Michael Berdan ‘22
Opinions Editor
I have never been school-spirited. In high school, I never identified as a Viking. In college, I never wore Cougar regalia or learned the fight songs. When I was admitted to UVA Law, though, I felt different. I chose UVA Law for a number of reasons, but one major one was the culture and purported ethos of the school. The Honor Code, the generosity and openness of students toward applicants, and the enthusiasm of the alumni made an impression on me. So, immediately after being admitted, I bought shirts for myself, my wife, my two kids, and my parents. Even my in-laws now own UVA Law apparel. I spoke effusively about the school online during 1L, spoke on student life panels for admits and applicants during 2L, and applied to be an ambassador. I will practice in Richmond after graduation, and I was excited to return to Charlottesville over the coming years for events and fundraisers at the Law School, and to donate regularly to support future students and endeavors on North Grounds. Notice, however, that I speak of these feelings in past tense. It appears many others do, too.
The pandemic has sent spider-web cracks through so many aspects of our lives that we will still be finding them years from now. The development of children (and adults) has been shaken in ways that will be studied for decades. Personal, academic, and professional lives have changed course in many ways, some transformative, some imperceptible. It is well understood that none of us got the full law school experience we envisioned as 0Ls, and that is okay, because it was unavoidable. But that has consequences. The connection that students typically form to UVA Law during their three years here appears not to have happened as readily or as deeply for many among the Zoom School of Law generation.
One would expect the administration to be on high alert about this, and to be proactive and accommodating toward students in order to nurture that trust and connection in the hope that it will last beyond graduation. So far, that hasn’t happened, and the administration’s handling of COVID-19 protocol this year has further alienated students. “I was really enthusiastic about the school,” says Melissa Privette ’22, “but that enthusiasm has waned after they made the decision not to have virtual options this year. It seems as if students’ comfort hasn’t been prioritized. Given their response this year, I don’t see myself being a very engaged or active alumna.”
Nick Turnier ’22 says he feels “like the school is doing things at us, not with us. The administration’s response whenever we want something is that it’s beyond their control, but not once have I felt them say, ‘but we’ll advocate for that for you.’” Turnier noted that “at least as a 1L, I felt like if something important came up they might at least listen in earnest,” but he cited the administration’s response to Lambda’s request for inclusive bathrooms as a negative turning point for him. Ultimately, he said, “they had a really good chance with this pandemic to make us feel like they really had our backs, but they completely blew it.” Turnier also says he will not be donating to the school as an alumnus.
Other students still retain a love for our school, even through frustration. “I’m still passionate about UVA, but the administration's handling of COVID, specifically in not giving us a remote attendance option, has lessened that passion," comments Kevin Schascheck ’22. He says that consequently, he expects any donations he makes to the Law School will be directed only toward particular groups, such as Lambda, rather than to more general Law School fundraising channels. Kiera Callahan ’22, who is President of Advocates for Disability Rights, says she has had “fabulous academic experiences at UVA,” but has been disappointed by the administration’s handling of COVID-19, particularly the delays relative to other schools and the lack of transparency. The “snide remarks from a subset of the student population about those who were vulnerable” further inhibited Callahan’s bond with the school, and she notes that all these experiences will affect how she views the school when she joins the alumni.
Our school prides itself on an active, vigorous, and loyal alumni base, which supposedly donates at higher rates than that of other schools. That alumni base is kept healthy by satisfied and connected students graduating year after year. But the COVID-affected classes—2022 in particular—did not have the same chance to form such connections, and many members are not on track to depart from North Grounds as fully satisfied graduates. When the fundraising calls from the Law School Foundation start coming soon after graduation, the answer from many students will be identical to the answers the administration gave in response to requests for remote attendance flexibility, Law-School specific COVID-19 data, or a clear attendance policy: “No.”
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mwb4pk@virginia.edu