Cornell Law Students Seek Rebates

Nearly 175 Cornell Law School students have demanded tuition rebates because noise and inconvenience from the school's ongoing construction projects have disturbed their classes.

While the law students concede that the $20 million in additions and renovations being made to the library, classrooms and administration offices are necessary, they complain that the work has reduced the value of their education.

Gina Snyder, a third year law student who helped organize the rebate drive, said, "We could take construction going on in our vicinity as long as it doesn't disrupt our education."

The students have submitted a petition to the university administration which states, "lectures are interrupted or drowned out," and that "library facilities are inadequate and likewise noisy." The document also deplores the lack of a student lounge.

The petitioners--roughly half of the law school's upperclassmen--further state that they have been offered less value for more money and conclude that the University should refund last year's $1,030 tuition increase.

The petition, submitted late last month, brought a swift University response. Officials agreed to meet with students in a discussion and response forum within a day after receiving the petition. Dean of the Law School Russell K. Osgood refused to grant refunds, saying. "The renovation work is taking longer that expected, and the plan is, the hope is, it will be completed in mid-December."

Responding to student complaints about unsatisfactory classrooms, Osgood said, "You've got to do the new space [additions] first, then the old space [renovations]."

Additionally, officials have promised completion of a student lounge and a passageway between the old and new law schools within two to four weeks, said Cornell Law Student Association (CLSA) President Chris Bowers.

Although many students found the idea of a refund attractive, the CLSA did not endorse the drive because, as Bowers said, "The call for a rebate is a little unrealistic."

"A lot of students knew it was unrealistic, but it sounded great. Some signed it just because there wasn't anything else to sign. They did it just to show their displeasure," Bowers said.

But Bowers added, "Obviously we have gotten a damaged product. A lot of students feel that the Law School planned for the future at the expense of the students who are in school."

While the CLSA did not support the rebate drive, it sent a letter to the administration asking for the halting of construction during class time, better library resources--because half of the law school's books are in locked storage--and a firm timetable for the construction.

The administration met only the first demand. Crews now work between 4 p.m. and midnight, when it will presumably not disturb students in their dormitories.

But Osgood said the administration has no plans to bring the stored books back to campus until the construction is complete, adding that the most frequently used books are still available. The administration has not issued a firm schedule for the construction.

The executive committee of the CLSA plans to meet with the administration in early November, when the two groups will consider any persisting student complaints, Bowers said.