Student Affairs Office
The Student Affairs Office strives to create an engaging, supportive, and collegial environment for holistic student development and success in the areas of student life; leadership and community engagement; and health and wellness.
In addition, we assist students with personal matters, short term medical concerns, and family emergencies. We are here to serve as a resource for students, faculty, and staff to successfully navigate both the opportunities and challenges of law school. The Student Affairs team is dedicated to ensuring that students have the best possible experience at Penn Law School and we hope you will view our office as a useful resource and a good place to start with questions.
Get to know us!
If you have a concern about any issue that is impacting your education or a suggestion on how to make your experience more rewarding, we invite you to be in touch. Members of our team can connect you to useful resources offered within the Law School and the larger University. Please stop in to meet with us or feel free to email your questions, suggestions and ideas to Student Affairs: stuaffairs@law.upenn.edu.
Our Team:
Dimitri Islam - Director for Student and Community Engagement, mdislam@law.upenn.edu
Melissa Satchell - Student Events Coordinator, msatchel@law.upenn.edu
Joey Garrett - Graduate Assistant, joeyj11@law.upenn.edu
Monica Monroe - Dean of Students, monroe2@law.upenn.edu
Claire Wallace - Assoc Dean, Academic Affairs & Student Affairs, cwallace@law.upenn.edu
Student Life and Event Planning
Penn Law students are highly engaged outside of the classroom in a variety of activities. With nearly 100 student organizations and journals, student life at Penn Law provides students with the opportunity to connect with the community and other classmates who share similar interests. From organizing a conference or event, to volunteering to work on one of the many public interest opportunities, our students foster a vibrant and engaging atmosphere. Students at Penn Law are passionate campus and community leaders inside and outside of the classroom, while enjoying the social and recreational opportunities that the city of Philadelphia and campus have to offer. If you have interest in joining one of the wonderful student organizations or learning more about our journals, reach out to the Student Affairs Office for more information and look out for the Student Organization Fair in the fall!
Penn Law is a vibrant community with student organizations hosting over 200 events per year. If your organization is planning an event, large or small, please be in touch with Melissa Satchell (msatchel@law.upenn.edu) to assist with all aspects of event planning. Here is a link to our ever-growing list of student-hosted events for 2018-2019.
Leadership and Community Engagement
Student leadership and community engagement form vital components to student life at Penn Law School. The Student Affairs Office seeks to encourage and cultivate student growth in these areas. The office works closely with the Council of Student Representatives (CSR – our law student government) on various policy initiatives and community building enterprises. The office assists CSR in elections, collaborates on student events, and serves as a sounding board for various student life issues that arise from time to time. Additionally, the office supports student club leaders as they take the helm of their organizations. Through instructional programming and “town hall” style meetings, the office assists student leaders in their important roles.
The Student Affairs Office offers numerous community building activities throughout the year to bolster student life. From pumpkin carving contests to student group lunches and scavenger hunts, the office is committed to fostering a vibrant and close-knit community in engaging, interactive ways. We welcome the chance to work with you as you find ways to get involved in our wonderful community.
Health and Wellness
There are many facets to being a successful professional. The legal profession values character and fitness as evidenced by the bar. What often gets overlooked, but that is critical to performance, is self-care and wellness. One has to “Be Well to Do Well.” Penn Law recognizes that good health habits start before you enter the profession.
In our continuing effort to assist our students in living a happy and healthy lifestyle, we are pleased to have CAPS counselor, Kyra Selwyn, hosting hours here at Penn Law. Kyra Selwyn, PsyD, is a psychologist at CAPS who provides on-site services at the Law School. She will work with students to provide initial consultation, support, short-term counseling and referral services. To make an appointment, contact CAPS 215-898-7021.
Thrive at Penn: TAP link
Students should feel free to stop in to our office in Golkin Hall Suite 103 or call/email:
Office of Student Affairs
University of Pennsylvania Law School
3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6204
Tel: 215.898.7482
Email: stuaffairs@law.upenn.edu
