Questions About Campus Resources
For questions about off-campus resources, click here.
General Questions
Are there lockers available for law students?
What is an ACCESS card?
Is there a post office on campus?
Are law students assigned mailboxes on campus?
Where can I find a copy of the Student Handbook?
Does Santa Clara Law offer resources for students with disabilities?
Books
Where and when can I buy my law school textbooks and legal supplements?
Where can I sell my used textbooks and legal supplements?
Student Health
What are the health care options for Santa Clara Law students?
Do I need to have health insurance?
Are there counseling services available for law students?
Parking and Transportation
How do students get around campus?
Do I need a car? What are the transportation options for Santa Clara Law students?
Do I need a parking permit to park on campus?
Dining, Leisure, and Recreation
What does SCU offer in terms of on-campus dining?
Is there a gym available for law students to exercise and/or participate in intramural sports?
Is there a place to relax and socialize on campus, during the day and in the evening?
Tuition and Financial Aid
Where can I find answers to my questions about Financial Aid?
SBA and Student Involvement
What is the SBA?
How do I join a student organization?
How do I form a new student organization?
What is the Grapevine?
How do I announce a student event?
Computers and Technology
How do I access the University’s wireless Internet network?
Will law students receive an SCU e-mail address? If so, how is it set up?
What is E-Campus?
What is Emery?
Do I need a laptop?
Can I purchase a computer or laptop through the school?
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Are there lockers available for law students?
A.Book lockers in Bannan Hall are available for rent. The Student Bar Association (SBA) will hold a lottery to assign the lockers shortly after school begins. The SBA will be selling lockers at various times during Orientation.
What is an ACCESS card?
A.The ACCESS card is the official campus ID, library card, debit card and personalized key to hundreds of SCU facilities. Eliminating the need to carry cash, it is accepted at all campus restaurants, the bookstore, ticket offices, vending machines, libraries, network printers, laundry machines, and copiers, as well as at off campus merchants. It can even save you 8.25% on all campus dining and 13% on photocopying. Your ACCESS card will also be individually programmed to allow access as appropriate to your residence hall, computer labs, academic and athletics facilities, and more.
You can visit the ACCESS Card Office at Benson Memorial Center, Santa Clara University
Tel (408) 551-1647
Fax (408) 551-1648
More information is available online at: www.scu.edu/access.
Is there a post office on campus?
Yes. The Benson Center offers many services and facilities, including a post office. Additionally, the Benson Center offers food service venues, conference rooms, campus bookstore, credit union, and student and administrative offices. Benson is the place to relax, socialize, work on group projects, and meet others.
Are law students assigned mailboxes on campus?
Each student is assigned a mail envelope in the Bannan Hall Law Student Lounge for school correspondence. Unfortunately, the School of Law cannot be responsible for distributing personal first-class mail. Please be sure to inform your family and friends of an appropriate mailing address.
Where can I find a copy of the Bulletin?
The bulletin can be found on the web at lawscuedustage.wpengine.com/bulletin/. Also, an abridged version of the handbook is included in the Academic Planner that will be distributed at Orientation. The Santa Clara Law Bulletin serves as a reference for all law school rules, policies, and procedures. It also provides a listing of programs and services.
Does Santa Clara Law offer resources for students with disabilities?
Yes. Disabilities Resources is a part of Drahmann Advising and Learning Center is dedicated to providing reasonable accommodation and eliminating barriers for those who have a disability. If you are interested in receiving services please contact Ann Ravenscroft at the Drahmann Advising and Learning Center (408) 554-4111. For more information about services at the Drahmann Center visit their web page at www.scu.edu/studentlife/disabilities/.
BOOKS
Where and when can I buy my law school textbooks and legal supplements?
The SCU Campus Bookstore serves all of your needs. Click here to browse the Bookstore’s website for information on store hours, textbook or legal supplement purchases and refund policy, accepted forms of payment, various gifts, and school and computer supplies.
You can reserve your order for new or used textbooks through the Bookstore’s online ordering system, or visit the store to pick out your textbooks in person. However, students should not purchase books until they have received their tentative class schedule.
Where can I sell my used textbooks and legal supplements?
Students may sell their books through the Campus Bookstore’s Buyback program. Visit the Bookstore’s website at http://scu.bkstore.com/default.asp?s=80182481981|338&m=0703 for more information.
STUDENT HEALTH
What are the health care options for Santa Clara Law students?
Your law school tuition entitles you to unlimited visits (free of charge) with our health care practitioners at Cowell Health Center regardless of what health insurance you may carry. However, charges are associated with lab work, medications, and medical supplies. These charges are posted to your student account. A receipt can be provided for possible insurance reimbursement. For more information and Health Center hours, visit their website at www.scu.edu/cshc.
Do I need to have health insurance?
All students are required to either carry health insurance (either through a private plan or purchase of the health insurance offered through the University) or complete a waiver. Students must provide proof of insurance every year by filling out a Health Insurance Waiver Form. The form must be returned by mail or in person, by a specific deadline, to the insurance coordinator at Cowell Health Center, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053. A hold will be placed on your registration if you fail to fill out this form each year. A PDF version of the waiver form and applicable semester deadline can be downloaded from the Cowell Center website (www.scu.edu/cshc/insurance.cfm). SCU sponsors a health insurance program with TIG Insurance Company that students may purchase for a set fee per year. For more information, please visit the website above.
**IMPORTANT**
It is every student’s responsibility to understand the insurance requirements. If you have other insurance but fail to submit your Health Insurance Waiver/Enrollment Form by the specified deadline, you may automatically be charged for the non-refundable SCU sponsored insurance plan OR a hold will be placed on your registration.
Are there counseling services available for law students?
Yes. CAPS (Counseling & Psychological Services) provides short term individual therapy and support group counseling for law students. These services are free and confidential within the limits of California State Laws. Visit the CAPS website at www.scu.edu/studentlife/osl/caps/index.cfm for more information. CAPS is located in the Cowell Health Center.
PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION
How do students get around campus?
Students generally walk or bicycle to most buildings on campus. However, classes at the Katharine and George Alexander Law Center are held off campus.
Do I really need a car? What are the transportation options for Santa Clara Law students?
Some students are able to complete law school without a car due to SCU’s prime location near public transit stops. There are various transportation resources for students. For information on using public transportation to travel to and from SCU, please visit /life/faq-off-campus-resources-transportation.
Do I need a parking permit to park on campus?
Yes, students must purchase a Campus Parking Permit to park on campus. Permits and parking information are available from the Campus Safety Office located in the parking structure. The amount of the annual fee is posted on the Campus Safety website at http://university-operations.scu.edu/campus-safety/. You may pay for your permit by cash, check, or credit card. The Campus Safety Office is open 24 hours a day. Permit requirements are strictly enforced, and violators will be ticketed. Failure to pay a parking fine will result in a hold being placed on your registration, transcripts, and graduation.
DINING, RECREATION, AND LEISURE
What does SCU offer in terms of on-campus dining?
Our campus features several dining locations and services, including Market Square, Mission Bakery, The Bronco, Cellar Market, and Jump Start Café. Visit the dining services website at http://www.scu.edu/diningservices/ for a complete list of locations, menus, and services.
Is there a gym available for law students to exercise and/or participate in intramural sports?
Yes, the Pat Malley Fitness and Recreation Center is available to law students with their ACCESS card. The Fitness Center offers use of the weight and cardiovascular equipment, gymnasium, tennis center and lap pool, allowing individuals to recreate as their schedule permits. There are also Lifetime Recreation Classes to improve individual health and fitness, promote wellness and teach positive lifetime activity skills. They include badminton, aerobics, group fitness, yoga, pilates, martial arts, cardio-kickboxing, and CPR. Finally, there are intramural and club sports which involve team activities.
Is there a place to relax and socialize on campus, during the day and in the evening?
Yes. In addition to the Benson Center, which offers food service venues and common areas, The Bronco is the University’s late night venue. You can find both student-focused programs and food & beverages at The Bronco, and it is open whenever Benson Memorial Center is open – from early morning to late at night. Click here to browse The Bronco’s website.
TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID
Where can I find answers to my questions about Financial Aid?
Visit the Financial Aid website for answers to all of your financial aid questions.
SBA and STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
What is the SBA?
Nationally, the Student Bar Association is a part of the 50,000 member American Bar Association Law Student Division (ABA-LSD). On our campus, the SBA represents the interests of law students in their relationship with faculty administration, alumni and the surrounding community. All students enrolled in the School of Law are members of the Student Bar Association (SBA) and are entitled to participate in its functions and activities. The SBA allocates funds to various law student organizations, and sponsors events of its own throughout the school year. For more information, visit the SBA Profile page on the Student Life Website.
How do I join a student organization?
SCU Law offers students a chance to join various student organizations. Each fall the Student Bar Association (SBA) hosts Club Day, a time when all registered student organizations have an opportunity to present themselves to new and continuing law students, and students are able to explore the diverse organizations’ interests. Typically, each organization has a sign-up sheet at its table on Club Day, so that the organization may later contact the student regarding membership, activities, and leadership opportunities. Look for Club Day announcements during the first weeks of school to find out more information.
How do I form a new student organization?
Law students are free to organize and join organizations whose stated purposes are consistent with the University and School of Law mission. All student organizations seeking recognition by the Student Bar Association and eligibility for University benefits must be registered and must follow the procedures described in the Guide for Law Student Organizations.
The Grapevine is published weekly by the SBA for the students and community of Santa Clara Law. Each issue of the Grapevine contains SBA updates, event announcements, classifieds, and student resources. The Grapevine web page also contains a link to the Grapevine Submission Guidelines. Questions and concerns can be directed to the SBA Print Editor, editor of the Grapevine, on our student feedback form.
How do I announce a student event?
You may announce student events using flat panel screens, The Grapevine, bulletin boards, e-mail, and blogs. All events should also be placed on the law school web page calendar.
Official announcements by the administration of the law school will be forwarded, via e-mail, to Official Announcement Blog or to student GroupWise e-mail accounts. Additionally, students may subscribe to announcement blogs, which forward an e-mail to the student’s GroupWise e-mail account, as well as archive the announcement on a web page for later viewing. All students are responsible for reading official announcements including those sent to student GroupWise e-mail accounts. The bulletin boards within the glass cases in the Bannan student lounge are the official place for announcements including registration information and reading assignments. Other bulletin boards are located in the Bannan hallways, as well as the Heafey and Bergin hallways. Bannan hallway bulletin boards include information about registration, dean’s notes, public interest programs, international law programs, high tech programs, the student bar association, law school clubs, and career services information. Heafey and Bergin hallways have law records notes, admissions notes, housing information, and individual professor’s bulletin boards.
For information regarding announcement policies, visit lawscuedustage.wpengine.com/bulletin/non-academic-policies/.
COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY
Does the law school have wireless Internet access?
All of our law classrooms are fully networked. Every student seat has two electrical outlets, as well as a single network jack allowing access to the Internet. Also, over 100 of the study carrels in the Law Library are networked. Students with laptops will be able to connect to the Web, their e-mail, LEXIS, and WESTLAW from any seat in the six classrooms, the Moot Court and the majority of carrels in the Law Library. The Santa Clara University Law Library, as well as the Bannan classrooms, is also fully wireless. You no longer need to be in the labs or be connected via a data jack in selected carrels in order to access the SCU network system (though the labs and connecting through a data jack in a carrel will still, as always, be available).
Will law students receive an SCU e-mail address? If so, how is it set up?
All law students will be assigned an SCU gmail account. Official administrative announcements will be sent out via e-mail. Students will be held accountable for checking their e-mail regularly and keeping themselves informed. You may wish to forward your SCU account to any other e-mail account that you regularly access.
What is E-Campus?
E-Campus is the web interface for all Santa Clara University students, and allows students to check grades, register for classes, update address and contact information, view and accept financial aid, and more. Students will receive their E-Campus password before orientation.
What is Emery?
Emery is the law school’s internal Intranet system. Emery allows the various Law School departments to get information to faculty, staff, and students in an easily accessible manner. Visit Emery at emery.scu.edu.
Do I need a laptop?
Santa Clara Law does not require students to have laptops and they are not necessary for successful completion of the degree program. Many successful students do not have laptops. However, many Santa Clara Law students do use laptops and the law school recommends that you consider purchasing a laptop for several reasons. To view a discussion of these reasons, along with information regarding the Laptop Recommendation Program, click here.
Can I purchase a computer or laptop through the school?
Santa Clara Law recommends laptops for each academic year. Visit the Recommended Laptop Program website at recommended laptop program for more information.
