Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-02-10
LAW H O BUILDING

LAW SCHOOL BUILDING
AS one of the items in placing the work of the Uni
versity of North Dakota on a sound and permanent foot
ing it had been hoped that provision would be made by
this general assembly for the building of a law school
building which would house, safely and fntingly. this i'm
portant department of the institution. A few facts bear
ing on this subject are herewith presented:
The law school is now located in a part of the base
ment of Davis Hall, a building erected years ago for
dormitory purposes, and constantly needed for those pur-
poses. There is no other available space upon the cam
pus for the law school. The basement of Davis Hail is
utterly inadequate for the needs of any law school. 1t
would be utterly impossible to try to do the work of the
law school in these quarters at the present time were 1t
not for the fact that the war had so greatly reduced the
enrolment therein. AS soon as the enrolment again
reaches its normal proportions, the present location'can-
not be used.
Davis Hall is not a proper place for the law library
if it were otherwise adequate for the needs of the law
school. The building is not fireproof, but instead is a
regular firc-trap. The law library is worth too much
to be exposed in this way to the risk of accidental fire.
The basement of Davis Hall is not adapted to law school
purposes. The space for reading room is wholly made
quate. There is only class room space for one small class
of not to exceed fifteen students. The light everywhere
is bad. There is no satisfactory system of ventilation.
The office space is cranped, and not enough for the
entire faculty whenever the entire law faculty is again
reassembled
The present rooms in the basement of Davis Hall
which are occupied by the law school are needed and
will be demanded soon for other university purposes.
Hence the law school cannot retain its present location
if it is desired to do so.
The law school should not be again moved down
town. There is no reason why a law school should be
located in a city rather than some distance from the city
with other university buildings where a university is To-
Gated near a city no larger than the city of Grand Forks.
It has always been the nlan of the regents and other uni
versity authorities ultimately to have a law building on
the campus. IN anticipation of this, the law school has
been moved to the campus. 1t would be the height of
folly again to move the law school back to town. Two
or three moves of this sort would ruin the books of the
law library and kill the law school.
During the time which the university leased quar-
ters down town for the law school, it paid in rent AMI
other expenses, one-half of what it would now cost 20
build a new building. Even if the law school were to
be sent back to town, the state should build a law build
ing for the law school in town, and not continue to pay
rent. The people of this state desire to have a law
school at the university. They desire to have a place
within this state where the men who in the future are
going to participate in the work of administering justice
may be sent to learn the law of this state, and to receive
an adequate preparation for the work of administering
Justice. This requires a law school, but unless the people
of the state are willing to provide a good law school, so
that the prospective lawyers may receive the very best
training. they better provide no law school at all, They
better let the young people Of this state who are looking
toward the profession Of the lay go to other states which
have first-class law schools. If the people desire a good
law school, one of the things which they must provide is
a suitable place for the law school to do the kind of work
which a first class law school sh ould do. The law school
does not at the present time have such a place. AS
soon as the enrolment therein again reaches its normal
proportions, the university is going to have a law faculty
and law students, but no place to put them. Does the
state desire to abolish its law school? If it does not it
should provide a building for the law~school at once, A
new law building is inaperatively needed at this time.