- LRAP Donation
- Metal Sculpture for Wolf Law Building
- Donation to Colorado Legal Services
- Donation to Boulder Safehouse
- Other, please specify
I had thought (hoped?) that there were clever folks working behind the curtain to put some Wolff improvements on the ballot, but that was wishful thinking. Ryan, Cathy, et al., are busy trying to graduate like the rest of us, as well they should be, and this is what they have to work with based on the efforts (or lack of efforts) from the rest of us. If anyone would like to see our class gift go toward improving our new home, which does NOT appear to be a ballot option, now is the time to get creative.
Presuming (based on a prior blog) that the hideous metal sculpture isn't really in the running, what appeals to you? Here are some ideas that I've heard here and elsewhere:
- Add the mediation table and other improvements to the clinic?
- Buy card-readers that would provide 24-hour access for all law students (but deny non-law students after some reasonably late hour)?
- Put picnic facilities in the courtyard?
- Add other aesthetically pleasing improvements (NOT the concertina-trees-from-hell sculpture)?
- Add sufficient (well-made) tables and chairs to the 2nd floor patio and cafe to actually allow people to sit down at the same time?
We'll need to generate a consensus very quickly if we're going to get a "write-in" idea that survives this week's vote.
Donating to LRAP is a fine alternative, but from what I understand that program is already generating significant donations from law firms which greatly exceed our meager $20,000. I know that LRAP has passionate supporters and I'm not diminishing the value of that program to the school, the communnity, and the people served by it -- I'd just like to see some brick-and-mortar options on the ballot.
If you'd like to see a tangible alternative on the class gift ballot, please help by generating a viable write-in alternative through this forum and then writing it in on your ballot.
33 comments:
Could someone in the know provide some info on LRAP's current financial status (either on the blog, or in an e-mail to the class)? My impression is that it still needs significant donations to reach its goals.
Also, there seems to be some confusion out there about the recent LRAP legislation. That legislation did NOT provide any funding for LRAP. It basically just gave LRAP permission to operate.
I agree with MacLawyer- It is clear that there are more readers and contributors to the Blawg than those who have participated in the current and past survey. We are going off the only information we have received (that is within our budget.) HOwever, now we have reached a deadline and a decision has to be made. Please write in your decision. As to the endowment for a prof, my understanding is that we don't even come close to the amount it would take, and thus the funds would be "stashed" somewhere, with nothing to show what we gave. Please give us a better idea of what we want our legacy to be.
To respond to some of the suggestions that MacLawyer has posted, such as chairs or mediation table, etc., these ideas are all fine with me. However, while talking to classmates about our class gift, people seem to want something that we can put our "name" on, and having a table with "Class of 2007" on it doesn't seem that impressive to some people. So, I see that as the reason why those options have not been seriously discussed. I don't care what our class gift is - I'm just trying to give some input on how we, your class officers (Ryan, Cathy, Julia and Kati) made decisions as to what to place on the ballot.
I agree with Ryan - we should have a nude sculpure of Scalia. Failing that, I'd rather the money go to a kickin' party.
I'd also be ok if the officers decide for us - that's what we elected them for.
I actually don't agree with MacLawyer. While I understand and respect that different choices will be made, I can't help but feel we've put enough money into the law building. While perhaps a couple improvements could be made, to me, these choices lack the same necessity as providing much-needed funding to a charitable organization or LRAP.
I really appreciate all the good work Ryan, Kati, Cathy, and Julia have put into this decision.
I would like to suggest that put our funds towards some artistic endeavor to memorialize our most beloved administrators. Here are a few ideas that have come to mind:
1. Marble statutes in the Greek/Roman genera depicting our beloved Deans: Dayna Mathew and Lorenzo Trujillo as the gods of incompetence.
2. We could erect a Vietnam Memorial type of wall in the courtyard and engrave the names of all our fallen administrators: Career Services, Financial Aid, Alumni Support, etc. On the other side we could engrave the names of those we would like to see added to the front.
3. We could purchase a bar and kegerator that could be engraved and wheeled out for functions.
4. We could convert all of the funds to pennies and dump them in the courtyard fountain to symbolize all of the money we have thrown away on law school.
5. We could put all of the money towards courtyard bricks - this should please those people that want our name on something.
6. We could put the money towards Class of 2007 Brand - Mint Lip Ice with Suncreen SPF 15 - "The ultimate way to protect your lips against sunburn, dryness, and windburn" We could give it out to everyone at graduation so they will have something to forever remember us by.
7. In the alternative of number 6, we could purchase Class of 2007 Brand purified water and give the bottles out at graduation so everybody would have something to forever remember us by.
8. We could throw one hell of a bender with booze, midgets and ponies.
9. We could use it to pay for my Barbri course.
10. We could use it to pay my rent while I am studying for the bar.
11. We could buy a bunch of lottery tickets and divide the proceeds (if any) among everyone and commemorate the purchase with a cheap plaque that could be hung in some seldom visited corner of the Wolf Building.
12. We could get one of geniuses from Leeds to invest the money for us and reconvene in 10 years to rediscuss what we are going to do with our gift money (if there still is any).
13. We could buy a few of those vibrating massage chairs for the lobby.
14. We could endow a chair for an on-campus masseuse.
15. I am saving the best idea for last, I just haven't thought of it yet.
How about a scholarship for incoming students that score over 165 on their LSATs? That way, we sweeten the pot a little and hopefully draw candidates to CU that will help the school's rank increase. It helps the school, it helps us, and it helps the next generation of CU Law students.
How about bar loans for those who are unable to get them, or for some other reason are unable to finance the bar app, classes and costs associated with June and July?
1. I think the building is already equipped with card readers. It is more of a political/practical problem that prevents the building from being locked down.
2. I don't agree with the LSAT threshold. I bombed my LSAT (a phat 157) and am relatively comfortable with my ranking/position in life. I had a bad day. So what? I understand the reasoning behind a threshold (higher US New ranking), but am not keen on that being our legacy.
The Student Finance Committee just approved a measure that would give the Class $10K towards the cost of graduation.
How about putting the money toward removing that retarded roundabout thingy in the parking lot? That's a gift that would keeping giving every day.
With the additional funds, I think endowing/subsidizing a professor's chair or a class scholarship is now on the table. Given the loss of VF and MPF, I'm strongly in favor of endowing a professor's salary over any of the other options.
Do we know that the departure of VF and MPF is caused by a problem that could be solved by endowing a professor's chair?
And what does that even mean?
From what I heard, money was part of the mix. It wasn't dispositive, but certainly a factor.
In essence, our class would subsidize a professor's salary a couple thousand dollars each year.
Regardless of whether VF & MPF would have stayed had there been another endowed chair at CU Law (which doesn't sound likely based on Mimi's post), this would be a perfect "improvement" to the new building. We will no doubt continue to lose great faculty for a variety of reasons (consider Professor Reitz). The trick is attracting the best professors available whenever we can.
IF YOU AREN'T ALREADY COMMITTED TO ONE OF THE EXISTING AND DESERVING BALLOT ALTERNATIVES, PLEASE WRITE IN "ENDOW A PROFESSORSHIP" ON YOUR BALLOT.
The naked Scalia statue is intriguing, but who'd be willing to talk the old man into posing?
Anonymous with the 15 suggestions:
How about we use the class money to hire some demolition experts to blow up the new building with all administrators and staff still inside. After all, these people have been ruining your life ever since you made the CHOICE to come to law school.
I voted for a endowing a professorship, but the idea posed by HS is not bad. The money could help, and the increased score will help keep our ranking in the 30's.
Aren't professor's chairs usually endowed to support a certain type of scholarship? Like the Raphael J. Moses Professor of Natural Resources Law, or the Byron White Professor of Constitutional Law (currently held by Getches and Schlag, respectively).
I think just voting to endow a professor's chair is way too general. What are the qualifications for the professor who would hold the chair? What type of scholarship or research would it be intended to support? Is there a plan? To be viable, this idea should have been proposed one of the many times the class officers have solicited ideas, so that it could be properly developed. I don't think it's specific enough to be on a ballot in any sort of run-off election. I mean, some people might support endowing a chair in civil rights law, but not telecommunications law.
As for the scholarship for LSAT high scorers, I'm with Bolder that that's not the legacy I'd want the class to leave. I'm willing to bet that something like that would end up being a subsidy for privileged white kids. Maybe it would have a marginal impact on the US News rank, but it's not something I'd want to contribute to. (Of course, like Bolder, I'm speaking as one who got in with an LSAT in the upper 150s--and off the wait list, no less.)
I think I am on board with the professor's chair. As to what the qualifications should be it appears that many on this blog support professors who are committed to student learning. How about a Excellence in Teaching type of chair for faculty committed to students etc... Not sure the logistics.
My other idea was an endowment to hire a new law library director or fund daily harassment of our current library leader.
These are great ideas. Please tell your friends to vote. As of right now, less than half of our class has participated in the vote. With the extra money we have a chance to do something real.
ENDOW A PROFESSORSHIP!!!
I agree, HS, if only I hadn't already voted for LRAP.
I would vote to endow a professor, but I already voted. Any chance of reopening voting with this as an option?
The class officers have been soliciting ideas for 6 months now. Enough polls already. This week should be the last.
While it is true that we've all had 6 months to suggest ideas and there've been several polls, there should be another poll for two reasons. First, compared to the importance of the decision, filling out those stupid online polls isn't that hard. We should get this right -- if that takes several votes, so be it. Second, we are only now aware of how much money we have. I think people probably ruled out the professor thingy as impossible.
bolder law, I'm curious as to what are the political/ practical reasons behind not being able to prevent a lock down? Then why do we have cardreaders?
Even if, lets say, we don't have cardreaders, we have a security guard who can distinguish law students from non-law students by the stickers (library stickers we got last semester)on our buffcards.
Enough of the polls. People have had six months to make suggestions. If this endowment gets enough write in votes, great. Otherwise, it's just time for a decision. I think we're at the point where people are going to stop caring about all the damned polls, since they never actually seem to result in a decision.
I agree with the last poster - you have had plenty of time to come up with ideas. Besides, why are you all so fired up about endowing a chair anyway? It's really not going to make much of any difference. I can't really imagine that a professor that is interested in leaving is going to be enticed in to staying on account of being offered the "prestigious" class of 2007 chair for excellence in intellectual masturbation. Perhaps, but unlikely.
Whoever wrote: "First, compared to the importance of the decision, filling out those stupid online polls isn't that hard. We should get this right -- if that takes several votes, so be it. Second, we are only now aware of how much money we have. I think people probably ruled out the professor thingy as impossible."
Can you explain exactly why this is so important?
It is a lot of money
I'm not persuaded by the "we should get this right, even if it takes several votes" argument. First, there already have been several votes and opportunites to make suggestsions. Second, what does "getting it right" even mean? It's not as if there's only one right choice that the whole class would agree on if only they were given the option. I mean, even if we "get it wrong," then some worthy organization gets a sizeable donation. I'm fine with that.
"Get it right" means not giving a ton of dough to mount some bizarre industrial sculpture on the side of the building. If we had a chance to do something meaningful as opposed to piss away a shit ton of money that is worth another 2 min online survey.
There are already several meaningful options on the ballot. I hardly think making a contribution to LRAP means "pissing away a shit ton of money."
If people wanted other meaningful choices, they should have suggested them when they had the opportunity. Instead, the assumed someone else would deal with it--and now, when they realized no one did, they're freaking out.
first, i don't think anyone is freaking out.
second, based on the discussion here, until quite recently a professorship wasn't an option based upon our understanding of what kind of money we had.
but in the end, if LRAP gets the money that's fine with me
Post a Comment