On September 24th, Dean Kaminshine and Dean Griffith hosted meetings at noon and at five. They opened the floor to students for questions and concerns. This forum gave the students an opportunity to be heard and the Deans a chance to respond in an informal setting. For students not able to attend either session, here is a summary of the evening meeting:
Dean Griffith immediately began the session by talking about the new computer policy aimed at preventing future hacker attacks on the school-wide web servers. Two suggestions were made:
(1) Get some form of anti-virus protection installed on your computer. Norton Anti-Virus protection is offered for FREE and you can get directions on how to install it from Yolanda in the Computer Lab.
(2) Try to avoid using common words as your passwords. Hackers can figure out common passwords to gain entry.
The floor was then open to the students for questions and comments. Following is a summary of issues raised during the meeting:
Student Concern: We might need a policy on dealing with street people. (S)he thought that there are other possible alternatives to helping the homeless other than giving them money or food, while students are en route to and from the Law School. Further, the students' safety also was a concern, with regard to being approached by homeless persons.
Deans' Response: The Dean(s) noted that there might be a problem with homeless people begging in front of the school (which they would take care of), but seemed a bit hesitant to look into implementing any type of "policy" dealing with this specific issue. Further, as far as safety goes, campus police are always just a call away.
Student Concern: An evening student wanted to know why alot of Tuesday evening classes are not offered.
Deans' Response: It makes sense to give part-time students, who work full time, a break in the week so they have a chance to do preparation for their classes.
Student Concern: Career Services has been short-staffed lately; sometimes there is no one at the front desk. The student was wondering when and if another person would be hired to lend them some assistance. The student was also concerned that communication between the CSO and the students have been affected by this problem.
Deans' Response: The Deans were unaware that any students were having communication problems, with regard to interview notifications, interview cancellations, etc. The Deans admitted that the CSO was short staffed; however they were seeking an extremely qualified person to hire, which takes time. They assured us that the vacant position would soon be filled.
Docket: Hang in there Vickie and Regina! You are doing a great job!
Student Concern: Transcripts are a real pain to get from the main campus. Can we get them from the Law School?
Deans' Response: Sorry, but no. The main campus is the only place a student may obtain an "official" copy.
Docket: Order one through GoSolar. It is very easy and you get it within about a week.
Student Concern: Food Services closes so early in the evenings, even before their actual closing time.
Deans' Response: We sympathize with the evening students, and will look into it.
Student Concern: Budget Card unavailability: school did not print off enough, so students could not buy them. As a result, students have to pay full price to park daily.
Deans' Response: Deans were not too happy about this, and would address this problem immediately with Auxiliary Services.
Student Concern: Exam schedules--can they be published earlier so students can actually make plans?
Deans' Response: Fall exam schedules usually come out after the Drop/Add period. That is when Tricia Rackliffe runs a program to minimize student conflicts in exams.
Student Concern: Regarding the Student Organizations, the student complained of inadequate notice of organizational meetings/events, which hindered the part-time students' ability to attend the 5 p.m. functions.
Response: As SBA VP, this question was passed to me. It was agreed that one-week notice was sufficient advanced notice. The student organization leaders will be advised to please give at least a week notice in the future to accommodate both day and evening students.
Alas, no meeting would be complete if the infamous parking problem was not addressed. In brief:
Student Concern: Some law school activities force students to stay on campus until the wee hours of the morning, and it is a little scary going to your car at that hour. Further, for those not fortunate enough to get M-Deck parking, some of our schedules demand that we come to school quite frequently, costing a small fortune to park.
Deans' Response: The Dean will look into a possible solution for those students whose activities keep them here on campus late at night until early in the morning. Again, students can call for a campus officer to escort them to their cars, if they feel wary of walking by themselves. Finally, as far as the shortage of parking goes, it is a problem, it has always been a problem, and will, in all likelihood, persist to be a thorn in every student's side.
Docket: "Take Marta, it's smarta"—plus it's only $26.00 for a monthly pass.