Hmm, "Dissed Student". Sure smacks of a bitter person who couldn't make it in law school to me. So let's just take "Dissed Student"'s entire article in that context.
Now, to respond to some of the baseless arguments made about my future alma mater. First of all, scholarship offers in law school are few and far between, so anyone who receives one should feel extremely fortunate. The catch is, and this is quite a catch, that you have to work extra hard and maintain a higher than average GPA if you want to keep your scholarship. That the author says that the scholarships are "easily taken away" is no more than a testament to the fact that the author did not work hard enough to maintain the required GPA. I can name at least half a dozen students who were offered and maintained their scholarships, as well as some who have been awarded scholarships after they were accepted and completed a semester of work. To sum up, yes, the scholarships ARE easily taken away, if you don't do the work or make the grades.
Let's next address the fact that RWU Law boasts a very impressive and accomplished faculty, with publications and Ivy League degrees that most of us only dream of. To anyone who doubts this assertion, as opposed to the author's baseless accusations, please feel free to visit
http://law.rwu.edu/directory/faculty/default.aspx, and see for yourself the quality of RWU Law faculty. Professors who always maintain open doors, and from whom I personally received three years of sound advice and personal and professional guidance. Oh, and by the way, RWU Law was just ranked top 4 in New England (a region that contains Harvard, Yale, BC, BU, Suffolk, Northeastern, Quinnipiac, and UConn) for the educational and academic accomplishments of our professors.
Yes, let's please bring up the subject of minorities. RWU Law has gone, and is going, further than any other school that I know of in its pursuit of diversity and outreach. The university's commitment to outreach in the community is made evident by the efforts of the Feinstein Institute, which supervises community and public service; the brand new Latino Policy Institute, opened under the supervision of Professor Jorge Elorza; and not least the fledgling Mutli-Cultural Law Students Association, with sub-branches of the Black Law Students Association, Asian-Pacific Islander Law Students Association, Native American Law Students Association, and Hispanic Law Students Association. The incident that received some comment, involving the FORMER Chairman of the Board Ralph R. Papitto (not the "owner" of the school, since RWU is a private university and is owned by no one), was dealt with swiftly. Following the incident, Mr. Papitto was removed from the Board, and his name effaced from every part of the law school which bore it. There is now no affiliation whatsoever between RWU and Ralph R. Papitto.
As for the author's final points, as a law student, I'm sure we've all heard of the word "defamation". The author makes baseless, unsupported accusations about inappropriate professors, and suicides. No names are provided, no links to website articles, etc. Quite to the contrary, there has not been a suicide at RWU Law or at the university proper in recent history. And the professors are wholly professional. There was one professor who was unpopular with female students during my first year, but he was summarily dismissed. The author does nothing more than spew vile venom about an institution that is on the move, and from which I and hundreds of others have received a quality education. That the author obviously did not make it at RWU Law speaks for itself as to his/her motivation, and all of his/her comments should be taken in that light.
I speak for myself and many others when I say that RWU Law has provided me with a challenging, quality legal education. Whatever minor complaints I have had over my three year tenure as a student are eclipsed by the bigger picture; the education and experiences I've received at RWU Law. Yes we are not Harvard or Yale, but as a school not yet 2 decades old, this institution is as impressive as I've seen anywhere. As for the accusation that RWU Law does not train future lawyers, graduates in my class will be clerking for the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, district courts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, working at prestigious firms in New York, Chicago, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, and even taking their place among the ranks of the United States Armed Forces, in the JAG program. The bottom line, I am proud to, in just a few days, call myself an RWU Law graduate.
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