Law School Reacts To Truancy Crackdown

Three students on the Law School's Legal Education Committee may be impeached for their approval of the Law School's new attendance policy, Law School Legal Council President Dina A. DeFalco said yesterday.

David Stringer, Rob W. Edmund and a third law student voted last Friday in favor of a new, mandatory class attendance policy at the Law School.

DeFalco said the students could lose their posts because their vote went against the desires of the majority of the student body, which opposes the new policy.

"[It is] difficult for me to believe that enough care was taken [by the committee members] to find out what the students wanted," DeFalco said.

But Stringer and Edmund defended their positions, saying they should have the right to disagree with their classmates.

Deflaco said the Legal Council's bylaws allow for the impeachment of committee members "for cause," a term that is not further defined.

The Legal Council considers voting against the student body's popular opinion sufficient cause to impeach the three students, DeFalco said.

The council will vote on the impeachment Tuesday. Even if the students are removed from the committee, DeFalco said Law School Dean Robert C. Clark can reinstate them.

Stringer said he does not deserve to be impeached because his position on the committee should allow him some autonomy and freedom to use his own judgment, while at the same time recognizing the concerns of his fellow students.

Stringer said he still thinks the Law School Council "has the best intentions," but he added, "I've served with the best intentions...and take my role very seriously."

Edmund also defended his position on the council.

"I don't think that a political difference in opinion between the committee members and certain members of the council should result in theirimpeachment," he said.

Under the new policy, a professor can have astudent who misses 25-30 percent of a coursedropped without pervious written notice.

DeFalco said the new policy "will just cause amore negative effect," instead of solving the rootof the problem, student apathy.

In the past, professors were required to informstudents that they were in danger of being droppedfrom the class if their attendance did notimprove.

DeFalco said students would prefer writtennotice before expulsion so that they could make aneffort to avoid being dropped from the class.

She also said she personally contacted many toplaw schools, including Columbia, Yale, Stanfordand Cornell, and none enforce mandatory attendancepolicy, although the American Bar Associationrequires all schools to have an attendance policy.

If the three students are replaced, the councilwill seek to alter the language in the newmandatory attendance policy or to have it repealedand reconsidered, DeFalco said

Under the new policy, a professor can have astudent who misses 25-30 percent of a coursedropped without pervious written notice.

DeFalco said the new policy "will just cause amore negative effect," instead of solving the rootof the problem, student apathy.

In the past, professors were required to informstudents that they were in danger of being droppedfrom the class if their attendance did notimprove.

DeFalco said students would prefer writtennotice before expulsion so that they could make aneffort to avoid being dropped from the class.

She also said she personally contacted many toplaw schools, including Columbia, Yale, Stanfordand Cornell, and none enforce mandatory attendancepolicy, although the American Bar Associationrequires all schools to have an attendance policy.

If the three students are replaced, the councilwill seek to alter the language in the newmandatory attendance policy or to have it repealedand reconsidered, DeFalco said