The UNAUTHORIZED blogger collective for the University of Colorado Law School.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Class Gift
There doesn't seem to be any consensus on the 3L class gift. Thoughts on the picture of the sculpture RK sent this evening?
16 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I've put off signing a deposit waiver until I know what the money is going for. I defintely will not turn over my money for this sculpture. There is no way you can convince me that this sculpture in any way enhances the law school in a way that is worth me spending my money on.
What i it supposed to be? Anon is right, it looks like some sort of memorial...Are we putting deceased donors names on the leaves? 20K Sunk already? Ouch
Yeah, I'll be pretty disappointed if the 3L class votes for this. Haven't we paid enough for this building already that our class gift doesn't need to go toward this boondoggle?
Anyway, I'm not convinced that the class gift is something I want to contribute to, anyway.
I second the comment on the class gift. It's absurd. Why am I giving a gift to an institution that I already pay ridiculous sums of money to? I love CU Law. I'm thrilled that I came here. But you know what? I have no desire to give additional money for freakin' gym equipment, sculptures, or anything else.
It's definitely not aesthetically pleasing, but I wouldn't compare it to a Holocaust memorial. Personally, I'd rather see our money go towards an anti-undergrad system based on this. But I do think that we should give our $34K (or whatever it is) to something that will improve the school more than sculpture gone wrong. So how about we fund an endowment that supplements salaries for visiting professors? I've heard several stories about how well-regarded profs have turned us down at the last minute because our salaries are so stinkin' low compared to what private institutions can offer, so it would be nice to draw some solid teachers to Colorado that might stick around after they visit, if we're lucky.
BTW, it's no wonder there are funding restrictions around the use of state funds for "sculpture" in state buildings, which is why the tree-thing we're being asked to fund was never put up in the first place.
Isn't a class gift just a one-time alumni donation? Priming the pump, as it were, for a long and generous alumni relationship with a hallowed and noble institution (at least in theory)? The general alienation from CU Law expressed by most of the bloggers here suggests that a one-time donation might be the best CU Law can hope for.
So here's the question, 3L's: do you take your $200 deposit, which wouldn't buy a decent suit, one ski, or two hours at Diamond Cabaret, and stuff it in your tight little pocket? Or do you cast it like bread upon the water and hope that CU Law lives up to your expectations, even if belatedly?
The only thing worse than being dissatisfied with your expensive and hard-earned law school experience might be being more and more embarassed by your law school diploma over time, as your alma mater sinks deeper into the miasma of mediocrity and disenfranchisement. That $200 wouldn't cover a good day in Vail -- use it to make sure the people that follow you don't share your suffering.
The $200 would buy a whole lotta ramen, which is what I'll still be eating when I get out of school because of the ridiculous amount of loans that I have to pay off. Please, let me keep my ramen . . .
For the record, I'm not endorsing those God-awful abominations that some 'artist' claimed were trees. That's why we get to vote on the gift. The point is that we, as a class, have an opportunity to put our money where our mouths are try to make CU Law just a little better place to be a law student. Hell, I'd vote for a $30,000 kegger if it helps the program.
But I agree, not the Menorah/security fence/concertina wire trees...
Could someone tell us just how hard is the administration pushing for this sculpture as the 3L class gift. If they are trying to get us to finish funding it because they are already deep in the red, then it is very disingenuous on their part. Since when did the class gift go towards something the administration was looking to fund?
Also, if by some miracle this "thing" wins the vote, I am interested in the ability for one to withdraw their waiver...
NJL--there's a reason I haven't signed a waiver yet. I'm not donating money to an amorphous class gift that goes to a cause I may or may not support. I sign it if and when the class approves a recipient that I think deserves my money.
That said, I think we can have confidence in our classmates not to pick the sculpture.
The Dean is not "pushing" the sculpture on us. He knew that we were still in the process of selecting a class gift and simply presented it as an additional option. Based on what people have told me, and the comments above, the sculpture is not tremendously popular.
Whether we can endow a scholarship or supplement a professor's salary is up in the air -- we're still waiting to hear back from the Student Fee Committee on our request to help with the costs for graduation.
16 comments:
I've put off signing a deposit waiver until I know what the money is going for. I defintely will not turn over my money for this sculpture. There is no way you can convince me that this sculpture in any way enhances the law school in a way that is worth me spending my money on.
It looks like a Holocaust memorial.
Personally, I think it is a monstrosity. Word on the street is that the school has already sunk $20K on the plans for this bad boy.
What i it supposed to be? Anon is right, it looks like some sort of memorial...Are we putting deceased donors names on the leaves? 20K Sunk already? Ouch
Yeah, I'll be pretty disappointed if the 3L class votes for this. Haven't we paid enough for this building already that our class gift doesn't need to go toward this boondoggle?
Anyway, I'm not convinced that the class gift is something I want to contribute to, anyway.
I second the comment on the class gift. It's absurd. Why am I giving a gift to an institution that I already pay ridiculous sums of money to? I love CU Law. I'm thrilled that I came here. But you know what? I have no desire to give additional money for freakin' gym equipment, sculptures, or anything else.
We could get the school class of 2008 soap dispensers and this time get ones that work and don't leak all over.
It's definitely not aesthetically pleasing, but I wouldn't compare it to a Holocaust memorial. Personally, I'd rather see our money go towards an anti-undergrad system based on this. But I do think that we should give our $34K (or whatever it is) to something that will improve the school more than sculpture gone wrong. So how about we fund an endowment that supplements salaries for visiting professors? I've heard several stories about how well-regarded profs have turned us down at the last minute because our salaries are so stinkin' low compared to what private institutions can offer, so it would be nice to draw some solid teachers to Colorado that might stick around after they visit, if we're lucky.
BTW, it's no wonder there are funding restrictions around the use of state funds for "sculpture" in state buildings, which is why the tree-thing we're being asked to fund was never put up in the first place.
Isn't a class gift just a one-time alumni donation? Priming the pump, as it were, for a long and generous alumni relationship with a hallowed and noble institution (at least in theory)? The general alienation from CU Law expressed by most of the bloggers here suggests that a one-time donation might be the best CU Law can hope for.
So here's the question, 3L's: do you take your $200 deposit, which wouldn't buy a decent suit, one ski, or two hours at Diamond Cabaret, and stuff it in your tight little pocket? Or do you cast it like bread upon the water and hope that CU Law lives up to your expectations, even if belatedly?
The only thing worse than being dissatisfied with your expensive and hard-earned law school experience might be being more and more embarassed by your law school diploma over time, as your alma mater sinks deeper into the miasma of mediocrity and disenfranchisement. That $200 wouldn't cover a good day in Vail -- use it to make sure the people that follow you don't share your suffering.
MacLawyer: you should've been class president.
The $200 would buy a whole lotta ramen, which is what I'll still be eating when I get out of school because of the ridiculous amount of loans that I have to pay off. Please, let me keep my ramen . . .
Sounds like a great idea. Lets put two fake trees up on the patio blocking the view of the real trees. Good call.
For the record, I'm not endorsing those God-awful abominations that some 'artist' claimed were trees. That's why we get to vote on the gift. The point is that we, as a class, have an opportunity to put our money where our mouths are try to make CU Law just a little better place to be a law student. Hell, I'd vote for a $30,000 kegger if it helps the program.
But I agree, not the Menorah/security fence/concertina wire trees...
Could someone tell us just how hard is the administration pushing for this sculpture as the 3L class gift. If they are trying to get us to finish funding it because they are already deep in the red, then it is very disingenuous on their part. Since when did the class gift go towards something the administration was looking to fund?
Also, if by some miracle this "thing" wins the vote, I am interested in the ability for one to withdraw their waiver...
NJL--there's a reason I haven't signed a waiver yet. I'm not donating money to an amorphous class gift that goes to a cause I may or may not support. I sign it if and when the class approves a recipient that I think deserves my money.
That said, I think we can have confidence in our classmates not to pick the sculpture.
The Dean is not "pushing" the sculpture on us. He knew that we were still in the process of selecting a class gift and simply presented it as an additional option. Based on what people have told me, and the comments above, the sculpture is not tremendously popular.
Whether we can endow a scholarship or supplement a professor's salary is up in the air -- we're still waiting to hear back from the Student Fee Committee on our request to help with the costs for graduation.
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