Associate Dean Sowle's Announcements, September 12 - September 16, 2022
COVID-19 Policies and Procedures for Fall 2022. The Law School's current policies and procedures are available here. If you have any questions, please email me at ssowle@kentlaw.iit.edu.
Fall 2022 Semester Information. The Fall 2022 Quick Guide page has information about Fall classes, including exam information, classroom assignments, and the academic calendar. You may find permanent links to this and earlier Quick Guide pages on the Current Students page.
Constitution Day Observance. In observance of Constitution Day, there will be a panel discussion on Supreme Court reform on Wednesday, September 14, 3:00-4:00 pm in Rm. 510. The event will feature Professors Shapiro, Schmidt, and Donelson discussing recent Supreme Court decisions. It is sponsored by the Chicago-Kent Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States and by the Chicago-Kent chapters of the American Constitution Society and Federalist Society.
Classrooms for Remote Use. We have reserved rooms at the Law School for you to use if you won't have sufficient time to travel from home to school (or vice versa) in between your remote class and an on-site class you have the same day. These rooms will remain the same throughout the semester. Click here for the list. Please note: You will each connect to class individually in Zoom and should have earphones or headphones with you.
Building and Library Hours. The building and library hours for Fall 2022 are available by clicking here.
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, including students, 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.
February 2023 and July 2023 Illinois Bar Applications. Applications for the February 2023 bar exam are due by September 15, 2022. Applications for the July 2023 bar exam are due by February 15, 2023. You may file a late application for the February bar up to December 15, and for the July bar up to May 15, but penalty fees apply. The forms and instructions are available on the bar examiners' web site: www.ilbaradmissions.org.
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 “Certification of Juris Doctorate” to the Illinois bar examiners for every student who graduates in December or May. Please be sure to file an Application for Graduation 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 familiarize yourself with the coursework, pro bono, and other requirements described on the New York bar examiners website.
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, in November, may be taken on November 14 or 15, 2022. You may register online by clicking here. The deadline for applying for the November exam is September 14. Students planning on taking the Illinois bar exam may take the MPRE at any time during or after law school.
Smoking Outside the Building. The City of Chicago prohibits smoking within 15 feet of the building entrance. Smokers should use the designated outdoor smoking area to the east of the building entrance (past the second column).
Furniture in the Classroom. If you have any reason to remove tables, podiums, chairs, or other furniture from classrooms temporarily, please be sure that you return them promptly. Missing furniture can cause serious inconvenience to instructors and students.
IIT Policy on Firearms and Weapons on Campus. (From the IIT General Counsel's Office:) 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 by the IIT Policy on Firearms and Weapons on Campus. 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 policy is available by clicking here. Everyone should familiarize themselves with it, as the policy will be strictly enforced.
IIT Political Activity Policy. (From the IIT General Counsel's Office:) Illinois Institute of Technology, as a tax-exempt entity, is prohibited from directly or indirectly participating or intervening in any campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for elective office and must refrain from engaging in partisan political activity. As such, there can be no campaigning by any Illinois Tech employee or staff member during regular working hours or on Illinois Tech property. 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 their own behalf and not on behalf of Illinois Tech. No one should identify himself or herself as an employee of Illinois Tech when supporting a candidate. If, when speaking or writing on behalf of a candidate, someone is identified as an Illinois Tech faculty, staff, or student employee, the individual should indicate prior to any speech or as part of any writing that their comments are personal and not intended to represent the views of Illinois Tech. Further, no individual or event may use the name, symbols, letterheads, telephones, campus mail, email accounts, funds, or other resources of the university in any way in connection with any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for political office.
Further, until after the general election on November 8, no political candidate or campaign may use or rent any Illinois Tech facilities on any of its campuses. Subject to certain conditions and restrictions, political candidates may be invited to speak at events hosted by the university or a unit of the university. However, no invitation for such an event should be extended without the extending party first discussing the proposed activity with the Office of General Counsel to ensure that it complies with applicable laws. Certain voter education activities, including voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, are permissible but only if they are undertaken in accordance with applicable rules and regulations and are conducted in a non-partisan manner. Again, before any such activities are undertaken, the initiating party should contact the Office of General Counsel.
Any questions about this policy should be directed to Walter Hazlitt, interim general counsel, at (312) 567-3670.