Chapman’s Doti Irks Law Students

* Re “57 Chapman Law School Students Take Refund Offer,” Sept. 16:

Former Dean of Chapman University School of Law Jeremy Miller [this year] blamed the law school’s inability to obtain American Bar Assn. accreditation on the students’ poor pass rate on the California “baby bar” exam, which is required of all first-year students who attend unaccredited law schools such as Chapman.

This statement was proved false when the school finally released the ABA “action letter” that stated, among numerous factors for its denial, that the school had “failed to adequately prepare its first year students for the California Baby Bar Exam.” The inaugural class was not faulted by the ABA.

[Now] it appears President James Doti has decided to continue the tradition of disparaging Chapman law students.

Not all 44 students who opted to leave and accepted [tuition] refunds were “performing poorly academically,” as Doti would lead one to believe. I seriously doubt if even 50% were “undesirable” students in the school’s eyes. Many were already enrolled in local ABA-accredited law schools (starting over), having decided not to risk their lives and income-producing ability on an unaccredited law school whose past and present deans and president continue to disparage them in print, no matter what they do.

LINDA NORCROSS

Dana Point

Norcross is a former Chapman Law School student.

* I was very saddened to read the disparaging comments of Doti concerning the 57 students who elected to accept the university’s offer of withdrawal from the School of Law.

It appears that Doti paints all of the students with a deficient brush. I am one of those students, who for economic reasons accepted the offer. I was not a subpar student, nor one who was asked to leave. In fact, I was a current member of the Student Bar Assn. and had every confidence that eventually the school will get accreditation.

The decision was an agonizing one, and required gazing into the future for what might happen to the university’s current ABA accreditation application.

I waited until absolutely the last day to finally decide, and attended classes up until that point. After reading the comments of Doti the following day, I would say that I made the correct decision.

To say I was deeply hurt would be an understatement. Nowhere in his comments is there mention of anyone other than failing students, nor of the stress, sacrifices, trials or tribulations that the inaugural classes have gone through.

Law school is stressful enough without the administration constantly making changes and worrying about accreditation. I originally attended the school to be a part of the birth of a fine law school. I still feel that one day, the school will receive accreditation and be a fine law school.

However, after reading Doti’s comments, I can only say that the regard I have held for him, the school and the university has been diminished.

DANA SWART

Santa Ana