The 40th Anniversary of the Paper Chase: A Conversation with Dean Minow & John Osborn (HLS ’70 and author)
TONIGHT 6-8pm
Austin West & Rotunda, Harvard Law School
– 6-7pm: A conversation with Dean Minow & John Osborn.
– 7pm: Q&A from students/audience.
– Reception to follow in Austin West Rotunda with book signing by the COOP
– Watch The Paper Chase in Caspersen South, or The Pub the week before the event
– Check out the Special Exhibit in Caspersen Treasure Room, 4th floor Library
Category Archives: Class of 2012
Security Series: RAD Class TODAY
As a continuation of the series of security events we offer, I want to remind you about the following event today:
The Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) Program taught by HUPD officers empowers female students, faculty, and staff to combat various types of assaults by providing them with realistic self-defense tactics and techniques. This empowerment is taught through four basic principles: education, dependency on self, making one’s own decisions, and realization of one’s own power. The objective of RAD is to develop and enhance self-defense options for women. The classes provide women with the knowledge to make educated decisions about resistance.
Class is open only to female students, faculty, and staff. From 3:15-5:15 pm in Milstein East C. Space is still available so you can attend if you haven’t registered (as long as space permits).
Pub Opens Tonight
The still-to-be-named-Pub will start its regular hours (Wed-Fri 5-10pm) this evening.
The Pub is available to HLS students and guests during its hours of operation.
The Pub is also available for reservation for large groups anytime (they’ll open up if need be).
More details are at:
http://www.dining.harvard.edu/node/207
HLS Thinks Big
For those of you who will be around…
All HLS students are cordially invited to attend our annual HLS Thinks Big event. Please register below and mark your calendars. We hope to see you there!
Dean’s Awards
As we prepare for commencement, we are soliciting nominations for some graduation awards:
The Dean’s Awards for Community Leadership recognize a number of graduating students who contribute time and energy to making the HLS community a better place through involvement in student organizations, community service groups and individual efforts.
The Frank Righeimer Jr. Student Prize for Citizenship is awarded annually to one graduating student to recognize exceptional citizenship within the Law School community through involvement in student organizations, community service groups and individual efforts.
The William J. Stuntz Award is awarded annually to recognize the graduating student who, in his or her time at Harvard Law School, has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to justice, respect for human dignity, and compassion.
The David Westfall Memorial Award for Student Citizenship is awarded annually to one graduating student for contributions to creating community within the first-year section and class.
To nominate graduating students for these awards, please email a short statement in support of their nomination to dos@law.harvard.edu. Awards will be announced at the Class Day ceremony.
Nominated students will automatically be considered for all of these awards (unless you indicate otherwise). Please feel free to contact me with questions. Thank you.
Commencement Email #3
Hi-
Happy Patriot’s Day and last week of classes!
Included in this email is information on:
1.Ticket Ordering – now open!
2.Graduation Award Nominations
3.Graduating Students Reception
4.Yearbooks and Congratulatory Ads
5.Disability Accommodations
1. TICKET ORDERING
The ticket reservation system for commencement is now up and running. The deadline for reserving tickets is Friday, May 4th. You will pick up your tickets starting Wednesday, May 16th.
Before you can reserve your tickets, we ask you to complete a short questionnaire about your experience at HLS. It takes less than 5 minutes and is a really important way for us to get comprehensive student feedback.
This is our ninth year of the survey. The scores and comments are taken very seriously and compared to previous years.
I want to assure you that survey responses are completely confidential. Your scores and comments go into a database, separate from any identifying information used for the tickets. The anonymous results are given to Dean Martha Minow.
Comments are reviewed, sorted by departments, and specifics are discussed and addressed on a department level. The feedback has helped us to improve things during the last eight years, so we are anxious to hear from you about what works, what doesn’t, and what changes you would like to see.
Once you complete the survey, you will be able to reserve your tickets. If you are not participating in the ceremonies and do not need any tickets, we invite you to complete the survey to provide feedback.
You will be able to order tickets to the various ceremonies through our on-line reservation system beginning today, here: http://tinyurl.com/commencement2012
Here’s a quick summary of how the tickets work:
You do not need tickets to any of the events on the Law School campus on Class Day, Wednesday, May 23.
On Commencement Day, Thursday, May 24, you will receive 2 guest tickets for the University’s Morning Ceremony in Harvard Yard (you do not need a ticket as you will be seated with your class). This is where President Faust will confer your degree. The Law School stands as a group and sits – no individual calling of names (that happens at the next ceremony). This ceremony has about 32,000+ people and is a standing room only crowd. This is not for the faint of heart since it takes a long time to get in and out of the ceremony (as a rough example, most guests are in their seats by 7:30am and the ceremony doesn’t start until 9:45am). We suggest that people who might tire easily or be more sensitive to temperature opt instead to watch the ceremony in air conditioned comfort on the many screens we will have available in the law school classrooms. Sadly, because the ceremony is so crowded, we cannot give out any additional tickets for this ceremony so your additional guests are welcome to view the ceremony in the classrooms as well.
After the morning ceremony ends (11:15ish), you return to the Law School for the Luncheon and Diploma Ceremony. This is where Dean Martha Minow distributes degrees individually by degree and section. You get 1 complimentary ticket for lunch. You can purchase additional tickets for lunch ($15 each). Alternatively, your guests are welcome to attend the Law School ceremony without tickets if they would prefer to just sit at a table and not eat lunch. The ceremony is held on Holmes Field (in front of Langdell) and involves 5000 people at 500 tables of 10. The tables are not reserved so seating is first-come first-served. Everyone gets a seat. No reserving tables is allowed; if a sign is spotted on a table, a Commencement staff person will remove it.
After the Law School Ceremony, you can return to the Yard for the Afternoon Ceremony which includes speeches by President Faust and the Commencement Speaker, Dr. Fareed Zakaria. You get 3 tickets to this ceremony but there is usually room for additional guests. Graduating students do not need a ticket as long as you are still in academic regalia. This event usually involves 15,000 people.
You will pick up your tickets starting Wednesday May 16. You must be cleared through the Registrar and Student Financial Offices before receiving your tickets. In addition, you must complete the Graduate Employment Survey. If you have any questions regarding completing the survey, please contact OCS at ocs@law.harvard.edu or 617-495-3119.
2. GRADUATION AWARD NOMINATIONS
We are soliciting nominations for some graduation awards:
The Dean’s Awards for Community Leadership recognize a number of graduating students who contribute time and energy to making the HLS community a better place through involvement in student organizations, community service groups and individual efforts.
The Frank Righeimer Jr. Student Prize for Citizenship is awarded annually to one graduating student to recognize exceptional citizenship within the Law School community through involvement in student organizations, community service groups and individual efforts.
The William J. Stuntz Award, recognizing the graduating student who, in his or her time at Harvard Law School, has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to justice, respect for human dignity, and compassion.
The David Westfall Memorial Award for Student Citizenship is awarded annually to one graduating student for contributions to creating community within the first-year section and class.
To nominate graduating students for these awards, please email a short statement in support of their nomination to dos@law.harvard.edu by Friday, April 20. Awards will be announced at the Class Day ceremony.
Nominated students will automatically be considered for all of these awards (unless you indicate otherwise). Please feel free to contact us with any questions (dos@law.harvard.edu, (617) 495-1880)
3. GRADUATING STUDENTS RECEPTION
Dean Martha Minow invites you to the Graduating Students Reception Wednesday, April 18 in Milstein East: 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
4. YEARBOOKS AND CONGRATULATORY ADS
If you haven’t already purchased your 2012 yearbook, go to: http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A03427596 to personalize and order! Your yearbook will be shipped to you later during the summer and will include memories from the 2011-2012 school year, Class Day, and Commencement. Follow this link http://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/ybk_cp_yearbook_ads.html for more information on purchasing a congratulatory ad for this year’s yearbook to personalize and upload text and photos. Ads are a great way for you, your family, and your friends to memorialize your time at HLS, so feel free to forward this link on to those you love. And it’s still not too late to upload photos of your student organization, journal, events, parties and HLS memories: https://images.jostens.com/login?user=400135497&pw=harvardlaw If it does not automatically log you into the site, enter username: 400135497 and password: harvardlaw – browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload. (minimum recommended resolution of 400X600pixels). Enter information about the photo and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional information. Click “Save Details”. It’s that easy! Submit your photos today! *Please note that the Yearbook Staff will review all photos and determine final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions will be used in the book. Any questions? Email dsaylors@law.harvard.edu
5. DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
If you or one of your guests is in need of disability accommodations, please be in touch with Natalie Rios (nrios@law.harvard.edu) in the Dean of Students Office, as soon as possible. The accommodation tickets for the University ceremonies are on a first come, first served basis and are limited.
There will be more info to come in the next few weeks about tickets and other important graduation details so please check your email and the Commencement 2012 website regularly. Thanks!
www.hlscommencement.com
February HUHS Announcements
Health Insurance Waiver Deadline: 2/28
Waiver application deadline for spring 2012 is February 28. Students with comparable health insurance who wish to waive HUSHP Student Health Insurance Plan must submit applications online prior to the deadline in order to remove term bill charges. Info: http://hushp.harvard.edu/waive
Dependent Health Insurance Deadline: 2/28
Dependent insurance enrollment and renewals for the 2012 spring term must be submitted by February 28 in order to be eligible for coverage. Applications after this date will not be accepted. Info: http://hushp.harvard.edu/hushp-student-dependents
Health Insurance for Graduating Students
The Harvard University Student Health Program (HUSHP) expires on July 31. Plan ahead early in order to secure insurance coverage for August 1. More information on options for graduating students:
http://hushp.harvard.edu/graduating-students
After Hours Urgent Care: Schedule appointments online
Visit HUHS Patient Login to view available times and schedule a same-day appointment for non-routine care in our After Hours Urgent Care Clinic. Appointments from 6:00-11:00PM are available to book online beginning at 3:00PM, Monday-Friday. HUID required.
Reading and Study Strategies (Spring 2012)
Harvard Reading/Study Strategies Course: 2 weeks, morning or afternoon sessions, February 6-17 at Science Center, Lecture Hall E. To register, go to Bureau of Study Counsel at 5 Linden St. or call 617-495-2581. More info: http://bsc.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k73301&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup127159
Reminder: WCC Celebration Today
A Message From Student Government About Grades
Before you feel anxiety about your grades, think about the following…
Former Dean Elena Kagan received several B’s during law school, especially her first year. She went on to become the first female dean of Harvard Law
School, the U.S. Solicitor General, and the 112th Supreme Court Justice.
HLS Tax Law Professor Halperin received his worst law school grade in: tax.
Dean Cosgrove received a Property exam back that had a note from the professor saying “this is exactly what I warned you not to do” – followed by her
lowest grade since kindergarten. She went on to work at a top law firm before becoming a Dean at Harvard.
At the time Judge Posner hired Professor Sitkoff to be his law clerk, Professor Sitkoff had received his lowest grade in law school in Law and Economics
– which had been taught by Judge Posner. Thereafter, he had one grade that was worse – in legal ethics. He graduated law school with High Honors.
Professor Singer earned a B- in Property. After graduating, he clerked, worked at a law firm, and has written one of the leading casebooks and treatises
on – wait for it – property. He has also authored two theoretical books on property and teaches Property courses at Harvard.
Professor Suk received her worst grade in law school – and ever – in Criminal Law. She went on to practice and research in Criminal Law. No employer
has ever asked about her grade, and her Criminal Law professor has remained a powerful mentor and reference for her throughout her career. “I care
much more about students’ preparation and performance in a course throughout a long semester than about performance on one timed exam taken on
one day,” she says.
Professor Michelman’s worst law school grade was a C+ in Property. He has written and published repeatedly in the field and has taught Property
courses at Harvard for over 40 years.
Professor Greiner received his worst grade on the exam he felt best about after finishing. And he nonetheless was retained as a research assistant for
the course’s professor.
Professor Scott got a D in constitutional law. “We do some of that here,” Justice White told Scott when he went for a clerkship interview. Scott
nonetheless was selected to serve as one of Justice White’s few Supreme Court law clerks.
Professor Meltzer’s father was a law professor who taught labor law. His lowest grade in law school was in: labor law. His labor law professor later said
to him, “I thought you might have done better, so I re-read your exam and it was every bit as bad as I thought it was the first time.”
Professor Ramseyer received a B on an exam at Harvard Law School and went into the professor’s office to complain. On the professor’s desk was a
plaque that guided his grading – he reserved B’s for “excellent, perceptive exams.” The professor told Ramseyer he had gotten a B because he “wrote
an excellent exam.”
In the second semester of his two-semester Contracts course, Professor Goldberg earned himself a B-. The next year, his former Contracts professor
hired him as a TA to help 1Ls with the class. Years later, as a Vanderbilt professor, Goldberg was awarded a teaching prize for teaching … Contracts.
Professor Barnes received a pass on his Trust and Estates exam while a friend whom he tutored received honors. Upon review of their exams,
Professor Barnes realized that his friend had given the obvious answers while he had read nuances into the questions that were not intended. He
learned two important lessons: 1) when you hear hoofbeats, think horses first, and not zebras and 2) the line between “honors” and “pass” is blurred.
“I know a guy who got mainly C’s his first year at HLS. He went on to become general counsel of a major federal agency, leading lawyer in his field, and
author of the leading casebook in his field. It is much more about the passion you have for your field than anything.” – Professor Einer Elhauge
Dean Martha Minow’s sister’s law school grades were so troubling during her first year that she never picked up her grades after that. Last year, she was
honored as a distinguished alum for her professional accomplishments, and no one even thought of her grades.
Professor Neuman’s first semester grades were quite mediocre and his criminal law teacher (Professor Nesson) told him that he didn’t know how to take
a law school exam. Neuman spent time with Professor Nesson learning how to take exams and revising his approach. Professor Neuman went on to
graduate first in his class at Harvard Law School, though no one asked about his grades when he ran for a seat on the UN Human Rights Committee.
Be well,
Your Harvard Law School Student Government
studentgov@mail.law.harvard.edu
Barry Schwartz Lecture in Ames
As Dean Minow mentioned in her email, we are kicking off the Living Well in the Law Initiative this afternoon.
Please join us at 5pm in Ames to hear Barry Schwartz, Professor of Social Theory and Social Action, Swarthmore College speak on Practical Wisdom: The Right way to do the Right Thing. Dinner will be served.
Prof Schwartz is author of a number of books including:
The Paradox of Choice
As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis. And in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.
The Costs of Living: How Market Freedom Erodes the Best Things in Life
Americans have come to view more and more of their lives in free-market, economic terms. Market thinking has permeated education, the professions, sports, family and friendship, and politics. This book presents a criticism of this market view of life, arguing that most of what is good about education, medicine, law, sports, love, friendship, and democratic politics is undermined if the market gets too close to them. Indeed, even the market stops working if people behave in it in the way that economists say people always behave. Thus, the book argues, the market erodes the best things in life, and must be restrained, not encouraged, in its movement into places where it doesn’t belong. The book is aimed at a non-professional audience.
The Battle for Human Nature: Science, Morality and Modern Life
This book presents the view of human nature as entirely governed by self-interest that is shared by the disciplines of evolutionary biology, neoclassical economics, and behavioral psychology. It shows what these disciplines have in common in their approach to understanding human nature, and contrasts their view with most people’s everyday conceptions of what human nature is like. After presenting the theoretical perspectives of each of these disciples, the book turns a critical eye on them, and argues that their views are at best limited, and often simply wrong. However, the book finally argues, we cannot expect the errors of these disciplines to be self-correcting, for if people and the social institutions they live within come to believe these disciplines, then our social lives will come to look more and more like a confirmation of the picture of human nature that they paint. The last two chapters of the book sketch a picture of the mean-spirited world that would result if we took these disciplines to be telling us the truth about human beings. The style of the book is aimed at educated non-professionals
You can read more at http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bschwar1/
We hope to see you there!
Ellen M. Cosgrove I Associate Dean & Dean of Students I Harvard Law School I 1563 Massachusetts Ave Cambridge, MA 02138 I (617-495-1881
* cosgrove@law.harvard.edu I Dean of Students Office Web Page