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Office of Academic Administration and Student Affairs

Asst. Dean Stephen D. Sowle

Week of January 19, 2004
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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.

Academic Calendar Reminder.
Classes will not be held on Monday, January 19, in commemoration of Martin Luther King Day. Spring semester classes will
start on Tuesday, January 20. Because Martin Luther King Day is an official university holiday for the first time this year, this also means that the Law School building will be closed on January 19.

Spring 2004 Course Information:

Changes to the Spring Schedule. A list of changes to the Spring schedule (additions, cancellations, and one exam change) is linked to this page. I would particularly like to highlight a new clinical program, with preference given to evening students, sponsored by the Law School in conjunction with the Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS).

Classroom Assignments. Classroom assignments for Spring courses are posted in the front lobby and linked to this page.

Initial Reading Assignments. Initial assignments for many Spring courses are linked to this page.

Bookstore Hours. The bookstore's hours are linked to this page. Please note that the bookstore will not be open on Monday, January 19, due to the Law School's observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Trial Advocacy Section Assignments. Assignments for the Spring sections of Trial Advocacy 1 and Trial Advocacy 2 are linked to this page.

Adding Classes After the First Week. 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.

ASP Small Group Sessions. Please see the Student Services section of the Record for information about the Academic Support Program, including membership criteria for ASP small group sessions and the process for petitioning into the small groups. For more information about the Academic Support Program and study resources, please visit the ASP web site.

Final Exams. The final exam schedule for the Spring semester is linked to this page. The Student Handbook requires that you take your finals at the times scheduled, even if you have two exams in a row, or one at 6:00 p.m. and another at 8:30 a.m. the next morning. Absent extraordinary circumstances, the only exception is if you have three exams scheduled consecutively (which rarely happens) or two exams scheduled at the same time. If you believe you have an exam conflict or other circumstances justifying the rescheduling of an exam (see Student Handbook sections 7.2 and 7.3), please contact Jamie Lake, the Director of Student Services (e-mail: JLAKE).

Distribution of Spring U-Passes and New ID Cards.
Spring U-Passes and new Chicago-Kent ID cards will be distributed in the front lobby on Tuesday, January 20, from 11:45-1:00 and 4:00-6:00 pm. All students should pick up a new ID card. For more information on the U-Pass program and which students qualify for participation in the program, see the Student Services section of the Record.

"Law as a Profession: From Law Student to Lawyer," Wednesday, February 25 (required for all 2L students).
All second-year students are required to attend the annual Law as a Profession Day program on Wednesday, February 25. Attendance at Law as a Profession Day is a graduation requirement. If you are a second-year student and have not yet registered for the program, please do so as soon as possible through the online course registration system (course number 121-001 for day students, 121-051 for evening students). If you have any questions, please contact me (ssowle@kentlaw.edu).

ASP Workshop: "Learning From Experience: How to Interpet Your Exam Results and Plan Ahead." Are you curious about how to interpret your grades? Do you want to find out how your first semester results can affect your future law school performance? Are you looking for tips on the most effective way to do an exam review with a professor? All of these topics will be covered in the Academic Support Program's final 2003-2004 workshop on Wednesday, January 28, 3:00-4:00 pm (for day students) and 5:00-5:45 pm (for evening students) in Rm. C50. Although the workshop is mainly aimed at first-year students, all students are welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend but would like to see a videotape of the program, contact Jamie Lake (e-mail: JLAKE).

Save the Date: Family and Friends Day, January 31.
We will be offering a Family and Friends Day program on Saturday, January 31, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The program is intended to give your spouses, partners, parents, children, and other important people in your lives the opportunity to visit the Law School and get a taste of what you are experiencing as a law student. The program will include a continental breakfast, mini-classes taught by me and Prof. Brill, and a mock trial demonstration featuring members of our award-winning Trial Team. If you would like to attend, please complete the response form linked to this page no later than January 27. If you have any questions, please contact Jamie Lake (e-mail: JLAKE).

Bar Registration for First-Year Students.
First-year students who plan to take the Illinois Bar Examination after graduation should register with the Illinois bar examiners. The registration materials must be postmarked by March 1, 2004. 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 a late fee of $350 imposed on those who register at any point after March 1 of their first year. If you are uncertain whether you intend to practice in Illinois, you may want to consider waiting to register and paying the late fee should you eventually decide to take the Illinois bar exam. The application form is very comprehensive and requires you to provide a significant amount of background information, some of which may be difficult to remember or obtain. I suggest that, if you do plan to register by the March deadline, you begin working on the materials sooner rather than later. If you have any questions about the application materials, you may call the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar at 217/522-5917.

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

Representatives from the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar will visit the Law School 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.

July 2004 Illinois Bar Exam. Applications for the July 2004 Illinois bar exam must be postmarked by February 1, 2004. 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 by February 1. If you did not register during your first year, you will need a separate set of application materials, which contains both the registration application and the final application. Please be sure that you obtain the correct materials. 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 May. Please be sure to file an Application for Graduation so that we will know you plan to graduate in 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.

Note about religious conflict with July bar exam: The first day of the Illinois bar exam this year falls on the Jewish holiday Tisha B'Av. If this provides a conflict for you, please see the Student Services section of the Record for more information.

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 the equivalent of two full academic years of law school, i.e., after you have completed two-thirds of the academic requirements for the J.D. degree. Applications for the next exam, on March 8, 2003, are available in the Registrar's office. The deadline for applying for the March exam is February 3, 2004 (the late deadline is February 19).

Academic Calendar for 2004-2005. The Academic Calendar for 2004-2005 is linked to this 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 IIT e-mail accounts to solicit support or contributions for a candidate; using university funds to purchase tickets for a candidate's fund-raiser; and putting campaign posters on university property. If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please contact Mary Anne Smith, Vice President and General Counsel of IIT, at 312/567-3034.

Joke of the week. Question: What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years? Answer: Click here.


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