Summer 2012 Class Schedule and Registration: The Summer 2012 Schedule of Classes and Registration Bulletin will be available on Thursday, April 5, in print form outside the third floor cafeteria and online through the Current Students page (click on the Summer 2012 Quick Guide link under "Academics & Grades").
Registration for Summer classes will take place from Wednesday, April 11 through Monday, April 16, at 5:00 pm. You may register at any time during that period. To register beginning on April 11, go to the Summer 2012 Quick Guide page and click on the Online Registration link. 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 Thursday, April 19. 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 Thursday, April 19 to learn what classes you have been admitted to.
Spring 2012 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: March 28 – April 6. 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 Wednesday, March 28; the deadline for submitting an exam reschedule request is Friday, April 6, 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: March 28 – April 6. 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 choose the lab computer option but there are not enough spaces available, we will conduct a lottery after the close of the exam method registration period to determine who can use the lab computers. (This usually is not necessary, but occasionally we have more requests than we can accommodate for lab computers.)
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 Wednesday, March 28; the deadline for submitting an exam method request is Friday, April 6, 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. In addition, you must download the new version of SofTest even if you have an older version from a prior semester. You cannot use older versions of the program - you must have the new version of SofTest.
Unless a professor specifies otherwise, SofTest is configured to lock students out of other programs and services on their computers for the duration of the exam. This means that, unless a professor specifically authorizes access, students will not have access to notes, outlines, or other materials stored on their hard drive or the network.
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 Dean Sowle 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. However, if you have exceptional circumstances that you believe justify borrowing a laptop for an exam, please contact Dean Sowle 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.
•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/Courses/index.htm and clicking on the Exam Database link in the lefthand menu. Exams dating from 1992 and before are bound in volumes available in the 10th floor reading room in the Library.
Student Session With External Review Team. On Tuesday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 4, an External Review team will be visiting the Law School as part of an IIT initiative to solicit evaluations of the university’s various programs from outside experts. Team members will be visiting classes on Wednesday morning, so you may see strangers coming in and out of any classes you may have that morning. In addition, the team will hold an open meeting with students on Tuesday, April 3, from 4:15 to 5:00pm in Rm. C40. We encourage you to attend if possible.
Trial Team Tryouts. [Message from Judge Erickson:] Tryouts for the 2012-2013 Trial Advocacy Team will be held on Friday and Saturday, April 13 and 14. You must be a full-time student, in good standing, to try out. First-year students may try out, and are encouraged to do so. This will be an open tryout, and 6-10 students will be invited to join the Trial Team. We will have an informational meeting on Wednesday, April 4, at 5:00pm in the Marovitz Courtroom.
As you may know, Chicago Kent is one of the top Trial Advocacy programs in the country. Currently ranked third by U.S. News & World Report, we have consistently been in the top ten and are the highest ranked program at Chicago Kent. Kent has been regional champions 24 of the last 31 years, winning three national titles (in 1988, 2007, and 2008). In the last six years, we have made four appearances in the final four round of the National Trial Competition. Additionally, Kent has produced four National Best Advocates. In 2010, Kent also won the prestigious NITA Tournament of Champions, and will be hosting The Tournament of Champions this year, bringing the top 16 schools to Chicago to compete this November.
We have assembled an excellent coaching faculty consisting of experienced civil and criminal trial lawyers and judges. Our goal each year as a faculty is to provide students with the highest caliber of instruction possible. If you are selected to join the team, you will be asked to commit a substantial part of your time to practice sessions. In these sessions, you will work individually and in groups with our faculty to develop and perfect your trial advocacy skills. Our purpose is to turn you into trial lawyers. The relationships you form with faculty and alumni will be invaluable in your future careers, and the skills you will develop will help prepare you for a successful career as an attorney.
During tryouts, you will be asked to present the following for the case of STATE OF LONE STAR V. ROBERT DUFFIE (NTC/TYLA 2010-2011 regional problem):
-Opening Statement (3-5 min)
-Closing Argument (3-5 min)
-Direct Examination (3-5 min)
and
-Cross Examination (3-5 min)
You may access the entire ROBERT DUFFIE problem at:
http://www.tyla.org/tyla/index.cfm/resources/law-students1/trial-advocacy-programs/national-trial-competition/ (scroll down to the Archived Information section).
You do not need to read the entire problem; you need only read the depositions of Terry Glenn and Robert Duffie. These will be the two witnesses you may cross examine or direct.
You may also pick up the abbreviated tryouts version of the problem containing only Terry Glenn and Robert Duffie’s depositions. These packets will be available at:
The table outside the Spak
In the Marovitz Courtroom
On the desk outside of Judge Erickson’s Office - #705
Please prepare an opening statement and closing argument for only one side of the case, either for the prosecution or the defense. You do not need to prepare one for both sides.
DO NOT WORRY IF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH HOW TO WRITE OPENINGS, CLOSINGS, DIRECTS, AND CROSSES. WE WILL EXPLAIN THESE IN DETAIL AT THE INFORMATIONAL MEETING AND ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR ONE-ON-ONE HELP AT ANY TIME. Email Rachel Remke (rremke2@gmail.com) if you are unable to attend the meeting but would like help preparing for tryouts, or if you still have questions after the informational session. She can put you in touch with members of the team who would be happy to help.
When you come into the tryout room, you will be asked to perform part of the opening statement you prepared, part of the closing argument, and part of one direct and one cross.
You may sign up for the Friday afternoon session (1:30pm to 4:30pm) or the Friday evening session (5:30 until finished). You must stay until the end of your session, when you will be informed if you move on to the call back round on Saturday.
The Saturday session will start at 9:00am. Plan to stay for the entire session. We will announce those selected for the team on Saturday.
Please email Rachel Remke (rremke2@gmail.com) to sign up for tryouts and with your morning or afternoon session request.
Joke of the Week. "Flowers are one of the few things we buy, bring home, watch die, and we don't ask for our money back." (George Carlin)
