Scalia faults Law School's increasingly liberal bent

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who spent five years lecturing at the University of Chicago Law School from 1977 to 1982, criticized what he sees as the Law School's move toward liberal ideologies at a talk before a group of conservative lawyers earlier this week in Chicago.

Scalia told the Federalist Society of Lawyers that he bemoans the crop of newer, less traditional classes that now supplement the more "serious" classes that exclusively comprised the Law School curricula during his time as a lecturer.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Scalia reflected on his own legal training as a law student.

"I took nothing but bread-and-butter classes, not "Law and Poverty." Take serious classes. There's so much law to learn. Don't waste your time," Scalia told the audience, according to today's issue of the Chicago Sun-Times.

"I regret it," Scalia added, refering to the Law School's political and ideological shifts. "I don't think the University of Chicago is what it was in my time. I would not recommend it to students looking for a law school as I would have years ago. It has changed considerably and intentionally. It has lost the niche it once had as a rigorous and conservative law school."

The Wall Street Journal blog also picked up on the Sun-Times story.

Does your U of C vote count?

Will your vote make a difference this coming November?

If you're a University of Chicago student registered in Illinois, blogger Jon Bruner of Forbes magazine says no.

Despite the hordes of Columbia students who turned out to support Obama at the September 11 forum on Columbia's Morningside Heights campus this Thursday, Bruner argues that pre-election hype isn't necessarily indicative of who will actually show up at the polls come November 4.

Bruner's hypothesis isn't without academic backing either. His article cites an NYU political scientist on voting trends among young people ages 18 to 24.

At a forum for incoming New York University students a few weeks ago, NYU political scientist Rogan Kersh told the students, “you might say you’re going to vote, but something will happen; you’ll oversleep, you’ll have a test, you’ll forget to register.”

For die-hard Obama supporters at the U of C, what Bruner writes next about University of Chicago votes and those from other blue state peer institutions might prove alternatively depressing or infuriating.

In any case, the Electoral College sees to it that the votes of many Columbia students won’t have any effect on the presidential selection process. Nor will many student votes at the University of Chicago, Harvard, or the University of California at Berkeley, for that matter. Election results in New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and California are practically foregone conclusions, and savvy students at those institutions may well do better to stay home and study than to vote in those states. Both candidates might have preferred that last night’s event had taken place at schools in State College, Pa., Madison, Wis., or Gainesville, Fla.

College students are certainly excited, but that is not a guarantee that they will actually make a difference in the upcoming election.

Post your thoughts and comments on Bruner's predictions for college voter turnout.

TIME magazine profiles Obama and the University of Chicago Law School

Today's issue of TIME features a short piece on Obama during his twelve-year stint as a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School.

The article also mentions our very own Hyde Park--"an enclave of tree-lined streets, upscale condos and cafés." (Really!? When has Hyde Park offered anything other than a dearth of fun?)

Read the full article here.

University announces death of fourth-year College student

The University announced the recent death of a fourth-year student in an e-mail memento sent to the campus community this afternoon. Asher Goldman was a philosophy major and a music minor in the College, and anticipated pursuing further education in music composition after graduating this upcoming June, wrote Susan Art, dean of students in the College.

The cause of Goldman's death remains under investigation, and the University did not release additional information in the e-mail in consideration of the privacy of Goldman's family and friends. Examinations have ruled out suicide as a possible cause of Goldman's death, and investigators do not suspect that foul play was involved.

Goldman's death is the third University-related death this year. In July, third-year College student David Stein was found dead by apparent suicide in his off-campus apartment. Stein was a neurobiology concentrator and was living in Hyde Park over the summer while enrolled in summer classes.

This past December, recent College alumnus and Hyde Park resident Alex Bethurem committed suicide in his Chicago home. Bethurem maintained a visible profile on campus after graduating from the University in 2007, and was a long-time employee at the student-run campus coffee shop Hallowed Grounds.

According to Art's e-mail, Goldman's family is planning a memorial service in Norfold, Virginia on September 21. Additionally, the University community will convene an on-campus memorial service once the school year begins.

Additional coverage about Asher Goldman will be posted on the Chicago Maroon homepage in a web update as more information becomes available.

The Maroon welcomes any comments, reflections, or concerns our readers may have about Asher Goldman or recent trends in student deaths at the University.