Student Legal Services: Action Plan

Table of Contents

Student Legal Services Action Plan

The Division of Student Life fosters student success by creating and promoting inclusive educationally purposeful services and activities within and beyond the classroom. The departmental program review process empowers departments within the Division of Student Life to critically evaluate their work and their effect on the UI student experience through a lens of continuous improvement. Student Legal Services engaged in a National Student Legal Services (NSLS) and Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Standards program review in March 2021. The process included a self-assessment review by staff members in Student Legal Services, selection of two external reviewers, Mark J. Karon, Esq of University of Minnesota Student Legal Service Molly R. Hegerty, Esq. of Student Legal Services at The Ohio State University, and an internal reviewer, Constance A. Shriver Cervantes, J.D. of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, and meetings with staff members, stakeholders, and campus partners. Student Legal Services created the following action plan in response to the program review team's recommendations.

Recommendation

SLS’s current resources do not meet the demands and needs of students and provide no room for growth. The office has been consistently understaffed and therefore unable to properly market the program or grow offerings to meet student needs.

Plan

  • Ensure that SLS has an adequate file management system (Explore Clio/Improve FileMaker)
  • Explore grant opportunities including IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts and ISBA (Iowa State Bar Association) and continue to build relationships with the University of Iowa Center for Advancement
  • Explore needs for an additional attorney and non-attorney staff. Present request for additional staff through appropriate channels, as
    needed including Student Government

Success Measures and Updates

  • The office has a sufficient budget to maintain and grow SLS operations per best practices and needs of students.
    • Received a Heider Grant for $5000 to translate SLS materials into various languages (spring 2022)
  • Continue to review staffing levels and advocate for changes as needed.
    • Outlined optimal attorney caseload ratio based on peer groups and national data (completed spring 2022)
  • Office has a functional file system that increases staff efficiency.
    • Determined the free version of Clio is not viable. Exploring the paid version of Clio and other potential systems (spring 2022)

Recommendation

The SLS office space is difficult to find, unwelcoming, cramped, and requires time and resources to ensure confidentiality. There are security and safety issues for staff and students as well.

Plan

  • Develop business case for including SLS at Student Well-Being Building and submit through proper channels
  • Explore possibility of renovating office in line with FEMA requirements

Success Measures and Updates

  • SLS has a space that is more easily recognized and accessed by students.
    • Gathered student input regarding SLS location (completed spring 2022)
    • Received an estimate for renovating the office in line with FEMA requirements. The estimate is $25K not including demo, wall repair, paint, and lighting. (spring 2022)
    • Worked with Student Life Communications to add additional temporary signage on IMU 1st floor (completed spring 2022)
  • The SLS space will have an arrangement that is conducive to privacy concerns with safety being a paramount consideration.
    • Consulted with DPS in August 2021 and received recommendations (completed fall 2021)

Recommendation

Charging for representation is a barrier to student access and to the SLS mission. Due to staffing constraints and resource limitations, SLS is unable to provide the holistic, robust, and proactive legal services and guidance provided by other student legal services programs.

Plan

  • Explore the possibility of becoming court-appointed counsel for students in criminal cases.
  • Establish Power of Attorney (POA) clinic

Success Measures and Updates

  • A plan to continuously review cost of legal representation in order to limit costs to students.
    • Reviewed scope of services to align with student needs and SLS priorities (completed spring 2022)
    • Worked with an undergraduate research assistant to analyze legal needs of students (completed spring 2022)
    • Presented plan for the elimination of fees (completed spring 2022)
  • Provide multiple clinics and referral programs to better serve students.
    • Provided an expungement clinic in spring 2022 and plan to hold the clinic yearly (completed spring 2022)
    • Re-established Immigration Referral Program (completed spring 2022)

Recommendation

  • SLS, with the support of Division Student Life administration, should improve collaborative efforts with campus partners.
  • SLS needs direct inclusion in Student Life and university committees, so SLS’s services are better understood within Student Life and within the university community.

Plan

  • Build a relationship with parent services
  • Build relationships with University Housing & Dining
  • Partner with Orientation to identify ways to engage with new students
  • Establish a plan for more frequent check-ins with Student Government
  • Explore SLS representation on DOS Advisory Board
  • Collaborate with organizations that support underrepresented students

Success Measures and Updates

  • SLS will have a greater presence in residence halls.
  • Increased collaboration with campus partners.
    • Established a plan for more frequent check-ins with campus partners (completed spring 2022)
    • Encouraged SLS staff to apply for University committees and advisory groups (ongoing)

Recommendation

  • Many of the legal issues that students face greatly impact their well-being and their ability to succeed academically.
  • The program has been consistently understaffed and therefore unable to properly market the program to students.
  • There is a perception that SLS primarily assists students with “getting out of criminal charges” when in fact SLS offers legal advice and representation for a broad range of legal issues both civil and criminal, as well as providing preventative legal education.

Plan

  • Use Student Life Communications to more effectively tell the SLS story
  • Develop a comprehensive communication plan regarding information provided to faculty and staff
  • Partner with Admissions to share information about SLS on campus tours

Success Measures and Updates

  • SLS will be recognized as a key resource on campus for students.
    • Worked with an undergraduate research assistant to analyze outreach efforts and make suggestions for future planning (completed spring 2022)
  • Be featured in division-wide publications including emails and websites.
    • Formalized and published a mission statement that aligns with the University and DSL’s mission and strategic plans (completed spring 2022) 
  • SLS will have an annual communication plan to increase awareness of services.
  • Increase the number of intake appointments each year.