Christina Luk ‘21
Deposed Editor-in-Chief
To say that this has been an eventful year is an understatement. To say that I will miss the Law Weekly very much is also an understatement. February to February, my term is up and I pass the mantle of Editor-in-Chief to yet more capable hands than mine. We did not release smoke from the chimney atop the Law School Library to announce this transition, but that’s only because VLR would not let us into their office. I’ll settle for this letter instead. It is time to say goodbye and thank you.
Thank you for letting me be a part of this amazing community. I am surrounded by some of the most intelligent and kind people I have ever met. I have found confidants, mentors, brothers and sisters, and even one archnemesis.[1] I have grown from the support of my peers and in the light of their shining examples. As I prepare to leave the Law School in a few short months, I wanted to share a glimpse into what I’ve seen from the helm of the Law School newspaper.
For one, there is never a dearth of news at the School. Even after going virtual, the Law School is full of events, activities, and drama. A boon for any newspaper. Since last March, we’ve celebrated love in all its forms in our Love in the Time of Corona column. We published our April Fools edition, which we still maintain is hilarious. We bid goodbye to Dean Cordel Faulk and welcomed a new Dean of Admissions. (Hi Dean Blazer, we’re excited to interview you.) We pushed for change, we asked for cookies on Fridays,[2] we asked for UVA Alerts to be a little bit more specific, and we did it all with our special brand of humor.
All jokes aside, I am glad that the Law Weekly has continued to publish this year. We have written, edited, and published more than twenty editions since COVID forced us online, and every edition has been chock-full of news and laughs. Our online readership has more than doubled, and we average about five thousand views a week and more than a hundred thousand views since last February. More than anything, I’m glad that readers have been able to go on our website and experience what the Law School was like when we were all in person. I hope, in the future, when the School is open and its halls are full again, that this volume of the Law Weekly will stand as a testament to what we survived—a testament that we met the challenges of this year with grace and humor and that we emerged better for it.
A look through our archives, which stretch all the way back to 1948, shows the mettle of what it means to be a UVA Law student. It shows that we have always been opinionated and determined, that we have been unafraid to ask questions and, when we were unsatisfied with the answers, to ask for change. The journey towards a more perfect UVA Law has not always been linear, but, class after class, students have made their mark here. I hope this year will be no exception.
To all my editorial members, thank you. It has been an honor to write beside you and to know you as intelligent, funny, wonderful, and generous souls. You have all amazed me with your boundless wit and goodwill. Thank you for hanging out with me every Monday night even though we don’t have free pizza anymore. Thank you for being a part of this journey with me. We all have a stake in the community we build, and you have all been mine. I’ll see you all around.
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cl3eh@virginia.edu