Sai Kulkarni '23
Production Editor
By now, you’ve probably heard of Feb Club. Hopefully, you went to one of the wonderful parties this past weekend and got to enjoy the company of your fellow law students. You might even be asking yourself, “Why am I reading yet another article about this thing that brings out the most wild instincts of LawHoos when I could be doing my readings and learning instead?” Well, first of all, chill out, gunner, it’s not even Week Four of the semester yet. But here’s the thing: I am going to add to your knowledge base. And hopefully, I even get you to go to these events as well. I want to take the time to explore some history, detail my experience, and talk about the goals of Feb Club.
The earliest records I can find about Feb Club come from the ’80s, when someone decided to host a “Feb Club Eve” party that was New Year’s Eve themed. Creative. But from discussions with a few alumni friends of mine, I was able to find out where the current iteration of Feb Club comes from. As many things at this institution so often do, it has its basis in some prejudice. Some time ago (those I spoke to were unsure of the specific year), there was a degree of open exclusion of minority students at parties within the month. To ameliorate this, Feb Club was made into a series of events hosted by different affinity groups to foster the spirit of inclusion. Given the importance of February as Black History Month, it makes sense to strive for some understanding and inclusion in our pursuit of the party spirit this month.
Pictured: White Lotus Party Attendees.
Credit: Ethan Brown '25.
Inclusion can often feel like a term that falls on deaf ears at our Law School, with so many people having baked-in belief systems and the constant empty promises from administration. But UVA Law is the school of “collegiality.” Put another way, we are the party law school—even a basic Google search will point that out. But using that reputation to bring students together, at least at face value, seems like the most efficient way to go about it. I don’t have any misconceptions about reality, though. I know that simply attending BLSA’s semester kickoff event at Zocalo two weekends ago (which was an amazing experience) isn’t going to magically fix the prejudices within the student body. But making sure that everybody attending these events knows the purposes driving them will at least—hopefully—be a step towards a better reality.
In my experience, Feb Club has taken on another meaning as well in the wake of the pandemic years of 2020–21. After a time when we could only be with a small group of people and were so isolated from society, such an event was a boon, not only to socialize but also for mental health generally. Large crowds certainly aren’t for everyone, and it’s why we see a similar crowd of people out during Bar Review every week. But the idea of getting to bond with other law students is a great one. The 3L class especially is so used to being in small groups from our first year that we often default to spending our time exclusively with said small groups. It’s only natural—most adults only have small friend groups. But meeting people from different years, backgrounds, and student orgs has absolutely given me a feeling of closeness to the student body as a whole, and I’m sure others can say the same. Feb Club provided me that opportunity last year, when I got to connect with so many people I had yet to meet. The event that took its place two years ago—Summer Series—introduced me to the LawHoo culture. I’m sure if you take the chance to join the Feb Club festivities, it will do the same for you.
In a time of our lives when we are stressed and busy and feel the weight of the anticipation of “real life” hurtling towards us, something like Feb Club is, at least in my opinion, necessary. From keggers in Spies to Bar Review to 3@3, we have a big tradition of partying at this school. At times, I’m sure those students that don’t drink or who are older can feel left out, and that’s completely understandable. But this month is a time to come together for all students, even those who aren’t about that #partylyfe. Events like Barrister’s have non-drinking options. The weekday events provide an opportunity for far more chill interactions. All in all, Feb Club provides a series of opportunities for togetherness outside of the hallowed comfy chairs of Scott Commons. For 3Ls, this is one of our last opportunities to make the lifelong connections that will keep us sane throughout the tough early years of firm or PD life. For 1Ls and 2Ls, Feb Club provides the opportunity to build community. Whoever you are, dear reader, I hope you come to at least one event and experience this month. I know I’ll be there, so at the very least, you can enjoy seeing me fall apart as I progress through my Iron Man attempt.
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omk6cg@virginia.edu