Law School Relocation Resolution Forum & Referendum

To date, no group of law students and/or faculty have had any involvement in the UB2020 process. Last week, the Student Bar Association passed a resolution expressing support for student involvement in the planning process. SBA members were reluctant to support resolutions supporting a move of the law school to within the city limits or to Downtown, at least until the student body has a chance to voice their opinion. There will be an opportunity to voice opinions on April 10th at 4 Pm in O'Brian 106, at a forum designed to hash out the issues related to the move. A referendum will be held April 16th & 17th (during SBA Executive Board elections) to determine that opinion. Current law students should most certainly vote on the E-Board elections, in addition to voting on the Law School Relocation Referendum.
The three apparent possible destinations would be Downtown (BNMC, CBD, etc.), South Campus (as part of a shift of UB's graduate programs to that campus), or to North Campus' Center for Tomorrow parking lot. It seems likely that O'Brian Hall is out, and will become home to undergraduate studies.
North Campus is the least accessible and least physically attractive option. As part of further development on North, it would simply be a part of an expanded campus which already has the appearance of a '60s Eastern Bloc factory complex. The only benefits North provides over South and Downtown relate to a discomfort some have with an urban setting. This would include safety, a lack of access to mall shopping and chain dining, a lack of bedroom communities etc. While this may disquiet some, most law students bemoan the fact that North Campus is so divided from the Metro community.
A move to South Campus, along with a move of the majority of graduate studies at UB, would also be a positive step. The law school would retain its ability to crosslist classes & continue to facilate dual degree programs. South Campus is objectively more attractive than North, is on the trainline, is home to a more mature group of students (save the residence halls), and is incorporated into an actual neighborhood, instead of being segregated by an arterial road. There is ample space on South to build upon, including space for on-campus apartments & townhouses dedicated to graduate students. Also, contrary to popular belief, there are some habitable houses in the Heights not adjacent to pseudo-frat houses, and armed robbery is not a daily occurrence.
A Downtown location would offer a more practical approach to the law, with proximity to courts, law offices and financial institutions, as well as volunteer & non-traditional progressive opportunities. It would create a tighter bond between the law school and the greater community. It would be more attractive to prospective students. By placing the school in a highway, busline, and rail accessible central location, it would decrease travel time & have less of a net negative effect on the environment. In addition, there are the benefits that would be seen by the city, compared to the benefits now gained by an already overdeveloped Amherst. The calls against such a move center on less connection with the greater university, the possibility of a more practical & less academic approach to legal education, and a perceived lack of housing, parking, and safety. The first point may well be true, the second would remain to be seen, and as for the third, well, Bob Shibley is a smart man & I'm sure he could put something together.
Again, there will be an opportunity to voice opinions on April 10th at 4 Pm in O'Brian 106, at a forum designed to hash out the issues related to the move, and the referendum will be held April 16th & 17th. Please attend the forum if you can and vote on the referendum. Be heard. Also, feel free to comment to this post.

Steve Marshall, UB JD Candidate '09