Update 10/13/21

Hi Everyone,

I appreciate all of you who took the time to sign this statement in support of in-person learning. I have forwarded a copy of our signed statement to the dean. Also:

1. SBA senators are sending surveys out for the Spring 2022 semester regarding whether we prefer fully in-person or hybrid. I encourage you to go fill it out so your preference is on the record.

2. The school is having town hall's both tonight & next Wednesday (both at 5pm). I will attend the one tonight and express my support for in-person learning and I encourage you all to do the same. The Web-Ex links are in your student email.

October 10, 2021

Dear Dean Hutchins:

We are the students who have attended in-person classes this semester and are writing to ask you to allow us to continue to have in-person learning for the Spring 2022 semester. So far, the law school has had a successful journey with having law students learning in-person and we ask that you continue to build on this vital structure for our learning. Even with the existence of the Delta variant, our school has managed to keep everyone on campus safe with only three recorded Covid-19 cases and over 90% vaccination rate among the in-person/hybrid students. Furthermore, we have abided by safety guidelines including vaccination, masking, and social distancing.

We are among the students who are having the opportunity to attend classes in-person this fall. There are several reasons we have experienced benefits from this. We have developed close relationships by studying together, getting to know each other, and being able to ask for assistance from each other. These relationships will allow us to thrive as law students and seek advice from each other as we move into our professional lives. If we had been fully online, we would not have gotten to know each other this well.

There is much more to in-person learning than just sitting at a desk. We have a better understanding of the learning material from our professors. We are getting interactive and invaluable feedback from our professors. We are learning in a traditional learning environment that is free of the distractions and technical difficulties that we would experience at home. And most importantly, this is the learning style that fits this group the best.

We understand that there are students who are hesitant about returning to campus. We would like the school to explore hybrid options for those students so they can have the option to attend remotely. But there are students like us who want a traditional law school education. In-person is the learning style that we feel will allow us to be the most successful. We respectfully request that you allow us to continue to have the choice to learn in-person for the Spring 2022 semester.

Thank you for considering our request.

Sincerely,

Students in Support of In-Person Learning