Author: dp105

Dear Akron Law students, faculty, and staff,

In order to implement President Miller’s recent announcement regarding campus operations during the COVID-19 outbreak, the School of Law is taking the following steps:

• All courses will be taught in online format through the end of the spring semester.  Final exams will be administered on a take-home basis during the revised exam period (May 7-15).  While the exact format and timing of exams will differ by course, students should assume for now that their exams will take place at the date and time provided in the revised exam schedule, which is posted on Brightspace.  We will work with faculty to plan and administer exams as fairly and efficiently as possible.  More information will follow.

• Beginning Wednesday, March 18^th, building access will be limited to essential personnel and activities only.  Students, faculty, and most administrators and staff will not have access to the building absent a compelling reason.  If you have any items you need to retrieve from the building to facilitate your working or studying remotely, please retrieve them no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, March 17^th.  You will need your swipe card or key to access the building after 5:00 pm today (Monday, March 16^th).  After 5:00 pm on Tuesday, March 17^th, swipe cards will not work and access will be limited to essential personnel.  If you think you have a compelling reason to access the building after Tuesday, March 17^th, please send an email to Dean Janoski-Haehlen (ejanoskihaehlen@uakron.edu), Assistant Dean Bobbs (bobbs@uakron.edu), and me (cpeters1@uakron.edu) explaining when you would need building access and the reason for the access.

• Class registration will open on Monday, March 30^th at noon.  The mandatory advising session will be made available on Brightspace.

• Faculty, administrators, and staff will continue to be available for students during this period.  Students should not hesitate to contact the appropriate person to request a meeting by phone or Webex.  Faculty email addresses are here, adjunct faculty emails are here, administrators’ emails are here, and staff emails are here.

We also have received questions from students scheduled to graduate in May.  We understand your concern about whether the commencement ceremony will take place as scheduled on May 17^th.  As of now, the University has not decided whether any of the commencement ceremonies will go forward as planned.  (That is a University decision, not a School of Law decision.)  It remains possible that our commencement will go forward on May 17^th, or that it could be rescheduled for a later date.  We will let you know as soon as we have any additional relevant information.

I know these ongoing events have added more stress to what is already a stressful time of the semester.  While the circumstances are hardly ideal, we have a plan in place that will allow every student to finish the semester and (where applicable) graduate and sit for the bar on time.  We are committed to our students’ success and to giving our students the support they will need to achieve it.

We also are committed to the health and safety of every member of the Akron Law family.  Please monitor the University’s COVID-19 updates page and carefully follow expert recommendations regarding hygiene and social distancing, which can be found on the Ohio Department of Health website.

Stay well,

CJP

Christopher J. (C.J.) Peters │ Dean

C. Blake McDowell, Jr. Professor
The University of Akron School of Law                                 

C. Blake McDowell Law Center │ Akron, OH 44325-2901

t: 330.972.7343 │ f: 330.972.7337 │ cpeters1@uakron.edu

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE │ PROVEN SUCCESS │ PROUDLY AKRON

Dear Akron Law students, faculty, and staff,

In order to implement President Miller’s recent announcement regarding campus operations during the COVID-19 outbreak, the School of Law is taking the following steps:

• All courses will be taught in online format through the end of the spring semester.  Final exams will be administered on a take-home basis during the revised exam period (May 7-15).  While the exact format and timing of exams will differ by course, students should assume for now that their exams will take place at the date and time provided in the revised exam schedule, which is posted on Brightspace.  We will work with faculty to plan and administer exams as fairly and efficiently as possible.  More information will follow.

• Beginning Wednesday, March 18^th, building access will be limited to essential personnel and activities only.  Students, faculty, and most administrators and staff will not have access to the building absent a compelling reason.  If you have any items you need to retrieve from the building to facilitate your working or studying remotely, please retrieve them no later than 5:00 pm on Tuesday, March 17^th.  You will need your swipe card or key to access the building after 5:00 pm today (Monday, March 16^th).  After 5:00 pm on Tuesday, March 17^th, swipe cards will not work and access will be limited to essential personnel.  If you think you have a compelling reason to access the building after Tuesday, March 17^th, please send an email to Dean Janoski-Haehlen (ejanoskihaehlen@uakron.edu), Assistant Dean Bobbs (bobbs@uakron.edu), and me (cpeters1@uakron.edu) explaining when you would need building access and the reason for the access.

• Class registration will open on Monday, March 30^th at noon.  The mandatory advising session will be made available on Brightspace.

• Faculty, administrators, and staff will continue to be available for students during this period.  Students should not hesitate to contact the appropriate person to request a meeting by phone or Webex.  Faculty email addresses are here, adjunct faculty emails are here, administrators’ emails are here, and staff emails are here.

We also have received questions from students scheduled to graduate in May.  We understand your concern about whether the commencement ceremony will take place as scheduled on May 17^th.  As of now, the University has not decided whether any of the commencement ceremonies will go forward as planned.  (That is a University decision, not a School of Law decision.)  It remains possible that our commencement will go forward on May 17^th, or that it could be rescheduled for a later date.  We will let you know as soon as we have any additional relevant information.

I know these ongoing events have added more stress to what is already a stressful time of the semester.  While the circumstances are hardly ideal, we have a plan in place that will allow every student to finish the semester and (where applicable) graduate and sit for the bar on time.  We are committed to our students’ success and to giving our students the support they will need to achieve it.

We also are committed to the health and safety of every member of the Akron Law family.  Please monitor the University’s COVID-19 updates page and carefully follow expert recommendations regarding hygiene and social distancing, which can be found on the Ohio Department of Health website.

Stay well,

CJP

Christopher J. (C.J.) Peters │ Dean

C. Blake McDowell, Jr. Professor
The University of Akron School of Law                                 

C. Blake McDowell Law Center │ Akron, OH 44325-2901

t: 330.972.7343 │ f: 330.972.7337 │ cpeters1@uakron.edu

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE │ PROVEN SUCCESS │ PROUDLY AKRON

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Dear School of Law community,

By now, you probably have seen President Miller’s announcement that classes will be canceled for the remainder of this week and next (effective at 5:00 pm today), with classes resuming in primarily online format after Spring Break.  This email contains important information about plans at the School of Law.  Please read it carefully and let us know if you have questions.

Classes canceled.  All classes (face-to-face and online, synchronous and asynchronous) are canceled for the remainder of this week and all of next week (Friday, March 20^th).  The building and other UA facilities will remain open until further notice.  Students may continue to use the library and other facilities.  School of Law faculty and staff will continue to be available for questions and issues.

Events and travel.  All on-campus events are canceled at least until April 20^th.  All travel by student competition teams or other student travel on behalf of the School of Law is canceled through April 20^th.  We are evaluating off-campus School of Law-sponsored events and will have more information on this soon.

Graduation fair.  The graduation fair scheduled for next week will be rescheduled or moved to an online format.  Please stay tuned for more information.

Fall mandatory advising.  The live mandatory advising sessions scheduled for next week are canceled.  Fall advising information will be posted to Brightspace and Student Affairs staff will be available for one-on-one advising.  More information will be provided soon.

Course delivery.  We will be ready to continue our curriculum in distance learning format once the semester resumes on March 30^th.  Each faculty member will work with the administration to complete the semester in the way that works best for their course.  Undoubtedly there will be some hiccups along the way, but we are confident that every course can be completed satisfactorily so that students can earn appropriate credit.

Change in academic calendar.  The cancelation of classes for the remainder of this week and next will pose some scheduling challenges.  To comply with ABA accreditation standards, it is likely that we will have to extend the semester by one week in May.  Classes will be extended from April 26^th through May 6^th and final exams will begin on May 7^th and go until May 15^th.  We recognize that this schedule change may create difficulties for some of you; we will work with you to resolve or mitigate those problems.  In the meantime, please take account of this likely schedule change in your plans to the extent you can.

Graduation.  For those of you who are planning to graduate this May, don’t worry.  You will be able to complete your requirements in time.  As of now, we are still planning to hold the commencement ceremony as scheduled on May 17^th.  Be aware that this could change, however, depending on facts that are outside our control.  We will keep you all informed.

Accreditation requirements.  We are working with the ABA to ensure that these measures will comply with accreditation requirements.

The facts are changing rapidly, so please stay tuned for additional information.  We will keep you all informed.  If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Dean Janoski-Haehlen (ejanoskihaehlen@uakron.edu), Dean Oldfield (cwo@uakron.edu), or me (cpeters1@uakron.edu).

Thanks for reading and stay safe and healthy.

Best,

CJP

Dear students and faculty,

Pursuant to the University’s recent class cancelation announcement, no course due dates may be enforced prior to the end of Spring Break.  Due dates should be adjusted so that nothing is due while classes are suspended.  It’s best to think of the class suspension period as one extended spring break.  Nothing is due during the break, but work may be taking place on assignments – reading, writing papers, studying, and the like – which are due on the day that classes resume (March 30^th) or later.

Faculty members should revise due dates accordingly and communicate the revised dates to their students as soon as possible.

If you have questions about this policy, please let me or Dean Janoski-Haehlen know.  If students have questions about particular assignments, please contact your professors.

Thanks all for your patience and flexibility as we work through the many issues presented by recent events.

Best,

CJP

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Dear School of Law community,

By now, you probably have seen President Miller’s announcement that classes will be canceled for the remainder of this week and next (effective at 5:00 pm today), with classes resuming in primarily online format after Spring Break.  This email contains important information about plans at the School of Law.  Please read it carefully and let us know if you have questions.

Classes canceled.  All classes (face-to-face and online, synchronous and asynchronous) are canceled for the remainder of this week and all of next week (Friday, March 20^th).  The building and other UA facilities will remain open until further notice.  Students may continue to use the library and other facilities.  School of Law faculty and staff will continue to be available for questions and issues.

Events and travel.  All on-campus events are canceled at least until April 20^th.  All travel by student competition teams or other student travel on behalf of the School of Law is canceled through April 20^th.  We are evaluating off-campus School of Law-sponsored events and will have more information on this soon.

Graduation fair.  The graduation fair scheduled for next week will be rescheduled or moved to an online format.  Please stay tuned for more information.

Fall mandatory advising.  The live mandatory advising sessions scheduled for next week are canceled.  Fall advising information will be posted to Brightspace and Student Affairs staff will be available for one-on-one advising.  More information will be provided soon.

Course delivery.  We will be ready to continue our curriculum in distance learning format once the semester resumes on March 30^th.  Each faculty member will work with the administration to complete the semester in the way that works best for their course.  Undoubtedly there will be some hiccups along the way, but we are confident that every course can be completed satisfactorily so that students can earn appropriate credit.

Change in academic calendar.  The cancelation of classes for the remainder of this week and next will pose some scheduling challenges.  To comply with ABA accreditation standards, it is likely that we will have to extend the semester by one week in May.  Classes will be extended from April 26^th through May 6^th and final exams will begin on May 7^th and go until May 15^th.  We recognize that this schedule change may create difficulties for some of you; we will work with you to resolve or mitigate those problems.  In the meantime, please take account of this likely schedule change in your plans to the extent you can.

Graduation.  For those of you who are planning to graduate this May, don’t worry.  You will be able to complete your requirements in time.  As of now, we are still planning to hold the commencement ceremony as scheduled on May 17^th.  Be aware that this could change, however, depending on facts that are outside our control.  We will keep you all informed.

Accreditation requirements.  We are working with the ABA to ensure that these measures will comply with accreditation requirements.

The facts are changing rapidly, so please stay tuned for additional information.  We will keep you all informed.  If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Dean Janoski-Haehlen (ejanoskihaehlen@uakron.edu), Dean Oldfield (cwo@uakron.edu), or me (cpeters1@uakron.edu).

Thanks for reading and stay safe and healthy.

Best,

CJP