A. Building Operating Hours & Security

Regular law school building hours are:

Sunday 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Monday 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

Admittance to the law school building after 9:00 PM is restricted to USC faculty, staff, and students. All law school exterior doors must remain locked from 9:00 pm until 7:00 am M-F. On Saturday, all doors remain locked until 9:00 am and on Sunday doors remain locked until 1:00 pm. Students and other law school patrons are prohibited from propping open exterior doors or from allowing others in the building after hours.

Do not walk alone after dark. Early evening to late evening, travel only in groups of three or more in well-lit and heavily traveled areas. If you must walk alone, call for a police escort (803-777-4215).

For safe evening transportation around campus, transportation is available On Demand through the Rides On Demand program.   Download the Translōc app to request a ride.

See the Law Student Building Emergency Action Plan for more information.

 B. Building Use Policies

 

1. Possession of Weapons: The unauthorized possession or use of firearms or weapons of any other kind (including but not limited to knives, slingshots, metal knuckles, razors, paintball guns, BB guns, and air pistols) is prohibited. The use or display of any object or instrument in a dangerous or threatening manner is prohibited. The University Police provide temporary storage of these items with scheduled access by owners.
   
   
2. Except as provided for by University policies, animals are not permitted on the School of Law grounds or inside the School of Law building without prior approval by the School of Law administration.

4. Student Organizations wishing to reserve space in the School of Law should complete the Student Organization Planning & Room Reservation Form found in the School of Law Student Organization Handbook, on the Student Organization Resources TWEN page, and on the Office of Student Affairs webpage. Any requests for a room reservation can be denied at the discretion of the Office of Student Affairs. 
   
   
5. Eating and drinking from open containers are not permitted in the classrooms. Trash receptacles are located at convenient places throughout the building. Please use them.

5. The parking of bicycles, mopeds and motorcycles within the building is prohibited. Bicycle racks are located in front of the building, Senate Street side and space is available in the parking lot for mopeds and motorcycles (Pickens Street parking lot). Mopeds and motorcycles must not be parked on the patio or courtyard.

6. Please submit all complaints and suggestions about building maintenance and equipment to Elizabeth Niehaus, Vice Dean for Finance & Business Operations, telephone 777-6043, Email: niehause@law.sc.edu 

 

C. Parking

 

The Pickens Street Lot (LS1), on the east side of the Law School, is reserved for the Dean, associate deans, adjunct faculty, and guests of the law school.  Students are prohibited from parking in these lots and without prior authorization, will be towed.  Students can call Parking Services at 803-777-5160 to inquire about on-campus decal parking options.

 

D. No Smoking Policy

 

Effective August 1, 2006 - the "Tobacco Free Campus" policy (https://www.sc.edu/policies/ppm/univ500.pdf) prohibits the following:

• The use of tobacco products on all university owned or leased property and vehicles, outdoor seating areas, outdoor services lines, ATM lines and lines for bus stop, admission to events and ticket purchases. The ban also applies to outdoor fixed seating venues.
• The policy applies to all faculty, staff, employees, students, contractors, volunteers and guests.
• The sale, sampling or advertisement of tobacco products on campus and the advertising of tobacco products in all USC publications.

This policy bans all smoking on the 2^nd floor terrace and near the doors to the building. 

 

E. Law Library

 

1. Group Study Rooms

 Group study rooms may be reserved exclusively by admitted law students. While rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, reservations are strongly encouraged, especially during exam periods. Reservations can be made at libcal.law.sc.edu. 

2. Borrowing Policies 
   
   
   1. You can check out materials with your Carolina Card. For detailed information about the types of material available, with check-out periods, see the library’s “Services to Students” page.
      
      
   2. Interlibrary Loan - For any requests not able to be fulfilled through the library catalog, students may submit an Interlibrary Loan request online. Every effort is made to fulfill requests within 1-2 weeks. Please contact the Circulation Desk with any questions or call 777-5942.
      
      

3. Food, Beverages & Smoking. 

USC is a tobacco-free campus.  Eating is not allowed in the library. Non-alcoholic beverages are allowed if carried in spill-proof containers.

4. Mutilation, Theft, or Concealment of Library Materials.

South Carolina law makes mutilation, destruction, theft, or concealment of library materials a misdemeanor (S.C. Code §§ 16-13-330 and 16-13-331) and those actions may also constitute an Honor Code violation.

5. Access to the Law Library.
   
   

Hours:
Monday-Wednesday . . . . . 7:00 am to 11:00 pm
Thursday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:00 am to 10:00 pm
Friday. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Saturday . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Sunday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Note: Library hours are reduced when classes are not in session and during the summer. Appropriate notices will be posted in advance on signs within the law building and on the Law Library’s homepage.

Unauthorized entry or presence in the library, when the library is closed, is a violation of the Honor Code.

6. Scanning and copying.

 Copies are $.15/page (Carolina Card only) using the scanner/photocopier in room 120A [color-enabled, document feeder, flatbed]. Scanning is free of charge on that copier and the KIC Bookeye Scanner in room 120A [touchscreen interface, collapsible book cradle, document feeder]. For assistance with the scanner and copier, please ask at the Circulation Desk. 

 F. Commons Area Computer Workstations & Printers

 

1. Location.

 Computers for student use are located in the Student Commons area on the first floor of the Law Library.  This area is supported by full-time staff members, located in the Academic Technology Suite Room 202, who are available to answer questions and provide assistance with computer and printing equipment.

  

2. Eligibility to Use.

Only students currently enrolled at USC are entitled to use the computers in the Student Commons area. The University Student Printing System Kiosks in the Student Commons can be used by anyone since they allow for credit card purchases.  All other persons needing to use the Student Commons Computers must obtain prior written permission from Gary Moore, Assistant Dean for Academic Technology, to use this space.

 

3. Hours of Operation.

 Monday-Sunday - 24 Hours (After hours via Carolina Card Access)

 

4. Available Computers and Printers.

There are twelve Dell Windows 11 Workstations in the Commons.   The School of Law workstations are restricted to law students only via USC network username login and password. 

For printing, there are two University Student Printing System color printer copier kiosks located in the Computer Commons Area that can be used for student printing both via the Common computer workstations and by student laptops.   Documentation and further details on the University Student  Printing System can be found on the University Printing Service Student Printing web page.

Students can print either by Carolina Card or credit card. Students can add value to their Carolina Card through my.sc.edu. Students who are journal staff members, members of student organizations or who are engaged as faculty research assistants or tutors should contact Gary Moore, Assistant Dean for Academic Technology via email at gmoore@law.sc.edu for having research/tutor/journal/student organization University Student Printing System accounts created for use with the Commons University Student Printing System kiosks.

 

5. Software.

Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel for student use via the Office 365 Portal for their personal laptop and desktop computers.  The Commons area computer workstations also have Office365 -  Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel access for student use (upgrades to Lab software may occur at any time).   Outlook Email is provided by USC via Office365 (http://portal.office.com).  Other Commons Area workstation software includes Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (requires a free student account for access), Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.  Lexis, Westlaw, and CALI Exercises (www.cali.org) are accessible via Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

 

6. Wireless Network.

The School of Law is part of the University’s campus-wide wireless network, eduroam. When students select eduroam as their network, they must login by entering their USC network username@ds.sc.edu and password (example gmoore@ds.sc.edu).

Students can also connect to the USC guest network but are highly encouraged to use the eduroam network because access to USCguest is limited to a 24-hour time period.

Students who need help need help with wireless connectivity and laptop support, assistance is available with the School of Law in the Academic Technology Suite during the Academic Technology Support hours 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Monday-Friday.   Students should open a ticket with the School of Law help desk for scheduling an appointment.  Please make sure to enter Joseph F. Rice School of Law for the question, “From whom are you seeking assistance?” to ensure your ticket is delivered to our School of Law Academic Technology team.

 

7. Questions.

Students are also highly encouraged to open a ticket with the School of Law help desk on any hardware or software questions, or support needs.  Please make sure to enter Joseph F. Rice School of Law for the question, “From whom are you seeking assistance?” to ensure your ticket is delivered to our School of Law Academic Technology team.  A School of Law Academic Technology team member will contact you as soon as possible once the ticket is created during the Academic Technology Support hours 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Monday-Friday.

Students are also encouraged to visit our Academic Technology website, http://law.sc.edu/it for helpful software documentation and links.

 

 G. Policy on Minors' Presence at the Law School Campus

To ensure the essential functioning of the University and prioritize the safety of all minors on campus, the following guidelines govern the presence of children and minors at the Law School Campus:

1. Students Bringing Children and Minors to Class:

Due to family emergencies, students may occasionally need to bring a child to class. Minors and children are generally not allowed in classrooms during class sessions unless explicit permission is granted by the faculty member in advance of class. Faculty may contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to ensure consistency in the application of Law School policy.

In the rare circumstances when a child is in class, if the child becomes disruptive, the faculty member may ask the student and child to leave.

       2. Visiting Children and Minors:

While we recognize the importance of community and family needs, our commitment remains focused on providing quality education. Law school spaces are designed for educational purposes and are not intended to serve as routine childcare spaces. While children should not be routinely permitted in law school spaces, we recognize that students, faculty, and staff may occasionally need to bring children into the law school. When children do visit law school spaces, the following rules apply:

• Parents or guardians must maintain line-of-sight supervision of their children at all times.
• Minors should not disrupt others, and any issues should be promptly addressed by the parent or guardian.
• Leaving children unattended during  class or university activities is not permitted. The university reserves the right to ask visitors to leave if they are disruptive.

 

H. Lockers and Mailboxes

 

Lockers are assigned to all students by Student Affairs.  Students will maintain the same locker for their entire enrollment at the School of Law. Students will not be able to change lockers unless the one they are assigned is damaged. Each summer, Student Affairs cuts the locks and cleans out the lockers for which they have no record. 

Graduating students keep their lockers until August 1 or another date authorized by Student Affairs – those that are not cleared out by graduates will be cleared out and the items inside will be taken to Consolidated Services for disposal.

 

 I. Lost and Found

 

Lost items should be turned into the Office of Student Affairs, Suite 127.  The items will be kept for the semester in which they are received.  At the end of each semester, items that remain will be donated if possible, and the rest will be discarded.