prof.Daly); Professional Responsibility (Prof. Shapiro).
Not all professors submit initial assignments, so do not be concerned if there is no listing for one or more of your Spring courses.
Course Information Updates. Course information updates for Spring classes are available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page.
Revised Spring Schedule (with Classroom Assignments). A revised copy of the Spring 2009 Schedule of Classes, including classroom assignments, is available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page. Classroom assignments are also posted in the front lobby.
Adding and Dropping Classes. You may add an open course without special permission until the end of the first week of Spring 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.
Trial Advocacy Section Assignments. If you are registered for Trial Advocacy 1 or Trial Advocacy 2 for the Spring semester, a list of section assignments is available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page. Note: If your section meets at the Daley Center, please be sure to bring your Kent ID card with you, as you may be required to show it when you enter.
Exam Schedule. A copy of the Spring 2009 exam schedule is available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page. Please note that you are permitted to register for courses with exams scheduled at the same time; one exam will be rescheduled for you.
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).
Bookstore Hours. The bookstore's hours are available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page.
Academic Calendar. The academic calendar for the Spring semester is available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page.
Tuition Discount for Graduating Students Taking More than 87 Credits. If you will be graduating at the end of the Spring 2009 semester, and will be taking more than the 87 credits required to graduate, you may receive a 50% discount on each credit you take over the required 87 credits. If this affects you, please contct me by email and I will arrange for the credit to be applied to your account.
Fall 2008 Grade Submissions. Grades for the Fall semester are due no more than five weeks from the date of the exam or, for non-exam courses, five weeks from the last day of the exam period. Exams ended on Monday, December 22, so all Fall grades should be in by Monday, Janaury 26.
Illinois Bar Exam: Informational Sessions. As announced in the Fall, the Illinois bar examiners will be holding informational sessions for first-year students, and for third-year and fourth-year students approaching graduation, on Thursday, January 22, 2009. These sessions are for all Chicago-area law students. You should plan to attend one of the January 22 sessions if (1) you are a first-year student and you have questions about the first-year bar registration process, (2) you are a third-year or fourth-year student planning on taking the February 2009 or July 2009 bar exams and you have questions about the application or character and fitness process, or (3) you are a student at any stage of your studies and you have questions about the character and fitness process. Here are further details, as provided by the bar examiners' office:
IBABY character and fitness information sessions for ALL Chicago first-year law student registrants and ALL Chicago third-year applicants for the February and July 2009 bar examinations will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2009, in the Auditorium of the American Dental Association building located at 211 East Chicago Avenue.
Three sessions will be held on January 22. The first session will begin at 12:00 noon and will be held for third-year students, the second at 5:00 pm for first-year students, and a third at 7:00 pm again for third-year students. First-year students not able to attend the 5:00 pm session, however, would benefit from attendance at one of the other two sessions; although the noon and 7:00 pm sessions will be tailored to third-year students, the basic information and instructions are the same.
There is no fee, and advance registration is not required. All first year law students and all third-year applicants for the February and July 2009 Illinois bar examinations are invited and encouraged to attend.
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 are due by March 1, 2009. 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 Chicago area this month (see announcement above) to answer questions concerning the completion of the bar registration application.
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.
July 2009 Illinois Bar Applications. Applications for the July 2009 bar exam must be submitted by February 1, 2009. You may file a late application up to May 31, but 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.
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 Chicago area this month (see announcement above) to answer questions concerning the bar application process.
Certificate of Dean. We will mail a "Certificate of Dean of Law School-Proof of Legal Education" for every graduating student in June after final grades for the Spring semester are received and processed, and we can confirm completion of all graduation requirements. (We have an electronic version of the form on our system, so we do not need your blank copy of the form.) We compile the list of graduating students from the list of those who submitted Applications for Graduation listing Spring 2009 as their final semester.
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). You may register online by going to http://www.ncbex.org/multistate-tests/mpre. The deadline for applying for the March 7, 2009 exam is January 27 (the late deadline is February 12).
Expansion of Lifetime Learning Credit: CORRECTION. Professors Brody and Chapman want to correct an item that appeared in the October 20, 2008, Record stating that the Lifetime Learning Credit had been increased from 20% to 40% for students attending school in Cook County. Unfortunately, Cook County was not included in final regulations for The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (the bailout bill) that were recently published. The Lifetime Learning credit remains at 20% of up to $10,000 spent for tuition, fees, books, room and board.
Weather Closing Information. Flyers with information about emergency weather closings are available on the table outside the third-floor cafeteria. As explained in the flyer, you may find out whether the Law School is closed due to severe weather in any of the ways listed below. Please note: Information for the Law School will be listed under "IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law."
Radio: WGN 720 AM; WBBM 780 AM.
TV: CBS 2, NBC 5, ABC 7, WGN, Fox News Chicago, CLTV News.
Phone: 847-238-1234 (use Kent's phone number, 312-906-5000, as the school ID).
Online: http://www.EmergencyClosings.com. (You may also sign up for personalized e-mail notifications at this site.)
Joke of the Week. Question: How many dull people does it take to change a light bulb? Answer: One.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Haircut," by Elizabeth Alexander.
FALL 2008
Week
of December 22, 2008
Happy Holidays! I wish all of you a joyous (and restful) holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you next month.
Spring 2009 Initial Reading Assignments and Course Materials. Reading assignments for the first week of the Spring semester are now available on the Spring 2009 Term Information page -- click here, or go to the main Student Portal page and click on the Spring '09 link under "Academic term information." Print copies are available on the table outside the third floor cafeteria.
Not all professors submit initial assignments, so do not be concerned if there is no listing for one or more of your Spring courses. The list of initial assignments may be updated periodically if we receive additional assignments.
You may ask the Bookstore to hold your Spring course books for you when they arrive, or for an extra fee you may request that the books be mailed to you over the holiday break. If you would like to take advantage of either of these options, stop by the bookstore before you leave, or call the bookstore at 312/906-5605. In addition, you may order your course books over the web by clicking on the Bookstore link on the Student Portal Page.
Spring
2009 Registration. The initial registration period is now over. If you have not already done so, please log back into the online registration system (available through the Spring 2009 Term Page) to see what classes you were admitted into.
You may make adjustments to your schedule through the end of the second week of the Spring semester.
Please note the following changes, corrections, and cancellations. A revised schedule (available through the Spring 2009 Term Page and outside the third floor cafeteria) has been issued incorporating these revisions.
Class cancellations
The following Spring classes have been canceled due to inadequate enrollment:
Alternative Dispute Resolution (575-51): Tu 6:00-7:50 pm.
Asylum & Refugee Law (658-1): M 9:35-11:25 am.
Capital Punishment & Judicial Process (642-51): M 7:35-9:25 pm.
Chicago Legal Clinic Practicum (238-1).
Civil RICO (279-51): Th 6:00-7:50 pm.
Comparative Tort Law (473-1 & 652-1): W 10:40-11:30 am.
Genetics & the Law (298-51): TTh 6:00-7:25 pm.
Gift & Estate Tax (368-51): Tu 6:00-7:50 pm.
Habeas Corpus (684-81): M 4:00-5:50 pm.
Military Law (610-81): W 4:00-5:50 pm.
Changes & corrections
*Professional Responsibility (day section): The course number was listed incorrectly. It is 415-1 (not 415-81, which is the number for the evening section of the course).
*Advanced Bankruptcy: This class has been renamed "Advanced Bankruptcy: Corporate Reorganizations" to reflect more accurately the scope of the course. In addition, there will be no final exam for the course.
*Constitutional Law & Religion seminar: The course number was listed incorrectly. It is 644-81 (not 632-81, which is the number for Int'l/Comp. Labor/Empl. Law).
*Clinic classes: the Law Offices will not be able to offer either the Business Transactions clinics or the Immigration Law clinics in the Spring 2009 semester.
*Estates & Trusts (day section): This class was incorrectly shown on the day division grid as meeting Mon./Wed. As indicated in the actual Spring schedule, it will meet Tues./Thurs. 9:35-11:35am.
Joke of the Week. Question: What kind of candle burns longer, a red candle or a green candle? Answer: Neither - candles always burn shorter!
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Snow-Bound," by John Greenleaf Whittier.
Week
of December 8, 2008
Academic Calendar Reminder. Read period runs from Saturday, December 6 through Wednesday, December 10. Exams start on Thursday, December 11 and end on Monday, December 22.
Fall 2008 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
•Exam Emergencies. If an emergency occurs that may prevent you from taking a final exam, you or someone on your behalf should call me (312/906-5282) or Jerry Seaton (312/906-5271) as soon as possible. If you cannot reach either of us, call the Registrar's office (312/906-5080). Do not contact your professor about any problem connected with your exam, as this may compromise your anonymity. Please read Section VII of the Student Handbook, which contains the rules governing exams, exam conflicts, make-up exams, missed exams, and related issues; and review Article II of the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook.
•Consulting Laptops During Exams. Unless your professor specifically authorizes it, you may not consult materials (notes, outlines, etc.) stored on your laptop computer during an open book or limited open book exam; you are limited to consulting print materials authorized by your professor. Please note: This is separate from the issue of whether you may write your exam on your own laptop. The limitation described above applies whether you are writing your exam by hand or on a lab or laptop computer.
•Cell Phones During Exams. You are not permitted to use a cell phone during any exam, including during any restroom breaks. If you have a cell phone with you during an exam, it must be turned off and stored out of sight.
•Access to Computer Labs During Exams. Because we use the computer labs during many of the exam slots during exam period, access for other purposes (e.g., printing out papers or exam outlines) is limited. Please keep in mind that there is a printer in the 5th Floor Student Lounge that you can use if the labs are all in use.
•Exams Method Notices. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. The Computer Center has emailed information to all students about the procedures for doing this. You may also find this information in the Computer Center's section of the Record. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
Spring
2009 Registration. The initial registration period is now over. If you have not already done so, please log back into the online registration system (available through the Spring 2009 Term Page) to see what classes you were admitted into.
You may make adjustments to your schedule through the end of the second week of the Spring semester.
Please note the following changes, corrections, and cancellations. A revised schedule (available through the Spring 2009 Term Page and outside the third floor cafeteria) has been issued incorporating these revisions.
Class cancellations
The following Spring classes have been canceled due to inadequate enrollment:
Alternative Dispute Resolution (575-51): Tu 6:00-7:50 pm.
Asylum & Refugee Law (658-1): M 9:35-11:25 am.
Capital Punishment & Judicial Process (642-51): M 7:35-9:25 pm.
Chicago Legal Clinic Practicum (238-1).
Civil RICO (279-51): Th 6:00-7:50 pm.
Comparative Tort Law (473-1 & 652-1): W 10:40-11:30 am.
Genetics & the Law (298-51): TTh 6:00-7:25 pm.
Gift & Estate Tax (368-51): Tu 6:00-7:50 pm.
Habeas Corpus (684-81): M 4:00-5:50 pm.
Military Law (610-81): W 4:00-5:50 pm.
Changes & corrections
*Professional Responsibility (day section): The course number was listed incorrectly. It is 415-1 (not 415-81, which is the number for the evening section of the course).
*Advanced Bankruptcy: This class has been renamed "Advanced Bankruptcy: Corporate Reorganizations" to reflect more accurately the scope of the course. In addition, there will be no final exam for the course.
*Constitutional Law & Religion seminar: The course number was listed incorrectly. It is 644-81 (not 632-81, which is the number for Int'l/Comp. Labor/Empl. Law).
*Clinic classes: the Law Offices will not be able to offer either the Business Transactions clinics or the Immigration Law clinics in the Spring 2009 semester.
*Estates & Trusts (day section): This class was incorrectly shown on the day division grid as meeting Mon./Wed. As indicated in the actual Spring schedule, it will meet Tues./Thurs. 9:35-11:35am.
Spring 2009 Initial Reading Assignments and Course Materials. A list of initial reading assignments for Spring 2009 courses will be posted on the Spring 2009 Term Page (also available through the main Student Portal Page) no later than Monday, December 22. Assignments not received by December 22 will be posted as we receive them.
You may ask the Bookstore to hold your Spring course books for you when they arrive, or for an extra fee you may request that the books be mailed to you over the holiday break. If you would like to take advantage of either of these options, stop by the bookstore before you leave, or call the bookstore at 312/906-5605. In addition, you may order your course books over the web by clicking on the Bookstore link on the Student Portal Page.
Weather Closing Information. Flyers with information about emergency weather closings are available on the table outside the third-floor cafeteria. As explained in the flyer, you may find out whether the Law School is closed due to severe weather in any of the ways listed below. Please note: Information for the Law School will be listed under "IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law."
Radio: WGN 720 AM; WBBM 780 AM.
TV: CBS 2, NBC 5, ABC 7, WGN, Fox News Chicago, CLTV News.
Phone: 847-238-1234 (use Kent's phone number, 312-906-5000, as the school ID).
Online: http://www.EmergencyClosings.com. (You may also sign up for personalized e-mail notifications at this site.)
Joke of the Week. Question: What do you call someone who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested? Answer: A professor!
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky," by Lewis Carroll.
Week
of December 1, 2008
Academic Calendar Reminder. The class schedule for the final week of classes is as follows:
Monday, December 1: Monday classes meet (Labor Day make-up)
Tuesday, December 2: Tuesday classes meet (Rosh Hashanah make-up)
Wednesday, December 3: Friday classes meet and Wednesday classes starting 4:00 & after meet (Thanksgiving and Yom Kippur make-ups)
Thursday, December 4: Thursday classes meet (Yom Kippur make-up)
Friday, December 5 (last day of classes): Thursday classes meet (Thanksgiving make-up).
Read period runs from Saturday, December 6 through Wednesday, December 10. Exams start on Thursday, December 11 and end on Monday, December 22.
Spring
2009 Schedule and Registration.
•Final Spring 2009 Schedule and
Registration Bulletin. The final Spring 2009 schedule, the Registration
Bulletin, and the course and exam grids are available by clicking
here for the Spring 2009 Term page or by going to the main Students
Portal page (click on the Spring '09 link). Print copies are available outside
the third floor cafeteria.
Changes/corrections to J.D. schedule:
(A revised schedule has been issued incorporating the changes/corrections listed below.)
*New seminar: Habeas Corpus (684-81): 2 credits, Mon. 4:00-5:50pm, Profs. Buccola & Holmstead.
*Professional Responsibility (day section): The course number was listed incorrectly. It is 415-1 (not 415-81, which is the number for the evening section of the course).
*Advanced Bankruptcy: This class has been renamed "Advanced Bankruptcy: Corporate Reorganizations" to reflect more accurately the scope of the course. In addition, there will be no final exam for the course.
*Constitutional Law & Religion seminar: The course number was listed incorrectly. It is 644-81 (not 632-81, which is the number for Int'l/Comp. Labor/Empl. Law).
*Clinic classes: the Law Offices will not be able to offer either the Business Transactions clinics or the Immigration Law clinics in the Spring 2009 semester.
*Estates & Trusts (day section): This class was incorrectly shown on the day division grid as meeting Mon./Wed. As indicated in the actual Spring schedule, it will meet Tues./Thurs. 9:35-11:35am.
•Registration
Instructions. To register, go to the Spring
2009 Term page and click on the "Online Registration" link. Registration will run from Tuesday, November 25 through Tuesday,
December 2. You may register at any time during that period. After the end
of the registration period, the registration requests will be processed according
to each student's registration priority. In other words, registration will not be conducted on a first-come, first served basis; as long as you register
during the designated period, you will have an equal chance of being admitted
to a class as other students within your registration priority group. To learn
what classes you have been admitted into, you must check the online registration
site on or after Friday, December 5. Registering for a class during the initial
registration period is no guarantee that you will be admitted into the class –
you must check the web site on or after Friday, December 5 to learn what classes
you have been admitted into.
•Registration for First-Year Students. Although first-year students have set schedules, you still must register for your
Spring courses using the Online Registration system. Please be careful to register
for the doctrinal classes listed for your current section, and for the Legal Writing
section taught by your current professor.
Fall 2008 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
•Exam Emergencies. If an emergency occurs that may prevent you from taking a final exam, you or someone on your behalf should call me (312/906-5282) or Jerry Seaton (312/906-5271) as soon as possible. If you cannot reach either of us, call the Registrar's office (312/906-5080). Do not contact your professor about any problem connected with your exam, as this may compromise your anonymity. Please read Section VII of the Student Handbook, which contains the rules governing exams, exam conflicts, make-up exams, missed exams, and related issues; and review Article II of the Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook.
•Consulting Laptops During Exams. Unless your professor specifically authorizes it, you may not consult materials (notes, outlines, etc.) stored on your laptop computer during an open book or limited open book exam; you are limited to consulting print materials authorized by your professor. Please note: This is separate from the issue of whether you may write your exam on your own laptop. The limitation described above applies whether you are writing your exam by hand or on a lab or laptop computer.
•Cell Phones During Exams. You are not permitted to use a cell phone during any exam, including during any restroom breaks. If you have a cell phone with you during an exam, it must be turned off and stored out of sight.
•Access to Computer Labs During Exams. Because we use the computer labs during many of the exam slots during exam period, access for other purposes (e.g., printing out papers or exam outlines) is limited. Please keep in mind that there is a printer in the 5th Floor Student Lounge that you can use if the labs are all in use.
•Exams Method Notices. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. The Computer Center has emailed information to all students about the procedures for doing this. You may also find this information in the Computer Center's section of the Record. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
Joke of the Week. Question: If the Pilgrims were still alive today, what would they be most known for? Answer: Their incredible age!
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "After Apple-picking," by Robert Frost.
Week
of November 24, 2008
Academic Calendar Reminder. Thanksgiving vacation runs from Thursday, November 27, through Sunday, November 30. The class schedule for the final week of classes is as follows:
Monday, December 1: Monday classes meet (Labor Day make-up)
Tuesday, December 2: Tuesday classes meet (Rosh Hashanah make-up)
Wednesday, December 3: Friday classes meet and Wednesday classes starting 4:00 & after meet (Thanksgiving and Yom Kippur make-ups)
Thursday, December 4: Thursday classes meet (Yom Kippur make-up)
Friday, December 5 (last day of classes): Thursday classes meet (Thanksgiving make-up).
Read period runs from Saturday, December 6 through Wednesday, December 10. Exams start on Thursday, December 11 and end on Monday, December 22.
Spring
2009 Schedule and Registration.
•Final Spring 2009 Schedule and
Registration Bulletin. The final Spring 2009 schedule, the Registration
Bulletin, and the course and exam grids are available by clicking
here for the Spring 2009 Term page or by going to the main Students
Portal page (click on the Spring '09 link). Print copies are available outside
the third floor cafeteria.
•Registration
Instructions. To register, go to the Spring
2009 Term page and click on the "Online Registration" link beginning
next Tuesday. Registration will run from Tuesday, November 25 through Tuesday,
December 2. You may register at any time during that period. After the end
of the registration period, the registration requests will be processed according
to each student's registration priority. In other words, registration will not be conducted on a first-come, first served basis; as long as you register
during the designated period, you will have an equal chance of being admitted
to a class as other students within your registration priority group. To learn
what classes you have been admitted into, you must check the online registration
site on or after Friday, December 5. Registering for a class during the initial
registration period is no guarantee that you will be admitted into the class –
you must check the web site on or after Friday, December 5 to learn what classes
you have been admitted into.
•Registration for First-Year Students. Although first-year students have set schedules, you still must register for your
Spring courses using the Online Registration system. Please be careful to register
for the doctrinal classes listed for your current section, and for the Legal Writing
section taught by your current professor.
Fall 2008 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests. The period is now closed for requesting an exam reschedule due to an exam conflict or other reason. We are now processing the requests. If you submitted a request, we will notify you of our response as soon as possible.
•Exams Method Registration. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Illinois Bar Exam: Informational Sessions. The Illinois bar examiners will be holding informational sessions for first-year students, and for third-year and fourth-year students approaching graduation, on Thursday, January 22, 2009. These sessions are for all Chicago-area law students. You should plan to attend one of the January 22 sessions if (1) you are a first-year student and you have questions about the first-year bar registration process, (2) you are a third-year or fourth-year student planning on taking the February 2009 or July 2009 bar exams and you have questions about the application or character and fitness process, or (3) you are a student at any stage of your studies and you have questions about the character and fitness process. Here are further details, as provided by the bar examiners' office:
IBABY character and fitness information sessions for ALL Chicago first-year law student registrants and ALL Chicago third-year applicants for the February and July 2009 bar examinations will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2009, in the Auditorium of the American Dental Association building located at 211 East Chicago Avenue.
Three sessions will be held on January 22. The first session will begin at 12:00 noon and will be held for third-year students, the second at 5:00 pm for first-year students, and a third at 7:00 pm again for third-year students. First-year students not able to attend the 5:00 pm session, however, would benefit from attendance at one of the other two sessions; although the noon and 7:00 pm sessions will be tailored to third-year students, the basic information and instructions are the same.
There is no fee, and advance registration is not required. All first year law students and all third-year applicants for the February and July 2009 Illinois bar examinations are invited and encouraged to attend
See my Record archives (the September 8 entry) for details about the application process for the February 2009 and July 2009 bar exams for graduating students, and the registration process for first-year students. We recommend that you download and look over the application and/or registration materials available at http://www.ibaby.org before the January 22 program.
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.
Teaching Evaluations. Teaching evaluations will be distributed in the coming weeks to elicit students' opinions about the quality of teaching at the Law School. Instructors will review the responses to improve the quality of their instruction and courses. The evaluations are also considered as one important factor in tenure, promotion, and compensation decisions for full-time faculty and are used as a factor in determining the effectiveness of part-time instructors. Evaluations are anonymous and will not be available to professors until grades are turned in.
Joke of the Week. Question: If the Pilgrims were still alive today, what would they be most known for? Answer: Their incredible age!
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "After Apple-picking," by Robert Frost.
Week
of November 17, 2008
Academic Calendar Reminder. Thanksgiving vacation runs from Thursday, November 27, through Sunday, November 30.
Fall 2008 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests. The period is now closed for requesting an exam reschedule due to an exam conflict or other reason. We are now processing the requests. If you submitted a request, we will notify you of our response as soon as possible.
•Exams Method Registration. The period is now closed for exam method registration.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Spring 2009 preliminary schedule. The Spring 2009 preliminary schedule is linked to this page. Please note: The preliminary schedule was issued last April (prior to registration for the current Fall 2008 semester), and changes will be made to the schedule before it is finalized.
The final Spring schedule will be available by the end of this week.
Note about Animal Law seminar. Adjunct faculty member Keith Harley will be teaching a seminar on Animal Law in the Spring semester. If you are interested in learning more about the class, there will be an informational session on Monday, November 17, 2:00pm in Rm. 305.
Financial Crisis Primer. Professor Felice Batlan and student William Allen have created an online primer on the nation's financial crisis. The primer is available at http://libraryguides.kentlaw.edu/financialcrisis.
Teaching Evaluations. Teaching evaluations will be distributed in the coming weeks to elicit students' opinions about the quality of teaching at the Law School. Instructors will review the responses to improve the quality of their instruction and courses. The evaluations are also considered as one important factor in tenure, promotion, and compensation decisions for full-time faculty and are used as a factor in determining the effectiveness of part-time instructors. Evaluations are anonymous and will not be available to professors until grades are turned in.
Joke of the Week. "Cured ham? No thanks, pal. Cured of what? What if it has a relapse on my plate?" (Tommy Sledge)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Blue Moon," by W.S. Di Piero.
Week
of November 10, 2008
ASP Workshop: Preparing for and Taking Exams. The Academic Support Program will present the evening version (although day students are welcome) of its final Fall workshop on Monday, November 10, 5:00-5:50 pm, in Rm 590. This workshop will focus on strategies for preparing for and taking exams and will feature comments from both the faculty and student perspectives. Although the workshop is mainly aimed at first-year students, all students are welcome to attend. For more information about the Academic Support Program, visit the ASP web page.
Presentation by John Podesta on "The Presidency and Congress." John Podesta, the head of President-Elect Obama's transition team and former White House Chief of Staff, will give a guest lecture by videoconference in Prof. Moss's Rule of Law seminar on Thursday, November 13, 4:00-5:30pm, in Rm. 210. The lecture is open to all.
Fall 2008 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests: October 28-November 12. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please complete the Final Exam Reschedule form. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Final Exam Reschedule form. The form will be available beginning October 28; the deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Wednesday, November 12, at 5:00 pm. This deadline will be strictly enforced. If your request is approved, you will be notified later this semester of the rescheduled date, time, and location of your exam.
Under current policy, a student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student 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).
•Exams Method Registration: October 28-November 12. Students have three choices for taking most exams: hand writing the exam, taking the exam on their own laptop computer, or taking the exam on a lab computer. Some professors do not permit one or more of these options (e.g., some require all students to hand write the exam).
Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to hand-write the exam, or take it on a lab computer (subject to space availability). Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam.
If you wish to register to take an exam by hand or on a lab comuter, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form. The form will be available beginning October 28; the deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, November 12, at 5:00 pm.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Student Awards Luncheon. The program from the recent Student Awards Luncheon, celebrating student achievements during the 2007-2008 academic year, will be posted shortly. If you won a CALI Award during the 2007-2008 academic year, but were unable to attend the recent Student Awards Luncheon, you may pick your certificate up from Denise Lang outside my office (Suite 320C).
Spring 2009 preliminary schedule. The Spring 2009 preliminary schedule is linked to this page. Please note: The preliminary schedule was issued last April (prior to registration for the current Fall 2008 semester), and changes will be made to the schedule before it is finalized.
Joke of the Week. "It's pretty sad when a person has to lose weight to play Babe Ruth." (John Goodman)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Blue Moon," by W.S. Di Piero.
Week
of November 3, 2008
ASP Workshop: Preparing for and Taking Exams. The Academic Support Program will present its final Fall workshop on Tuesday, November 4, 12:00-1:00 pm, in the Auditorim (for day students) and Monday, November 10, 5:00-5:50 pm, in Rm 590 (for evening students). (Note: The evening version of the workshop was previously scheduled for November 5, but has been moved to November 10.) This workshop will focus on strategies for preparing for and taking exams and will feature comments from both the faculty and student perspectives. Although the workshop is mainly aimed at first-year students, all students are welcome to attend. For more information about the Academic Support Program, visit the ASP web page.
Travel notice: Tuesday, November 4. Due to the Obama campaign's plans for a rally in Grant Park on election night, there will be street closures (some starting on Monday) in the Grant Park area. The City of Chicago has announced that the restrictions will be similar to those observed for Fourth of July fireworks each year. Please plan accordingly.
November 5 program: How the Economy May Affect You. A program sponsored by IIT's Human Resources program, entitled "How the Economy May Affect You: Solutions for Uncertain Times, Consumer Finance & the Law," will be held at the Law School on Wednesday, November 5, 12:30-1:30, in Rm. C20. [Become better informed about the realities of consumer credit, the obligations and consequences of falling behind and what actions to take. Learn about debt consolidator services, foreclosure and bankruptcy. Financial obligations under family law will be explained. Hear an expert discuss where you should consider investing your savings beyond our retirement plan. Facilitators are Jon Dowat, a Chicago-Kent alumnus in private practice after 25 years as an investment broker. Jon specializes in tax law, bankruptcy and personal financial planning. Joining him is Rhonda de Freitas, Assistant Clinical Professor of Law at Chicago-Kent who concentrates in family and matrimonial law. The facilitators will remain for individual questions after both sessions. Registration is required at: http://www.iit.edu/hr/train/profession.cgi
Fall 2008 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests: October 28-November 12. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please complete the Final Exam Reschedule form. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Final Exam Reschedule form. The form will be available beginning October 28; the deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Wednesday, November 12, at 5:00 pm. This deadline will be strictly enforced. If your request is approved, you will be notified later this semester of the rescheduled date, time, and location of your exam.
Under current policy, a student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student 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).
•Exams Method Registration: October 28-November 12. Students have three choices for taking most exams: hand writing the exam, taking the exam on their own laptop computer, or taking the exam on a lab computer. Some professors do not permit one or more of these options (e.g., some require all students to hand write the exam).
Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to hand-write the exam, or take it on a lab computer (subject to space availability). Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam.
If you wish to register to take an exam by hand or on a lab comuter, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form. The form will be available beginning October 28; the deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, November 12, at 5:00 pm.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Presentation by Prof. Christopher Schroeder on "Transparency and the Executive Branch." Prof. Christopher Schroeder of Duke Law School will give a guest lecture by videoconference in Prof. Moss's Rule of Law seminar on Thursday, October 30, 4:00-5:30pm, in Rm. 210. The lecture is open to all. Prof. Schroeder will speak on "Transparency and the Executive Branch: The Fight to Preserve Rule of Law."
Joke of the Week. "It's pretty sad when a person has to lose weight to play Babe Ruth." (John Goodman)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Blue Moon," by W.S. Di Piero.
Week
of October 27, 2008
Change of Division Requests: Deadline November 3. Students wishing to request a change of division for the Spring semester (e.g., from evening division to full-time or part-time day division, or vice versa) should submit a request through the Chicago-Kent Web for Students site. (Log into Webmail, click on the Web for Students icon, and then select "Request to change division" on the left-hand menu.) Please note: Students may not switch divisions until they have completed their first year. The request form will be available beginning Monday, October 20. The deadline for submitting the form is Monday, November 3, at 5:00 pm.
ASP Workshop: Preparing for and Taking Exams. The Academic Support Program will present its final Fall workshop on Tuesday, November 4, 12:00-1:00 pm, in the Auditorim (for day students) and Monday, November 10, 5:00-5:50 pm, in Rm 590 (for evening students). (Note: The evening version of the workshop was previously scheduled for November 5, but has been moved to November 10.) This workshop will focus on strategies for preparing for and taking exams and will feature comments from both the faculty and student perspectives. Although the workshop is mainly aimed at first-year students, all students are welcome to attend. For more information about the Academic Support Program, visit the ASP web page.
Fall 2008 Final Exams.
•Exam Schedule. The final exam schedule for the current semester is available here. You will be notified of the classroom assignments for your exams prior to the start of exam period.
•Exam Conflict/Reschedule Requests: October 28-November 12. The Student Handbook requires that you take your final exams 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. If you have an exam conflict or believe you have other reasons justifying the rescheduling of an exam, please complete the Final Exam Reschedule form. To complete the form, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Final Exam Reschedule form. The form will be available beginning October 28; the deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Wednesday, November 12, at 5:00 pm. This deadline will be strictly enforced. If your request is approved, you will be notified later this semester of the rescheduled date, time, and location of your exam.
Under current policy, a student is deemed to have an "exam conflict" if the student 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).
•Exams Method Registration: October 28-November 12. Students have three choices for taking most exams: hand writing the exam, taking the exam on their own laptop computer, or taking the exam on a lab computer. Some professors do not permit one or more of these options (e.g., some require all students to hand write the exam).
Assuming your professor has authorized you to take the exam on computer, we will assume you are taking the exam on your own laptop. You need to register your exam-taking method only if you wish to hand-write the exam, or take it on a lab computer (subject to space availability). Please check with your professor if you are uncertain whether computer use will be permitted for your exam.
If you wish to register to take an exam by hand or on a lab comuter, log into your Webmail account, click on the Web for Students icon, and navigate to the Exam Method Registration form. The form will be available beginning October 28; the deadline for submitting an exam method request is Wednesday, November 12, at 5:00 pm.
Notice about SofTest: Students taking exams on laptop must download and install the SofTest exam-taking program. You will receive information from the Computer Center about when and how to do this. Even though you do not need to submit an Exam Method Registration form to use your laptop for exams, you do need to download and install SofTest.
Notice About Borrowing Laptops from the Computer Center: The Computer Center has a limited supply of laptop computers reserved for use in emergency situations that arise during exam period. Please contact me if you opt to take an exam on laptop, and your laptop suffers unexpected problems that cannot be remedied before your exam. The Computer Center's laptops also may be used (subject to availability) if your computer has problems immediately before or during an exam, as long as the problem is not due to your failing to properly configure or register your laptop to run the SofTest program. Because of limited supply, the Computer Center's laptops are not available for general loaning purposes during exam period, including to students who do not own a laptop or are Mac users. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact me to discuss your situation.
Notice to Hand Writers: Students who are hand writing an exam will be placed in the same room used by laptop users for that exam. Hand writers will not be put in a separate room. We will provide free ear plugs to any hand writers who believe they may be distracted by the sound of the laptops.
•Availability of Professors' Old Exams. Many professors make their old exams available for students to review. Exams after 1992 are available online by going to http://library.kentlaw.edu/Services/students.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link (under Resources). Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Presentation by Prof. Christopher Schroeder on "Transparency and the Executive Branch." Prof. Christopher Schroeder of Duke Law School will give a guest lecture by videoconference in Prof. Moss's Rule of Law seminar on Thursday, October 30, 4:00-5:30pm, in Rm. 210. The lecture is open to all. Prof. Schroeder will speak on "Transparency and the Executive Branch: The Fight to Preserve Rule of Law."
Soy Milk Now Available in the Cafeteria. In response to student requests, the cafeteria now stocks soy milk (in the main beverage cooler).
Joke of the Week. "It's pretty sad when a person has to lose weight to play Babe Ruth." (John Goodman)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Blue Moon," by W.S. Di Piero.
Week
of October 20, 2008
Change of Division Requests. Students wishing to request a change of division for the Spring semester (e.g., from evening division to full-time or part-time day division, or vice versa) should submit a request through the Chicago-Kent Web for Students site. (Log into Webmail, click on the Web for Students icon, and then select "Request to change division" on the left-hand menu.) Please note: Students may not switch divisions until they have completed their first year. The request form will be available beginning Monday, October 20. The deadline for submitting the form is Monday, November 3, at 5:00 pm.
Presentation by Dr. William Meinecke, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Dr. William Meinecke, an historian with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will give a guest lecture by videoconference in Prof. Moss's Rule of Law seminar on Thursday, October 23, 4:00-5:30pm, in Rm. 210. The lecture is open to all. Dr. Meinecke will be discussing whether lawyers today are living up to their responsibilities to protect the rule of law, comparing and contrasting present circumstances with the situation in Germany during the Third Reich.
Expansion of Lifetime Learning Credit. Professors Brody and Chapman suggested that I inform students about an increase in the Lifetime Learning credit for 2008 and 2009. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (the bailout bill) provides tax relief for Midwestern counties, including Cook County, Illinois, that were declared Presidential Disaster areas because of the recent flooding. One provision of the Act doubles the Lifetime Learning credit percentage from 20% to 40% of up to $10,000 spent for tuition, fees, books, room and board. The maximum credit is increased from $2,000 to $4,000. The provision applies to students attending universities in the Midwestern disaster counties, including Chicago-Kent students. (The Act also doubles the Hope Scholarship credit for students in disaster counties, but the Hope credit is available only for students in the first two years of post-secondary education.) Consult your tax advisor to determine if you or your parents are entitled to the Lifetime Learning credit.
Joke of the Week. "I'm really upset with the restaurant parking attendants. They won't validate my feelings." (Scott Wood)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes.
Week
of October 13, 2008
ASP Workshop on Outlining. The Academic Support Program will present the second of three Fall workshops on Tuesday, October 14, 12:00-1:00 pm, in the Auditorium (for day students) and Wednesday, October 15, 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. For more information about the Academic Support Program, visit the ASP web page.
Illinois Bar Exam: Informational Sessions. The Illinois bar examiners will be holding informational sessions for first-year students, and for third-year and fourth-year students approaching graduation, on Thursday, January 22, 2009. These sessions are for all Chicago-area law students. You should plan to attend one of the January 22 sessions if (1) you are a first-year student and you have questions about the first-year bar registration process, (2) you are a third-year or fourth-year student planning on taking the February 2009 or July 2009 bar exams and you have questions about the application or character and fitness process, or (3) you are a student at any stage of your studies and you have questions about the character and fitness process. Here are further details, as provided by the bar examiners' office:
IBABY character and fitness information sessions for ALL Chicago first-year law student registrants and ALL Chicago third-year applicants for the February and July 2009 bar examinations will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2009, in the Auditorium of the American Dental Association building located at 211 East Chicago Avenue.
Three sessions will be held on January 22. The first session will begin at 12:00 noon and will be held for third-year students, the second at 5:00 pm for first-year students, and a third at 7:00 pm again for third-year students. First-year students not able to attend the 5:00 pm session, however, would benefit from attendance at one of the other two sessions; although the noon and 7:00 pm sessions will be tailored to third-year students, the basic information and instructions are the same.
There is no fee, and advance registration is not required. All first year law students and all third-year applicants for the February and July 2009 Illinois bar examinations are invited and encouraged to attend.
See my Record archives (the September 8 entry) for details about the application process for the February 2009 and July 2009 bar exams for graduating students, and the registration process for first-year students. We recommend that you download and look over the application and/or registration materials available at http://www.ibaby.org before the January 22 program.
Intensive Trial Advocacy (January 2009 Session): Seats Still Available. Registration for the January session of Intensive Trial Advocacy (January 10-January 17, 2009) took place as part of Fall 2008 registration. However, several spaces are still available. Please contact me if you are interested in being added to the class.
Order of the Coif Distinguished Lecturer: David Wilkins. Professor David B. Wilkins of Harvard Law School will be delivering the Order of the Coif Distinguished Visitor Lecture at Chicago-Kent on Wednesday, October 15, at 3:00pm in the Courtroom on the first floor. Professor Wilkin's lecture is entitled “From Agents to Partners: Toward a New Model of the Corporate Attorney-Client Relationship.”
Joke of the Week. "To me, a lawyer is basically the person that knows the rules of the country. We're all throwing the dice, playing the game, moving our pieces around the baord, but if there is a problem the lawyer is the only person who has read the inside of the top of the box." (Jerry Seinfeld)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "The Swing," by Timothy Steele.
Week
of October 6, 2008
Academic
Calendar Reminder. Due to a religious holiday, classes starting 4:00 and later
are canceled on Wednesday, October 8, and all classes are canceled on Thursday,
October 9.
ASP Workshop on Outlining. The Academic Support Program will present the second of three Fall workshops on Tuesday, October 14, 12:00-1:00 pm, in the Auditorium (for day students) and Wednesday, October 15, 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. For more information about the Academic Support Program, visit the ASP web page.
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 university 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.
Flu Shots.The IIT Student Health Center will give flu shots at the Law School for students, faculty, and staff on Tuesday, October 7, from 4:00-5:00 pm in the 10th floor Event Rm. Shots will cost $20, payable by cash or check (made out to Illinois Institute of Technology).
Lawyers' Assistance Program Dinner. The Lawyers' Assistance Program (LAP) will hold its annual dinner on Friday, October 17. There will be a table for law students who are in recovery or are interested in LAP's work. If you are interested in attending, contact Janet Voss, the Executive Director of LAP, at 312/726-6607, or jpvoss@illinoislap.org.
Joke of the Week. Question: How many country musicians does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: Five - one to do it, and four to sing about how much they'll miss the old one.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Labor," by Baron Wormser.
Week
of September 29, 2008
Academic
Calendar Reminder. Due to a religious holiday, classes starting 4:00 and later
are canceled on Monday, September 29, and all classes are canceled on Tuesday,
September 30.
Fire Drill Follow-Up. We would like to thank students, faculty, and staff for their cooperation with the recent fire drills. We were pleased with how the drills went, but would like to pass along a few reminders:
•Please use the nearest staircase to exit the building, unless the staircase is overcrowded. In that case, please seek out an alternate staircase (there are at least two on each floor). There are maps in the elevator bays on each floor identifying the locations of the staircases. Do not use the elevators.
•Once in the staircase, please proceed all the way to the first floor -- do not exit at the third floor in order to use the atrium staircase.
•Please do not take time to gather up your belongings -- your safety is more important than your possessions. If you feel that you must take any valuables with you, please "grab and go" -- do not waste precious seconds or minutes powering down your laptop computer or packing up your belongings.
•Once you exit the building, please move either eastward or westward down the sidewalk so that you will be out of harm's way if any windows shatter. For your safety, please do not step into traffic or cross against a traffic light.
Joke of the Week. "A dog teaches a
boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down."
(Robert Benchley)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Choose,"
by Carl Sandburg.
Week
of September 22, 2008
Academic
Calendar Reminder. Due to a religious holiday, classes starting 4:00 and later
are canceled on Monday, September 29, and all classes are canceled on Tuesday,
September 30.
Summer 2008 CALI Awards. 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 2008 courses are available by clicking
here. Congratulations to all of you who received the award.
Presentation
by the Honorable Patrick Higginbotham. The Honorable Patrick Higginbotham,
senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circut, will
give a guest lecture by videoconference in Prof. Moss's Rule of Law seminar on Thursday, September 25, 4:00-5:30pm in Rm. C20. The lecture is open to
all. Judge Higginbotham will be discussing the role of the judiciary in implementing
the rule of law.
Joke of the Week. "A dog teaches a
boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down."
(Robert Benchley)
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Choose,"
by Carl Sandburg.
Week
of September 15, 2008
Elective
Courses Subject to the Mandatory Curve. A list of Fall 2008 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.
Dean's
Meet-and-Greets. Dean Krent will hold "meet-and-greets" with students
this Thursday, September 18, in the 5th Floor Student Lounge from 8:45-9:30 am
and 5:00-5:45 pm. Come and share your thoughts about the law school or to ask
questions. Refreshments will be available at both events.
Faculty Advisor
Program for First-Year Students. Orientation is over, Labor Day has passed
and the reality of life as a law student is no doubt finally sinking in. Life
as a first-year law student can be both exhilarating and exhausting. In an attempt
to help you negotiate the ups and downs of the first year of law school, many
of the full-time faculty have agreed to serve as advisors for first-year students.
A faculty advisor can help you with your approach to studying, thinking about
career options, course selection for your second year, and other law school matters
that may interest or concern you.
This is entirely a voluntary program
on the part of both faculty and students - many of you may already feel comfortable
with the nature and demands of law school and have no interest in a faculty advisor.
But if you are interested in having a faculty advisor, click
here and fill out the online form (the deadline for signing up is Friday,
September 26). Each faculty is limited to only a handful of students, so if you
have a preference we can't guarantee you will get your first pick. If you end
up being assigned to a faculty member other than one you specified, someone will
be in touch with you to make sure the match is acceptable to you before it is
finalized.
Joke of the Week. "I don't have six-pack abs; I
have the whole case." (Reno Goodale) Poem of the Week. This
week's poem is "For My Daughter,"
by David Ignatow.
Week
of September 8, 2008
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 9, 12:00-1:00 (Auditorium) (for day students)
and on Wednesday, September 10, 5:00-5:50 pm (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.
(Rooms will be announced at a later date.) Outlining Your Courses
Tuesday, October 14, 12:00-1:00pm (Auditorium) Wednesday, October 15, 5:00-5:50pm
(Rm. 590). Preparing for and Taking Exams Tuesday,
November 4, 12:00-1:00pm (Auditorium). Wednesday, November 5, 5:00-5:50pm
(Rm. 590).
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
2009 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 September 12, 2008. 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 are due by
March 1, 2009. 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 Chicago area 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 2009 and July 2009 Illinois Bar
Applications. Applications for the February 2009 bar exam must
be submitted by September 5, 2008. Applications for the July 2009
bar exam must be submitted by February 1, 2009. You may file a
late application for the February bar up to December 31, and for the July bar
up to May 31, but 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 Chicago area 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 8, 2008, 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 30, 2008 (the late
deadline is October 16).
Joke of the Week. "I don't have six-pack
abs; I have the whole case." (Reno Goodale) Poem of the Week.
This week's poem is "For
My Daughter," by David Ignatow.
Week
of September 1, 2008
Academic
Calendar Reminder. In observance of Labor Day, there will be no classes on
Monday, September 1.
Student Organization Fair. The annual Student
Organization Fair will be held on Wednesday, September 3, from 11:00-1:00 (for
day students) and from 4:00-6:00 (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 9, 12:00-1:00 (room TBA) (for day students)
and on Wednesday, September 10, 5:00-5:50 pm (room TBA) (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.
(Rooms will be announced at a later date.) Outlining Your Courses
Tuesday, October 14, 12:00-1:00pm. Wednesday, October 15, 5:00-5:50pm.
Preparing for and Taking Exams Tuesday, November 4, 12:00-1:00pm.
Wednesday, November 5, 5:00-5:50pm.
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.
IIT Emergency Notification
Service. The university provides a self-service, web-based, mass notification
system, known as iitalert, that enables the university
to send instant alerts simultaneously to all students, faculty, and staff, no
matter where they are. This 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 complements
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.
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. Upper-level students
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.
First-year students have fixed schedules
that cannot be changed. You may withdraw completely from the Law School, without
tuition penalty, during the first two weeks of classes. If you are considering
withdrawing, please contact Dean Sowle for more information on the procedure for
doing so.
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
2008 Class Ranks/GPA Cut-Offs. The GPA cut-offs as of the end of the Spring
2008 semester are linked
to this page.
Additional Spring 2008 CALI Award Winners. Congratulations
to the following student for earning a CALI Award this past Spring. The complete
list of CALI winners is available by clicking
here.
-Family & Employment Immigration Practice: Pramod Chintalapoodi -Legal
Writing 3 (Prof. Interlandi): Kara L. Schuur -Real Estate Fundamentals &
Syndication: Zachary M. Fishman -Resolving Environmental Liabilities in Bankruptcy:
Samuel E. DelRio
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:
Ilana
W. Bamberger | Adam R. Kreis | Jessica A. Bejerea | Catherine
J. Krenz | Michael S. Borella | Chloe A. Long | Jessica
L. Bourne | Nicholas R. Merker | Joanna K. Brinkman | Jeff
J. Mikrut | Gavin A. Daly | Leah B. Moon | Erin
A. Duncomb | Scott D. Salmon | Jocelyn D. Floyd | Jacqueline
Shiff | Paul J. Forster | Teresa L. Slattery | David
R. Freedman | Irina Slavina | Douglas R. Garmager | Howard
A. Smith | Ryan D. Gibson | Vincent M. Smolczynski | Michael
T. Gustafson | Carolyn E. Sorock | Justin D. Haselden | Elizabeth
A. Thompson | Victoria S. Hayes | Rue K. Toland | Gregory
W. Jones | Amy E. Voegeli | Sarah R. Kaplan | Chunyan
Wang | Brian S. Kaunelis | Benjamin J. Wilensky | Emily
M. Kepner | |
Counseling Services. IIT's
Counseling Center provides counseling services at the Law School by appointment.
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 are due by
March 1, 2009. 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 Chicago area 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 2009 and July 2009 Illinois Bar
Applications. Applications for the February 2009 bar exam must
be submitted by September 5, 2008. Applications for the July 2009
bar exam must be submitted by February 1, 2009. You may file a
late application for the February bar up to December 31, and for the July bar
up to May 31, but 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 Chicago area 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 8, 2008, 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 30, 2008 (the late
deadline is October 16).
Joke of the Week. "I don't have six-pack
abs; I have the whole case." (Reno Goodale) Poem of the Week.
This week's poem is "For
My Daughter," by David Ignatow.
Week
of August 25, 2008
General
Announcements: Student Organization Fair. The annual Student
Organization Fair will be held on Wednesday, September 3, from 11:00-1:00 (for
day students) and from 4:00-6:00 (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.
Chicago-Kent College of Law provides individuals with disabilities reasonable
accommodations to participate in law school 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 Jenna Moroney, Chicago-Kent's Director of Student Services (6-5282
or jmoroney@kentlaw.edu or office 310A).
Student Health Insurance.
For information about the 2008-2009 student health insurance plan, please see
the Student
Health Insurance FAQ. If you have any questions or problems with respect to
student health insurance, contact Jenna Moroney, the Director of Student Services,
at jmoroney@kentlaw.edu or 312-906-5005.
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 university 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.
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 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 Friday, August
29. Information about the program and study resources is available on the
ASP web site.
ID
and U-Pass Distribution. ID cards and U-Passes for first-year day students
will be distributed in the main lobby on Monday, August 25, from 11:00-2:00 pm.
We will distribute ID cards for evening students outside your class on Monday,
August 25. After Monday, ID cards and U-Passes 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 25 (the first day of classes) through
December 22 (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 2008 Semester Information. The Fall 2008 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 '08 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
2008 Term Information page. (Please note: The list of initial assignments
has been updated since it was first posted, 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 2008 classes are available on the Fall
2008 Term Information page. Revised
Fall Schedule (with Classroom Assignments). A revised copy of the
Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes, including classroom assignments, is available on
the Fall 2008 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 2008 exam schedule is available on the Fall
2008 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 2008 Term Information
page. Please note: If your section meets at the Daley Center, please
be sure to bring your Kent ID card with you, as you may 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
2008 Term Information page. 2008-2009
Academic Calendar. The Academic Calendar for 2008-2009 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? Would you like to hear directly
from a Seventh Circuit judge about how things work in this circuit? 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. 10:40-11:35 pm. We'll be using materials
by Meador, Baker, & Steinman.
Spring 2009 Preliminary Schedule.
The preliminary class schedule for the Spring 2009 semester is available on the
Fall 2008 Term Information
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 2009 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 on
Monday, August 25, 11:00-2:00 pm in the front lobby. After Monday, August 25,
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 25 (the first day of classes) through December 22 (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 2008 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 2008 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 2009 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 September
12, 2008. If you wish to discuss the program in more detail, contact Professor
David Rudstein (drudstei@kentlaw.edu; 312/906-5354).
Tuition Discount
for Graduating Students Taking More than 87 Credits. If you will be graduating
at the end of the Fall 2008 semester, and will be taking more than the 87 credits
required to graduate, you may receive a 50% discount on each credit you take over
the required 87 credits. If this affects you, please contct me by email and I
will arrange for the credit to be applied to your account.
Joke of the
Week. A barking dog never bites. Well, at least not while it's barking.
Poem of the Week. This week's poem is "Briefly
It Enters, and Briefly Speaks," by Jane Kenyon.
Week
of August 18, 2008
General
Announcements: Student Organization Fair.
The annual Student Organization Fair will be held on Wednesday, September 3, from
11:00-1:00 (for day students) and from 4:00-6:00 (for evening students) in the
second and third floor atriums. All students are invited.
Disability
Resources. Chicago-Kent College of Law provides individuals with disabilities
reasonable accommodations to participate in law school 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 Jenna Moroney, Chicago-Kent's Director of Student
Services (6-5282 or jmoroney@kentlaw.edu or office 310A).
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 (320C), or e-mail me (ssowle@kentlaw.edu). 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 18. 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 Friday, August
29. 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 25 (the first day of classes) through December 22 (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 2008 Semester Information. The Fall 2008 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 '08 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
2008 Term Information page. (Please note: The list of initial assignments
has been updated since it was first posted, 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 2008 classes are available on the Fall
2008 Term Information page. Revised
Fall Schedule (with Classroom Assignments). A revised copy of the
Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes, including classroom assignments, is available on
the Fall 2008 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 2008 exam schedule is available on the Fall
2008 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 2008 Term Information
page. Please note: If your section meets at the Daley Center, please
be sure to bring your Kent ID card with you, as you may 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
2008 Term Information page. 2008-2009
Academic Calendar. The Academic Calendar for 2008-2009 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? Would you like to hear directly
from a Seventh Circuit judge about how things work in this circuit? 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. 10:40-11:35 pm. We'll be using materials
by Meador, Baker, & Steinman.
Spring 2009 Preliminary Schedule.
The preliminary class schedule for the Spring 2009 semester is available on the
Fall 2008 Term Information
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 2009 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:
*Thursday, August 21, 11:00am - 1:00pm, Front Lobby.
*Friday, August 22, 11:00am - 1:00pm, Front Lobby. *Monday,
August 25, 11:00am - 2:00pm, Front Lobby.
After Monday, August 25, 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
25 (the first day of classes) through December 22 (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 2008 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 2008 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 2009 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 September
12, 2008. If you wish to discuss the program in more detail, contact Professor
David Rudstein (drudstei@kentlaw.edu; 312/906-5354).
Joke of the Week.
"Why do they call it a 'building'? It looks like they're finished. Why isn't
it a 'built'?" (Jerry Seinfeld) Poem of the Week. This week's
poem is "How
to Be a Poet," by "Wendell Berry.
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