An Update on the Penn Law Situation
A bit of follow-up on goings-on at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. First, in yesterday's post, we predicted: "[E]xpect Dean Fitts to send out some vague email offering blanket reassurances, but declining to say more due to federal privacy law. That seems to be par for the course for these incidents."
Our prediction has been vindicated:
Sent: Wed 3/5/2008 12:01 PM
To: [U. Penn. community]
Subject: A Message from Dean FittsTo the Law School Community,
As you may know, there was increased Public Safety presence at the Law School for a few days. Like most institutions, the University varies security on campus in response to changing situations and often does so out of an extra sense of precaution. We usually do not discuss these measures publicly. In this case, we did not do so out of respect for the privacy of a member of our community. Let me assure you that there were never any threats made nor were there any "incidents" at Penn Law. Our decisions in this case, as in others, are made and evaluated constantly with the intent of serving the best interests of our community. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to stop by my office.
Have a great spring break,
Mike
Second, check out comment #7 on the Daily Pennsylvanian article, posted today at 12:04 AM. It purports to be from the student in question (who identifies himself by name). This individual writes:
Unless there was yet another mishap by Penn or Penn Law, I am the student who was placed on this leave of absence. This is nothing more than a staged proceeding to force me to make precedent in the third circuit by tarnishing my reputation.I am not on any psychiatric medication nor have I taken any. If the University actually believes that I pose a threat to your safety, then it should protect you by requiring me to seek mental health treatment instead of invoking this policy. I am now alone and upset and near a campus full of bright and happy students.
Very curious. We do wonder whether some law schools, out of an entirely legitimate concern for the safety of their students, overreact to reports of unusual behavior. History is full of examples of mass hysteria, from the Salem witch trials to the day care sex abuse scare, that turned out to be unfounded.
We're not disputing the need for law school administrators to be vigilant, especially in light of the horrific school shootings of the past few years. And we completely understand their concern: if, God forbid, something were to happen on their campuses, they would be held responsible.
We're just playing devil's advocate and tossing out some fodder for discussion. That's all.
Comments: Student prompts security increase [Daily Pennsylvanian]
Earlier: What's Going on at Penn Law?
(60) Comments
"I am now alone and upset and near a campus full of bright and happy students."
Ummm, creepy.
"We're just playing devil's advocate and tossing out some comments fodder" needs to be a permanent disclaimer on this site.
This would NEVER happen at Hofstra!
"This is nothing more than a staged proceeding to force me to make precedent in the third circuit by tarnishing my reputation."
awkwardly stated
What does this mean?
"This is nothing more than a staged proceeding to force me to make precedent in the third circuit by tarnishing my reputation."
I would be upset after last year's football season, too.
"This is nothing more than a staged proceeding to force me to make precedent in the third circuit by tarnishing my reputation."
I work at the ABA, and this sounds exactly like the pseudo-legal jargon-speak we get from people who actually *are* off their meds calling us because they think we have teams of lawyers either A.) out to get them personally as some sort of global conspiracy or B.) standing ready to defend them from trumped up charges brought by a corrupt DA.
Usually A.
So yeah, my bet is the guy is crazy and Penn did the right thing.
Hmm...Google turns up this suit in the E.D. Pa. by a guy with the same name.
http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-paedce/case_no-2:2007cv03402/case_id-235895/
don't tase me, bro!
Two words: Joe Cho
Two more words: Joe Crispin
@ 1:29 - Are suggesting that this guy is a fan of Penn St.? Because he does not go to law school there.
2:01 - he goes to Penn, right? Home of the Nittany Lions and JoPa.
Wow. This is the first email I have ever seen from Dean Fitts that wasn't asking me for money. I am surprised he couldn't spin this as a fundraising tool. He must be slipping.
"I am now alone and upset and near a campus full of bright and happy students."
I think he was going for a play on words here - 'happy' students. Everyone knows UPenn is located in Happy Valley, PA. Coincidence?
Wow. This is the first email I have ever seen from Dean Fitts that wasn't asking me for money. I am surprised he couldn't spin this as a fundraising tool. He must be slipping.
"I am now alone and upset and near a campus full of bright and happy students."
This sorta clinches the fact that this guy belongs in a room with white, padded walls.
Penn State is in Happy Valley.
UPenn is in Philadelphia.
I am a huge fan of the UPenn/PSU-confusing trolls.
I would compliment them for getting so many d-bags to fall for it, but that would be sort of like winning a fishing trophy at a trout farm.
Wow. This is the first email I have ever seen from Dean Fitts that wasn't asking me for money. I am surprised he couldn't spin this as a fundraising tool. He must be slipping.
I cannot imagine that UPenn expected this sort of incident to happen when it started a law school a few years ago.
Guys at my high school used to confuse UPenn and Penn St. all the time. Then other guys at my high school would only pretend to, and then laugh at yet other guys who would correct them. Though hilarious, it was no big deal.
2:33/2:41...Maybe it's even MORE insidious and under the radar so that only the truly gifted would get it...maybe even make a movie about it ala The Da Vinci Code and have that lawyer-hating Tom Hanks play the psycho lead, you know, because he STARRED in a movie called Philadelphia about a gay guy and U of Penn is in Philadelphia which is the city of brotherly love which is gay which is happy, which like totally makes the statement make sense and would make so much precedent in the tarnishing of his reputation...um, yeah, I am pretty sure that's what he was going for.
I guess Penn is now TTT
Bravo 3:13. One of the best examples of the genre. Guys at my high school would have stood and applauded.
I went to Penn undergrad. It is NOT in the Ivy League. A few years back, the Ivy League kicked the whole university out (except for Wharton). Now I just pretend that I went to Penn State. No one's the wiser.
I was molested at a day care center and no one beleives me. I have sores all over my genitalia (and burn marks).
Can we ban ACS members? they are the real problems at law school
4:10--WHAT?
I was feeling fine ... until I was: (1) banned from school, (2) slandered on listserv, (3) slandered in school newspaper, (4) slandered on ATL and comments, (5) outted on ATL comments, (6) forcibly medicated (and sodomized), and (7) sued in 3rd Circuit. NOW I WANT TO TAKE A FLAMETHROWER TO THIS PLACE (figuratively of course).
Give in to his demands before he makes precedent in the Third Circuit!
Hopefully, UPenn builds a few security stations around the new law school it is building at State College.
4:36 - Penn State, not U. Penn, is building a new law school.
WHy is it sometimes called UPenn and other times called Penn State? And how can you have a state college in the "Ivy League"?
"I am now alone and upset and near a campus full of bright and happy students."
Clearly this guy is delusional - why else would he think Penn has bright and happy students?
If he wants to cheer himself up - go watch people who are stuck doing doc review - he will then realize his life aint so bad!
Just yesterday, another Penn State football player was charged for his role in a campus brawl.
4:51 - Cornell's a state school. But it has nowhere near as storied a football program as Penn, with JoPa.
PENN STATE AND UNIV. OF. PENNSYLVANIA ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND WHOLLY UNRELATED INSTITUTIONS!!!! Jesus Christ people.
5:41 - is "univ. of. pennsylvania" what Penn State calls its law school that it started a few years ago? I hear they have a good football team.
5:41 - is "univ. of. pennsylvania" what Penn State calls its law school that it started a few years ago? I hear they have a good football team.
The football team led by JoPa of course
What teams does the Penn State Law School football team play? I haven't seen any scores on the SI website.
5:41: got it, different insititutions, but are they different schools? Or is UPenn Law a DIFFERENT PART of Penn State?
UPenn is going down in USNEWS rankings after massive confusion with PENN STATE (assuming they are in fact different)
So, if Penn Law is Penn State's law school, what is Dickinson School of Law and why is ranked so poorly? You'd think that the Ivy league law school would be waaaay better than the state college's law school in the same state. Does Dickinson just not care? Is this a result of Penn State's intellectual snobbery because the Warden School is there?
Warden School. Lulz
YOU PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS!!!
I went to Penn for undergrad. It is the Philadelphia campus of Pennsylvania State University. The law school isn't new. It's been there a long time. The State College campus has a new law school. Penn State-Philadelphia AKA UPenn has had its law school forever.
I think the naming is the source of the confusion. Penn State generally = State Collge. UPenn generally = Philadelphia. But they are both part of the same state school system. I don't know where the Ivy nonsense came from. Who's ever heard of an Ivy state school (except for Cornell).
And it's not the "Warden School." It's the "Wharton School." Named after Edith Wharton.
I sure wish UPenn were a state school like Penn State is -- UPenn would be so much cheaper if it were a state school.
I'm no expert, but I think it's the "Warden School," like where they train you to be a game warden or a fire warden. I'm pretty sure that's the case becaue I was choosing between becoming a game warden in my home state and law school. (Like an idiot, I'm taking the LSAT this fall.) It also makes sense because it's located on the campus of a state school, UPenn. An ivy wouldn't have a school for wardens.
Have you ever been to West Philly? It's actually a school for prison wardens.
haha I congratulate all of you on such a hilarious thread! Thank god I don't live in that hellhole of a city anymore!
7:17 - thanks for your clear and concise explanation. everything makes sense now. I really appreciate your efforts.
9:55 - by "hellhole of a city" you mean State College, PA right? Because "Penn Alumna" means you went to U. Penn right?
wow, this joke about Penn being Penn State is freaking hilarious.
11:00 - What joke?
11:00 - the joke doesn't get old because Penn State people take it at face value. I mean Penn people. Actually, I don't know what I mean.
if you go to Penn, stop correcting ppl who confuse it with Penn State. they are doing it to mess with you and you are coming off like complete assholes.
everyone in the biglaw land (ie the total losers who troll these boards) know what penn is, they know its not penn state so stop trying to correct it. you like asses.
"if you go to Penn, stop correcting ppl who confuse it with Penn State. they are doing it to mess with you and you are coming off like complete assholes"
Ya think?
6:28 - Dickinson actually slipped in the rankings after PSU acquired it, but it is still second tier.
Cornell law school is private, and so is the true ivy part of it--the College of Arts and Sciences.