University of Virginia Library

New Law Building Causes Debate;
Plans Claimed 'Faculty- Oriented'

By Donn Kessler
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Controversy over the plans for the
new law complex has broken out among
faculty and students in the law school,
according to informed sources in that
school of the University.

Criticism has been growing, according
to these sources, over both the allocation
of space to student activities and the
general plans themselves.

An editorial in the Virginia Law
Weekly of February 5 criticized the
"faculty-oriented" building plans and stated
that the new building was not oriented to
student activities.

Substantiating its statement, the publication
explained that only 3.1 per cent of the 136,000
square feet of floor space for the complex had
been allocated for student activities.

According to figures obtained from the
plans of the old law building, Clark Hall, some
of the student activities' space will be reduced
in the new complex. The Virginia Law Weekly
will have 100 less square feet of space as will
the Virginia Legal Research Group.

Other groups, however, will receive more
space. The Law Review will get 700 more
square feet of floor space than it presently has.
The Review will have almost half of all space
allocated for student activities.

Increasing Emphasis

The editorial stated that "an ever increasing
emphasis on student participation in relatively
independent legally-oriented activities outside
the classroom would seem to demand a
significant increase in the physical space
allocated to the offices for those activities."

Last year, the law faculty approved credit
for activity in the moot court, the law review,
and work in the area of legal aid.

One law student stated that the lack of
space for student activities may be an example
of the future direction of legal education at the
University.

Photo By Lovelace Cook

Clark Hall, Present Site Of University Law Facilities

Student Criticism Is Now Aimed At The New Law School Complex

Library Space

Although the editorial praised the increased
library space in the proposed complex, it
argued that some of the space allocations
seemed wasteful. The editorial questioned the
"need for a 1568 square foot faculty lounge or
a 2975 square foot student lounge, as well as an
allocation of 1612 square feet for the rare book
section of the library."