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.
Building Closed on Monday, January 20. As in past years, classes will not be held on Monday, January 21, in commemoration of Martin Luther King Day (Spring semester classes will start on Tuesday, January 21). Because Martin Luther King Day is an official university holiday, this also means that the Law School building will be closed on Monday, January 20. Although the building will be open on Sunday, January 19 (10:00-5:00), the Library will be closed that day.
Fall 2013 Grade Submissions. Fall grades are due no later than five weeks from the date of the exam or, if there is no final exam, five weeks from the last day of the exam period. Exams ended on Friday, December 20, so all Fall grades should be in by Friday, January 24. Grades are released as they are received. You can access your grades by logging into Web for Students, then clicking on the Fall 2013 link under the Grades and Rank heading.
U-Passes for Spring 2014. All full-time J.D. students (determined by your official division status, not by the number of credit hours you take in a particular semester) are enrolled in the U-Pass program, as well as LL.M. students who are registered for 12 or more credits for the Spring. Your current Ventra U-Pass card will be activated to work from Tuesday, January 21 (the first day of the semester) through Friday, May 16 (the last day of exams). If you registered for Spring classes on or after January 9, you will have to contact Jenna Abhijeet (jabhijeet@kentlaw.iit.edu) to arrange for your card to be activated for the Spring semester. If you were absent in the Fall and do not have a Ventra card, please contact Jenna Abhijeet as well.
Applications for Graduation. J.D. students who plan on graduating at the end of the Spring semester must submit an online Application for Graduation form no later than Tuesday, February 4, 2014. To complete the form, go to Web for Students at https://wfs.kentlaw.iit.edu and click on "Application for Graduation" under "Online Forms" in the lefthand menu. Please complete every field in the form, and click Submit when done. You will receive a confirmation e-mail once a graduation audit has been performed. Please note that any changes you make to your schedule after the audit may affect your graduation requirements. You should check with the Registrar's Office prior to making any changes. Also note that, although the Registrar's Office does conduct graduation audits on all applications, it is your responsibility to make certain all requirements for graduation are met. If you have any questions, please stop by the Registrar's office.
Faculty-Student Happy Hour. The Student Life Committee is sponsoring the first 2014 Student/Faculty Happy Hour on Thursday, January 30, from 4:30 to 6:00pm in the First Floor Lobby. Stop by and enjoy the food, spirits and conversation with faculty and students.
Spring 2014 Semester Information. The Spring 2014 Quick Guide 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 Current Students Portal page and click on the Spring 2014 Quick Guide link under "Academic & Grades." Print copies of many of the documents described below are available on the table in the third floor elevator bay. Alternatively, click on the individual links below to go directly to the indicated documents.
•Initial Reading Assignments
Not all professors submit initial assignments, so do not be concerned if there is no listing for one or more of your Spring courses. Even if a course is not listed here, materials for the course should be available in the Bookstore.
•Revised Spring Schedule (with Classroom Assignments)
Classroom assignments will also be posted in the front lobby before classes start.
•Course Information Updates
This document lists all changes to the final Spring class schedule to date. The current version of the class schedule posted online reflects these changes.
•Trial Advocacy 1 Section Assignments
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.
•Trial Advocacy 2 Section Assignments
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.
•Exam Schedule
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).
•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 Tuesday, February 4.
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 Tuesday, February 4.
•Pass/Fail Elections
Pass/fail elections for the Spring semester must be made online no later than Monday, February 17. Please review section 2.4 "Pass/Fail Election" in the Student Handbook if you have any questions regarding your pass/fail elections. In order to make your election, you should:
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Log into Web for Students.
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Select the "Take Class Pass/Fail" option under the "Online Forms" heading
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Select the course you would like to take on a pass/fail basis
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Submit your selection
The Registrar's Office will review your request and inform you if there is any problem with your request.
•Bookstore Hours
•2013-2014 Academic Calendar
•Graduating Students: Reduced Loads and Tuition Discounts
Students graduating at the end of the Spring 2014 semester who need fewer than the minimum number of hours to graduate may take fewer credits without special permission. In addition, if you will be graduating at the end of the Spring 2014 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 contact me by email no later than Friday, January 31, 2014, and I will arrange for the credit to be applied to your account.
Student Health Insurance. All students registered for at least 12 hours in the Fall, regardless of their division, were automatically billed $890 for student health insurance for the entire year. If you were registered for fewer than 12 credit hours in the Fall semester but register for at least 12 hours in the Spring semester, you will not be automatically enrolled in the IIT Student Health Plan – you will need to elect coverage if you wish to be enrolled (see below for enrollment instructions). If you elect coverage, you will be charged a fee of $532 for Spring semester coverage. You may waive insurance coverage if you have comparable coverage by filing a waiver form by January 26, 2014.
If you were covered in the Fall semester, are taking fewer than 12 hours in the Spring semester, and do not want coverage in the Spring semester, you may request cancellation of the student insurance by January 26, 2014, and your student account will be refunded $415. You will not receive a refund if the waiver is not received by January 26 and you will continue to be covered by the insurance until August 13, 2014. If you intend to waive the student insurance coverage, please read the waiver instructions in the insurance brochure carefully. For more information about the plan, including waivers, click here.
If you have previously waived the insurance, your waiver only applies to the current academic year and you must waive the insurance at the beginning of every year. If you are a returning student who has waived the IIT Student Health Insurance in the past, you must fill out the waiver again this year and at the beginning of every academic year. If you waived coverage in a prior semester and now wish to enroll in the student health insurance plan, or you are not currently covered for any other reason and wish to enroll, you must apply for the insurance. For more information on applying for insurance, click here. Students must enroll by January 26, 2014.
Business Law Certificate Program.
Certificate students who will graduate in May 2014 should submit an Application for the Certificate in Business Law as soon as your Spring semester schedule is finalized, but no later than January 31, 2014. Applications are available from Nicole Lechuga, outside room 827, or by clicking here.
Academic Calendar for 2014-2015. The academic calendar for next academic year (2014-2015), as adopted by the faculty, is available here.
IIT Policy on Firearms and Weapons on Campus. (From the IIT General Counsel's Office:) Because of recent changes in Illinois law, the University has had to update its policy prohibiting firearms and weapons on campus. Despite this update, the substance of IIT’s policy remains the same: In general, carrying or bringing any type of firearm or other weapon in, on or to the campus or property of IIT is expressly prohibited. This prohibition applies even if you have all of the requisite permits to carry the firearm or weapon, including a concealed carry permit. The policy expressly defines “firearm,” “weapon,” “campus” and “property of IIT.” The policy does contain a very limited number of narrowly tailored exceptions, such as allowing ROTC to utilize firearms for training and permitting personnel of the Department of Public Safety and on duty police officers to carry firearms.
The link to the full, updated policy is provided below and everyone should familiarize themselves with it, as the policy will be strictly enforced: Concealed Carry and Prohibition Regarding Firearms and Weapons On Campus Policy.
Employment Limitation for Full-Time Day Division Students. ABA accreditation rules and Law School regulations provide that full-time Day Division students may not be employed for more than 20 hours per week while school is in session. If a full-time Day Division student must work more than 20 hours per week, the student must transfer to the part-time Day Division or the Evening Division.
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.iit.edu), phone (312/9096-5282), or by stopping by my office (320C).
Bar Registration for First-Year Students. This is a reminder that 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, 2014. The forms and instructions are available on the bar examiners' web site at https://www.ilbaradmissions.org.
Although you are not required to register as a first-year student, the advantage of doing so is that you will avoid paying substantial additional fees if you register 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.
July 2014 Illinois Bar Application. This is a reminder that applications for the July 2014 bar exam are due by February 15, 2014. 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: https://www.ilbaradmissions.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.
Dean's Certificate: 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 (see information above for how to file one) at the beginning of your last semester so we will know you plan to graduate at the end of that semester. Important note: We will not certify any student to the bar examiners if the student has an outstanding balance owed to the school.
Bar Exams in Other States. Students who may practice in another state should familiarize themselves with those states' bar admission requirements, registration procedures, and deadlines. In particular, if you may take the New York bar exam, you should read the new admission requirements (including coursework requirements and limitations) adopted by New York in April 2012, available here. We have been informed that students who began their law studies prior to April 2012 are not subject to the new requirements.
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 or April, August, and November each year. The next exam will be given on March 29, 2014. You may register online by clicking here. The deadline for applying for the March exam is February 4 (the late deadline, with an extra fee, is February 20). Students planning on taking the Illinois bar exam may take the MPRE at any time during or after law school. (Previously, students had to wait to take the MPRE until they had completed two-thirds of the credits required for graduation.)
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.
Joke of the week. Did you know that milk is the fastest liquid on earth? Yeah - it's pasteurized before you even see it.