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Office of Academic Administration and Student Affairs

Asst. Dean Stephen D. Sowle

Week of January 24, 2011
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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, at Chicago-Kent on Wednesday, January 26, 2011. (Please note: This is a change from their earlier plan to hold sessions for all Chicago-area students on January 27, at a location outside the Law School.) The sessions will run as follows: (1) 11:30-12:20 pm for first-year day students; (2) 5:00-5:50 pm for first-year evening students; and (3) 4:00-4:50 pm for graduating students. All sessions will be held in Rm. 590.

You should plan to attend the appropriate session for your status 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 2011 or July 2011 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. If you are unable to attend one of the sessions, you may contact Vanessa King at the bar examiners' office (217-522-5917) to discuss the information provided in the sessions.

See my Record archives for January 17 for more information on bar registration process for first-year students, and for the application process for the July 2011 bar exams for graduating students. We recommend that you download and look over the application and/or registration materials available at http://www.ibaby.org before the January 26 programs.

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.

Pass/Fail Elections. Pass/fail elections for the Spring must be made no later than Friday, February 11. This deadline is firm. Please review § 2.4 "Pass/Fail Election" of the Student Handbook if you have any questions regarding your pass/fail elections; many courses are not available for the election.

You may make pass/fail elections starting Tuesday, January 18. In order to make your election, you should:
  1. Log into your Webmail account
  2. Click on the "Web for Students" icon in lower left portion of the left frame
  3. Select the "Take Class Pass/Fail" option under the "Online Forms" heading
  4. Select the course you would like to take on a pass/fail basis
  5. Submit your selection

The Registrar's Office will review your request, determine your eligibility and notify you of the status.

Academic Support Program. Information about the Academic Support Program for first-year students, 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 Monday, January 31. 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).

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.

Counseling Center Services. IIT's Counseling Center will have a staff psychologist at the Law School on Mondays and Wednesdays throughout the academic year. Services are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call (312) 567-5900. There is no charge for counseling services. You may also visit http://www.iit.edu/counseling_center for more information.

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.

Joke of the Week. "I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn't park anywhere near the place." (Steven Wright)

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