Coverage of the case of the Originally, we reported on the disappearance of an unnamed Boyd School professor who failed to grade her Con Law class' exams. Later, we confirmed that the professor was Professor Lynne Henderson who did not in fact completely disappear when Professor Henderson emailed her congratulations to the new Boyd School law review members. Well, Professor Henderson has come further out of hiding and offered this comment to ATL:
I can confirm that I was in very poor physical health. I can confirm that I was
working on the exams. I can confirm that I endeavored to tell the proper persons
at the law school that I would not have the grades in in timely fashion, but
apparently there were breakdowns in communication. I can confirm that I did not
just "disappear."
As ATL reports, Prof. Henderson's comment puts the weight back on Boyd School's administration, led by Dean John White. WWL's previous requests for comment from Dean White have gone unanswered. We expect the commentators vitriol will be appropriately redirected.
On a more important note: really Professor Henderson? Giving the exclusive to ATL over Nevada's leading legal publication, Wild Wild Law? Our feelings are hurt.
shit happens people get sick. Professor Henderson is a fantastic professor. She really cares about the school and her students. Wild, maybe she would have commented on you if your reporting wasn't so horrible. Your first story about sally being sad about law review, was complete bullshit. Get your facts straight. Both sections of 1Ls had her = it did NOT affect their chances to get on LR
ReplyDeletesorry to be so harsh wild, and I do enjoy your blog, but come on, sally the student? really?
ReplyDeleteHenderson and Boyd are jokes. She "endeavored" to tell the administration that she was ill? How hard is it to pick up a phone or send an email? It sounds like the professor is trying to avoid the blame. Ultimately, SHE is responsible for HER class. She failed. Then Boyd/Dean White screwed the pooch with the lack of communication to the students. A lot of drama would have been spared if these people acted like responsible adults, instead of privileged law school professors.
ReplyDeleteI've seen better run lemonade stands than this place. Sad.
@11:24
ReplyDeleteCan you please tell us where you went to law school?
she told the administration that she was ill, wtf else was she supposed to do? Almost every single law school has had this issue, or one similar to it. Clinton himself failed to grade some papers when he was a professor.
ReplyDeleteWhy would the students need more communication from Dean White? He was trying to see if there was anything else he could do to fix the problem, when he realized he couldn't he emailed the students and let them know they would be graded on a pass/fail. It doesn't affect a damn thing, except for those two students that would have received As....and chances are those aren't the students complaining
@ 11:35
ReplyDeleteI went to a higher ranked law school in SoCal. And no, my professors never failed to grade a test due to "illness."
have you checked your entire school history? Chances are somewhere in the past it happened. Also, you went to a cali school, that doesn't say much. Couldn't find a job in cali, so you had to come to vegas
ReplyDeletePeople who are seriously pissed about not getting their B- are the reason why people hate lawyers. I hated this type of db ("douche bag") when I went to law school. How dumb do you feel when you bitch about your grade not coming out because, and then it comes out and you get a C+. Four or five people grade onto journal--if you are that close, and the late A you get in conlaw would have really made the difference, I'm sure they would make arrangements. Second, anybody that was in the top five could have easily written on. Unbelievable. And all this time I wondered where the prick litigators who don't give came from. Karma's a bitch.
ReplyDeleteSorry, typed that too fast. "who don't give extensions"
ReplyDelete@ 12:23
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your posting, except for one part. Please don't assume the prick litigators came from Boyd. These are just 1Ls. They'll grow up and realize that this was no big deal. I too, was once an over-anxious 1L. It's not Boyd, it's just that they are 1Ls
Whether or not a particular student gets on law review is clearly not the point. The administration at Boyd is defunct when it comes to communicating with students, save Dean Durand. Dean White walks through the halls without even speaking to students, if he is seen at all. This episode highlights his disrespect or flippant attitude towards the student body. Perhaps the P/F approach was the best way to address the situation but students will never know because they were kept in the dark and did not have their voices heard on the issue. I am waiting for the day I see him stand up, publicly or otherwise, for us.
ReplyDeleteOK, I'll say it: "bullshit."
ReplyDeleteThis lady has an alcohol problem that is readily apparent if you have read her various ranting infoserve posts over the past couple years. I hope she gets the help she needs, but Boyd needs to be cut her loose.
@11:36 - She did not "[tell] the administration," they had no clue where the hell she was, hence the story.
What she actually said was she "endeavored to tell the proper persons at the law school that I would not have the grades in in timely fashion." See the difference? She "tried" to cover her ass, but just didn't get around to it.
She has done this before, and will continue to do it until she gets help for her "condition."
TTTenure
ReplyDeleteABL? I believe WWL is refering to ATL, as in Above The Law. At least, ATL is the only acronym I've ever seen ATL use to refer to themselves...
ReplyDelete@ 12:41
ReplyDeleteOkay fine she tried to tell the admin, she failed. I still do not think there is enough reason for such a big fuss. I do not think you have the grounds to call her an alcoholic....and I'd be careful about making such unfounded claims. She does tend send out emails without proof reading, but I doubt that is due to alcoholism as you so quickly judge. Her latenes in the past has been due to immediate surgery needed for her husband requiring her to travel outside of NV.
Thanks 1:01 pm
ReplyDeleteATL it is.
@ 12:35
ReplyDeleteyou make it seem as though students are entitled to some form of notice? You didn't get your voices heard? Are you kidding me? ultimately the decision lies with the administration don't go fooling yourself.Do you really think any other school would hold a pow wow with the students? Grow up. Common sense would tell you p/f was the best decision. oh yeah I forgot, 1Ls forgot how to use their common sense
Although I must admit that dean White is no Morgan, he took in the lawschool in a shitty economy. His first priority is getting donations, secondly (maybe) making small talk with the students.
Dean Durand is an EXCELLENT dean, however, his job is to talk to the students. That is his ENTIRE job description (hence dean of the students)
@11:58
ReplyDeleteI am assuming you went to a second tier school in California. If you are so unashamed of the school, please disclose who it is, so that posters can critique how "worthy" it is. My bet says it is as TTT as people are contending Boyd is. Western? Whittier? Southwestern? Cal Wester? Thomas Jefferson?
Also, just because it didn't happen to you doesn't mean it never happened at your school.
@ 1:50 pm
ReplyDeleteAre you that insecure? I know you're ashamed that you went to Boyd, but come on, was it that bad?
Let's face it, the professor should have made sure the administration knew about her "issue." The administration should have timely notified the affected students. Neither happened. The students are paying a lot for a professional education. The administration and staff should act as such.
@ 157
ReplyDeleteThe students were notified, as timely as possible. The students got what they paid for, an education. End of story.
@1:24
ReplyDelete12:35 here.
Without outing myself too much I transferred from a very similar law school to Boyd. I am a rising 3L not a 1L. And yes, the Admin. did "Pow Wow" with students regularly at my former school if for nothing else than to keep them abreast of the goings on at the University. I.E. Tuition increases, changes in class schedules (two sections were split into three after the fall semester).
This did not take a lot of time and EACH dean did it once a semester, its called being an effective administrator.
While the inmates can't run the insane asylum the idea that students should shut up and take whatever the administration feeds them is pathetic. That mentality sets you up for a lifetime frustration and unmet goals.
I hold administrators to a higher standard than money collectors. It's not like his office is a boiler room either. He finds plenty of time to court young lawyers, why not speak to his students?
@1:57
ReplyDeleteNo, not insecure. I just think it makes sense that if somebody is going to rag on any school (whether it be Boyd, or some other school), it is relevant to know what caliber of school the person doing the bitching went to. Makes sense to me, but perhaps I'm off base.
Also, I never said this was not a difficult situation. I agree with you, that she should have notified the administration, and that the administration should timely notify the students. However, I think there are still a lot of unknown facts, and it is at least debatable whether such notification were timely.
I'm surprised at how harsh and unsympathetic people are on 1Ls, particularly since it's safe to assume that most readers have been a 1L at some point in his/her life.
ReplyDeleteWe all remember how confusing and stressful 1L was, and this missing professor experience will just amplify whatever insecurities we had in the first place. So why can't they complain about a missing grade a little? I mean, look at how much complaining we do on a regular basis on this single blog! Who are we to judge?
@12:41,
ReplyDeletePosts like yours give substantial support to Prof. Rapoport's claim that anonymity is for cowards. You read her (admittedly) inane posts, and then publicly claim that she is an alcoholic? Support your character assassination with actual facts or reason, or admit you are a craven coward and apologize.
Boyd has a lot of potential and has already risen in the rankings. It just seems a waste when a little proper communication could have nipped this in the bud. Now the school has to face a public scourging for it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think any law school should just run roughshod over its students. The school only tarnished its image, which was on the rise. I hope for the sake of the Boyd 1Ls this school won't be known as the "law school that doesn't hand out grades."
@ 12:35 and 2:04 (same person)
ReplyDeletethere is a reason you transferred to Boyd, and yes Boyd does hold pow wows where they care to hear student's input (rise in tutition was one of them). However, this situation took place over the summer, and by the time the admin found out, they did notify the students. There isn't any time to hear the students' input. Grades need to go out b/c rankings need to go out. No 1L or "rising 3L" has been able to offer an alternative simply because there is no alternative. The faculty and the staff discussed this in a meeting. They needed to act soon and they did so
as far as dean white is concerned, he is a new dean and frankly, he's not doing too bad of a job (considering the economy). He just helped fight to get YOUR class grandfathered in for the old tutition. And under his watch, the school has jumped in rankings. Oh how soon we forget.....
(and I am not worried about you outting yourself. Chances are I know you, or you know me. This is simply a discussion...)
Maybe we need another poll. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, lots of angry 1Ls on here that are obviously upset they didn't make law review.
ReplyDeleteGood thing admin-student communication is not among the US News and World Report criteria
ReplyDelete@ 2:51
ReplyDeleteThe point of my earlier post was not this situation in particular, rather the behavior of Boyd's admin in general. Yes there was 1 ask the dean session and yes Dean Durand does Whaddup Wednesday's, this is not the same as actually engaging the students. If Dean White was behind the "grandfathering" I applaud him. However, do not be so quick to heap praise on Dean White for our ranking. Give him three or four good years to see if it is coattails or the real deal. I'm sure we will drop due to the faculty flight next year.
I disagree that there was not time to work with students or student leaders. Various comments have proffered different ideas. Did the admin discuss them and why were they rejected. I think these are simple questions the affected students are entitled to have answered.
Class rankings HAD to go out by a certain date for what purpose? The student's benefit or administration's timetables? Seriously, why must ranking be set one month before school starts? OCI cannot be the only reason and the journal start orientation right before school.
Other schools don't even have rankings, a bar chart could have supplemented the rankings for OCI.
The fact remains Prof. Henderson is notorious for failing to turn in grades. They were aware of her tardiness and failed to act when it became apparent the she would be late yet again. The administration failed because it sent a letter that raised more questions than it answered but put the brunt of the situation on the students.
Finally, my anonymity is not to protect my identity from other students, I would happily share my thoughts in a public or private forum with the Dean. I don't criticize to bring him down, I just want him to do more for us bad economy or not.
T10 schools don't have rankings. I don't know about the rest of the schools.
ReplyDeleteHaving a ranking is good when your employer asks about it - that is, when they assume that your school releases class ranks when it actually doesn't. Then you would sound really stupid when all you can utter is "T10 schools don't rank their students."
@ 3:21 (sorry this is going to be a long one)
ReplyDeletewhat do you mean about engaging students? Students can join plenty of committees that have a say in how the school is ran. there is a cirriculum committee, an apppointments committee and many many others. In these committees students vote on new professors, what classes should be offered next semester etc.
As far as Dean White and the rankings, it's very true that the current 2010 rankings may not be his to claim. However, how else do you judge the man? Basing it entirely on the fact that he does not engage the students when we have an economic crisis on our hands (considering the large amount of funding that comes from private donors, not to mention the amount of faculty we have lost)....I'm sorry, but as far as I can tell, he has not done a thing to lower my approval rating. Not to say that he is the best, BUT out of our choices for dean, he was the best one. (oh yeah they had a deans forum where students were able to question the new potential deans and write opinions to be mailed to the president)
As far as Professor Henderson. Yes, she has turned in grades late. However, that was not every time, and one of those times her husband became deathly ill and needed surgery in another state. She still graded those papers. Furthermore, almost every school has had this happen at some point. As another commenter noted, Clinton did it when he was professing.
As far as rankings, yes they need to come out right now. Half of the employers request students in the top 30%, top 25% and so forth. Law review allows the top rankings to "grade on" and most importantly, for those that have scholarships to UNLV, whether they get to keep the scholarship depends on how they are ranked.
@4:20-
ReplyDeleteYour comment couldn't have been posted at a more appropriate time. Go smoke another and get back with us when you're coherent.
Dear 1Ls,
ReplyDeleteAs a Boyd alum I want to thank you for making this non-issue into national news that ATL and WSJ picked up. Now many people who had never heard of Boyd think that the school is a joke. I wouldn't think it is all that difficult to draw the inference (but apparently it is because you complained so much and thought it would be a good idea to forward on the dean's email): if the school is a joke, then consequently so are you (and the rest of us for attending it). Good work, this will serve as a huge blow to Boyd's reputation. I guess you will realize the real damage when the US News rankings come out next year. Think about the consequences before you speak. If not for your sake, then for the rest of us.
@ 5:43
ReplyDeleteBravo. I completely agree. Great job on making Boyd look like a complete joke. Next time you seen Dean Morgan, why don't you go spit in his face?
Yes, Hendo is notorious for turning in grades late, but does it really matter? Her grades would have been in on time for OCI (which really doesn't matter because this economy sucks), and you could have written on to law review. Enough with law students already...from any school. Come back when you're out of diapers and have a clue about the real world.
Hahaha, this topic is getting out of hand. Now we're on to bashing Dean White?? Because he doesn't spend enough time with you?? What do you want the man to do...play a little ping pong with you in between classes? As many people already pointed out, there was a little budget problem this year if you haven't noticed. Do you know how many times he went to Carson City fighting for every penny he could? On top of that, I have seen Dean White at many functions. End of year parties, 3L grad dinner, different Bar functions, etc... Everytime I see him he has come up to greet me. Maybe he doesn't interact with you because you haven't made yourself visible. To be honest, if he was out trying to make friends with the student population we would be mad he wasn't out trying to raise money and deal with the budget cuts. I think Dean White is doing a fine job. I think overall, the administration does a great job communicating with students. They are very open to getting students input. But you have to give it to them. They're not going to poll the audience every decision that needs to be made. I know that you could walk into anyone of the Dean's Office and sit down and speak with any of them. Maybe if you tried that approach instead of blogging about your concerns you would get more communication.
ReplyDeletePS- Sorry Prof. Rapoport, Im posting anonymous and Im not editing...its a blog...not a pleading!
TRUTH: No one cares about UNLV's ranking, except students and professors. It is a recruitment tool. Unless you are in a top rated school, with a well known name, that is generally undeserving of its acclaim, no one cares. Some of dumbest judges & prof's out there went to "elite" schools. I don't mean IQ, I mean EQ. So don't worry Boyd students, you will always be #1 in Nevada.
ReplyDeleteIn defense of Dean White, he does an outstanding job of attending all alumni events (both in Reno and Las Vegas). The man has been working ragged to save the school's funding from the massive budget cuts. He was put in a terrible position with the sinking economy, but he's done an excellent job in keeping the school moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Boyd grad and although I never had Henderson (heard she was a great professor) I don't think there was a single semester during my entire time there that there wasn't some email from her apologizing to students for having grades in late along with some dog-ate-my-homework excuse. Flaky? Yes. Unprofessional? Yes? A battle worth picking? Nope. Learn to choose your battles wisely.
ReplyDeleteDean White plays basketball with the law students and SELA up at the Rec Center every now and then. He's actually a really good guy and he's got a pretty decent jump shot, too.
ReplyDeleteI wish Dean Durand and Don Castle cared enough to come hoop it up.
I'll definitely defend both don castle and dean durand. Dean durand has been at NUMEROUS school functions. whether it be the barristers ball, the pila auction (where he auctions poker and bowling with him), any student org that asks him (he is the admin rep for PAD I think), and his door is ALWAYS open.
ReplyDeleteDon Castle, it's true that he does not come to enough events through the law school, but I think he plays a different role in the school. He's never been to law school, is focus is on the technology side of the school. I know he has had some personal things go on in his life over the past few years, which may take some of his time away from social settings.
as far as Professor Henderson goes, yes she is usually late and she should proof read her emails. However, 1) she actually grades the essays. She doesn't work off of a model answer,she compares the students to one another (which sets up for a true curve) 2) at least she cares enough to send out emails congratulating every chance she gets! herself, and possibly two other professors actually congratualte the students via infoserve on their accomplishments. Every time a student makes law review, soa, or any type of moot court competition, she congratulates
ReplyDeleteMaybe she should spend less time issuing congrats and more time on being a professional.
ReplyDeleteDon Castle doesn't give a damn about what goes on with the law school after 5 PM. I haven't seen him at one "social" event in my entire law school career!
ReplyDelete