By Michael J.W. StickingsJon Chait looks back at the 2004 Democratic presidential field and, well, finds it wanting: Just how awful was the 2004 Democratic primary field? Go through the list, and try to imagine any of these men as a presidential nomine…
Legal
Law Schools Take Remedial Measures to Hire Students
Pop Quiz, hotshot: You’re a law school dean with a graduating class of 3Ls who aren’t able to find jobs upon completion of the expensive education you’ve provided. U.S. News is breathing down your neck, asking for “employed upon graduation” statistics. You’re terrified of plummeting in the rankings and losing your job, and you know better than anybody how difficult it is to find a job with a J.D. on your resume right now.
What do you do? What do you do?
Well, if you’re an actor that now isn’t even as accomplished as Sandra freaking Bullock, you probably start popping caps at your unemployed 3Ls. Anything to reduce that denominator.
But if you’re Rebecca H. White, dean of the University of Georgia Law School, a smart move is to start openly begging your alumni to help you out.
That’s precisely what Dean White did …
Dean White sent out this letter to Georgia Law alums:
As all of us are aware, we continue to face a difficult economy that has affected employment opportunities for law students and graduates across the country. At Georgia Law, we too are feeling the impact acutely through reduced employment opportunities for law students and upcoming Georgia Law graduates.
Many of you have been able to continue your support of the law school through hiring, and I want to express my appreciation for your participation in our on- and off-campus interview programs and for posting job announcements with the Office of Legal Career Services.
The hiring slowdown has resulted in an unprecedented number of highly credentialed law students who still seek summer and post-graduate positions. Our students are available for project work, for summer and full-time positions, and in certain circumstances for unpaid work for academic credit or as volunteers. Our Legal Career Services staff is eager to help you connect with well qualified students to fill any hiring needs you may have.
If you would like assistance or information regarding Georgia Law’s hiring services, I urge you to contact our Director of Legal Career Services, [Redacted]
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
–
Rebecca H. White
Dean and J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law
University of Georgia
School of Law
One Georgia law student quipped:
Glad to see the law school is trying to encourage alumni to hire our graduates, but project work and volunteer positions for people who thought they were going to be able to get full time jobs after graduation is a little depressing.
I believe Athens natives R.E.M. have some words of wisdom for Georgia law students. I just don’t know if the song is Everybody Hurts or It’s the End of the World.
Meanwhile, Northwestern has also tapped into their alumni network. But they’re looking at steps down the road. Northwestern got a couple of grads to give them money to help fund 1Ls and 2Ls who would otherwise be facing a summer of poverty and no legal training. Here is part of the letter from Northwestern Law Dean David E. Van Zandt:
I am pleased to inform you that Don Reuben JD ‘52 and Kellogg ‘49 has provided a $100,000 donation to the Law School that allows us to increase our funding for 1st- and 2nd-year students who pursue volunteer public service positions during the upcoming summer 2010.
Because the current economic circumstances have reduced the number of law firm opportunities for 1st- and 2nd-year students nationwide, we anticipate that more students will pursue unpaid positions within the public sector this summer. Don’s gift anticipates this possibility and provides significant financial assistance to our students during this difficult period.
As a one-time opportunity, the Law School also has decided to double our contribution to Student Funded Public Interest Fellowships (SFPIF) and to provide up to $100,000 to support 2nd-year students, through a mix of institutional funds as well as targeted fundraising efforts that we are undertaking. We anticipate the combination of SFPIF’s tremendous fundraising efforts this year and an increased contribution to them from the Law School will allow SFPIF to support most qualifying 1st-year SFPIF members. The gift from Don Reuben and the Law School’s development efforts will allow the Law School to provide up to $4,000 toward living expenses for as many as 50 2nd-year students.
Of course, if 2Ls want to get a cut of this found money, they better act fast:
Eligibility details for 2nd-year students: Funding for 2nd-year students will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To apply, students must provide proof of full-time employment at an external government agency, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, an international NGO, or the Bluhm Legal Clinic to Cindy Wilson by April 15, 2010. If a student is being paid an amount less than $4,000 for the summer by their employer, the student may apply for an award to bring their total summer income to $4,000. The application for these grants is located on the Career Strategy Center public interest funding web page.
Now, I can only think of one summer where I got by on anything close to $4,000. It was after my freshman year of college and I distinctly remember a homeless man telling me to “cheer up” as I sullenly ate an apple for lunch near the Capitol.
But law students should talk to some Ph.D candidates about how to go about “funding” a summer. You get a little bit of fellowship money here, tutor rich children trying to up their SAT score there, drive a cab, put on a some clear heels and attack the pole — pretty soon you’ve got a budget you can live on.
It’s not easy, but if law school deans can beg for money, so can you.
Earlier: Northwestern Law Gets ‘Proactive’
Law School – Law – Education – United States – California
Politics
You Sure Are Angry
My first act of civil disobedience was a protest I led in fifth grade against a teacher who wouldn’t call on the girls as often as the boys. And I was angry.
In high school, when I volunteered for Planned Parenthood, I walked past the throng of anti-choice protestors, with their disgusting signs and false pamphlets and atrocious chants about “baby killers,” and I donated my time and money and put a bumper sticker on my car. And I was angry.
In college, I watched the theft of the White House. I watched the Republican aides from Capitol Hill stage their faux protests in Florida, waving signs that said “Sore Loserman.” And I was angry.
In the fall of 2002, I attended my first anti-war protest in Golden Gate Park, when the drumbeats for war against Iraq were growing louder and louder. And I was angry.
In 2004, I wrote my first response to a blog posting about how all the dirty fucking hippies were anti-American because they dared to criticize George W. Bush’s illegal war in Iraq. And I was angry. And I became Angry Mouse.
Why are you so angry?
Who among us followed the 2004 election and didn’t feel inspired by Howard Dean because of his raw anger at what we were witnessing done to our country? Dean was mocked by the right (and the traditional media, and even many on the left) because he was “too angry.” But it was his anger that resonated with us, that spoke to us, that drove us to take our feelings of helplessness and frustration and do something with it. Because we were angry.
Who survived the Bush years without feeling a tremendous sense of outrage? Who among us watched the Republican National Convention in 2008 and didn’t feel seething rage at the blatant bigotry and ignorance espoused by a party that has long capitalized on anger? I made my first donation to Barack Obama’s campaign after I watched Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech at that Convention. It wasn’t inspiration that motivated me. It was anger.
We were riveted when Barack Obama stood on that stage in August of 2008 and shouted, “ENOUGH!” We cheer when Keith Olbermann delivers his Special Comments. We rejoice when Rep. Alan Grayson blasts the Republicans for their “die quickly” answer to our health care crisis. We applaud when Rep. Anthony Weiner stands on the floor of the House and insists, repeatedly, that every single Republican is in the pocket of the insurance industry.
We cheer, we applaud, sometimes we even weep with relief to see our anger articulated because we know it is true and right. They speak for us. They say what we cannot, or will not, say. It is not their anger that defeats us; it is the suppression of our anger. It is the misguided belief that if we bury our anger, tone it down, find a way to support our positions without the passion, it will somehow serve us better. We buy into the myth that anger is unhealthy. Unproductive. Wrong.
Why are you so angry?
We like to think of ourselves as somehow above it. We don’t need to be angry; we have facts on our side. We don’t need to be angry; we have justice on our side. We don’t need to be angry; we’re right. And our righteousness should be enough.
But we sacrifice anger at our own expense. Because anger is what motivates us to act. It converts our frustration and feelings of helplessness into something productive. When faced with a stressful situation, we can be paralyzed by our fear or proactive in our anger. And fear never got anything done. But anger? Anger begets action.
Anger is a natural reaction to seeing something we know is wrong. How we express our anger matters, but that feeling, that raw emotion, is important. It’s necessary. And who among us who reads the news, who sees the injustices in our country and around the world, does not feel anger?
Why are you so angry?
The warning is in my name. I’m not Complacent Mouse. I’m not Easy Going Mouse. I’m Angry Mouse. And I don’t mince my words in the hopes of converting anyone who blushes at a four-letter word or wishes I’d tone down my anger. I leave the calm and moderated tones for the sedate NPR commentators, the too-cute-by-half columnists at the New York Times, the oh-so-reasonable talking heads on the Sunday talk shows, the members of Congress who insist upon referring to each other as their “esteemed colleagues from the other side.”
Yes, I’m angry. Angry at a two-party system that favors corporations over people; angry at a justice system that most severely punishes those who are least able to fight back; angry at the media who refuses to call a lie a lie; angry at a health care system that allows private corporations to profit by allowing the sick to suffer and die; angry at the terrorists who want to deprive women of our reproductive autonomy; angry at the misogynists who want us to know our place; angry at the Democratic leadership — and yes, even some of our fellow “progressives” — for treating women’s rights as a fringe issue; angry at anyone who feels the need to question whether it’s really necessary to be so angry.
You’re goddamned right I’m angry. And you should be too.
Legal
Mutiny at Mayer Brown?
Apparently, people who summered at Mayer Brown in 2009 and received an offer are still waiting to hear whether they will be able to start work in a timely manner.
Two former MB summer associates and current NYU Law students decided to take matters into their own hands. They sent out an email to everybody in Mayer Brown’s 2009 summer class. The students hoped to put grassroots pressure on Mayer Brown. I’ve redacted the students’ real names.
Hello Mayer Brown Class of 2010,
You know [Rosencrantz] if you were in New York, and [Guildenstern] if you were in Chicago. We are writing because Mayer Brown has kept us all in the dark about our futures. Their delay in formally announcing any of the plans for our class is unique among top law firms — in their total lack of official communication regarding our start dates, stipend, and health insurance over the coming year, they truly stand alone.
This letter is a call to concerted action in order to require Mayer Brown to make formal announcements regarding our future. We urge that each Mayer Brown 2009 Summer Associate ask their Law School’s Office of Career Services to call Mayer Brown and request the immediate formal announcement of the terms of our offers.
The rest of this call to action, after the jump.
The Assistant Dean at NYU School of Law will be calling Mayer Brown on our behalf this week. In fact, our Law School’s Office of Career Services encouraged us to reach out to you in this capacity. Keep in mind that our Law Schools have a lot of leverage in their dealings with law firms. Just last fall, several major firms were threatening to go outside the NALP hiring guidelines and a couple of calls from Law Schools quashed their plans. The sooner Mayer Brown announces the details of our offers, the more likely those offers will be favorable to us.
We understand there are about 40 people on this email, but we do ask that each individual “reply to all” once you have obtained agreement from your Law School to call Mayer Brown. Thank you very much for your consideration and we hope that you are as ready for real information as we are. We stress that if we all act together, the likelihood for our efforts to achieve our desired result — formal announcement regarding our futures, with a competitive package — is significantly higher.
Feel free to use this list to discuss other important information regarding our class, but please remember to keep it 100% professional.
Sincerely,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
J.D. Candidates 2010
NYU School of Law
Oh dear. Haven’t these guys ever heard of the collective action problem?
One tipster gives us a little background on the revolutionary summer associates:
A few things need to be pointed out, in addition to the ridiculous tone and content of the email.
– multiple people on the email list did not even receive an offer
– one of the original senders tried to get the summer class to help him write a sitcom about their experiences (he also allegedly took a half day the day Michael Jackson died because he was grieving)
I see some real potential for total craziness here.
About two hours after the initial call to action, the students were playing defense:
I have gotten some panic phone calls and fearful concerns by email, so let me break it down to you all this way:
(1) Fear not; we will all be lawyers and will be fine with or without mayer brown, but trust me they won’t do anything bad to you because your school called them, or they will end up ALL OVER THE NEWS!
(2) NO OTHER FIRM so far has deferred people for a year without a stipend included!!
(3) Mayer Brown profits per partner only dropped 4% last year, so please don’t feel sorry for them, they have the money to give us!!!I’m just saying this to ease the unbelievable concerns that have been expressed to me. Come on folks, it’s not like you haven’t just spent 20+ years of your life in school, and don’t deserve this. You deserve this and more, but at the minimum you deserve an official statement from MB about your future, and thats all we’re really asking for at this time. If they decide to defer us without a stipend, or rescind our offers because we asked a question that they didn’t need to wait for us to ask; I personally will spend the next year being a Public Relations Disaster for MB and all the Decision Making Partners. How’s that for motivation???
Rosencrantz
Yes, your public relations disaster skills are strong.
The other summer associate organizer also added some clarification:
One final note of clarification – nobody, at any point, will be speaking on behalf of anybody else. We tried to make that clear in our initial email. All we were doing was planting a seed – “Hey, if you want information, your school will probably be happy to help you out and call the firm. If you are uncomfortable with that, at the very least, you now know that there are a lot of other people going through the same thing as you.”
Please rest 100% assured, at no point is anybody going to claim to speak on behalf of anybody else. Thanks again, and our apologies for any confusion on that point.
Guildenstern
The best part of the story is how this mini-rebellion ended. By 5:00 p.m. yesterday, the original rabble-rousers were brought to heel:
Hi Folks,
I just wanted to let everyone know that you can now cease contacting your Career Services Office and/or Mayer Brown. I just received a phone call from partners at Mayer Brown informing me that decisions are being made as we speak, and we will be informed of the decisions in a timely manner. That said, it would be nice of you to ease Mayer Brown’s workload by not initiating any further inquiries at this time. Thanks a lot.
Rosencrantz
I would have loved to have been on that phone call.
Do you think this stunt will make these two guys popular with their new colleagues? Perhaps, but Mayer Brown management will surely remember these guys, and not favorably. They’ll probably be trusted as adders fanged.
Mayer Brown – Law School – United States – Law – Education
World
Kim Morgan: Happy Birthday John Garfield
Though I frequently discuss actors I love/am in love with, I’ve not delved into that simmering, gorgeous genius of masculine menace, charm and vulnerability…
Politics
Dean Offers a Smidgen of Upbeat on Dems’ Chances
Alex Koppelman at Salon interviewed Howard Dean Wednesday. The former governor and Democratic National Committee chief cut against the conventional wisdom that Democrats are going to be devastated in November, perhaps even lose their House majority, as long-time analyst Charlie Cook has said.
“I think what you’re going to see in the fall is not so much an anti-Democratic vote, I think you’re going to see an anti-incumbent vote, and I think that’s going to include Republicans,” Dean said …
“There are two good signs for the Democrats: One is all this blowup happened 10 months before the election, not 10 weeks before the election. Two, the average American believes that better times are ahead. Those are two important indicators. Now, there are plenty of indicators that aren’t so good, but I think a month is a huge lifetime in politics, so I think we’re actually going to do a bit better than people are predicting.”
Republicans are working on their narrative. Tea partiers are working on theirs. How effective they will be depends in great part on how well Democrats, individually and collectively, can persuade Americans who like neither the Party of No Way, No How nor the Teabagger Brigades that they have a lot to lose by sitting on their hands in this year’s contests. Given the frequent poor messaging, pre-compromising, surrendering and, frankly, kow-towing to certain interests by too many Democrats, making that case is going to be much tougher than it ought to be. The mistakes of the leadership rubs off on the rank-and-file.
Reinvigorating a big slice of now-demoralized voters who poured out in droves in 2008 – that is, bridging what Robert Reich calls “the enthusiasm gap” – will depend on having several more challengers like Bill Halter reminding everyone of what being a fighting Democrat is all about. For many vulnerable incumbent Democrats, persuading voters that they are fighters for middle/working-class Americans will be next to impossible to sell. Their record on this score, to put it charitably, registers an epic fail. But others can prove Dean right if they use the eight months they have left to demonstrate they’re not just more of the same old, same old now armed with Twitter accounts. The place to do that is not so much on the campaign trail but in Congress itself.
Legal
Former Maryland Law Dean Asked to Return ‘Questionable’ Compensation — But Will She?
Today brings some updates in the controversy concerning the compensation of Karen Rothenberg, former dean of the University of Maryland School of Law. From this morning’s Baltimore Sun:
State university system officials have asked the former dean of the University of Maryland School of Law to return $60,000 in unauthorized compensation and have referred questionable payments totaling $410,000, which were revealed by a state legislative audit, to the attorney general’s office for review.
Chancellor William E. Kirwan revealed those actions and apologized for the audit’s findings at a hearing Thursday before the House subcommittee on education and economic development. He pinned responsibility for the $410,000 in payments on the recipient, former law dean Karen Rothenberg, and on David J. Ramsay, departing president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
And Chancellor Kirwan really threw President Ramsay and Dean Rothenberg under the bus….
“The fact that policies were not followed in these instances was a human failing representing bad judgment by two individuals,” Kirwan said.
“This is a troubling report,” he said. “And all of us at the university system are deeply regretful and apologetic that the matter has risen to the level of a General Assembly hearing.”
(President Ramsay, by the way, announced his retirement earlier this week.)
Rothenberg has been asked to return $60,000 in “research stipends” for research that apparently never took place. In addition, according to the Sun, the filing for these payments did not comply with proper procedure.
But what about the $350,000 for a fictional “sabbatical”?
[Legislator John] Bohanan asked Kirwan why the university system had demanded only $60,000 back from Rothenberg rather than the whole $410,000. Kirwan replied that the system hasn’t ruled out asking for the other $350,000 but is waiting for advice from the attorney general before proceeding.
Will Rothenberg return the money? Maybe not. From one angry member of the UM community:
Please keep on this story. I want her to pay that money back to the students she stole from via tuition hikes to pay for her pricey home in Montgomery County.
Don’t hold your breath. According to public records, Rothenberg’s house, in an area of million-dollar homes in Bethesda, is worth about $1.2 million (per Zillow). She has to make those mortgage payments somehow, right?
Rothenberg has lawyered up in response to the legislative inquiry, retaining some high-powered counsel: Paul Tiburzi, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Baltimore office. (Tiburzi, by the way, is a UM alumnus who managed to make it into Biglaw — only 14 percent do.)
In a reader poll, some 80 percent of you opined that the $410,000 in payments to Rothenberg that were flagged by the state audit as “questionable” were indeed improper. One ATL reader contacted us to offer support for this conclusion:
There is, in my opinion, significant malfeasance involved. This is the public law school of the flagship public university in the state of Maryland. [The controversy] is well worth your continued serious attention.
Here are some facts. They are all a matter of public record and could be easily verified.
Rothenberg’s base compensation is listed in university records as being the following: 8/2003: $288,925; 8/2004: $304,161; 8/2005: $327,246; 8/2006: $365,000; 7/2007: $408,450; 7/2008: $485,778; 9/2009: $485,778.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on Median Salaries of College Administrators By Job Category and Type of Institution 2008-09. For law deans, the median salary reported is $266,895.
Rothenberg’s base salary, already above the 2008-09 median in 2003, increased 68% in the next 6 years. It increased 33% in just the two years between 2006 and 2008 (so much for the argument that the whopping additional payment in 2007 that was disguised as a sabbatical payment was somehow necessary as a retention bonus).
Her current reported salary ($485,778) nearly doubles the national average for the position. It is 2.33 times the salary earned by the next highest paid tenured faculty member at the law school (which is $208,055). It is 4.4 times the salary earned by new faculty members at the law school ($110,000).
Rothenberg never earned a salary greater than $200,000 at UMD before being named the interim dean. She never had a minute of administrative experience as a dean or an associate dean at any law school before her appointment. She never appeared as a finalist in any dean search at any other law school in the U.S. during her tenure. She left the UMD deanship without another administrative position anywhere to go to. And yet, in just 7 years of being the dean, she earned more than $2.5 million dollars, not including the extra sabbatical and research grant payments questioned in the audit, and not including the value of expense accounts and benefits….
[These numbers] are completely off the charts — they are wholly outside and beyond any standard industry practice or customary compensation policy at American law schools.
In fairness to Dean Rothenberg, she has her defenders, including several who emerged in the comments to our post. From a commenter:
Maryland Law student here. I like Professor (formerly Dean) Rothenberg both as a person and as an administrator, and was shocked when I heard about the audit results. Contrary to the allegedly representative comments quoted above, I’d never heard any student doubting Rothenberg’s ethics or her success as dean. She did a lot for this school–our extensive clinic offerings and highly respected health-care and environmental law programs have her to thank–and it’s hard for me to imagine that she’d engage in dishonesty toward a school that respects her and where she has worked so hard. Obviously, people can surprise and disappoint us, so I (like everyone else) am waiting to see how this turns out, but I’m hoping that Rothenberg’s name will be cleared.
And from a second:
I think people need to relax. While this certainly looks disconcerting as it’s being advertised in the press, we don’t know enough to really make a judgment yet. Dean Rothenberg did a lot for the Maryland during her tenure, and this very well could just be an accounting issue. She deserves the benefit of the doubt until a final report is issued. In the meantime, let’s get back to mass e-mails regarding cat sitting.
The most exhaustive defense — it’s rather long, so we won’t reprint it here — was offered by this commenter.
Professor Kaimipono Wenger wonders if some of the criticism directed at Karen Rothenberg could be due to her gender. We’re not sure about that. First, many of the Maryland students and alumni who contacted us to lodge complaints have been women. Second, there is a long history of men — from Wall Street fat cats to Fortune 500 CEOs to fellow academic administrators — being pilloried as overpaid. But it’s a possibility worth considering.
Feel free to add your two cents, in the comments
UMB’s Ramsay to step down Monday [Baltimore Sun]
Former UM law dean is asked to refund $60,000 [Baltimore Sun]
Maryland legislature looking into ‘questionable’ payments to former law dean [National Law Journal]
The Internet Pile-on over a Woman Dean’s Paycheck [Feminist Law Professors]
Earlier: Is a Maryland Law School Dean Worth $800,000?
United States – University of Maryland – Education – University of Maryland School of Law – Law
Legal
Hey, Teacher … Give Those Kids Their Grades!Grades delayed at W&M, UT – Austin… anywhere else?
How long should students have to wait for fall semester grades? Two weeks? A month? Some students at William and Mary School of Law are still waiting for fall semester grades — and they might not be alone.
I understand that law professors would rather drink wine straight from the box than grade a paper. It’s an onerous responsibility. But, it is a responsibility. Especially in this economy, where students are scrambling for scarce job opportunities. If a student has an incomplete transcript, or can’t produce a class rank upon request, a prospective employer might well go with one of the other hundreds of resumes flooding his or her inbox.
Last month, a student at the University of Texas School of Law complained that he lost out on a judicial clerkship because of one professor’s grading delay. Above the Law received this email on January 25th:
Texas Law’s Student Affairs Office said over the phone this afternoon that Prof. [Redacted] hasn’t submitted grades yet or filed for an extension. UT’s deadline was Tuesday of last week (which is already hilariously late compared to the University’s undergraduate policies). Supposedly, the Law School will dock [the professor's] pay until the grades are in or until he requests an extension, but he’s big pals with Dean Sager.
I’ve already missed out on at least one internship this summer because I didn’t have grades yet. A judge’s office called me to schedule an interview and asked that I bring a transcript. When I mentioned that, as late as Jan 16th, I still hadn’t received a single grade, they went ahead and hired someone else.
We emailed the professor to see if the grades were still outstanding, or why they were delayed in the first place, but he did not respond.
At William and Mary, the situation is such that the class rank of the entire school has been delayed….
Over the past couple of days, Above the Law has fielded a torrent of emails from William and Mary law students still waiting for grades from a fall semester course. The delay had actually prevented W&M from producing a class rank for its students, and this week the school decided to just go ahead and rank students without counting the course for which there are no grades. From one student:
It has been 72 days since the students in William Van Alstyne’s First Amendment course took their exams, and we still do not have our grades. Grades were due January 29th, and the administration finally decided today that they will re-rank us without the four-credit class….
The administration first updated us on the situation two weeks after grades were due. We’ve received weekly updates since then and they have grown increasingly amusing. The school gives the chance for 3L’s to retroactively pass/fail 1 class. It’s basically a mulligan. They have had to inform us about this problem because of the deadline they set for those forms.
Above the Law spoke to Professor Van Alstyne, and he had this to say:
The lateness of my First Amendment, four-semester-credit fall semester course is surely not 72 days, but more nearly fourteen (and certainly not more than 21). It is, moreover, excused insofar as during the expected grading period (during the xmas break, extending through early January), I was suffering from the flu, running daily temperatures frequently above 102, with additional delay because of scheduled out-of-state speaking engagements (concluding just last weekend at the University of North Carolina Law School). Consistent with the law school rules, with the delay occasioned by these excusing circumstances, I am even now working to complete the raw scoring of the many essay exams from this fall semester course, expecting to be able to forward final letter grades by this weekend… all consistent with our established rules and procedures.
We certainly wish Professor Van Alstyne a speedy recovery.
But should one professor falling ill really gum up the works for an entire law school? Here’s the plan that Lizbeth Jackson, Associate Dean for Administration, presented W&M law students with on February 10th:
Dear Students:
Because we are still missing one set of grades (I am sure you all know that the professor has been ill for almost 2 months and that has slowed the grading process) we will extend the grade conversion option submission by one week…. After all the conversions are completed, I will be able to calculate ranks. I realize we are quite delayed this year and I will do this as quickly as possible for you.
I am sorry for the delay in both your grades and your new rank. I really appreciate your patience and understanding.
Dean Jackson
Okay, the man’s sick, what are you going do? W&M students received this update on February 17th:
My dear 3Ls:
Once again I write to tell you I will not have the First Amendment grades in time for an informed decision for this Friday’s grade conversion form deadline. We will extend it again by one week. The forms are now due February 26.
For those who submitted your forms prior to today, Feb 17, you should find the conversion to “P” on already your transcript.
Dean Jackson
If the professor is sick — and we know that grading is already a low priority for healthy professors, much less ones that are dealing with an illness — was “wait-and-see” really the right approach for the W&M administration?
Yesterday, the students received this message:
Dear 2L and 3L Students:
I write with notification that class ranks and rank GPA will be run this week.To students in First Amendment:
Neither the cumulative GPA nor the class rank will include your First Amendment grade. Those grades are not yet available. However, you will see this course listed on your transcript. There will be a grade of “G.” This means the grade has not been entered and is deferred. Neither the credits nor the grade of “G” will be calculated into your rank GPA and class rank.As soon as the First Amendment grades are available, I will ensure they are entered. However, per discussion with Deans Douglas and Kaplan, Fall 2009 class ranks will stand without the First Amendment grade included. Ranks will be run again only at the conclusion of this spring term.
To 3Ls waiting for the First Amendment grade before submitting the grade change option:
Your final class rank and gpa will reflect the grade conversion. Forms received within 5 business days of notification that the First Amendment grades are available, will be processed the following week. Forms received after 5 days and by April 1 will be processed by mid-April. No form will be accepted after April 1.To 3Ls who have not yet submitted the grade conversion form (not related to First Amendment):
Remember the due date for the form is April 1. No form will be accepted after April 1. Your final class rank and gpa will reflect the grade conversion.My utmost apologies for this delay.
Dean Jackson
You know, I don’t think people should blame one sick professor for messing up an entire process. People get sick all time; the onus is on the law school to have some kind of backup plan for the situation.
Grades and class rank are important. In this economy, they might be more important than ever. Pedagogical excellence and academic collegiality are all well and good, but at some point these law schools have to start understanding that their students are competing for jobs in a ridiculously difficult environment. Law school is a trade school, and right now there just aren’t enough career opportunities to go around. You just can’t screw around with people’s transcripts right now, and the entire community — from the deans to the professors to the person that files requests in the registrar’s office — has to be on the same page with this.
You know, when UVA Law had their moot court problems earlier this week, a lot of William and Mary students had some fun at UVA’s expense. There was a lot of talk about inappropriately fertilizing various spots on the UVA campus.
And maybe UVA gets small things like moot court wrong. But when it comes to big things like transcripts and class rank, no law school can afford to have the kind of difficulties students at W&M and UT are facing. It doesn’t matter if someone gets sick, it doesn’t matter if there’s a biblical plague of locusts, law schools just need to get these things done. No excuses. You need to get these things right on the first try.
To students at other law schools: Are any of your professors delinquent in issuing grades? Feel free to let us know, either in the comments or by email (subject line: “Law School Grades”). Thanks.
Earlier: Lile Moot Court Board Embarrasses UVA Law, Again
Law School – Law – Education – United States – Student Resources
Politics
Polling and Political Wrap, 2/22/10
Let’s jump right into a very busy day on the campaign trail. It’s time for the Wrap on this, the 278th birthday for the First President of the United States, George Washington…
THE U.S. SENATE
IN-Sen: Hill Expressing Some Interest In Senate Opening
In what could create an uncomfortable and awkward decision for Indiana Democrats, 9th district Congressman Baron Hill has spoken up, saying he might want his name considered for the Senate opening created by the retirement of two-term Senator Evan Bayh. Hill is looking at a much more perilous House election than neighbor Brad Ellsworth, and that might be serving as an incentive in this case.
IA-Sen: Ras Says Grassley Leads, But Not Overwhelmingly
Here is a headline that one will not see often in the campaign news cycle–Rasmussen has the Iowa Senate race closer than Research 2000. Indeed, incumbent Republican Charles Grassley still has a solid lead over Democrat Roxanne Conlin, but he was held to just 53% of the vote against Conlin (53-36). Remember, Grassley has never been under 60% in any of his electoral bids since his first run for the Senate in 1980. In a sign of Grassley’s relative weakness this time around, he only gets 55-56% against two lesser-known Democratic candidates, as well.
NV-Sen: Reid Might Enjoy The Tea Party, According to Poll
A new survey by GOP pollsters Public Opinion Strategies confirm some of the worst fears of Republicans in Nevada. Remember, of course, that the “Tea Party” qualified for the ballot in Nevada a few weeks back. P.O.S. runs the numbers, and finds that when Tea Partier Jon Ashjian is added to the mix, Harry Reid is more competitive than he has been in months. Former state party chair Sue Lowden leads the GOP primary field, and has the biggest lead over Reid. That lead, however, is down to just five points (42-37), with Ashjian locking down 9% of the vote. Danny Tarkanian’s lead evaporates almost entirely (40-39), with Ashjian at 11%.
THE U.S. HOUSE
AZ-08: GOP Senator Confirms Challenge To Democrat Rep. Giffords
It had long been in the planning stages, but now it is official–Republican state Senator Jonathan Paton resigned from the legislature today, in order to challenge sophomore Democrat Gabby Giffords for her seat in the Congress. Paton needed to make a move, as businessman Jesse Kelly had already raised over a quarter of a million dollars for his bid in the 8th, which is a classic swing district centered in the Tucson suburbs and southeastern Arizona.
FL-10/MI-14/MI-15: Three Octogenarians In The 112th Congress?
You read that right: in the past several days, three Congressman who at the end of this term will have a combined 141 years of Congressional experience. In Florida, Bill Young, who turns 80 at the end of this year, and has been in the House since 1971, announced that he will seek his 21st term in the House. It was a good weekend for such statements, as Young was joined by Michigan Congressman John Conyers (80 years of age, elected for the first time in 1964) also confirmed that he will seek re-election.
While these young whippersnappers made their plans known, they were joined by no less than the Dean of the House, John Dingell (83 years of age and in the House since 1955) who also announced that he would seek re-election.
OH-06/OH-16/OH-17: Traficant Still Mulling ‘10 Bid
He can no longer do it as either a Republican or a Democrat (the filing deadline for major party candidates lapsed last week), but that doesn’t mean that disgraced former Congressman Jim Traficant is out of the 2010 electoral sweepstakes. Traficant is now saying that if he runs, he will do so as an Independent (this buys him an additional two months–the deadline for Indie candidacies is May 3rd). For what it’s worth, he is still not saying in which district he would run.
PA-12: Lots Of Movement in Murtha Special Election
A huge amount of movement since the last Wrap in the May 18th special election to replace the late John Murtha in southwestern Pennsylvania. Several candidates had tentatively entered the fray, promising to defer to Murtha’s widow, Joyce Murtha. As of today, that doesn’t appear to be an issue–Joyce Murtha is a no-go, releasing a statement this afternoon. Two other candidates went the other way, making noises that they are heading into the race. They are Murtha district director Mark Critz and Cambria County Controller Ed Cernic, Jr.
THE GUBERNATORIAL RACES
GA-Gov: Ras Gives GOP Lead, But Barnes Within Striking Distance
Rasmussen also lands in the Peach State this week, and they find former Democratic Governor Roy Barnes within single digits of any of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination. Even though she is a longshot right now in the GOP primary, Secretary of State Karen Handel does the best against Barnes, leading him by nine points (45-36). Republicans John Oxendine (45-37) and Nathan Deal (43-37) do incrementally worse when paired with the likely Democratic nominee, who served as the state’s governor from 1999-2003.
IA-Gov: Branstad Leads Culver, According to Rasmussen
Rasmussen’s new numbers in the Hawkeye State (already addressed vis-a-vis the Senate race earlier in the Wrap) confirm virtually every pollster on the gubernatorial matchup between incumbent Democrat Chet Culver and Republican Terry Branstad, who held the office for a decade-and-a-half. Indeed, Ras shows a lead identical to last weeks R2K poll in the state–sixteen points for Branstad (53-37). Ras being Ras, however, they do have one result a little different than the others: they have conservative alternative candidate Bob Vander Platts with a pretty solid lead (46-40) over Culver. Recent polls have either had Vander Platts up or down by three points or less.
In other Iowa Guv news, a quick headline, though not a critical one, that the Wrap missed last week–longshot Republican Chris Rants dropped out of the race late last week. The one potential loser in that could be Branstad. As has been reported here before, there is at least some discontent with Branstad on the right, owing to his days as Governor. Clearly, he benefits from a large primary field. The smaller the field gets, the fewer ways an anti-Branstad vote gets split.
NE-Gov: Democrats Finally Get Candidate in Gubernatorial Race
Given the recent history of statewide politics in the Cornhusker State, it is pretty tough to win as a Democrat unless your name is Ben Nelson. An Omaha-area businessman, Mark Lakers, is looking to change that. Lakers became the first Democrat of note to challenge the re-election of Nebraska’s GOP Governor Dave Heineman. Heineman, who was elected in 2006 with 73% of the vote, is a strong favorite for re-election.
NV-Gov: GOP Poll Shows Tight GOP Primary, Wide Split on General
The same poll out of the Silver State alluded to earlier has to be a cause of significant consternation for the GOP in this race, as well. The poll, done by respectable GOP pollster Glen Bolger, shows that the lead for former federal judge Brian Sandoval over embattled incumbent GOP Governor Jim Gibbons has dropped (PDF File) to just six points. Sandoval is sitting on 38% of the GOP vote, with 32% for Gibbons and 9% for North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon. More intriguing, among those who are certain of their vote, the Sandoval lead drops to a single point. The danger for the GOP? In a general election, Sandoval has a double digit lead over presumptive Democratic nominee Rory Reid (50-34). Gibbons, meanwhile, is down by double digits to Reid (47-36).
NM-Gov: Domenici Leads In First GOP Primary Poll
This won’t come as a surprise, seeing how he undoubtedly has the highest name recognition of any of the candidates in the field. That said, Pete Domenici Jr. leads the GOP primary field for Governor in the Land of Enchantment. Undecided is the real leader, since 42.5% of the voters are expressing no preference. Domenici leads with 29%, with Dona Ana County DA Susana Martinez running second with 12% of the vote. The poll was conducted by New Mexico State University, and was conducted before the revelation (of sorts) that Domenici used drugs in college.
NY-Gov: Paterson Continues To Hurt, According to Siena Poll
Was there any good news for Governor Paterson in the latest incarnation of the Siena Poll (PDF)? Well, voters didn’t buy the variety of negative rumors about the incumbent. That’s the only good news, however, as the poll shows that little has changed in Paterson’s electoral fortunes. He continues to trail state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo badly in the Democratic primary (64-22), and he continues to trail likely GOP nominee Rick Lazio in the general (46-39). Meanwhile, Cuomo continues to blast Lazio in a prospective general election match-up (63-26).
World
UMaine Students’ House Up In Flames
The two-story building at 34 Pine St. housed four female University of Maine students, according to Dean of Students Robert Dana, all of whom have been accounted for.
“The place is a total loss, and the students are being supported, and they …
Politics
NH-02: Bass Kicks Off a Run with Stimulus Lies
It’s no surprise, but former Rep. Charlie Bass officially entered the race to replace Paul Hodes as the House member for New Hampshire’s second district. Bass’s candidacy has already been polled by UNH for WMUR; he currently looks strong, but is clearly benefiting from name recognition much higher than any other candidate in the race, Democrat or Republican.
While Bass ran (and lost) as a “moderate” Republican in 2006, he’s facing a Republican primary this time around, and Blue Hampshire’s Dean Barker catches him running a classic Republican move.
Bass’s official announcement says:
“Instead of spurring the economy by supporting private sector growth, Washington Democrats piled up mountains of unsustainable debt through a trillion dollar economic ’stimulus’ package that did little to stimulate job growth – but plenty to stimulate the size of federal government.”
As Dean points out, Dave Leonhardt of the New York Times gives the factual verdict on the stimulus:
Just look at the outside evaluations of the stimulus. Perhaps the best-known economic research firms are IHS Global Insight, Macroeconomic Advisers and Moody’s Economy.com. They all estimate that the bill has added 1.6 million to 1.8 million jobs so far and that its ultimate impact will be roughly 2.5 million jobs. The Congressional Budget Office, an independent agency, considers these estimates to be conservative.
In keeping with the Republican candidate playbook, Bass isn’t interested in the truth of the stimulus. Presumably, though, he’s hoping to join the 110 existing members of the Republican caucus who voted against the stimulus then tried to lay claim to its successes.
World
Dianne Gleason: Dean and Rove in Boulder
My husband leaned over and said, “Hey, isn’t that Howard Dean?” It was, indeed, one of my idols of the Democratic Party. He was gracious and agreed to come by our table for a photo.
Legal
Quote of the Day: Too Much of a Good Thing?
We should worry about too many lawyers.
– Dr. Robert M. D’Alessandri, president and dean of the new Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, responding to the suggestion that opening more medical schools might lead to a glut of doctors.
Pennsylvania – United States – Medicine – Education – Health
World
Columbia Journalism School Dean: Fox News Attacks ‘Very Good Advertising For Us’
Nick Lemann is Columbia’s dean. Surprisingly he’s rather tickled by Ailes’s assault on his institution. “What we teach is how to report the news,” he says, leaning back on a sofa. “I don’t know if I said to Roger Ailes, ‘Roger, go out and cove…
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