Law Schools

Western State Students, Alumni Rally To Hold Graduation Ceremony

An alum paid for the venue, while students are raising additional funds amid financial turmoil.

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(Image via Getty)

Western State College of Law students and alumni have rallied amid uncertainty about the school’s future to ensure the 50th graduating class will have a graduation ceremony next month.

They have been forced to scramble to put the event together in light of the chaos caused by the financial struggles of the Orange County law school’s parent university, Argosy University, which is in federal receivership.

It appeared the law school might close mid-semester, but that was averted by order of a federal judge overseeing the receivership, paving the way for third-year students to still graduate.

Bill Shapiro, a 1978 Western State graduate and adjunct faculty member, has since provided the funds so that this year’s graduation could be held at City National Grove of Anaheim on May 18.

“Western State provided me with the skills and the living to afford me the ability 41 years later to do this,” said Shapiro, a personal injury lawyer with offices in San Bernardino and Orange County. “It is going to be everything every past graduation has been and more,” he added.

However, a graduation entails more than just having a venue, so Western State students stepped up to say they would raise money to cover the additional costs. The students on a Graduation Committee created a GoFundMe page to do so, and the site lists some of the other costs as diplomas, programs, and regalia.

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As of Wednesday evening, $4,800 of the $15,000 GoFundMe goal had been raised.

“This hard working and gracious group of aspiring legal professionals have not only spent three to four years working hard on their legal degrees, but have spent two months fighting to keep Argosy’s mistakes from robbing them of their success,” the GoFundMe page says.

“These students should be afforded the opportunity to walk across the stage and receive the diploma they worked so hard to achieve,” the page continues. “More importantly, their families deserve the opportunity to celebrate their loved one’s success and the sacrifices they themselves have made so that their graduate can be up on that stage.”

This isn’t the first time Western State students have turned to GoFundMe amid the struggles brought about by Argosy’s financial problems.

In February, they set up a GoFundMe to help classmates struggling to pay basic expenses in the aftermath of not receiving their federal financial aid. The effort to assist students in covering their rent and buying food raised $4,430 as of Wednesday night, though much more was sought.

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A separate GoFundMe created in February by Professor Jennifer Koh to support Western State’s Immigration Clinic and its representation of clients had raised $4,620 as of Wednesday evening.

Shapiro emphasized that Western State staff also have been very supportive of the efforts to still hold a graduation ceremony. A student member of the Graduation Committee shared that “many of those who were laid off by the receiver are kindly volunteering their time as well, helping in all aspects of the event.”

In addition, Shapiro said other alumni have stepped up to the plate to help.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” he said. “We found we have some really dedicated students, staff, and alumni.”

Earlier in the spring, Shapiro and fellow alum Gregory Bentley had written to the federal court in Ohio overseeing the receivership to express an interest in acquiring the school or working to find a buyer.

While no purchase ensued at the time or since, Shapiro said he remains optimistic a long-term future for Orange County’s oldest law school can be secured. He also plans to keep supporting the school in whatever way he can.

“It’s the 50th graduation, and I’m planning on having a 51st, a 52nd, and a 60th,” Shapiro said.

Lyle Moran is a freelance writer in San Diego who handles both journalism and content writing projects. He previously reported for the Los Angeles Daily Journal, San Diego Daily Transcript, Associated Press, and Lowell Sun. He can be reached at lmoransun@gmail.com and found on Twitter @lylemoran.

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