s | b | a CHICAGO-KENT STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

AUGUST 23, 2021

Happy first day of classes, students! SBA is here to keep you connected; please reach out to sba at any time!

Announcements

Fall 2021 Quick Guide: Please take a look at the Fall 2021 Quick Guide for important information as we begin a new school year.

Books for 1Ls: All required first-year books and materials for entering students may be purchased at the Chicago-Kent bookstore. You may order your books online at Chicago-Kent Bookstore or in person. The bookstore is located on the 3rd level of the law school and can be reached at (312) 906-5605. Please note, the Chicago-Kent Bookstore currently requires anyone who enters the bookstore to wear a mask.

COVID-19 Policies & Procedure: Please find Chicago-Kent’s current COVID-19 protocols here.

Add/Drop Period: The add/drop period for Fall 2021 ends on Wednesday, September 8, at 9:00pm. You may add an open course without special permission until the end of the first week of classes. During the second week, however, you may add an open course only with permission of the instructor. You may not add a course after Tuesday, September 8, at 9:00pm.

Academic Calendar for 2021-2022: For your reference, the academic calendar for 2021-2022 is available by clicking here.

Lockers: Returning students, if you forgot your locker number and combination, please email jabhijeet for that information. Thank you!

Chicago-Kent Peer Advisor Program: Each year, entering students tell us that much of their most informative and valuable information comes from other students. As someone who has been there, your advice can be critical to the success of our incoming class. As a Peer Advisor, you will be paired with one or two first-year students to provide one-on-one advice and guidance about adjusting to the law school experience.

If you are interested in becoming an advisor, please click on the following link and fill out the appropriate information.

How to stay connected at Chicago-Kent: Here are a few things we recommend you do NOW to stay connected throughout the year:

1. Add the SBA Calendar to your Google Calendar by following these instructions.

2. Attend the student organization fair on Tuesday, August 31st.

3. Read the SBA Newsletter, which will be sent to your email every Monday morning.

4. Follow the SBA Instagram account: @sbachicagokentlaw.

5. Subscribe to receive notifications from the SBA Event Calendar. Instructions are here.

6. Reach out to SBA at any time with any questions.

Student Organizations

Student Organization Fair: SAVE THE DATE for the 2021-2022 Student Organization Fair, which will take place on Tuesday, August 31st at 12:00 PM (daytime students) and 5:00 PM (evening students). This is a great opportunity for 1Ls & returning students to explore the different student organizations at Chicago-Kent!

BLSA & HLLSA Welcome Back Mixer: Please join the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) & the Hispanic Latinx Law Student Association (HLLSA) for a Welcome Back Mixer at Howl at the Moon located at 26 West Hubbard Street Chicago, Illinois 60654 on Friday, August 27th from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. CDT. All Chicago-Kent 1Ls and returning students are welcome to attend. Please see the attached flyer for more information, and remember to bring a mask & an ID.

“More” Moot Court Opportunities: Are you interested in moot court opportunities beyond Moot Court Honor Society, or ones that require the shorter time commitment of only one season? You’re in luck! Several Chicago-Kent student organizations sponsor teams to attend moot court competitions, and several professors coordinate sending teams to subject-specific competitions. Please find more about these competitions in this document.

National Security Law Society: The National Security Law Society (“NSLS”) is inviting all students with an interest—or even curiosity—in the most consequential issues facing America today. This is a wonderful opportunity to join a non-partisan group that explores and raises awareness about the legal issues in vital sectors like data privacy, the international community, the military, space exploration, and the intelligence community, to name a few. The NSLS works closely with the Center for National Security and Human Rights, which puts on conferences that regularly attract some of the world’s preeminent national security practitioners and scholars. Additionally, we are a relatively new group on campus, so this is your chance to get in, make an impact, make connections, and set yourself apart from others.

The NSLS seeks to foster its members’ professional careers and leadership capabilities. We give our members intellectual and creative freedom, by encouraging members to research, and then write about a diverse range of national security issues. Students’ writings will be published on our blog, which demonstrates your abilities, interest, and knowledge to prospective employers. You will get to network with our counterparts in other law schools in the Chicago community. Additionally, you will have access to speakers, current, and retired members of the broader national security community, who are eager to assist our members’ personal and career growth.

Upcoming Events

AUGUST 23rd: First Day of Classes

AUGUST 27th: BLSA & HLLSA Welcome Back Mixer

AUGUST 31st: Student Organization Fair

More events may be found on the SBA calendar. Please make sure you are accessing via your Kent email address.

Future Deadlines

AUGUST 31st: Don’t forget, the first annual Racial Justice Writing Competition deadline is August 31st by midnight. Papers written by Chicago-Kent students, inside or outside of class, on any topic related to racial justice may be submitted for consideration. Rules and submission details are HERE. Also, we are holding a naming contest for the competition! If you have a good idea for a name, submit it HERE. The naming contest prize is $100, and the prize for the best paper submission is $1,000.

SEPTEMBER 1st: If you carry your own personal health insurance and would like to opt out of the school’s required health insurance, you must complete this waiver before September 1st.

SEPTEMBER 4th: All full-time J.D. students are enrolled in the U-Pass program. Your current Ventra U-Pass card will be activated to work from Monday, August 23 (the first day of regular classes) through Friday, December 20 (the last day of exams). The mandatory fee of $145 for the Fall semester will be billed to your student account. Students may choose to OPT OUT of the UPASS program for the semester by completing the Fall 2021 opt-out form by September 4th.. The form must be completed by this deadline to ensure your student account will not be billed the UPass fee.

SEPTEMBER 8th: Add/drop period ends.

Resources

Writing Competitions: Interested in submitting a paper to a competition? The law library has created a guide to student legal writing competitions. For more information, please see the library blog post about the guide.

From ASP:

1Ls: Listen from students and faculty on what strategies they used for academic success: https://youtu.be/wQquU7OyoTI

As you gear up for the fall semester, we encourage you to take advantage of the Academic Skills Program. ASP provides extra academic support for all students–helping them develop the skills necessary to succeed in law school. The following Teaching Assistants are available to help you learn how to read cases, take notes, outline courses, and prepare for exams. Please feel free to reach out to them. They have been in your shoes and are here to help!

COURSE	PROFESSOR	FALL 2021 TA
Contracts	Baker	Giovanni Garcia
Criminal Law	Bailey	Stephanie Raga
Torts	Smith-Drelich	Benjamin Levine
Contracts	Batlan	Suzanna Lewis
Criminal Law	Erickson	Siri Arends Graham
Torts	Heyman	Nicole Jansma
Contracts	Warner	Emily Shapiro
Criminal Law	Krent	Hani Salameh
Torts	Kim	Rachel Grudzinski
Constitutional Law	Rosen	Annika Morin
Constitutional Law	Shapiro	Berel Lakovitsky
Constitutional Law	Heyman	Andrea Jakubas
Business Organizations	Birdthistle	Taylor Shuman
Evidence	Erickson	Zoe Appler
Torts	Lee	Evan Turcotte
Civil Procedure	Franco	Alana Hirsch

From the Library: Welcome from the Law Library – Your Allies for Success!

The Library staff is looking forward to working with you as you begin your fall 2021 semester as a 1L, 2L, 3L, or 4L. Are you working on a seminar paper, looking for a form, or writing a journal article?

The librarians can train you to develop research strategies using the over 100 databases available to you as a Chicago-Kent student. The library staff at our service desk can help you reserve a study room or assist you in checking out resources.

For tips on succeeding in law school and electronic study aids for your classes, check out West Academic Study Aids (WASA). Use the Create An Account link and register with your Chicago-Kent Law email. You can access these at any time – and add your own notes and highlights. For our new 1L students, look for messages in the next few weeks for steps to set up your Westlaw and Lexis accounts.

We look forward to seeing you in many classes helping you develop legal research skills and technical competence to prepare you for the legal marketplace.

Visit us in the library or contact refreq with your questions. Have a great year!

From Career Services: Welcome back, students! A number of employers have elected to conduct their formal recruiting efforts later in the fall. Their opportunities will be posted in the OCI section of Symplicity and each employer will have a recruiting session labeled by the employer’s name. Currently, there are several new recruiting opportunities that have been posted this week. Some additional opportunities will be added moving forward over the next several months.

Allstate Insurance – 2L, 3L Eve OCI Sept. 14 (application due Sept. 1)

Scopelitis – 2L Eve, 2L, 3L Eve OCI Sept. 16 (application due August 30)

Cook County State’s Attorney – 3L, 4L Eve OCI Sept. 27 (application due Sept. 1)

Birthdays & Special Days – August:

8/1	Yaz Alford, 1L
8/8	Mariami Tkeshelashvili, 3L
8/11	Hannah Saed, 2L
8/11	Alexa Hancasky, 3L
8/12	Hani Salameh, 2L
8/13	Ashley Rice, 2L
8/17	Kaleb Smith, 3L
8/18	Benjamin Levine, 2L
8/22	David Guerra, 2L
8/29	Romteen Bahramirad, 2L
8/31	Gabriela Padilla-Abarca, 2L

*if you wish to share your special date with the student body, click here