USD Law School: Students oppose idea of partial move to Sioux Falls

University of South Dakota law students have mixed views on whether their law school should stay put in Vermillion or relocate to Sioux Falls. 

But one thing they all agree on? Don't split it between both towns. 

A task force formed this summer to look at a possible move to the state's largest city to help attract students and put them closer to job opportunities.

Rep. Mark Mickelson, R-Sioux Falls, chair of the group, has suggested a third possibility: keep the law school on USD's campus but give third-year students an option of completing their degree in Sioux Falls.

"I think that's a terrible idea," said Sara Little, third-year law student at USD.

Little, and most law students interviewed this week at the school agreed that wherever the school is, it should be fully in one location. 

Student groups including the Class of 2019 and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board sent letters to the task force in opposition to the proposed third-year move. 

Mickelson sees the third-year move as a way to make at least some move to Sioux Falls. He doesn't yet know if the committee will agree to that as a final recommendation to the state, but says the third-year option preserves the school in Vermillion while "allowing development to occur." 

"I honestly think the law school's a perfect example of how slow we are to adapt to a changing market," Mickelson said.

More:Moving a law school to a bigger city? Idaho did it.

He mentioned Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown as an example of responding to market needs. The two-year tech school is ranked among the top in the nation. 

"Folks in the law school could learn something by taking a trip up to Lake Area Tech and seeing how they respond to the market," Mickelson said. 

But students are concerned about the logistics of moving only a portion of the law school to Sioux Falls. 

"It would just be chaotic," said third-year law student Kaleb Paulsen. 

Morgan Nelson, a third-year law student and member of the task force, said students "resoundingly" oppose splitting the third year of the school between two towns. 

"It would be detrimental to the community," Nelson said. 

Student Rachelle Norberg worries what dividing the third year would mean for class schedules. Norberg says many upper-level classes have a mix of second- and third-year students, and the logistics get complicated for professors and students alike if those classes are split 50 miles apart.

If the logistics work, though, first-year student Elisa Glab wouldn't mind spending one less year in Vermillion. Glab lives in Sioux Falls, and said she's not as concerned as other students about the loss of community if the college splits. 

"I'm just here to get my J.D.," Glab said. "If (moving to Sioux Falls) going to get me a job in the future, I could care less about how it affects students." 

It's not yet clear what the task force's final recommendation will look like. The group's final meeting is Friday in Vermillion.