UPDATE 3/22/20 - Thank You & Some Important Announcements

Dear Southwestern Students,

To begin with, Dean Prager and I want to thank you profoundly for your central role in making our first days of distance learning successful.  Without your diligence and flexibility, we would not have been able to make a relatively smooth transition to Zoom classes. We are extremely grateful to you all for this, as we are to our faculty and staff, most of whom had less than a week to prepare for this change.  They and we very much appreciate your “can do” attitude.    We do, however, want to be sure that if you have any questions or concerns about distance learning via Zoom, we hear about them.  We ask that you reach out to me (dwaisman@swlaw.edu), the Dean of Students Office (deanofstudents@swlaw.edu), or, for IT-related issues, to IThelp@swlaw.edu.   

I also have two important announcements.

Remote Classes Will Continue for the Remainder of the Spring Semester

As you know, the day after we began implementing Zoom based classes, Stay at Home Orders were issued in Los Angeles and statewide.  The Los Angeles Order is in effect until April 19, while the statewide order is in effect until further notice. These are critical measures aimed at dramatically reducing the spread of the virus and we all need to be a part of making them work.   As April 20-24 is the final week of classes at Southwestern for the spring semester, we have decided that we should plan to complete instruction via Zoom.  There will be no further on-campus classes at Southwestern this semester and all instruction for the remainder of the semester will occur remotely.

No Decision Yet On Finals and Grading; Please Share Your Views

I also want to address an issue that I know many of you have been thinking about: how final exams and grading will be handled this semester in light of the COVID-19 crisis.  We want to assure you that no decision has been made yet on these critical issues and that we will not make a decision without carefully considering your input.  Many of you have already shared your views with Southwestern faculty, administrators, or the Student Bar Association, but we want to hear from as many of you as wish to be heard.  There are two mechanisms to voice your input: 1) Send an email to me at dwaisman@swlaw.edu; or 2) Share your thoughts anonymously here: https://forms.gle/Utdv66Sc9izTBMWX7.  If you wish to share your views, please be sure to do so by 5 pm on Wednesday, March 25.

Once again, thank you so much for playing a critical role in our efforts to finish out the semester in spite of the extraordinary situation we find ourselves in with this global pandemic.  You have made and continue to make us incredibly proud.

All the best,

Dov Waisman

Vice Dean & Professor of Law