Associate Dean Sowle's Announcements, June 19 - June 30, 2023
Spring 2023 GPAs, Class Ranks, and GPA Cut-Offs. Cumulative GPAs through the Spring 2023 semester, and Spring 2023 class ranks for those who receive ranks, are now available in Web for Students log into https://wfs.kentlaw.iit.
Class ranks are based on cumulative (not just Spring semester) GPAs. 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 GPA cut-offs as of the end of the Spring 2023 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.
Note about Law Review Eligibility: I have sent emails to those students who earned an invitation to join Law Review based on their grades.
Notes to first-year students: Please note the following:
*As noted in the Student Handbook, students who started last Fall or Summer receive class ranks only if they are in the top half of the class; the lower half is not ranked.
*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.
Spring 2023 CALI Awards. The CALI Excellence for the Future Award, sponsored by the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, is given to the student or students who receive the highest grade in each section of each course. The CALI award recipients for Spring 2023 courses are available by clicking here. If a section or a course is not listed, that means the professor elected not to give a CALI award, or we have not yet heard from the professor. Congratulations to all of you who received an award -- you should be proud of your achievement.
Changes to Summer 2023 Building Hours. Please note that the building will be closed on Sundays through the end of the Summer 2023 term. Complete building and library hours are available here.
Fall 2023 Registration. Information about the Fall 2023 schedule and registration is available on the Fall 2023 Quick Guide page. The add/drop period for the Fall semester opened on Monday, June 5, at 9:00am. As a reminder, registering for a class during the initial registration period is no guarantee that you were admitted into the class – please check the registration web site to learn what classes you have been admitted into. The add/drop period will end on end on Friday, September 1, at 9:00pm.
We are keeping wait lists for the following oversubscribed classes. If you wish to be placed on the wait list, please click on the appropriate link below.
-Business Organizations (409-01, Prof. Tierney) (wait list)
-Constitutional Law (275-01 section, Prof. Schmidt) (wait list)
-Intimate Partner Violence (630-81, Prof. Coco et al.) (wait list)
-Legal Writing 3 (431-01 section, Prof. T. Gonzalez) (wait list)
-Legal Writing 3 (431-03 section, Prof. Ray) (wait list)
-Legal Writing 3 (431-04 section, Prof. Silvestri) (wait list)
-Negotiations (429-81, Prof. E. Brown) (wait list)
Notices to Graduating Seniors. If you are a May 2023 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 Monday, July 31 (the first Monday after the July bar exam). Your free printing quota was reset to zero on Monday, May 15 (the first Monday after Commencement).
•Email Accounts. Your Kent email account is for life. You can continue to use your Chicago-Kent email as long as you choose to do so. Please click here for information about how to access your email account after your network access is deactivated (scroll down to the Email section).
•ID Cards and Library Access. Kent student ID cards will remain active until Monday, July 31 (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, July 31 (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.
•Student Health Insurance. If you have student health insurance through IIT, your coverage will end on August 9, 2023.
•Fitness Center. Spring graduates will continue to have access to the Fitness Center until Monday, July 31 (the first Monday after the July bar exam).
Fire Drill Follow-Up. We would like to thank students, faculty, and staff for their cooperation with the recent fire drill. We would also like to pass along a few reminders:
•Please use the nearest staircase to exit the building, unless the staircase is overcrowded. In that case, please seek out an alternate staircase (there are at least two on each floor). There are maps in the elevator bays on each floor identifying the locations of the staircases. Do not use the elevators.
•Once in the staircase, please proceed all the way to the first floor -- do not exit at the third floor in order to use the atrium staircase.
•Please do not take time to gather up and pack your belongings -- your safety is more important than your possessions. If you have valuables you do not wish to leave behind, please "grab and go" when you hear the alarm -- do not waste precious seconds or minutes powering down your laptop computer or packing up your belongings.
•Once you exit the building, please move either eastward or westward down the sidewalk so that you will be out of harm's way if any windows shatter. For your safety, please do not step into traffic or cross against a traffic light.
•Failure to follow the directions of Law School personnel during a building evacuation may result in a disciplinary charge.
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 submission deadline; you do not need to request that we send a certificate for you. 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, you should 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 the services it provides.
Joke of the Week. An optimist sees a glass as half full. A pessimist sees a glass as half empty. An engineer sees a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be.