Associate Dean Sowle’s Announcements, June 17 - June 21, 2024
Academic Calendar Reminder. This is a reminder that classes are canceled on Monday, June 17, for Eid al-Adha and on Wednesday, June 19, for Juneteenth.
Spring 2024 GPAs and Class Ranks. Cumulative GPAs through the Spring 2024 semester, and class ranks for students who receive them, are available through Web for Students (click on the "Spring 2024" link under "Grades and Rank"). Students who graduated last Fall or Summer will find their final class rank under the Fall 2023 or Summer 2023 links. Reminder: Please keep in mind that, in order to access Web for Students from outside the law school building, you must use a VPN connection -- click here for more information.
Class ranks are based on cumulative (not just Spring semester) GPA. For students who transferred into Kent in January, please keep in mind that you will not receive a class rank until you have been here for two semesters.
The class rank GPA cut-offs as of the end of the Spring 2024 semester are available by clicking here.
Note to Spring graduates: For J.D. students who just graduated, this information constitutes your final GPA and class rank. Graduating students should wait until next week if you wish to request transcripts reflecting your degree conferral and/or graduation honors, as the Registrar's office will be entering that information in the coming days.
Note about Law Review eligibility: I have sent emails to those students who earned an invitation to join Law Review based on their grades. --SDS.
Note about class ranks: Please keep in mind that, for students who started in Fall 202 or later, only those in the top half of their class receive ranks.
Note to first-year students: If you are a first-year full-time student, the cumulative GPA for you in Web for Students includes all of your coursework through the end of the Spring semester. However, as previously announced, class ranks were determined using an alternate GPA calculation excluding Legislation or any elective course taken in its place, in order to ensure that all first-year full-time students were assessed on a common set of courses for purposes of class rank. Likewise, probation and dismissal decisions, eligibility for Law Review, and eligibility for merit scholarships are based on first-year performance excluding Legislation or any elective course taken.
Fall 2024 Semester Information. The add/drop period for Fall 2024 has now started and will run through Friday, August 30, at 9:00pm. The Fall schedule and other information about Fall classes, registration, and academic policies are available on the Fall 2024 Quick Guide page. You will find information there about the following:
*Reduced loads for graduating students and tuition discounts for extra credits
*Pass/fail for upper-level courses
*The academic calendar for 2024-2025
*The experiential course requirement
*The 64-credit classroom course requirement
*A graduation checklist
*The sequence in which certain required courses must be taken
*Legal Writing 4 equivalency class
*The seminar requirement
*The Bar Exam Strategies class (required for some students)
*Minimum and maximum credit limitations
Revised Policy on Postings and Flyers. Please click here for the recently-revised policy on postings and flyers in the Law School Building, including rules about where postings and flyers can be placed and how long they can remain.
Notices to Graduating Students. If you are a May 2024 graduate, please read the information below about your Kent email and network accounts, and your locker. If you have any questions, please let me know.
•Network and Print Accounts. Your network account will be deactivated on August 5 (the first Monday after the July bar exam). Your free printing quota was reset to zero on Friday, May 10, 9:15pm.
•Email Accounts. Your Kent email address is for life but, 12 months after graduation, it will convert to an email address that you will need to set up to forward to a personal email account. Please click here for more information.
•ID Cards and Library Access. Kent student ID cards will remain active until Monday, August 5 (the first Monday after the July bar exam), and Kent graduates may use the Library for bar exam studying.
•Clearing Out Lockers. Please clear your lockers out no later than Monday, August 5 (the first Monday after the July bar exam). 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. Please note: This applies only to graduating students. If you are not graduating, you do not need to clear your locker out; you will keep your current locker until you graduate.
Dean's Certification Form for Illinois Bar. We will mail a Dean's Certification form to the Illinois bar examiners for every graduating student before the bar examiners' deadline at the end of this month. Important note: University policy does not allow the certification of any student to the bar examiners if the student has an outstanding balance owed to the school.
Bar Forms for Other States. If you plan to take a bar exam outside of Illinois, please provide me (at ssowle@kentlaw.iit.edu) with the appropriate form(s) for the Law School to complete as soon as possible.
Counseling Services. This is a reminder that the university provides counseling services free of charge for students. Click here for details on the available resources, including individual counseling through Skylight Counseling Services. In addition to resources available through the university, the Lawyers Assistance Program also provides assistance to law students. LAP provides free and confidential assistance to members of the Illinois legal community, and can help you with issues of addiction, stress, anxiety, depression, focusing, worries about the character and fitness process, and having a successful first-year transition. Click here for more information about LAP and its services.
Joke of the Week. What starts with W and ends with T. No, really, it does!