Dear students, This email provides you with additional information related to the COVID–19 pandemic. To begin, thank you for your understanding and patience in the face of the anxiety and uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Most important, please take care of yourselves and your loved ones as we all try to do the best we can under difficult circumstances. We are moving as quickly as we can to get as much information as possible to you. We know you have a lot of questions, and we don’t have all the answers yet. Students living in IU housing should have received information from IU yesterday, and international students should have received information both from the Office of International Services and the Law School’s Office of International Programs. I am drawing from as many sources as possible to provide accurate and timely information. I have meetings all week with the deans of other schools across campus, last night I had a helpful meeting with the deans of other Big 10 law schools (who have also all moved to remote teaching), and senior staff at the law school are meeting regularly. I will be meeting with leaders of the Student Bar Association and with the Dean’s Advisory Council later this week. I expect to be writing to you more over the coming days. We have also created a webpage that includes all Law School–specific guidance, along with links to key IU websites. Here, however, is the information we currently have, with more information to come. Basic Reminders: Please remember that the most up-to-date information from the university can be found here: https://coronavirus.iu.edu. It is important that students stay away from campus whenever possible. If you come to the school—to pick up books or essential items—please be sure to practice social distancing, limit in-person interaction, and keep your time on campus limited. As many staff as possible are now telecommuting. The building and library are open, but on reduced hours (10:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.). All faculty, staff, and students have been instructed that they must remain home if they feel even the least bit ill or if someone in their household is ill. All events have been (or are about to be) cancelled, postponed, or moved online for the rest of the semester. Financial and Other Concerns:  We know some of you may have pressing financial or logistical needs. Please reach out to Paul Leopold (pleopold@indiana.edu) or Dean Orenstein (aorenste@indiana.edu) if you are facing a financial emergency or are in need of logistical help. Fellow students have offered to store belongings and deliver meals. If students find themselves in need of other help, please let the Office of Student Affairs know. If you were a student worker and you were relying on that position financially, please reach out to your supervisor in the Law School. While we are not able to physically employ students on campus, we are working with senior staff to provide remote projects for those who need the work the most. If you are working with a faculty member as a research assistant and would like to work remotely, please contact that faculty member to let them know you are available. Some of you have reached out with questions related to possible fee remission. The university, not the Law School, will be making those decisions, and we’ll distribute information as soon as we have it. Our priority right now is to ensure that students most in need are helped. Courses and Exams:  Spring break has been extended an additional week, with remote instruction beginning Monday, March 30. We explored yesterday whether we would be permitted to resume classes earlier than this date, but for a variety of reasons, we must follow the university's schedule and extend spring break by one week. Faculty should have already been in contact with you about their individual courses (faculty are using Zoom, Canvas, and Kaltura), and they will be back in touch next week with more details. We know some of you now may be in a different time zone. We will continue to teach classes at their regularly scheduled times and according to Eastern Daylight Time (Bloomington time), but we have asked faculty to record all lectures and classes and to do their best to accommodate students who may not be able to attend at the regular time. If you are able to attend your classes at the regular time, please make every effort to do so. We are working with faculty to move all exams online, to ensure we meet ABA accreditation requirements related to losing a week of instruction, and to discuss grading policies given the health crisis. The full faculty will be meeting next week to discuss various issues that have arisen as a result of the university’s moving to remote instruction for the rest of the semester. We expect to know more about these issues by the end of next week, and we will let you know when we do. Course Registration: This week and until registration in April, Dean Orenstein (aorenste@indiana.edu), Director Beck (www.calendly.com/katbeck), and Alexis Lanham (adlanham@indiana.edu, starting March 23) are holding academic advising appointments by Zoom, Skype, phone, and FaceTime. Please contact them to consult on courses, credits, and your academic plans, just as you normally would. They will be very happy to speak with you. They are working on providing online materials focused on different practice areas to assist in your course planning. Also, the library has created a research guide for students on studying and attending class remotely. It links to things like our online resources list and library services, but also to things like IUanyware, Zoom resources, and information on what companies are offering free Wi-Fi to eligible customers: https://law.indiana.libguides.com/remote-students. Career Services Guidance:  First, the public interest funding application deadline has moved back one week to align with the end of the extended spring break. Applications for summer public interest funding are now due by end of day March 27, 2020. Please remember, you do not have to have secured your summer internship by this date to complete your application. Any questions can be directed to Laura Fonseca at lfonseca@indiana.edu. Second, CSO will make available recorded presentations and all materials for the following programs (please see CareerNet for more information): (1) Bridge to Practice Overview for 3Ls; (2) How to Have a Successful Summer for 1Ls and 2Ls (mandatory for those seeking externship credit for the summer, highly recommended for all those entering the legal workplace for the first time); (3) Post-Grad Funding for Public Interest Positions; (4) Get Ready for Your Fall Job Search – Private Sector, Public Interest, and Government. Mental Health and Staying Well: We know that concern about the spread of the virus and all the uncertainty surrounding remaining matters such as exams and graduation can be a source of tremendous stress. CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services) is open this week on and will be available remotely starting on Monday, March 23 for virtual counseling. CAPS also has a 24-hour hotline. The number for an appointment and the hotline is 812-855-5711. JLAP (Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program) will meet anytime with law students over phone and Zoom. JLAP can also help with connecting students to various meetings and support groups. Please call 317-833-0370 to make an appointment or get information. We wish we could interact with you in person, but we must be satisfied with an electronic expression of care and concern. The Office of Student Affairs sends its best wishes and encourages students to remain in touch. Dean Orenstein and Director Beck are on line and available by Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, and by email. Other Items: A number of you have asked other questions about events and programming. We expect many events to continue in an online format, and we’ll have more information soon. Admissions is running entirely remotely, and they are putting in place a number of plans for virtual tours and webinars for students who are unable to come to campus. The Career Services Office is meeting with students by Zoom, phone, and through other technologies. The Office of Graduate and International Programs is holding Zoom meetings all week with graduate and international students on issues such as returning home, visas, and related matters. IU Commencement has not yet been cancelled. We expect to make a decision later this week about the Law School graduation, and we are exploring whether we can either hold a delayed or virtual ceremony (more information to come). I am grateful for your understanding and patience as we work through a long list of issues.  We will be communicating regularly, and as best we can. If you have concerns, or if there are issues that you have not seen addressed, please reach out so that we can attend to them.  And if you are worried about your classmates, please reach out so that we can help. Thank you.  Best, Austen Parrish