http://www.columbia.edu/cu/law/senate/meetings/minutes120809.pdf

One of the problems which repeatedly came up is the fact that, at Columbia, the Faculty enjoy great freedom and discretion. If professor conduct is to be reformed, either with regard to post-exam feedback or altering the grade structure to allow for writing assignments/midterms, the reform will need to be self-initiated by the Faculty. As I understand it, the Senate doesn't have direct authority on academic matters or professor conduct--the best we can do is express the student position to the Faculty and attempt to persuade them to change their behavior.

On the basis of similar discussions, I can point to two hurdles that will need to be overcome.

• A proposal for establishing midterms or written assignments will require Faculty to voluntarily increase their workload. Given human nature, and Eben's previous observations on the character of law school professors, this is not an easy proposition.

• Often, the arguments that are most persuasive before the Faculty are those which demonstrate that Columbia is falling behind its peers. However, Columbia's current policy on law school exams is pretty standard. To make matters worse, we would be attempting to convince the people who are most responsible for perpetuating the current system, and who are most likely to have loyalty to the system, that the system is broken.

Nevertheless, I think your idea of a mass-mailing to representatives could be a good way to get some movement on this issue. If this is a widespread student concern, then it is something that the Senate should address. If you're able to demonstrate student demand utilizing this new system, the Senate will have a high interest in responding favorably.

So, in short, while creating midterms or written assignments faces a significant uphill battle, it is a good idea, and it is worth an attempt. At the very least, I'll vote for it :).