George Mason University has expressed its plan to rename its law school after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but a group of Democratic lawmakers is pushing to scrap the move. The legislators believe the university is taking a big step to honor Scalia. They argued the university must first seek the council's approval.
To halt the plan of George Mason University, 11 legislators sent a letter to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). They requested the state council to dismiss the plan of the largest public university in Virginia, and must first weigh things before pushing with the move to rename the school of law after Scalia. According to the lawmakers, they are concerned about whether Scalia is worthy of the honor, Fox News claims.
"Scalia was also one of the most controversial justices in modern history," the lawmakers wrote. "Indeed, we have received pleas from alumni who are deeply concerned that this decision will undermine their ability to find future employment or undermine their professional reputation."
Last week, George Mason University said they plan to change the name of school of law to Antonin Scalia School of Law. The new name was reportedly proposed by an unidentified donor, who gave the school a $20 million donation, Chron reports. Charles Koch Foundation also donated an additional $10 million. It was not the first time for the foundation to donate to the university, which had given the school millions of dollars in the past. Its CEO, Charles Koch and his younger sibling are known supporters of libertarian and conservative causes.
On Tuesday, George Mason University's school of law changed its final name to Antonin Scalia Law School to honor the former supreme court justice. The change was allegedly triggered by the backlash they received online. However, Del. Marcus Simon, D-Falls Church expressed his defiance over the renaming of the school of law. He argued that Mason's development is partially fueled by the funds given by Koch Foundation, according to KSL.
"This is a big, in-your-face kind of a move," Simon said. He said he's concerned about using $30 million to attract students "and trying to shape their young minds and train them in the Scalia way of thinking. That's troubling to me."
SCHEV spokesperson Greg Weatherford claimed they received the application for renaming George Mason University Law School on Wednesday. SCHEV staff is going to review the name proposal and would also recommend in the coming weeks. George Mason University Law School Dean, Henry Butler said that they are also studying whether request from students to exclude Scalia's name in the diploma is possible.
