University of Houston Law Center students received updates from faculty and staff in the school’s first-ever virtual town hall on Wednesday.
April 10, 2020 - Dean Leonard M. Baynes and members of the University of Houston Law Center senior administration addressed student questions regarding academic affairs, grading, exams, student advisement, jobs and the bar exam on Wednesday during a Zoom video conference webinar.
Baynes was joined by the Law Center’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor Greg R. Vetter, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Monica Mensah, Assistant Dean for Career Development Tiffany Tucker and Clinical Assistant Professor Megan Davis.
"We wanted to connect with students to tell them about what we were doing to advance the interest of the Law Center and its students in in light of the COVID-19 crisis," Baynes said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime situation, and we are all in this together. I applaud our students, faculty and staff for being flexible and adapting so quickly to the changing technology and using Zoom."
In regards to the July bar exam, Baynes noted that Texas Board of Law Examiners' goal is to have the exam administered in July to the extent that it is possible.
In regards to the July bar exam, Baynes noted that Texas Board of Law Examiners' goal is to have the exam administered in July to the extent that it is possible.
"There are state, local and federal laws that may prevent that from happening. They have committed to make a decision in early May to determine whether the exam will be administered in July. They have picked several dates in September as alternatives."
Vetter discussed how exams will be administered and confirmed the University of Houston's policy that summer classes will be delivered remotely.
"All of UH is definitively in an alternative delivery mode with remote online instruction this summer," he said. "We are examining the summer schedule to see if we can add classes to it."
In regards to student services, Mensah noted a weekly live chat every Tuesday and Thursday that can assist students with questions or concerns.
"We want to stay connected to students as much as possible," Mensah said. "Please know that we are doing everything that we can to make sure our students feel supported in this time. The live chat is a great forum to reach out and stay connected and to find out about resources available."
On behalf of the Career Development Office, Tucker discussed the continuity of its current offerings and the potential to convert networking events to an online format.
"We have continued all of our services - one-on-one career advising, resume and cover letter reviews, mock interviews," Tucker said. “All of those things are being done remotely. We're maintaining the Symplicity job bank as we're finding out about employers who are hiring.
"We will maintain our OCI in August and it will be offered virtually if needed. We will also absolutely have our very productive and impactful Small & Midsize Firm Open House in the fall and the spring, JD Advantage Career Table Talk in the Fall, and additional OCI programs in October and January. Rest assured we are staying in touch with employers, we are constantly engaging in employer outreach and we are making sure our students have access to the jobs that are available."
Davis addressed the town hall about preparing for the bar exam.
"We will provide updates on a regular basis through the entire bar prep process," Davis said. "We will continue to offer workshops throughout. Whether this is a July bar exam or if it postponed to a September date, we will have workshops online or in-person if possible."
"For our 3Ls, I realize this is not the end of your legal education as you envisioned it. But know that we look forward to celebrating you all when you do walk across the stage later this year. We are so proud of all the hard work you're putting in to finish out this last three years of experience."
