Redstreak 6,653 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Columbia Law School is allowing students to postpone their final exams this month if they feel unnerved by the recent grand jury decisions not to indict police officers in the deaths of unarmed black men. The policy was announced by the school’s interim dean, Robert E. Scott, in an email on Saturday to the school community. A small number of students have received postponements, a Columbia spokeswoman, Elizabeth Schmalz, said on Monday, though she declined to say how many. In his email, Mr. Scott wrote that following existing policies for “trauma during exam period,†students who felt their performance could suffer because of the decisions in the Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island cases could request a delay. “The grand juries’ determinations to return nonindictments in the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases have shaken the faith of some in the integrity of the grand jury system and in the law more generally,†he wrote. “For some law students, particularly, though not only, students of color, this chain of events is all the more profound as it threatens to undermine a sense that the law is a fundamental pillar of society designed to protect fairness, due process and equality.†The policy, reported this past weekend on the Powerline blog, quickly drew derision from some conservative websites. Some legal scholars expressed surprise, too, saying it showed an unusual degree of solidarity between the law school administration and students, two groups that have not always seen eye to eye. Some also suggested that it was a particularly striking statement for a law school to make, since the students may find themselves on both sides of cases when they became lawyers. “It shows a remarkable degree of empathy,†Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University, said. “Students cannot expect that from their boss in practice, nor I imagine would they ask for it. And they certainly can’t expect it from a judge when papers are due. But you know, academic institutions are worlds of their own.†Benjamin Brafman, a prominent defense lawyer, called the decision “absurd.†“Despite the genuine trauma that law students may honestly feel about the Ferguson and Garner decisions, as lawyers, they are going to be dealing with tragedies many times worse,†Mr. Brafman said. “If law students cannot function with difficult issues like these, maybe they should not try and become lawyers.†The law school has a general policy that exams can be rescheduled in cases of illness, the birth of a child, religious observance, bereavement or “in other exceptional and documented circumstances.†One second-year law student said the decision followed a petition to postpone exams and to gain acknowledgment from the administration “of how we felt.†The student, who did not want to be named because he was applying for clerkships, said that he was aware of some students having their exams, which began this week, postponed until next week, but that he had not heard of any longer delays. The dean’s email did not specify how long the exams could be put off. “The word ‘trauma’ is sort of being misunderstood,†the student, who is Latino, said. “It’s not a trauma that somebody has if they’ve been exposed to the war. It’s not being able to focus, it’s worrying about your family members. It’s worrying about your future as a lawyer. It’s an existential worry. Then having to apply the very law that’s being used to oppress us.†David Rudenstine, a constitutional law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a former dean there, said he entered law school at N.Y.U. in 1967, the year before the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated. “I don’t remember there being anything like this done then,†he said. He said he could see how young, idealistic law students might be profoundly affected. “It may well be that people feel as if something important was just stolen from them, and it undermines some commitment that they have to this endeavor they’ve embarked upon,†he said. Still, Mr. Rudenstine said: “Law schools also have a tradition of being very tough-minded about these things. If you have an exam, it happens. That’s the schedule.†http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/09/nyregion/columbia-lets-law-students-delay-exams-after-garner-and-brown-decisions.html?_r=0 Students from Harvard and Georgetown are also beginning to ask for the same final extensions. Take a moment to think of just flexibility, love, and trust~ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Wonka 4 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 awesome. i think it's great. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Prince 109,655 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Ok, this is too much Can my school do the same though? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gov Hooka 8,008 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 mess I live in phucking st Louis and wash . and slu students as well as all high school students are still taking their exams Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbuHassan1992 766 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Ok, this is too much Can my school do the same though? lol are you for real? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Prince 109,655 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 lol are you for real? Yes. I wouldn't mind an extension Although I'm not a law student. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raphy 0 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Yes. I wouldn't mind an extension Although I'm not a law student. I think he's quoting your ignorance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benji 20,113 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Comes across as more of a statement regarding the situation than actual compassion towards it's students but I support it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Prince 109,655 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I think he's quoting your ignorance Ignorance of what? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paper Planes 340 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 let's delete it fat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gagaloo911 12,959 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 mess I live in phucking st Louis and wash . and slu students as well as all high school students are still taking their exams Yes because a certain few who went on to do it means everyone dealing with this is feeling the same way and have the same circumstances What kind of logic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gov Hooka 8,008 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Yes because a certain few who went on to do it means everyone dealing with this is feeling the same way and have the same circumstances What kind of logic. well if fricking Ferguson-Florrisant School District and Ritenour School District are having their finals and they are definitely more affected by the decision than ANYONE else, I think a couple of Ivy Leage students can handle the pressure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Wonka 4 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 well if fricking Ferguson-Florrisant School District and Ritenour School District are having their finals and they are definitely more affected by the decision than ANYONE else, I think a couple of Ivy Leage students can handle the pressure. how does it hurt you if they have delays? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gov Hooka 8,008 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 how does it hurt you if they have delays? it doesn't i just find it a little laughable is all... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morphine Prince 109,655 Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Btw, can someone enlighten me on what was so ignorant of my statement? (Which was partially playful). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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