From left, Debra Staats, associate dean for administrative and fiscal affairs; Alyson Flournoy, senior associate dean for academic affairs; Dean Robert Jerry; and Rachel Inman, associate dean for students, paneled a town hall meeting Nov. 13. (Photo by Marcela Suter)

By Felicia Holloman (3L)

University of Florida Levin College of Law’s John Marshall Bar Association held a town hall to tackle hot-button issues for students and potential solutions.

Students, faculty, and staff filled the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom on Nov. 13 to discuss concerns regarding exam scheduling, the variety of classes offered and library hours.

Dean Robert Jerry; Rachel Inman, associate dean for students; Alyson Flournoy, senior associate dean for academic affairs; and Debra Staats, associate dean for administrative and fiscal affairs, paneled the meeting.

The topics discussed at the town hall were chosen through a student survey, which received 169 responses.

A high-priority issue was the exam conflict rule, which allows students to reschedule an exam if more than one of their exams is scheduled on the same day. The rule does not allow adjustments for students who have two exams within 24 hours of each other.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents reported general dissatisfaction with the rule, while 88.7 percent of respondents reported that having more than one exam in a 24-hour period puts them at a disadvantage.

One proposed solution is to institute a reading period. But Inman remarked that a reading period would likely extend the semester, and could pose problems for students who live on campus or receive financial aid. Jerry suggested scheduling conflicts with main campus may be avoided by starting the semester earlier.

Although the faculty needs to be consulted on the question of changing the exam conflict rule, Jerry believes students expressed compelling reasons for the change.

“This is a solid argument,” Jerry said. Inman hopes for a change to the conflict exam rule to be instituted by spring semester.

Another issue concerned the variety of classes offered in certain concentrations. A total of 56.6 percent of respondents reported that they were dissatisfied with the number of classes offered in their area of interest. A significant percentage of these responses called for more classes in criminal; entertainment, arts, and sports; and real property, probate, and trust law.

Flournoy explained some of the factors that influence the classes offered.

“We look at enrollment each semester and adjust accordingly,” Flournoy said.  “We try to balance the number of offerings in different subject areas so that there is a good array of offerings each semester.”  But in general, the spring semester schedule accounts for students enrolling in fewer credit hours. Thus the number of electives offered is adjusted accordingly.

According to Flournoy, faculty members are working with the administration with the goal of developing additional tools for academic guidance to help advise students on courses that are relevant to different career paths, some of which may not be obvious to students. Flournoy is also working with faculty to develop additional courses in areas of strong student interest.

A change to be instituted this semester is 24-hour access to a classroom for studying in the weeks prior to exams. Law students may use their swipe cards to access the room seven days a week. The change comes amid student complaints that libraries around campus and the county are not opened often enough.

Jerry expressed his appreciation for students’ input.

“We get a lot of good ideas from this, either through comments in the survey or the town hall,” Jerry said.

The meeting, which has been held each semester since fall 2009, is intended to allow UF Law administrators and students to have direct communication while addressing student concerns, raising new questions and fostering a healthy and productive discussion about how to improve the law school.

The panel consisted of Dean Robert Jerry, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rachel Inman, Associate Dean for Administrative and Fiscal Affairs Debra Staats and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Alyson Flournoy.

Jerry began the meeting by addressing the changing world of legal education and looking at what UF Law is doing to keep up with those changes.

“We have, for about two years now, been working on curriculum reforms here at the law school and in the fall of ’12, the 1Ls will have some changes to the curriculum,” Jerry said.

He pointed out that UF Law has already been a leader in legal skills with the mandatory legal drafting class for second-year students.

He also discussed the difficult job market and pointed out that the Center for Career Development has a new assistant dean — Pascale Bishop — and the staff and program have been completely revamped.

“We are working hard to try to ramp up our support for you in that job search and I hope you will take advantage of the services we offer,” Jerry said.

Next, Inman relayed the results of a survey regarding new food options in the cafeteria. She said 440 students and 99 faculty and staff members participated in the Survey Monkey survey.

The results showed that 86.8 percent of participating students chose Wednesday as their top day to have an alternate food option available at the law school; the second choice was Tuesday. For faculty and staff, the top choice was Tuesday and the second choice was Monday. The top pick by students for food was Pollo Tropical — followed by Subway — while faculty and staff chose Chili’s, also followed by Subway.

“When you return the week of Jan. 7, as the survey mentioned, our goal is to have an online ordering process,” Inman said. “You can order and pay online … that day, and then the food will be delivered at a specific time and you will come to a particular place and pick it up.”

Inman said the new system will be tried out at the beginning of the semester, then send out another survey to see how it can be improved or refined. All current food options in the cafeteria will still be available.

Staats and Flournoy addressed facilities and curriculum questions, respectively.

Staats said the administration is looking into adding a card-swipe option to the second-floor entrance to Bruton-Geer Hall since it is used more frequently by students now that the lockers are there. The process has been cost-prohibitive in the past because the door is a non-standard size and the glass would have to be replaced, but she will look into it again.

She said another popular question brought up by students is whether they could get an additional electric outlet in the cubby desks in the library. Staats said it is not possible because the building is “already maxed out as far as the amount of electricity we have going in it.”

In response to curricular questions, Flournoy said the strategic planning committee is “just beginning to look at skills in the upper level.” She also said the school’s grading curve policy will be clarified on the website in the future.

Finally, Jerry addressed distracting noise and overcrowding in the library.

“The bottom line is we absolutely want you to have a comfortable space to do your studies all the time the library is available and we’re trying to make sure it’s available at times when you need it,” he said.

UF Law students and Elizabeth Outler, associate director of the Legal Information Center, also got involved in the conversation.

Several students complained that much of the noise and overcrowding in the library is a result of undergraduate students who come to the law library to study.

Jerry said access to the law library cannot be restricted, but measures were discussed on how to minimize distractions and overcrowding.

The meeting closed with a round of questions from students. Topics addressed included the possibility of extending the reading period at the end of the semester, scheduling conflicts in class offerings and criteria for admitting transfer students.

Comedian Joel McHale and music act the Goo Goo Dolls will perform, and Gainesville’s very own Ken Block and Drew Copeland of Sister Hazel will be this year’s hosts.

Buy tickets at www.gatorgrowl.org/tickets.

John Marshall Bar Association President Joe Joyce introduces the panel of Dean Robert Jerry, Dean Debra Staats, Dean William Page and Dean Rachel Inman at the town hall meeting Nov. 16. (Photo by Joey Springer)

“Is there any way we can get a salad bar?”

“Can the library extend its hours to mimic main campus library hours?”

“Can Starbucks be open the same duration of the library?”

These and other questions and suggestions were addressed at the Fall 2010 Town Hall Meeting Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom. The event was hosted by the John Marshall Bar Association (JMBA) and included panel members Dean Robert Jerry, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs William Page, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Rachel Inman and Associate Dean for Administrative and Fiscal Affairs Debra Staats.

The hour-long event had over 100 attendees and touched on topics such as career development, academics, facilities and student services. Each dean answered questions and addressed suggestions relating to their area.

The meeting first focused on questions and suggestions collected by JMBA from students. These included requests to add a new microwave and furniture in the cafeteria, painting and/or pressure washing the outside of the building during an academic break and adding toilet seat covers and individual trashcans in the women’s restroom stalls.

“Some things are obvious. We just need someone to say them out loud,” Staats said.

In response to concerns related to the Center for Career Development, Jerry said, “We recognize [career development] as an area where we need to perform better – in the delivery of student services. Making improvements in that area is a top priority.”

Inman has stepped in as interim director of the Center for Career Development following the resignation of former Assistant Dean for Career Development Linda Calvert-Hanson. Jerry said there will be a national search to bring in a new director, and that the school will continue to work to make available more small-firm options for employment, disseminate information more effectively, and get more recruiters to interview UF Law students.

“We will do a better job providing all these services,” Jerry said.

Jerry also discussed the power of the Gator Nation network, how alumni have helped with the placement of prior graduates, and the school’s plan to encourage alumni to hire Gator grads.

Student suggestions and concerns voiced at the town hall meeting included:

• Keeping the law library open until 1 a.m. like the main campus libraries
• Offering extended library hours two weeks earlier than usually offered for students who have papers due before finals
• Making the reading room limited to only law students
• Having Starbucks use the same operating hours as the library
• Adding food options such as a salad bar, Subway and Boar’s Head
• Inviting food vendors such as Chick-fil-A to sell on campus at designated times
• Offering the law calendar in a smart-phone friendly format
• Providing more lighting and/or security on the campus at night, especially around the Florida Law Review office entrance

After the administration addressed suggestions, the town hall meeting closed with a question and answer session. Some questions included: “why is there no ‘Sexuality in Law’ class?”, “will there be a certificate in criminal law available?” and “why don’t we have more clinic options?”

Page’s answers included that there was a “Sexuality in Law” class previously offered during the summer, but the professor who teaches that class hasn’t been able to teach it the past couple years due to course loads. However, they are looking to offer the class in the spring or fall semester. Page also said that a certificate in criminal law is not yet available, but that the school is investigating the addition of an entrepreneurship clinic.

In answer to a question regarding the grading curve, Page said the current class standing system communicates the quality and competitiveness of the student body.

After receiving answers to their questions and voicing their opinions, students were offered free lunch provided by JMBA. Joe Joyce, president of JMBA, thought the meeting was successful.

“It was a really honest dialogue,” Joyce said. “There has been positive change from town hall meetings in the past, and this is an important part of what JMBA does: advocate for student issues. JMBA wants to provide students with access to the administration and advocate on their behalf issues that the students care about and believe in.”

“It’s about effecting positive change,” he said.

Stephen Zack congratulates students on their achievements. (Photo by Joey Springer)

Many students enter law school having routinely aced their classes since they were children. It is, unsurprisingly, a jarring moment when law students realize that As are few and far between in the new environs. But even the vaunted A is not the ultimate mark of law school achievement. Those who receive the highest score in the class are given something extra: a book award.

On Friday, Oct. 8, those students received their book awards, commemorated with a plaque. The ceremony took place immediately after the Criser lecture, meaning that students had the pleasure of receiving their awards from ABA President Stephen Zack.

“We’re so proud of our students who have led our classes as the top student,” Dean Robert Jerry said, “and it’s a great honor to have your award presented to you by Stephen Zack.”

Many of the book awards are sponsored by firms, individuals, or groups honoring a friend. For example, the award for Florida Constitutional Law is given in honor of Bill McBride, and endowed by McBride’s law partner and fellow UF Law grad Bob Bolt, as well as McBride’s wife and gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink.

Other book awards are given in memory of those who have passed, including the award for Advanced Labor Law. The award is given in memory of Rebecca Jakubcin, a 1999 UF Law grad who died after being struck by a drunk driver. The award is sponsored by the law firm of Fisher & Phillips, where Jakubcin was a partner before her tragic death.

Zack ended the ceremony by congratulating the students, family members and award sponsors who filled the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom. In his last remarks, Zack invoked the motto of the classroom’s namesake, ‘Do good.’ “Students,” Zack said, “you done good.”

Dean Robert Jerry addresses concerns of market placement with his presentation on the current state. (Photo by Joey Springer)

Dean Robert Jerry addressed concerns about the difficult placement market with 2L and 3L students on Wednesday, Sept. 29.

After outlining the general state of the U.S. economy to “put things in perspective,” Jerry shared a little bit of good news: There were recently 1,000 new jobs in legal markets. While this is a very small uptake, the legal economy and national economy have always closely tracked each other in history, he said.

Jerry expects that the legal market won’t be totally back until 2013. Many things have shaken up the legal world, and he anticipates some of the changes will stick around. As clients are scrambling to make ends meet, they are demanding that firms change billing practices to fit their budget. Dual associate tracts will likely to become a permanent part of the landscape, making it harder than ever to achieve partner status.

He advised students to think about their career rather than their job. Sometimes it is smart to take a job that will help you in the long run, such as a state attorney position in a less desirable, more rural area, because you will gain experience that will help you later, he said.

“It is a difficult market, but not an impossible market,” he concluded.

Patti Williams, left, stands with Deb Staats at Tuesday's Service Pin Ceremony. Williams was awarded a 30-year pin for her service to the College. (Photo by Joey Springer)

UF Law faculty honored staff members at the Service Pin Ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 21. Employees received recognition for their years of work at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

Dean Jerry personally thanked everyone for their service and recognized how much of the school’s success is attributable to them.

This year, Michelle Horn, Micah Johnson, Angelia Forder and Robin Henry received five-year pins. Lenny Kennedy, Liz Mosier, Judy Boyd and Lisa Caldwell received 10-year pins. Marilyn Henderson received a 15-year pin. Janet Williams, Ellen Robinson and Betty Donaldson received 25-year pins. Theola Thornton and Patti Williams received 30-year pins. “We appreciate all you do,” Dean Jerry said. “We are pleased and proud to have you in our UF community.”

Joshua Lukman is among the UF Law grads who passed the July Florida Bar exam.

The University of Florida Levin College of Law achieved the highest passage rate on the July Florida bar exam out of the state’s 11 law schools, according to results recently released by the Florida Supreme Court.

Out of 310 UF Law grads that took the examination, 269 passed, resulting in a 86.8 percent pass rate compared to the state’s overall pass rate of 79.2 percent. Florida State University (86.2) and University of Miami (86) rounded out the top three schools.

“UF Law was first in Florida on the July 2010 Bar Exam, and continues to hold the record of having the most consistently strong performance on the bar over time of any law school in the state. When February and July exam results in the same year are combined to ensure accurate class-by-class comparisons, UF Law ranks first in 2010 and have been in the top two six of the last seven years, 12 of the last 13 years,” said UF Law Dean Robert Jerry.

“UF Law is also proud to be the only top-tier law school in Florida, the only Florida law school ranked in the top ten in the nation in the Super Lawyers ranking of alumni and the first-choice destination for most Florida residents seeking a legal education in Florida,” Jerry said.

The results are in. The entering Class of 2013 has set a new record in terms of their collective GPA — with metrics that compare favorably to those previously reported by the nation’s top 25 law schools — and LSAT — with metrics resembling those of the top 40 law schools. (Updated statistics for the fall 2010 class for other law schools are not yet available for analysis.) The credentials of these first year law students reinforce UF Law’s reputation as a top-tier national law school, and enhance the school’s ability to recruit high-caliber students. It builds on the trend of an increasingly well-qualified student body in recent years.

“We are pleased that, once again, this entering class is the best-credentialed in our history,” said Dean Robert Jerry. “They are outstanding additions to the UF Law Gator Nation.”

Dean Jerry reported the credentials to the faculty during a retreat on Aug. 19.

The new 1L class, comprised of 310 students, boasts a median LSAT score of 162 (up from 161 in 2009) and a median GPA score of 3.67. The class also holds the record for the greatest percentage of minority students enrolled, 26.8 percent, up nearly 3 percent from 2009. Of the more than 3,500 applicants to UF Law, only about 24 percent were admitted.

With 46 percent of the fall 2010 entering class having been out of college for one or more years, this new crop of 1Ls bring a range of educational and practical experiences with them. The class represents 74 undergraduate colleges and universities throughout the nation, including Brown University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Chicago, the University of Florida, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas-Austin.

Jerry started the discussion by sharing the recent results from the February Bar exam, which were much improved from last year’s results. The pass percentage for UF first-time takers was 81.1 percent (30/37) against an overall pass rate of 72.2 percent (586/812). Another product of the school’s hard work was the employment status of the UF Law class of 2009. As of February 2010, for graduates who wish to work and who are working or those pursuing a graduate degree from the class of 2009, the employment status was 99.5 percent; all but three members of last year’s graduating class are employed.

Jerry was pleased to be able to report the good news, and was very grateful for the help given by past graduates of the law school.

“Our alumni really stepped up in finding and helping create those positions for our students,” Jerry said.

Much of the meeting was devoted to issues that had already been raised, and while the solutions to many of them were still being sought, the issue of paying for exam-taking software had been solved.

Previously, students who wanted to use their computers to take exams were forced to pay a fee in the range of $25 to register the ExamSoft program. Jerry said that fee would soon be taken care of by the school.

“Starting next year, and I think this is the right answer, we are going to use private unrestricted gifts to pay for a school-wide licensing fee,” he said.

Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Bill Page spoke on a range of issues, but most of his time was spent answering students’ questions about scheduling. Scheduling issues ranged from what to do with the noon period that is usually free, the possibility of more classes focusing on Florida law, and the possibility of a certificate program in criminal law.

Assistant Dean for Career Development Linda Calvert Hanson spoke to the school’s efforts to help students get jobs, externships and other opportunities. While Career Development does much to aid students, being perhaps the most rural of Florida law schools can make things more difficult, Hanson said. “One of the challenges that we have is the geographic limitations of Gainesville.”

Finally, Associate Dean for Students Rachel Inman discussed a few more issues, including the idea of introducing hot lunches to the cafeteria. Solutions discussed included getting the current vendor to add items, or have main campus vendors bring sandwiches or other items to the law school. While a final solution has not been reached, Inman said that they are committed to finding one, saying “We’ll do our best to have some sort of schedule for hot food options for you in the fall.