September Letter
Dear Class of 2012:
We look forward to seeing you later this month. We hope you are taking some time to relax and enjoy yourselves during this time when most of the rest of the world is already back at work or back in school. We are busy preparing for your Orientation and arrival at the Law School. Our goal with this letter is to ease your transition to Chicago and the Law School. We urge you to take the time to read this letter and all attachments carefully because it will answer most of your questions. Of course, you can feel free to contact our office if you have any additional questions.
BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
Immunizations
To those of you who have already sent your immunization records to the Student Care Center, thank you! Many of you, however, have not yet sent your immunization records to the Student Care Center. Each year several students are prevented from registering for the winter quarter because they have not taken care of this detail. Please review the information in the letter emailed to you in June regarding immunizations. For your convenience, the June letter is available online at: http://www.law.uchicago.edu/students/incoming/juneletter
CAlert
CAlert is the University of Chicago's electronic emergency notification system. This system will enable authorized University officials to reach you through mechanisms other than regular University email and telephones. This system can transmit short notifications by email to any outside email address, by text message to a cell phone, or by voice message to an off-campus telephone. The information in the emergency notification system will be used only to contact you in case of emergency, a University closing, or some other event that requires rapid, wide-scale notification of the community. Please register your emergency contact information online at cAlert.uchicago.edu by Monday, September 21st.
Getting to Know your Classmates
We are happy that so many of you are using Facebook to connect with each other and ask questions about your transition to Law School. While many of you are already in Chicago, the Class of 2012 comes from all over the country. If you would like to meet up with your classmates before your arrival, organizing a meet-up on Facebook is a great way to do it. If you have not already joined the Class of 2012 Facebook page, please do!
ORIENTATION
Orientation for the Class of 2012 will be September 23-25th. The first day of Orientation will focus on academics, the second day on professionalism, and the third (half) day on service. Orientation will include both important information and opportunities to get to know your classmates in a relaxed setting.
One perennial question that we hear from students is: What is the appropriate attire for the Orientation events? The dress for Orientation generally is casual. The dress for the Entering Students Dinner on Thursday, September 24th, however, is business.
Boat Cruise
On the first evening of Orientation, we have planned a boat cruise for the entering class. Unfortunately, we can only accommodate the members of the class and a few of our upper level students on the boat, but spouses/significant others are invited to attend the Entering Students Dinner on the second day of orientation (see below). Buses will leave from the Law School at the end of the day to Navy Pier where you board the boat. Snacks will be provided at the Law School, and drinks and dessert will be available on the boat. After the cruise, a bus will return to Hyde Park and will make stops at Regents Park, New Grad, and the Law School. You may also decide to explore downtown dinner options on your own with your new classmates. If you decide to do this, you will be on your own for transportation as well. The attire for the boat cruise is definitely casual.
Entering Students Dinner
Each year, the Law School Community celebrates the arrival of our new class at the Entering Students Dinner. This year, the Entering Students Dinner will be on Thursday, September 24th. The reception will begin at 5:00 and invitees will be seated for dinner at 6:00. Please join your classmates, the faculty, and members of the administration for this Dinner in your honor. Please RSVP to events@law.uchicago.edu by or before September 14th indicating whether you will require a vegetarian or kosher meal. Business attire is recommended.
COURSE REGISTRATION/SECTION ASSIGNMENTS
Several of you have already inquired about your Bigelow section assignments. Your section assignments will be posted on our law school website (see Academics/Bigelow Program/Bigelow Section Assignments) and sent to you via e-mail on Monday, September 21st. The required materials for each course can be found on the Law School website as well (see Academics/Courses/booklists). Your first reading assignments will also be posted online (see Academics/Bigelow Program/First Assignments) and you will have more than enough time to prepare for the first day.
You do not need to worry about registration until the Spring Quarter when you will register for an elective. As a first-year student, the Registrar's Office generally handles your registration. The Registrar's office is located the third floor of the library in the Student Services Suite. The Registrar's Office is the best source to answer your questions about course registration and exam administration generally. Emergency requests to reschedule exams should be discussed with the Registrar or the Dean of Students.
ONCE YOU ARE ON CAMPUS
University of ID Chicago Card
Before classes begin, you will want to pick up your University of Chicago Card. This card serves multiple purposes. It is your University identification, library card, copy card, and key card for the Law School. The ID and Privileges Office (http://ipo.uchicago.edu/) issues cards to faculty, staff, and students. Their office is located in the lobby of the Regenstein Library at 1100 E. 57th Street.
Purchasing Your Books and Materials
Once you receive your section assignment, you will be able to purchase your books. Greenbooks, a Law School student organization, will be selling used books at the Law School on Thursday, September 24th. By purchasing your books from Greenbooks, you support the environment, students working in public interest, and environmental student programming at the Law School. Law School textbooks will also be available at the University Barnes and Noble during Orientation. This bookstore is located at 970 E. 58th Street. Purchasing your books, whether at Greenbooks or the University Barnes and Noble, on Friday afternoon during Orientation will give you ample time to prepare for your first class meetings.
Course materials will be sold at the Law School on Thursday, September 24th and Friday, September 25th from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and on Monday, September 28th from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The copy center is located on the lower level below the Law School Clinic in the far southeast corner of the building. Reggie Williams is the manager of that center.
You will receive your locker assignment on the first day of orientation.
Common Sense
Please take a few moments to review this important safety publication that contains helpful emergency phone numbers. Our campus police report an increase in incidents around campus at the beginning of the school year when there are new students on campus who are unfamiliar with the area. Common Sense has information about our shuttle service and SafeRide program, as well as Umbrella Coverage designed to ensure your safe passage from one campus location to another after hours. See http://commonsense.uchicago.edu/.
CHANGES TO THE CLASS SCHEDULE
During the first two weeks of class, your schedules may be impacted by two holidays that may be observed by a significant number of our faculty and students, though the Law School will be open and most classes will continue as scheduled. Students who wish to observe the holidays on campus should consult the University's website (Religion on the Quadrangle) for links to all of the student faith communities on campus. See http://rotq.uchicago.edu/orgs.html. All first year classes will be held as scheduled on Tuesday, September 29th (the first day of classes).
That's all for now. If you have further questions, please contact our Student Services Assistant, Lisa Alvarez (lalvarez@uchicago.edu or 773-702-3164) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. We look forward to seeing you very soon!
Sincerely,
Michele Baker Richardson
Dean of Students
Maureen C. Sheehan
Associate Director of Student Affairs
