Sex in Your Law School Library Is Illegal, and "Necessity Is Not a Defense"
We reiterate our earlier inquiry: What is UP with law school libraries?
Now, sex. This email, from Student Bar Association president Kenley Maddux, just went around at Washington University Law School in St. Louis. Alterations are in the original, except as indicated by "Ed. note."
From: Kenley Maddux
Sent: Tue 12/12/2006 1:45 PM
To: Announcements
Subject: sex actsFellow Students, I received this message as a forward from Dean Bolin, and was asked to pass along the following. This is not a joke.
Excerpts of message from Don Strom, WULAW Police Chief:
Subject: High Priority -- Campus Police AlertToday we were alerted by an Aramark supervisor that some of their employees have noted sex acts occurring at Olin Library and AB Hall. [Ed. note: AB Hall is Anheuser-Busch Hall, the law school building.]
The students usually do not have the common sense or the decency to stop when they are confronted, and seem to expect the Aramark employees to leave and come back later to do their work....
[ARAMARK employees have been instructed to report these incidents to the police in the future, and the campus police will be adding new overnight patrols through the law school. While there is no indication that the past sex acts were other than consensual, the Police will take that possibility seriously and thoroughly investigate every report. -- Don Strom]
My advice is, do not have sex at school. My understanding is that, in addition to whatever criminal sanctions are imposed, this will go into your law school record, and that it will be reported to the character and fitness panel of every state or territory that you apply to practice law in. This reporting is not a matter of discretion, and is not contingent on proof of a criminal act. Bar authorities may delay your admission, require remedial activities, or exclude you from the practice of law. Necessity is not a defense (even if your power is out at home). [Ed. note: Emphases added. But we don't get the part about the power outage.]
You have been warned. -- Kenley
Maddux's position may be unreasonable. "Sex in the stacks" is a time-honored tradition, at both undergraduate and graduate institutions.
But if you're going to do it, be smart. Follow these useful pointers. And be safe!
Have Sex in the Stacks: Put Your Widener in My Pusey [Harvard Crimson]
Earlier: More on the Attorney General in the Emory Law Library
What Is Up With Law School Libraries These Days?
Breaking: Mystery Smell Hits NYU Law Library!!!
(15) Comments
This was a regular occurence at Boalt Hall, either in the stacks located in the basement or in the East Reading Room Conference Rooms....not that I would know first hand
Boalt Hall's stacks are like a horrible cave, it's not surprising that all sorts of illicit activity occurs there. The East Reading reading room conference rooms have glass door now though.
My question is, why are Aramark employees patrolling the law library?
the aramark employees were def in the library picking up the trash and stuff...not only were people having sex in the washu library, they were living in there. there came a point where the back half of the 2nd floor smelled horribly (we think it was the LLMs and their rank smelling food that is normally relegated to the commons--apparently they didn't get the memo that foods with a strong odor are not allowed in the library). anyway, the point is that they were normally in the library after hours drumping trash/cleaning bathrooms/etc.
The power outage was mentioned because parts of St. Louis lost power for several days after a snowstorm.
Would you believe that, about three years ago, an almost identical email was circulated by the then-president of the SBA? Even the bit about the individuals in question not pausing when the Aramark employees caught them in the act was there. I don't think Kenley was channeling Tom. This confirms my suspicion: there has never been any substantial amount of sex in the library. There are smelly LLMs who pay top dollar for an utterly ridiculous degree; there are worthless old professors whose careers have been over for thirty years (I'm looking at you, Mr. Evidence!); but there is no sex.
The explanation is the Aramark employees. If you should happen to be at WuLaw very late at night (not likely, of course, because 95% of WuLaw students are illiterate imo and wouldn't be caught dead in a library), you would have seen numerous Aramack employees sprawled on chairs in the Student Commons, crushed Cheetos covering their shirts, food trash surrounding their enormous bodies, sleeping through their shifts.
My explanation for the "sex" is this: someone noticed that the library hadn't been cleaned in weeks and Aramack employee J. DaHutt claimed it wasn't his/her fault, that he/she couldn't bear to go into the library anymore, what with all the rampant sex going on. His/her boss believed the story and told Janet, and suddenly even fewer people are willing to touch the books in the library for fear of stickiness...
Years ago it was the German law section, 6th floor. Or was that the Cannon law section?
USPQ's or maybe Justinian law resources were in the basement, equally as suitable as the 6th floor.
Tip: leave a trail of crumpled up paper so you can hear the Aramak folks coming.
David:
The power outage comment refers to the recent ice-storm that knocked out power to a large portion of St. Louis for most of a week. Wash U, of course, had power throughout, so I am sure people just moved into the libraries for a while so they could stay warm.
Kenley's mention of the power outage refers to the fact that just before this email was sent, St. Louis was hit by a snow and ice storm. Lots of law students lost power in their apartments for many days.
The power outage explanation has been mentioned by at least three different commenters in this thread. Don't people read the earlier comments before adding one of their own?
i did it in the washu law library tower
Does Loyola have a library?
Yes absolutely. With skylights. Comfortable couches and dozens of private study rooms. It's very nice. I actually heard that someone once had sex in one of the private study rooms, but I have no idea if it was a credible rumor.
Whoops - I forgot to complain about tier 2 unemployment. Add this as an addendum to the post:
But I would trade the library for a job any day.
St. Louis had two major power outages in the last year - thus the "even if your power is out" comment.
St. Louis had two major power outages in the last year - thus the "even if your power is out" comment.