University of Virginia Library

Law School

"The plans for a new Law
School on Copeley Hill are too far
advanced to consider relocation."
That is absurd. The building of the
new Law School on Copeley Hill
would be catastrophic. We all know
that. Yet we're to accept this
disastrous mistake on the basis that
it is impossible to change at this
late date? Ridiculous.

True, plans are far advanced.
And $150,000 has been spent. The
University community should have
spoken out against the location
when it was first announced. That
was our mistake. To change the site
location at this late date immense
problems would have to be faced:

Money $150,000 has been
wasted. We can start by facing up
to that. More money is going to
have to be found. If not the
legislature then what about the
alumni? Don't tell me there isn't
some wealthy alumnus who
wouldn't want a new law school
named after him. And I refuse to
believe that alumni of the Law
School are so cold-hearted that
when informed of the situation the
money couldn't be found.

Time - Conditions are already
overcrowded in the present building.
The Law School has to increase
its enrollment and a delay in doing
so is out of the question. What is
needed is space but it need not be
permanent. Temporary space can
be made available by the construction
of cheap, make-shift structures
which can be thrown up overnight
by a local contractor. And that can
start today.

A new site - There are plenty of
sites located within the University
area. The University is going to
have to begin building in the
University proper within the near
future anyway (Projected enrollment,
1980: 18,000) so why not
start with the Law School.

Sure there are problems. And
they're not easily solved. The easy
way out of a difficult situation is to
acquiesce, to give up. What this
University desperately needs now is
determination. Location of the
school is not secondary. Location is
the issue. There won't be any
problem of Law School — University
interaction if the proposed
move is allowed; because there
won't be any interaction. Period!
We're only fooling ourselves if we
think things will "work themselves
out."

This is one battle that is just
beginning.