Ask Totally Fun Chicago Students Your Questions

[annonymous]

PS: None of this applies to Epstein. In fact, nothing applies to Epstein.

Epstein sounds like a character. Hasn't he been around for a while?

Yup. He's been teaching law since 1968 and has been teaching law here at UChicago since 1972. He's awesome (but once again, others will disagree with me on this).

[clairel]

re: professor's political positions:

i've never really had an issue as a liberal and a feminist...epstein said a few weird things but as everyone has said, epstein is an exception to any rule about law professors. we covered abortion and discrimination against women and minorities in con law III and i found strauss to be extremely even-handed; he never offended me, and i didn't feel like he was pandering to me

and i loved hazard's shout out to ctim law: someone advocating bringing back the utmost resistance standard in rape prosecution during harcourt's crim class was pretty much the "wtf?" moment of my law school experience.

[annonymous]

re: professor's political positions:

i've never really had an issue as a liberal and a feminist...epstein said a few weird things but as everyone has said, epstein is an exception to any rule about law professors. we covered abortion and discrimination against women and minorities in con law III and i found strauss to be extremely even-handed; he never offended me, and i didn't feel like he was pandering to me

With Strauss, its actually the other side of the aisle thats an issue. But like I said, he still puts both arguments out there.

I know with other professors, there are reports of "outrageous" things being said (Henderson? I've heard stories there), but I usually find them hilarious. Thats how I see Epstein. Plus, his self-deprecation is endearing (the whole "I think all of the cases and all of these authorities that my own casebook cites on this issue are completely and totally wrong... but no one listens to little old me" thing).

and i loved hazard's shout out to ctim law: someone advocating bringing back the utmost resistance standard in rape prosecution during harcourt's crim class was pretty much the "wtf?" moment of my law school experience.

Our Crim class also had a dynamite off-the-wall suggestion during our rape discussion. Basically: the person agreed that we should prosecute men for "no means no" violations on the public policy grounds many in the class were suggesting (even if the rule ends up being over-inclusive, and has other drawbacks, we want to create a world where "no means no" is taken very seriously, for obvious reasons).

But then he suggested a "logical extension" of that argument: we should also prosecute women for "no means no" violations. If a woman says 'no', but later admits that they really meant 'yes', they should go to jail because stuff like that undermines our efforts to create a world where "no means no" is taken seriously.

There is a much less eloquent, and much funnier, version of saying this (not to mention more to it), but I don't think its LSD appropriate.

[MP]

re: professor's political positions:

i've never really had an issue as a liberal and a feminist...epstein said a few weird things but as everyone has said, epstein is an exception to any rule about law professors. we covered abortion and discrimination against women and minorities in con law III and i found strauss to be extremely even-handed; he never offended me, and i didn't feel like he was pandering to me

With Strauss, its actually the other side of the aisle thats an issue. But like I said, he still puts both arguments out there.

I know with other professors, there are reports of "outrageous" things being said (Henderson? I've heard stories there), but I usually find them hilarious. Thats how I see Epstein. Plus, his self-deprecation is endearing (the whole "I think all of the cases and all of these authorities that my own casebook cites on this issue are completely and totally wrong... but no one listens to little old me" thing).

and i loved hazard's shout out to ctim law: someone advocating bringing back the utmost resistance standard in rape prosecution during harcourt's crim class was pretty much the "wtf?" moment of my law school experience.

Our Crim class also had a dynamite off-the-wall suggestion during our rape discussion. Basically: the person agreed that we should prosecute men for "no means no" violations on the public policy grounds many in the class were suggesting (even if the rule ends up being over-inclusive, and has other drawbacks, we want to create a world where "no means no" is taken very seriously, for obvious reasons).

But then he suggested a "logical extension" of that argument: we should also prosecute women for "no means no" violations. If a woman says 'no', but later admits that they really meant 'yes', they should go to jail because stuff like that undermines our efforts to create a world where "no means no" is taken seriously.

There is a much less eloquent, and much funnier, version of saying this (not to mention more to it), but I don't think its LSD appropriate.

Don't forget the other great moment in the rape discussion, where someone suggested that men can't be raped, and someone else shouted out, "Have you been inside a prison??"

[buffettologie]

Bring back the death penalty for rape!

Oh wait, I never said that, just thought about it.

[annonymous]

Fall Crim was amazing.

Student #1: "Look, the difference between a 14 year old and an adult is obvious..."
Student #2: [screaming] "THATS NOT TRUE!"

Masur: "Pelicans don't kill people. Large cliffs do."

Plus, all the drug stuff. And, of course, there was the constant and unrelenting consumption of babies.

At least last Thursday gave us a good reminder of the glory of fall Crim:

Masur: [paraphrased talking about exam] ... its long and hard...
Prominent LSD Poster: *loud snort*
Everyone else: *erupts in laughter*

I love how juvenile we can be in that class.

[annonymous]

Its even funnier knowing who the person was that said it (and his employment background). Part of me thinks he said it for that reason.

[sillyberry]

Masur: [paraphrased talking about exam] ... its long and hard...
Prominent LSD Poster: *loud snort*
Everyone else: *erupts in laughter*

I love how juvenile we can be in that class.

Excuse me, I think the actual quote is, "If you pick it up and think, 'this is pretty long and pretty hard...'"

Which is way funnier.  Not that that was me who snorted.

[annonymous]

I apologize for my mistake.

[annonymous]

Bumpity bump.