Please direct all questions regarding preparedness efforts at the College of Law to LawPreparedness@law.syr.edu.
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Fall 2020 at the College of Law
Q: In fall 2020, will a one-credit class originally scheduled for a weekend day now be completely cancelled or will it be changed to a school day?
A: Such a class will be held as scheduled on the weekend, but it will most likely be online. The schedule of all classes in fall 2020, which will be posted on July 6, will list the modality of all courses.
Q: Will tuition for the fall semester change?
A: No—(1) tuition has been set and as far as we know, it will not change; (2) any decision to reduce tuition will be made at the university level; and (3) if tuition is changed, we will let students know.
Q: Should I reserve housing on campus this fall?
A: Please also see our Q&As below concerning residential instruction this fall and accommodations to be made for students who are unable to be physically present in the classroom. Additional details will follow as soon as possible. Students should consider the benefits of housing close to campus, such as access to the Law Library, residential instruction if possible, a good internet connection, quiet space of your own, the ability to participate in experiential opportunities such as client meetings or court appearances as a part of our law clinics, the certainty of having a place in Syracuse when the virus recedes, and your overall financial circumstances and family preferences, too.
Q: Is the College of Law planning in-person residential instruction for the fall 2020 semester?
A: 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.
Q: What steps are the University taking to open campus as the threat from COVID-19 lessens?
A: Under Chancellor Syverud’s direction, the University has created the Fall 2020 Open Working Group. This working group—which is made up of some 90 community members—will provide guidance, counsel and action plans to prepare all segments of the University for moving full speed ahead to return to residential instruction this fall.For information and Frequently Asked Questions about the Fall 2020 semester, visit this webpage.
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Emptying Lockers in Dineen Hall: Rules & Procedures
Q: I'm a 2L, 3L, or LL.M., how can I retrieve my personal belongings from my locker in Dineen Hall this summer?
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However, upon final locker checks, if anything of significant value is found (i.e., passports, credit cards, jewelry, cell phones, laptops, etc.), the College of Law will attempt to safeguard the item and try to reach its owner.
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Grading Policies & Academic Standards for Spring & Summer 2020
Q: Will grading policies and academic standards change for Spring 2020 and Summer 2020?
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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: You may submit your election after the semester ends and your actual grade has posted to MySlice. Final Summer 2020 grades will start to post to MySlice on May 18July 27, 2020 at 5 p.m. EDT. Final grade change information and instructions can be found here. If you have questions about the grade change process, contact Registrar Sally Greene.
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Q: When will final grades be posted?
A: Final Summer final grades will begin to post on Monday, May 18July 27, 2020, at 5 p.m. EDT. Grades . Grades will be posted each day as they are received by the College of Law Registrar’s Office from faculty.
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Q: How do I notify the Registrar’s Office that I want to change my grade?
A: Please read the information sent from the College of Law Registrar’s Office on May 18July 23, 2020, which provides detailed instructions regarding the grade change process and which includes other important information related to Spring and Summer 2020 grades.
Q: Can I change any grade to a passing grade?
A: You may change any Spring or Summer 2020 grade of D- or above to a passing grade. You may not change grades in courses that are already graded on a pass/fail basis or courses that are graded on the Alternative Grading System. Once you have submitted a request to change a grade, you may not rescind that request.
Q: If I convert my grade to a passing grade, what will my transcript look like?
A: Any Spring or Summer 2020 grades changed to a passing grade will be designated with a “P*”. The P* grade is being used University-wide, and the following notation will be designated on the Official Transcript Key: “For Spring 2020, due to changes necessitated by response to the COVID-19 pandemic, passing grades were assigned as P*”.
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A: Yes. Academic Rule 13.4.1, which governs Pass/Fail eligible courses, has been suspended for the Spring and Summer 2020 semestersemesters. For the Spring and Summer 2020 term terms only, students required to follow the Structured Curriculum may elect to convert their Actual Grades to a passing grade in any course, including any of the eight (8) required structured curriculum (or “bar”) courses. Please keep in mind that Academic Rule 16.1.1 is still in effect—while you may convert any Actual Grade to a passing grade, you must earn a grade of C- or better to earn academic credit in the course. Courses in which you earn a grade below C- will have to be repeated in a subsequent semester.
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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 and Summer 2020 semester semesters 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 and Summer 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
Q: What is the new date of the postponed July New York Bar Examination?
A: The New York Court of Appeals has moved the date of the July bar examination to Sept. 9-10, 2020, as outlined in this April 30 letter. If you have any questions please contact Courtney Abbott Hill.
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A: Dineen Hall was always meant to be open at all times for students in order to provide safe, quiet places for study. However, until Gov. Andrew Cuomo lifts his current public health Executive Order, we are not able to open Dineen Hall, except for those workers deemed "essential". The College will reopen Dineen Hall as soon as it is safe and legally possible to do so, even if under modified protocols for use and entry. Please stay tuned.
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Other Academic Continuity FAQs
Q. Will COVID-19 impact the OCI and Résumé Collect Program this August?
A. Yes. Based on conversations with employer partners, and like many other law schools, the Office of Career Services has postponed its Fall 2020 On-Campus Interview (OCI) and Resume Collect programs until January 2021. There will be one combined Fall 2020/Spring 2021 OCI program, with a likely start date of Jan. 25, 2021. This combined OCI and Resume Collect Program will offer Summer 2021 recruitment opportunities for students who have, at a minimum, completed the full 1L curriculum by May 2021, and postgraduate opportunities for students who will complete their degree by May 2021. Details will follow. In the meantime, the Office of Career Services is fully operational. There are many ways to continue to advance your career exploration. Please reach out to the Office of Career Services at the earliest opportunity to review your needs, plans, and ideas.
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A: Yes! All College of Law offices are open during normal business hours. Our teams are ready to support you even as they work remotely, like you. Department points of entry can be found here, and the College's full Directory can be found here.
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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?
A: Like other buildings on the University campus, as of March 20 and until further notice, Dineen Hall is closed to students. As a result Air Orange X is no longer available to you. Students are responsible for their own internet access, and Syracuse University ITS has compiled a list of announced plans and incentives from various internet service providers in response to the health crisis. If you require help with internet connectivity, please contact IT via LawHelp.
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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?
A: Students are responsible for their own internet access, and Syracuse University ITS has compiled a list of announced plans and incentives from various internet service providers in response to the health crisis. If you require help with internet connectivity, please contact IT via LawHelp.
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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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