Ellipses are first!

thirsty

FIRST to say this guy is a douche

Good for him.

uh, why take a swipe at George W? diversion only works for Bill Clinton, jackass.

Why is he a douche? Assuming the facts are correct:

1) He did it by membership, not race
2) There was limited room
3) He was not aware of policy (which he should have been)

Then he seems like a decent guy that took responsibility for a screwup.

Public figure now - why no name?

Public figure now - why no name?

Everyone is a little bit racist.

The war in Iraq started after months of deliberation and after the AUMF passed Congress. In other words, neither hastily nor unilaterally by George W.

well, at least he takes what he said seriously. oh wait.

Let's just thank god we can finally put this ugly incident behind us and move on as a nation.

"Additionally, exclusion, though wrong, was made on the basis of membership, not skin color."

That statement says it all. If the Chicago law review holds an event is it required to allow non-law review members to attend? If the answer is yes, then the school has a terrible rule that should be changed. If the answer is no, then there is no reason for the apology.

The kids i went to high school with used to issue apologies after racist conduct all the time, it was no big deal.

"Additionally, exclusion, though wrong, was made on the basis of membership, not skin color."

That statement says it all. If the Chicago law review holds an event is it required to allow non-law review members to attend? If the answer is yes, then the school has a terrible rule that should be changed. If the answer is no, then there is no reason for the apology.

MysTTTal

This guy is a total tool. Taking a swipe at Bush? For what reason? Bush, whether you like it or not, is the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES and you are a racist BLSA leader in law school. Even comparing your racist actions to someone who was defending your own freedom to be a racist jerk is just ridiculous.

This guy is not funny one bit and, although I do appreciate his owning up to his actions, I do not appreciate his ntended humorous remarks to a serious issue.

The BLSA president is a "she".

He should be expelled from the school. Or UChicago has become a TTT.

Were he white, he'd already be up on Code of Conduct charges, the BSA would be marching the campus shouting "NO JUSTICE NO PEACE," and he'd be vilified and persecuted until he left school and disappeared into obscurity.

7, the contention that the decision was based on membership and not on race is pretty contested considering he made a racist comment to majority people trying to enter the event. Pretty damn direct evidence of pretext.

15/17, while the intended exclusion may have been based only on membership, the actual "unfortunate remark" uttered by this person was based on color, not BLSA membership.

ELI GET YOUR REPORTING RIGHT; THIS STUDENT HAD ALREADY STEPPED DOWN FROM THE PRESIDENCY WHEN THE EVENT HAPPENED BECAUSE THIS STUDENT WITHDREW FROM SCHOOL

I hate white people. They should have been excluded.

- Self-Hating White Person

....and now for your Black-U-weather Forecast....

"Its GUNNA RAIN!!"

Thank you, BLSA.

Uh oh...here comes the attack of the 1L con law students in the comments...

Good to hear from a jerk (giving me greater empathy for Laura Bush).

"Way to step up to the plate and accept responsibility."

Jesus Elie, please cut your Bill O'Reilly talking points crap at the end of your posts.

Isn't the organization itself racist and exclusive by its own name? (BLACK Law Students Association). No white person could ever get away with "White Law Students Association" so why is it okay for the BLSA?

best mea culpa ever. and perfectly believable that it was a joke. the real question is, when someone makes an un-PC joke, who's the jackass who complains to the dean about it?

ELI GET YOUR REPORTING RIGHT; THIS STUDENT HAD ALREADY STEPPED DOWN FROM THE PRESIDENCY WHEN THE EVENT HAPPENED BECAUSE THIS STUDENT WITHDREW FROM SCHOOL

so what was the comment/joke by the BLSA President?

21 has it right

very well played #26

What's con law?

ELI GET YOUR REPORTING RIGHT; THIS STUDENT HAD ALREADY STEPPED DOWN FROM THE PRESIDENCY WHEN THE EVENT HAPPENED BECAUSE THIS STUDENT WITHDREW FROM SCHOOL

7, the contention that the decision was based on membership and not on race is pretty contested considering he made a racist comment to majority people trying to enter the event. Pretty damn direct evidence of pretext.

I think Elie has taught us another valuable lesson today.

Uh, isn't BLSA membership a proxy for race? So excluding people based thereon is kinda the same thing as race-based exclusion. That's like Hillel saying that exclusion from their hanukkah dinner was not on the basis of religion; it was only open to members of their organization.

Isn't the name of the organization itself racist and exclusive? You don't see white students forming the "WLSA."

Isn't the name of the organization itself racist and exclusive? You don't see white students forming the "WLSA."

Isn't the name of the organization itself racist and exclusive? You don't see white students forming the "WLSA."

"though wrong, was made on the basis of membership, not skin color."

That statement seems incredibly tongue-in-cheek. Do you really think he stood by the door and require that everyone pull out their membership cards as people entered the room? You gotta be kidding me.

I wasn't there, but the way he "checked for membership" most likely was to look into people's face, plain and simple.

I blame all of this on Plaxico Burress. It is clearly his fault and maybe some gay peoples to be mentioned at a later date.

I'll summarize the joke for you:

"So a cracker, a honky, and those white students who want to get into this meeting walk into a bar..."

We Blacks no longer chant "No Justice; No Peace" We now say "Yes We Can." Did you miss the last year?????

Uh, isn't BLSA membership a proxy for race? So excluding people based thereon is kinda the same thing as race-based exclusion. That's like Hillel saying that exclusion from their hanukkah dinner was not on the basis of religion; it was only open to members of their organization.

11 - Thanks for your analysis of the entrance into the Iraq War. We are now dumber for having read your post. Face facts - "W" is an idiot and will be the butt of jokes for centuries.

Decision was based on membership...membership in the Black Law Student's Association. I wonder how many non-black people belong to that organization...

ELI GET YOUR REPORTING RIGHT; THIS STUDENT HAD ALREADY STEPPED DOWN FROM THE PRESIDENCY WHEN THE EVENT HAPPENED BECAUSE THIS STUDENT WITHDREW FROM SCHOOL

Decision was based on membership...membership in the Black Law Student's Association. I wonder how many non-black people belong to that organization...

PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!
PEANUTS and CHEESE up in here!

That's a very elegant way of saying "it was a joke, and I have a job....so yall can go to hell."

44: i'm sure he knew who the members were b/c the members attend blsa events on a regular basis without outside student (probably because the food is not usually has good, or is better hidden then at the particular event in question.)

Uh, isn't BLSA membership a proxy for race? So excluding people based thereon is the same thing as race-based exclusion.

42/43 - The Federalist Society beat them to it...

do you take responsibility for your missteps, elie? because i haven't read any apology anywhere in these pages yet for subjecting us to your retarded writing

do you take responsibility for your missteps, elie? because i haven't read any apology anywhere in these pages yet for subjecting us to your retarded writing

21 has it right...See Duke circa 2.5 years ago (if the girl was white and the men were black, as had happened a few years earlier, nothing would have been made of it)

What a racist affirmative action beneficiary who still finds a need to make a swipe at Bush to try to instill humor into a very un-funny situation

do you take responsibility for your missteps, elie? because i haven't read any apology anywhere in these pages yet for subjecting us to your retarded writing

First?

Charlton Heston says "Damn you, you damn dirty apes!"

I think he is racist. Maybe he just hates the zoo. I don't know. Now I'm thirsty.

Uh, isn't BLSA membership a proxy for race? So excluding people based thereon is the same thing as race-based exclusion.

This guy is a total tool. Taking a swipe at Bush? For what reason? Bush, whether you like it or not, is the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES and you are a racist BLSA leader in law school. Even comparing your racist actions to someone who was defending your own freedom to be a racist jerk is just ridiculous.

This guy is not funny one bit and, although I do appreciate his owning up to his actions, I do not appreciate his ntended humorous remarks to a serious issue.

Thanks, Bush!

I have a similar sense of humor, so I understand where the former prez is coming from. I usually stand outside my club meetings and yell "NO NIGGERS ALLOWED!" I just happen to be both audacious and a diehard fan of irreverent comedy.

At our school we call WLSA the Federalist Society. You should petition your school to start a chapter if it hasn't already.

this is an absolute non-event and non of you should give the slightest flying f*&k about it.

BLSA membership a proxy for race. So excluding people based thereon is the same thing as race-based exclusion. The "mea culpa" is BS.

What did he say?

This douche should be kicked out of school if he/she has not already withdrawn. I don't want to paint the whole school and its alumni with this statement, but I have yet to meet a well rounded normal person from UChicago Law. I somehow have met a bunch of nerdy, maladjusted jackasses.

Go Northwestern!

I hope that subprime mortgage lenders learn a thing or two from the Chicago faculty about how to react when a subprime borrower attempts to exclude them from foreclosed houses.

"Additionally, exclusion, though wrong, was made on the basis of membership, not skin color."

Oh yeah, I'll believe that when I see some proof.

ONCE A RACIST, always as racist. This wasn't a "mistake" any more than torching a cross in someone's yard is a "mistake."

NOW, it's time to CLOSE DOWN BLSA -- a racial-separatist hate group.

Is "un-politically correct" the same as "politically incorrect"?

68, there are no Asians or Hispanics in your Federalist Society? I somehow doubt it.

Only blacks are stupid enough to have no diversity of political opinion, by calling any dissenter an "Uncle Tom."

MysTTTal anti-reporting for doody.

No wonder everyone was looking at me funny when I showed up early and sat down.

Two comments:

1. It wasn't just non-members that were excluded, but those that weren't "on the listserve." Isn't being on the listserve a proxy for race? After all, you don't have to actually be a member, they just send you emails.

2. I'm not sure that "my racist joke wasn't meant to insult, it was only irreverent comedy" is a convincing defense.

3. If people actually feel racially antagonized, then the perception is neither false nor artificial.

BALSA is bad news at every law school.

-T4 2L

Does it bother anyone else that the UChicago banner says "THE University of Chicago THE Law School"? It bothers me.

70- has it occurred to you that some non members of BLSA could be black?

I don't know. According to this, the President is the "official voice" of the organization.

http://blsa.uchicago.edu/bylaws.html

11 - Thanks for your analysis of the entrance into the Iraq War. We are now dumber for having read your post. Face facts - "W" is an idiot and will be the butt of jokes for centuries.

No one cares about this. Today, Indiana University School of Law got renamed to Michael "Mickey" Maurer School of Law. Now that's news.

Re the comments such as "you don't see WSLA" or "Isn't the organization itself racist and exclusive by its own name? (BLACK Law Students Association). No white person could ever get away with "White Law Students Association" so why is it okay for the BLSA?" Well, it is ok, because they face different struggles. Were white people ever enslaved? Black people used to be freaking slaves in this country, shame on them if they want to start an organization that allows them to find strength in numbers.

And, no, I am not black, I just have a sense of compassion and am not a total jackass who has no sense of history and the struggles that black people face.

S&C? $190K? Between this and the Mumbai article it feels like you guys are taking your eyes off the ball here. No offense to #11.

24 et. al. = CORRECT!

Elie - get your facts right before you report "news" to thousands of ppl who actually care about this stuff, however stupid it seems.

This site is starting to make me sick w all the factual and grammatical errors.

One plausible scenario is that it was meant as a joke, and as it was conveyed from person to person, the fact of the poor joke was lost. The dean made matters worse, if this was the case, by not mentioning that it was a joke.

Shouldn't we whites be embracing black people who dig non-PC humor? I do.

Who will respond to 53? He/she clearly raises the critical issue here.

1. Privacy Act - Student not a public figure.
2. He's a law student, not a lawyer, yet. Cut him a break.
3. A mea culpa, which is much more than W has done.

How about recruitng events for "students of color." What a joke. Would there be outrcry if a recruiting event was held for "students without color?"

Racism in all its forms should not be tolerated.

BLSA adds nothing but security to the beneficiaries of AA. I'm curious if BLSA members ever wonder why none of them ever make law review. I mean, very rare Obama-type outliers aside, do BLSA'ers even wonder why they all have to hang out in the BLSA office but none of them ever have a desk in the law review office? And then wonder how they all end up at the best firms? Do they realize that white people not on law review don't end up at those firms?

87, yes white people were "ever enslaved". Do you know why the words "Slav" and "slave" look so similar?
Also look up the history of Irish slaves in America.

Someone is a "jackass with no sense of history" and it's not me.

I reject this thread as a total cyber-lynching. (not my word; comes from our dearly beloved Justice Thomas)

NEW BLSA talking points:

There's a law that prevents me from keeping all blacks out of my restaurant?

My bad; that was just "my lack of familiarity with this policy."

Listservs are racist.

48: You're an idiot. At my school, we have whites in BLSA, christians in JLSA, and indians in APALSA. I doubt it is/was any different at your school.

Why don't we have a WLSA? Perhaps because whites are still a heavy majority in this country, and there would be no purpose. You would have to break it down into R(ussian)LSA, I(rish)LSA, G(erman)LSA, etc., in order for people to have some interest in joining the group. A WLSA would just end up being either an anti-affirmative action group or a group for (surprise) students with white supremacist tendencies. In this country, whites are simply too diverse a group to make use of some sort of WLSA group. BLSA, by contrast, is directed towards the interests of a smaller group with more common issues and interests they can work towards.

Anyways, Elie, why the hell are you still allowing comments on this story? Unfamiliar with the concept of race-baiting, eh? I like to think that at least Lat would have had the sense to closely monitor comments on a topic like this.

60 - while I agree completely with the sentiment of your post, there actually was no "reverse" incident at Duke a few years before the Lacrosse incident. Did you make that up?

There was, however, a reverse incident (black frat guys raped white girl) a year later, and nothing happened - no professors protesting or banging pots and pans, etc.

I call shenanigans on this student.

He allowed only BLSA members and those who showed interest in joining? How does he know who was interested in joining? Because they showed up . . . no, that' can't be it. Let's see, how could he possibly have figured out who he "thought" was interested in joining. Anyone?

He's a racist, even if the rest of the organization isn't.

You're a towel!

Guys, he's talkin' 'bout George W. Smith.

From city council.

He ran in '93, out in Oakland.

You probably didn't hear about it.

BLSA membership a proxy for race. So excluding people based thereon is the same thing as race-based exclusion. The "mea culpa" is BS.

67 - that's good stuff

I am a UChicago student and well-acquainted with the president. She is a great person and meant no harm by what happened. This incident is a result of people having no sense of humor or common sense that this event was limited to BLSA membership. Keep in mind, I am white. The way she is being portrayed is an outrage. She is a phenomenal individual and I stand by her 100%.

I always find it funny that Howard University has a BLSA group.

http://www.law.howard.edu/256

shouldn't it be "politically incorrect", rather than un-politically correct???

How people feel it irrelevant. People's subjective feelings should have nothing to do with a school's actions. If something is objectively offensive, punishment is warranted. If not, suck it up and stop whining.

I feel enslaved.

Kunta Kinte

Taking responsibility for your actions is allowing agents of the Chinese government to torture you for 20 months without saying a word. This is just cute.

Can't we focus on news that mattes, like "The Republican National Committee will report Thursday that it spent about another $30,000 on clothes and accessories for Sarah Palin during her vice presidential bid."

shouldn't it be "politically incorrect", rather than un-politically correct???

Aren't the majority of you scheduled to be protesting the fact that Obama hasn't personally shown you his birth certificate yet??????????

HOLY SHIT!!! one of the spurned white students made a video about it :

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4257463704009676059

Come on everyone, give the girl a break, she's black.

UChicago certainly did when they let her in.

for the folks asking about the lack of a WLSA, i'm pretty sure white students are not in the minority at any t-10 law school and minority status (racial, religious, gender etc) is usually the rationale behind an affinity group.

as to how did the president know who was a member: there are 40 black students out of 607 students in the total student body (assuming the majority of the membership is black). http://webcast-law.uchicago.edu/2008/viewbook/AdmissionsProfileCard08-09final.pdf

115 here,

here is the full version : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXb6bjCCtuY

101 is a tool. It's called a listserv membership list. Easily verifiable with that wonder of inventions, the sign-in sheet. Duh.

Black people are racist? No! Say it ain't so!? Whatever....who cares?

120 comments to this story say its time for a new one.

Membership in a minority student organization (BLSA, NALSA, CLLSA, ALSA) is not a proxy for race. Anyone can join, and in my law school, most minority students were members of most of the other minority groups (sort of a solidarity type thing). So, exclusion based on membership is different from membership based on race.

1. The BLSA president is not a "he."

2. This was a total non-event. Nobody other than Elie cares.

3. The individual stepped down because they had already planned to withdraw from the school for other reasons.

Get your facts straight or fuck off.

-116

oh snap!

Reverse RacisTTT

Blah, blah, blah. Life would be so much easier if we could just go back to the way things were in the first half of the twentieth century.

To those who assert that BLSA is an inherently racist organization because of its name, please become informed.

The "Black" in BLSA refers to individuals of African descent, or individuals who have an interest in the issues and causes of such people. It is analogous to the "Jewish" in JLSA, the "Latino" in LLSA, etc. "Black" [Americans], as of late, tend to prefer the term "Black" as opposed to "African-American." The term "Black" in this context refers to ethnicity rather than race.

"White" people are more than welcome to join BLSA and are valued when they do. White people generally have not created organizations called White [Input Description of Organization] because they have, until recently, predominantly occupied most organizations that aren't tailored to a specific ethnic group. In addition "White" encompasses such a large group of ethnicities that the interests of its members may be so divergent.

Creating an Irish, Italian, British, or even European Law Student Association would not be considered racist, so long as the organization welcomes people of any ethnicity or race who are interested in such issues.

87 - Lets turn the question around. Were any of the members of the BLSA ever enslaved? Exactly. Please think before you comment.

Can anyone imagine what would happen if a white person had made a joke like this? Forget being posted all over ATL, the national media would have a field day and the student would be crucified.

123 is entirely correct.

123,

no call to identify people's gender and make it easier for people to figure out who they are. be more careful.

If you are at all involved in BLSA --particularly as an officer, you tend to know which students are members at your school. Thus, the comments about the President looking at the faces of the students to determine membership is unwarranted.

Additionally, there is a need for BLSA, especially if you come from a family where you are the first to go to college and law school. It boils down to support from those that you can identify with, on a level beyond just being in law school.

I've read some of these comments, and it's sad how racist some people can be, especially behind a wall of anonymity. No one should be regarded as a "porch monkey" as one commenter put it in the initial article post. And it's comments like those, and people that make them, that continue to give BLSA relevance in this crazy legal world.

--former National BLSA Executive Member

If you are at all involved in BLSA --particularly as an officer, you tend to know which students are members at your school. Thus, the comments about the President looking at the faces of the students to determine membership is unwarranted.

Additionally, there is a need for BLSA, especially if you come from a family where you are the first to go to college and law school. It boils down to support from those that you can identify with, on a level beyond just being in law school.

I've read some of these comments, and it's sad how racist some people can be, especially behind a wall of anonymity. No one should be regarded as a "porch monkey" as one commenter put it in the initial article post. And it's comments like those, and people that make them, that continue to give BLSA relevance in this crazy legal world.

--former National BLSA Executive Member

Isn't the organization itself racist and exclusive by its own name? (BLACK Law Students Association). No white person could ever get away with "White Law Students Association" so why is it okay for the BLSA?

Nope, almost all of the other student organizations are in fact WHITE organizations. Since white people are the "default," the supposed "norm," there is no need to call it WHITE, everyone knows what it is.... Just like there are no organizations for MEN, because MEN always were and always will be welcomed with open arms into any and all organizations...

and shame on you Elie for always supplying the bait for the racists

85! Holy $hit

"No one cares about this. Today, Indiana University School of Law got renamed to Michael "Mickey" Maurer School of Law. Now that's news."

99 and 127- I don't understand, whites are diverse and black aren't, so blacks can be grouped and whites can't? Sounds