Please direct all questions regarding preparedness efforts at the College of Law to LawPreparedness@law.syr.edu.
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Q: Is the College of Law planning in-person residential instruction for the fall 2020 semester?
A: Please Please see this memo regarding the College of Law's accelerated fall semester schedule for residential instruction—including Orientation, start of classes, and other important dates—as well as the public health measures that will apply.
Q: What accommodations will be made for students unable to return to campus in fall 2020 due to health or other concerns?
A: The College is planning for residential instruction this fall, as outlined in this memo. We also continue to explore how best to deliver online instruction to accommodate students and faculty not able to be on campus—because they are immunocompromised, in self-quarantine, or ill with COVID-19—while including meaningful residential opportunities based upon our programmatic needs, accreditation requirements, and academic standards.
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Q: What letter grade constitutes a Pass under the adjusted grading policy?
A: Any letter grade that is not an “F” constitutes a passing grade. When grades have posted in MySlice for your course, you will see the letter grade you earned in the course (A through F). At this point, if you want to convert the letter grade to a P (pass), you may do so. Please note that the suspension of Rule 13.4.3 in the Academic Handbook does not mean that Rule 16.1.1 is suspended as well. For example, a student could earn a grade of D in a class, elect to convert the grade to a passing grade, but would still need to repeat the course based on Rule 16.1.1.
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A: In making its decision, the faculty weighed alleviating the stress associated with the COVID-19 health crisis against the overall academic success of our students. Letter grades must be used to assess whether a student should be placed in the structured curriculum, a conclusion based on a wealth of empirical data on students’ academic and bar exam performance. A decline in bar passage rates is at odds with our goal of ensuring students’ professional success and it risks the College's accreditation. Although actual grades from the Spring 2020 semester will be used to assess at-risk students, those grades will not appear on a student’s transcript and will not be used in GPA calculations surrounding academic dismissal or probation in the Spring 2020 or any subsequent semester.
Q: I am repeating a course this semester. Am I allowed to elect the Pass option for that course this semester? What would be the impact on my GPA?
A: Yes, you may use a grade of Pass to replace the grade from a course that you have previously completed. We encourage you to continue to perform as well as you can in the course, review your actual grade at the end of the term, and then make the decision whether to convert to a passing grade or keep the actual grade. The passing grade will remove the old grade from your GPA calculations, but the actual grade may potentially have a more positive impact on your GPA. You can determine the impact that a passing grade would have on your GPA by using the GPA calculator function in MySlice.
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Changes to the Summer 2020 Bar Exam
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A: Students can make appointments with Career Services by calling the main phone number (315.443.1941, note that although your call might not be picked up right away, it will be returned). Or students can email the office's main email career@law.syr.edu or email individual counselors (below). Students also can make appointments in Symplicity under "Counseling Appointment" on your profile screen. Please indicate what type of appointment you would like (i.e., Zoom or phone) regardless of what method is used to schedule it. Be sure if selecting "phone" to include the best number to reach you.
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A: Yes, all classes must now be recorded through the end of the Spring Semester. If your class is on Zoom, your professor will receive an email with the shareable link of the recorded class, which he/she will share with the entire class. Collaborate recordings are automatically available to students, using the instructions at this Answers page.
Q: Is online attendance of classes mandatory?
A: All students are expected to attend all of their classes online, and faculty are tracking attendance through our online platforms. Classes will be recorded to ensure no one loses any content or opportunity because of technical challenges. If you have any technology-related questions, please contact IT via LawHelp.
Q: What if I don't have internet access at home or in my location?
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- For the foreseeable future, all externship seminars are being held online. NYEx seminars are also being recorded.
- Planning of networking receptions is suspended until further notice.
- Contact your program director if your placement modifies its work approach or signals any change in your placement at all.
- Student safety is paramount. Even if your placement has not converted to teleworking, feel free to do so nevertheless. You should discuss this option with your placement supervisor, or else feel free to ask your program director to do so, on your behalf.
- Currently,our externship partners are still planning to take our summer participants. Should COVID-19 continue and impact placements your program director will be in touch.
- The summer 2020 LondonEx has been cancelled.
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A: Please see this update from Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie: "All restaurants, gyms and fitness centers in the state must close for the foreseeable future, effective at 8 p.m. on March 16 ... Rest assured that food service, in the form of take-out options from one or more Syracuse University dining centers, will be available to students once the restriction goes in place."
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Technology & Online Learning
- For specific technology-related questions, please contact IT via LawHelp.
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A: Yes, all classes must now be recorded through the end of the Spring Semester. If your class is on Zoom, your professor will receive an email with the shareable link of the recorded class, which he/she will share with the entire class. Collaborate recordings are automatically available to students, using the instructions at this Answers page.
Q: What if I don't have internet access at home or in my location?
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A: College of Law support offices remain open. In the event of a technical problem during the period of online learning, please contact IT via LawHelp.
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Health & Wellbeing
- Please visit this webpage for tips and guidance on social distancing and caring for your health and wellness.
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