Civil Unrest In Baltimore, But Won't Someone Please Think Of The Law Students

There is civil unrest in Baltimore, but now for the really important question: how does this affect finals?

Maybe we’ve all gotten desensitized. Over the last year or so, the names Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, and now Freddie Gray have become flashpoints for the growing distrust too many feel towards law enforcement. This zeitgeist has frequently taken the form of protests and rallies, which by their very nature happen in public places. And despite the focus on structured agitation for real policy changes, sometimes protests can spiral out of control and lead to violence and destruction.

In Baltimore these protests are ongoing and a state of emergency has been declared.

This has led to unusual circumstances. Folks being locked in Camden Yards, a curfew has been instituted, and the University of Maryland closed their Baltimore campus. Which includes the law school. Oh, and did I mention it is Finals Week?

Don’t worry — leave it to law students to freak the f**k out.

The University just shut down campus again today which is forcing finals cancelations. [sic]  There is also a huge outcry about rescheduling exams, who should be allowed too, and how to prevent cheating if some people are allowed to push off their exams while others take at the original time.

Listen I get it, finals are stressful and, you know, can determine the course of the rest of your life. But. Come on. There is something important going on. No one wants cheaters, but when the real world intrudes on the insular bubble that is law school the administrators have to make tough calls. And as Joe said in a particularly biting moment, “If you think your neighbor getting 2 more days will hurt your grade, you’re the one with the studying problem.”

Forced to close in the middle of exams, Dean Tobin has come up with a plan. It involves take home exams and the honor code, but it seems like a cogent plan.

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Dear Above the Law Editors:

I understand that your readers are aware of the challenges that our law school is facing as a result of ongoing events in the aftermath of the tragic death of Freddie Gray. As a result of these events, we have faced unplanned university closures, including our law school building, during our final exam period. Our law school community is well equipped to handle these challenges as professionals working together.

We have chosen to shift our general exam administration in two ways. First, we are implementing remote access to exams, subject to the general rules already put in place by the professors. Second, we are providing students a 48-hour window during which to take each exam that commences from the originally scheduled time. We have sent more details to our students, which has been attached for your reference.

Although these circumstances present considerable challenges, we know that our students will meet them with professionalism and with a spirit of cooperation.

Dean Donald Tobin

Take note law schools, when real life events intrude on your exam schedule having a detailed plan that provides certainty to students will go an awful long way. At their core, law students are a neurotic ball of insecurities liable to flip out if Starbucks runs out of their “good luck” flavor of mochaccino. So providing a clear set of guidelines (on the same day the incident happens no less) for the changes they are facing gives a sense of security. From the letter Dean Tobin wrote you can see the details given the student body.

For any final exam for the remainder of this semester, the exam will be available through Exam4 at the regularly scheduled time for your Exam. You will have a window of 48 hours from the start time of the exam to find a suitable location to take the exam on your own computer or by handwriting in Bluebooks. The period of time you may work on the exam is still governed by the instructions provided by the Professor. You will also receive an additional 15 minute grace period for each exam to cover some of the administrative set up time associated with these procedures.

During all exams, you are governed by the honor code and, with the exception of the administrative changes set out here, whatever rules your professor has otherwise provided

Rejoice UMB law students, you don’t have to use ExamSoft!

Read the full letter from Dean Tobin to the students on page 2.

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