Arjun Ogale ‘21
Guest Writer
After UVA Law banished its students from North Grounds,[1] students faced a choice between remaining in Charlottesville and returning to their hometowns. The students who chose the first option have received considerable media attention from the Law Weekly,[2] but those who left—“the exiled”—have been largely forgotten. This dispatch attempts to remedy that.
While some students returned directly to their hometowns from spring break trips to exotic corona-free locations in Europe, others packed up their belongings in Charlottesville and began their journey home. My personal trip home involved a seventeen-hour drive all the way to east Texas.
Here’s a brief recap of how the car ride went:
Hour 1: Got my Bodo’s with honey pecan cream cheese, a good podcast, and plenty of snacks. This isn’t so bad!
Hour 4: Deep sadness and uncertainty. How many people will get sick? When will we be able to come back to school? And what will happen to our beloved Scott Commons staff?[3]
Hour 12: Okay, wow, this drive is bad. But hey, at least I’m not going to Oklahoma.[4]
Hour 17: Back in the greatest country in the world—Texas![5]
Pictured: This local grazing pasture is usually teeming with cattle, but it turns out they are socially distancing too. Photo Courtesy of Arjun Ogale ‘21.
Despite all the changes over the past month, many things have stayed the same. For example, I still read the Law Weekly cover to cover every Wednesday.[6] And Dean Dugas continues to send emails with very important links embedded within screenshots within PDF attachments. Plus, ça change, plus c'est la même chose.[7]
But this isn’t to say that being away hasn’t also changed many things. We can no longer listen to Professor Bamzai’s protracted exchanges with Mr. Joseph in Administrative Law—how are we going to learn about the ins-and-outs of the German government now?! Nor can we witness Phil Tonseth ’22 dominate his opponents on the softball fields game after game.
Being isolated and away from Charlottesville also removes the option of “Social Distancing with Friends.” For example, many have been taking so-called “social distancing hikes” in small groups to popular local hiking trails, only to find that literally everyone is doing the same thing. In fact, a glance at social media these days might give you the impression that you can’t catch coronavirus hiking Humpback Rock, playing beer pong on Copeley Field, or lounging on The Lawn with your friends. Somebody needs to tell Dr. Fauci that UVA Law students have found the cure!
All jokes aside, I feel bad for the 3Ls whose graduations and bar exams have been disrupted. The 3Ls just can’t seem to catch a break lately. Take for example the recent “Congratulations UVA Law Class of 2020” Facebook group. The group was meant to be a surprise for the graduating class, and a way for 2Ls and 1Ls to express their gratitude for everything the 3Ls have done for them. Unfortunately, the 3Ls were added to the Facebook group a good five days ahead of schedule—well before most people were able to wish them. Alas, when it rains, it pours.
Being away from Charlottesville has some silver linings. Many of us are spending a lot of unexpected and precious time with family. And as law students, we are fortunate that we can remain productive and engaged in our work despite our physical distance from our workplace, which isn’t the case in many parts of the economy right now.
Yet, although the saying goes “everything is bigger in Texas,” my desk in Texas is much smaller than my desk in my apartment in Charlottesville, and I can’t wait to be back at the Law School with everyone. Time for me to take my horse to the old town road (kidding), lasso some cattle (also kidding), and pick up some local Mexican takeout (not kidding).
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apo8xb@virginia.edu
[1] See President Ryan’s and Dean Goluboff’s emails to students on March 11, 2020 (“[Be gone, students!]”).
[2] See, e.g., Love in the Time of Corona featuring Sam Pickett and Maria Luévano, Law Weekly, March 25, 2020.
[3] Huge shout out to the student body, SBA, and Professors Nachbar, Coughlin, Hellman, and Schwartzman for the recent fundraising effort for our Scoco family. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-the-scott-commons-community.
[4] See, e.g., Tiger King.
[5] Similar to how Texas is the objectively best country in the world, Lone Star Lawyers is objectively the best student organization at UVA Law. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
[6] Lately, the lamestream Law Weekly and ANG seem to have taken a liking to misquoting leaked Virginia Law Review emails. Sad! The Law Weekly must be suffering from low ratings to be roasting such “perfect” emails.
[7] “The more things change, the more things stay the same.”