Name GMU Law School After Scalia? Not So Fast

George Mason University's decision to change the name of its law school -- after receiving a $30 million donation -- for conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is hitting a wall of opposition.

In recognition of the donation, the school's Board of Visitors approved the renaming of the school, but the proposed name, The Antonin Scalia Law School (from an earlier name of The Antonin Scalia School of Law, which became controversial on social media due to a vulgar acronym) is being criticized from inside and outside the school.

Scalia, a conservative, died unexpectedly at age 79 on Saturday, Feb. 13 at a luxury resort in West Texas. Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, he served as a conservative lightning rod throughout his tenure.

Even though the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia has yet to approve the name (they are supposed to consider it in July), the new name is currently being used by the school on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere.

The GMU Faculty Senate on Wednesday protested the linking of the donation to the renaming of the school, voting 21-13 Wednesday to reopen the naming process of the law school, according to a report by BuzzFeedNews. The GMU Faculty Senate meeting was also filled with student activists angry about the name change proposal.

(*Read the entire statement from the GMU Faculty Senate at bottom of the page)

The 21-13 vote by the professors "took issue with Scalia’s 'numerous public offensive comments' about black people, women, and LBGT individuals, as well as his role in 'the polarized climate in this country,' " BuzzFeedNews reported.

State lawmaker Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church) has delivered a petition to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, in hopes of derailing the renaming of the school.

The petition reads: "Stop GMU from selling the naming rights to the law school to anonymous donors who want to name it for Antonin Scalia."

It goes on to read: "The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has to approve the change. If you agree that public comment and input from alumni and current students is important, sign this petition. Let SCHEV, Governor McAuliffe, and Dr. Angel Cabrera, President of George Mason University, know where you stand. There is still time to make your voice heard.

Sign the petition today and show the administration that changing the law school's name demands further examination."

*Statement by GMU Faculty Senate:

"The Faculty Senate of George Mason University expresses its deep concern with the terms of the $30 million gift agreements to support the university’s School of Law and to name it the Antonin Scalia School of Law. The Senate recognizes that the gifts provide $30 million in scholarship support for law students and memorialize Justice Scalia’s many years of public service and his intellectual contributions to jurisprudence. At the same time, the Senate finds these aspects to be problematic:

The celebration of a Supreme Court Justice who made numerous public offensive comments about various groups – including people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals – which this university has appropriately gone to some lengths to embrace as valued parts of the university community;

The memorializing of a Supreme Court Justice who was a significant contributor to the polarized climate in this country that runs counter to the values of a university that celebrates civil discourse;

The reinforcement of the external branding of the university as a conservative institution rather than an unaligned body that is a comfortable home for individuals with a variety of viewpoints;

Public representations by the university’s Rector, President, School of Law Dean, and communications office that have failed to disclose the terms of the gifts that specifically require the university to provide funding for 12 new faculty, additional staff, and support for two new Centers for a ten-year period; and

The potential for the university’s long-term liability for the continued funding of the additional law school faculty and centers after the 5-year period of scholarship funding expires. In view of these concerns, the Faculty Senate urges the university’s Board of Visitors and administration to take action to:

Emphasize the university’s continuing support for groups that were slighted by Justice Scalia and that may have been offended by the university’s embrace of his legacy;

Underscore the university’s support for civil discourse that bridges the great diversity present at the university;

Highlight to external audiences that the university is not aligned with any single ideological position and is a friendly home to faculty, staff, students, and others with diverse points of view;

Explain more fully the university’s plan to manage its responsibility for future funding of new law school faculty and centers without detriment to other units in the university; and

Commit to honest, open communication with faculty and other university stakeholders."