Peer Assistance and Support System (PASS)

The Peer Assistance and Support System (PASS) consists of several outstanding upper-division students who have volunteered their time to help other students. Each volunteer is in the top 15% of his or her class, and most are also active in student activities, such as law review and national moot court competitions.

PASS volunteers are available for individual or small group tutorials. They are a valuable resource for students adjusting to the law school environment as well as seeking to improve their understanding of the law. They help students adjust to the law school environment by answering questions about study skills, time management, and life as a law student. They also help students improve study- and exam-taking skills by reviewing briefs and outlines, providing some tutoring in substantive areas, and helping students learn to analyze an exam fact pattern.

PASS Volunteers are also available for walk-in consultations at posted times, which are scheduled about once a week, in Library Study Room 135. The dates and times are posted to the Academic Support Calendar on Westlaw's TWEN, on the announcement whiteboard on the second floor of the College of Law, and in the library.

PASS Volunteers find the program rewarding although they are not paid for their time and do not receive academic credit. They cite several reasons for wanting to volunteer, including: (1) eligibility for the non-legal Pro Bono Certificate; (2) commitment to pro bono work, which is important to the profession and potential employers; (3) the opportunity to stay sharp on previously studied topics, especially required courses, which are all tested on the Bar Exam; (4) a desire to "help the first-years avoid the mistakes that we made in our first year, while letting them know what worked for us;" and mostly (5) "that nice feeling a person gets in knowing they helped someone out with a problem."

Students who would like to meet with or talk to a PASS Volunteer should contact one of the PASS Coordinators, who will match the student with a volunteer. The Coordinators try to match students and volunteers with compatible schedules to avoid difficulties in arranging meetings. After the initial contact, students may contact the assigned volunteer directly.

The 2008-09 PASS Coordinators are: Ryan Andrews, Stacey Cutting, and Charles Mayr. You may contact one of the coordinators if you would like PASS assistance. If your last name begins with A through G, you should contact Ryan Andrews at rynandrews@gmail.com. If your last name begins with H through P, you should contact Stacey Cutting at scutting@ymail.com or (661) 373-6226. If your last name begins with Q through Z, you should contact Charles Mayr at Charles.Mayr@laverne.edu.

The 2008-09 PASS Volunteers are: Sofia Ahmed (’10), Melanie Blackmer (’09), Shanna Burkholder (’11), David Casady (’10), Sandra Chung (’10), Kyle Claussen (’09), Danielle Dube (’10), David Foate (’09), Donna Gephart (’09), Jordan Gilbertson (’10), Blake Harrison (’10), Suzanne Johnson (’10), Briseida Luna (’09), Kelsey Mezzanatto (’10), Shannon Perez (’10), Melissa Pratt (’11), Kimberly Prendergast (’09), Jerome Raguero (’10), Shauna Rech (’09), Leslie Riley (’09), Benjamin Ruesch (’09), Patrick Santos (’09), Sagi Schwartzberg (’10), Chad Van Hook (’09), Curtis Wright (’10). The list of PASS volunteers for the semester is also posted on the bulletin boards and on the Academic Support website on Westlaw’s TWEN network.

To learn more about La Verne's PASS program, please contact Professor Kathy Garcia, La Verne's Director of Academic Support, at (909) 460-2045 or kgarcia@laverne.edu.