Law Student Slams Undergrads Who Invade 'Lawbrary'

What kind of people call their law school library the “lawbrary”?

What kind of people call their law school library the “lawbrary”? It’s sounds like something Matthew McConaughey would come up with.

Sorry, let me back up. In the eternal fight for university library space, law students are the lions, and undergrads are the hyenas. Law students are stronger, but the sheer relentless numbers of undergraduates can force law students out of their precious study carrels.

Usually, law students bitch about this amongst themselves (or to Above the Law). But at one school, a 2L wrote a whole article in the undergraduate newspaper about it. I’m sure most of Gator-nation responded: “Y U MAD, BRO?”

The 2L’s post has all the feel of the “get off my lawn” ravings of man twice his age. From The Alligator:

Undergrads should not be allowed in the law school library.

Bold? Maybe. Unpopular? Definitely, considering that UF is primarily an undergraduate institution. This is not a statement I make lightly….

I understand the lawbrary has a reputation as a quiet place to study. Unfortunately, when droves of undergrads — clad in tank tops and clutching iced coffees — descend upon the lawbrary, silence becomes a myth that makes a law-school 4.0 seem attainable by comparison…

Since there’s really nothing we can do, law students are forced to glare meaningfully at the encroaching undergrads.

“She doesn’t even go here!” is a common refrain.

I know why law students bitch about this; I get that finals time is really stressful. But really, I mean, people shouldn’t need monk-like silence in order to study. Learn how to f**king focus.

Sponsored

That said, I wanted to know more about the problem, so I asked some UF undergrads why they use the law library. Just kidding. I was really hung up on this “lawbrary” thing, and there happens to be a proud UF graduate who works for one of our sister sites, Fashionista. After putting up with an interminable series of “UF IS THE BEST SCHOOL EVER” chats and various references to championship-caliber college basketball, she eventually told me more about the Florida library system than I ever wanted to know. For instance, I now understand that they have real books, and they don’t rot or anything in the humid conditions. Bully for them.

But she also said that in her experience, undergrads don’t frequent the law library too much because “it’s pretty far.” That is, unless girls go there looking for husbands, which according to her Dad is a thing.

And, apparently, the new undergraduate library has an upper floor that is just for grad students. You can access this floor only if you have a key card.

There you go, UF Law students. I didn’t spend valuable Facebook time talking to a Gator in vain. Instead of throwing hissy fits in the newspaper, you should lobby your law school administrators for key cards to be installed in the library. As usual, for every problem in a law school, there is usually a dean who could fix it if he or she gave a s**t.

Don’t say I never did anything for you. Now please stop referring to your law library as if someone injected a bull tranquilizer into your lower jaw, and we’ll be cool.

Sponsored

Law student speaks: Undergrads, stay out of our lawbrary [The Alligator]

Earlier: Douchiest Law School Students Don’t Like Douchey Undergrads in the Duke Law Library