Legally in Love: “Lizzie” Does Law School Prom
Illustration by Shaina Rubin
Ah, Prom Night – all we are missing are pretty corsages, a crowned King & Queen, and white SUV limousines. At least we compensate with our 21+ ability to booze as much as we want (or at least until midnight). I openly admit here that I love getting decked out, getting sloshed, and showing off my dance moves to the best of my non-legal abilities. The tension between old BLSGs culminates as we eye each other across the dance floor, while new BLSGs are simultaneously discovered at the open bar or buffet table.
The set-up seems to always stay the same (cocktails, dinner, DJ) but each Barrister’s I’ve experienced always has a different feel to it. Perhaps this is due to what point I was in my life when I went (unlike my first year, I ran to get a table this year once the main room opened). Or, maybe it’s because I was dealing with different BLSGs each time. As a 1L, for instance, I went just to make a post-BLSG jealous…obviously, he didn’t even bother to show up.
SBA (halfheartedly) attempted to instill a “masquerade” theme, but due to the sheer volume of jobless 3Ls, they should instead have opted for: “I can actually afford to have fun!” Indeed, there were several reports of students using their potential employment status as a bona fide flirting mechanism (only at BLS would this happen). And as our student government neglected to lower the price of admission, many noticed the low attendance this year – perhaps they should keep this in mind for future balls…
Besides the monetary concerns, there are always the general “dissenters” who refuse to attend a school-sponsored function that requires “school bus” transportation and has “alcohol police” to make sure you don’t rock out while holding onto your drinks (oh the liabilities!). And why socialize with students you already spend all your time with? For this, I have no clear-cut answer: maybe some of us are making up for a poor prom experience (cough cough), want to practice some people skills rather than remaining holed up in the library, or just want to spend time with some pretty awesome people they formed strong bonds with during their years here. Long after my journey at BLS ends, Barrister’s Ball – the law school version of prom night – will forever be one of my favorite memories.
Believe me, we would love to lower the price of tickets. In fact, the actual cost per ticket is over $135, and higher if we don’t sell out (which as you note, we did not this year, though we numbered only about 35 students fewer than last year, when we oversold). So with the help of the deans and by fundraising, we actually subsidize about $50 per attendee. You’re welcome!
The eventual answer to cost cutting will be to do what so many other schools do and cut liquor out, offering only a beer and wine bar. Students were polled and the decision was made that this would be worse for attendance than keeping the prices at the same rate as last year, even though the cost of the event went up several thousand dollars. Again, you’re welcome!
At any rate, I was just really glad to see that everyone had a good time and that people generally maintained composure. That’s all we aim to do – provide a great night that remains relatively within the bounds of reason. I invite anyone who has any feedback, positive or negative, to email me so that I can pass your thoughts on to next year’s SBA! Anyone who misplaced an item last night can also email me
Really? You’re Welcome?! REALLY?!
Ok Erika. Apparently the fact that nearly (if not more) 40% of students pay upwards of 45k tuition a year to attend what now appears to be a solidly middling school with no permanent dean and abysmal employment numbers is lost on the SBA. Where does that money go? Certainly somewhere other than creating an affordable ball.
So yes, thank you. Thank you not acknowledging that only more privileged students can realistically afford to attend this grand ball. Thank you for that class system. Thank you for the unreasonable price tag. Thank you for calling it an open bar (HA!). Thank you for blaming the liquor and the student’s decision, and not the ever miserly institution and administration or inability to fundraise. Most of all, thank you for the snarky concern!
At the risk of repeating Erika, how was it NOT an open bar? My friends and I didn’t have one problem ordering our drinks, ranging from wine to beer to liquor. Was the wine choice not up to snuff? Maybe next year they’ll have some moscato for you.
As for this class system… excuse me? I’m honestly confused by this comment. I was able to go because I saved up money the month or two beforehand. Most of my friends who didn’t go chose not to because they were just bored with it after two years; not one mentioned the price of the tickets or any kind of class system.
As for the price of the tickets, you do realize that this is NYC and prices go up every year, right? We live in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Rent and taxes and all other kinds of external factors combine to determine how much something like this will cost. The fact that SBA has managed to keep a somewhat consistent price point on the tickets for the past three years speaks worlds of how hard Erika fought to make this as affordable as possible.
And finally, you’re probably just directing the anger you feel with yourself for choosing to go to BLS, thinking you’ll make a cool $160k/year upon graduation without actually thinking it through. So, I recommend you take this idiotic anger over the ball and go to the nearest shrink to help you sort it out. I think you’re allowed one free shrink visit as a student here (omg! that might be where some of your tuition money goes!?!?! lolol!!!!)
Hey Asshat:
Go occupy something.
(to Anonymous, not Kevin).
Um… hello there, anonymous voice of anger. ? I direct this response to you specifically. Thank you for educating me, because I REALLY never knew anyone was so pissed off about the “class system” and “privilege” surrounding the Barrister’s Ball.
I can’t respond to some of your comments because honestly I have no idea what they’re about. Like the open bar comment, for example. I’m not sure what you think an open bar is, but ours is one, even if you have to wait 5 minutes for service. Do you come from a mystical land where open bar means that beautiful fairies deliver you drinks? I’m sorry if they didn’t have mead or absinthe or whatever the hell it was you wanted.
I can admit I DID come off a bit snarky earlier with the “you’re welcome” bit, and it wasn’t my intent to offend, so i apologize to Lizzie and the Advocate – I think it came off harsher than I meant it to in black and white. I actually thought that Lizzie’s editorial was really nice and quite positive, taking into consideration the edgy and sarcastic tone of her editorials in general!
(The snark in this response, however, is fully intentional, and unapologetic, and if i haven’t already mentioned it, go fuck yourself, anonymous. Is that too snarky for you?)
I guess when I responded originally, I was annoyed a bit that nobody at the advocate ever bothered to ask SBA about the rationale behind ticket prices, and this editorial seemed to assume we could just raise and lower them at will, but for some reason did not deem it important to try to lower them. And the price gets harped on quite a bit in the editorial, so I wanted to explain why it was the way it was, and that we actually get a large proportion of the cost covered by the “miserly” administration (which topic you seem hell-bent on freaking out about, with the Ball as merely some kind of tangential vehicle for this purpose). I know lots of students who aren’t privileged who managed to get to the Ball because it was a priority to them for whatever personal reason. Sorry if you weren’t one of them, or maybe I’m glad.
You don’t read very well either, because I state that in the end it was my decision to keep the liquor, which, yes, costs a lot more money, so sorry. Did I get other people’s input? Of course. Did people have strong opinions? Of course. I didn’t blame anyone, or shift blame from anyone. I made the decision and stand by it. I’m sorry I couldn’t make the ball $20 for you so that you could show up in your jeans and flip flops and drink Yuengling and eat cocktail weiners until you started burping and ranting about the administration. I’m also sorry I don’t have the power to make tuition cheaper, and I’m sorry you don’t seem to understand that choosing to go to a school, however fancy or however middling, means you have to TRY to make it even better, for you, for everyone, whatever you can manage in your short time there. When I leave here, I know with absolute certainty that people will remember that I tried to make things better, including the Ball. Can you say the same?
I’ll be really frank here, and this is me speaking as a human being, not as some representative of the school or the SBA – I put a crapload of work into this event this year, into trying to make it as accessible to everyone as I could, into trying to make it a good time, into trying to keep everyone safe. You obviously don’t know me, because you would know that is all true.
I also have to think you also didn’t attend this year’ Ball, maybe because you felt excluded from the man’s privileged class system, (HA!), because the most negative feedback I have thus far gotten is “why didn’t they have my brand of liquor at the bar?” and “why didn’t any of the 2Ls want to come?” So seriously, unless you feel like responding as an adult, with a name, why don’t you go fuck yourself?
On that note, it’s my birthday, and fuck you some more for making me read and respond to your ill-informed rant on my birthday.
P.S. we got a dean today, so go fuck yourself a third time.
Hey Erika, Happy Birthday!
Just a quick aside regarding the above discussion: The article in question, by the inimitable “Lizzie B”, is an opinion piece and not an editorial. As a fellow opinion writer for the Advocate, I can tell you most assuredly that neither do our opinions represent the positions of the Advocate, nor does the editorial staff of the Advocate have any input in into what we write, or the fact-checking thereof. These pieces are our own.
The rest of the above I will leave to others for comment. But, I did want to clarify that one point.
Best,
mvb
I had a fantastic time at the ball! Don’t let Anonymous ruin it for us.
Oh, and, Happy Birthday!
Erika,
You are amazing and the amount of work you put into this year’s ball was simply astounding. The entire experience at the ball was amazing and I heard only positive comments. As to the nonsense you are responding to, I could not agree with you more. Yes we pay a lot for school, but to my knowledge the ball is not a guaranteed experience. The dean’s don’t have to give thousands of dollars, the SBA does not have to subsidize the cost of tickets, and SBA members (especially you) don’t have to donate hundreds of hours of their time to make the ball a reality. Well done, Happy Birthday, and eff that guy.
I wish that there was a way to show Anonymous what the school would look like without Erika and all the exceptional (and, clearly, often thankless) work that she does in this building. I envision something apocalyptic…
Happy Birthday to YOU!
I assure you it will look mostly the same as it did 3 years ago and will next year.
Erika,
This note is for you. I just want to say thank you for working so hard to put together such an amazing Barrister’s Ball. Every single person I talked to said that they had a great time.
I do know several people who decided not to go for financial reasons, but no one was complaining that the prices were extraordinarily or unfairly high. Just, simply, that they weren’t spending a lot of extra money on anything superfluous right now. I think that any rational person can understand that it takes a lot of money to put together a catered event with an open bar for that many people. And of course, that is going to translate to ticket prices that are more than $20 per person!
The food was delicious, and it was such a pleasure to hang out with all of my law school friends outside of the classroom. It was a beautiful event, and you did a wonderful job!
On a personal note, Erika, I know you as someone who always reaches out to classmates in need and is deeply concerned about class systems and discrimination and unfairness as it relates to poverty. I don’t want to go into too much more detail, except to say thank you. Thanks for always caring about your fellow students and doing absolutely everything in your power to look out for people less fortunate.
And, Happiest of Birthdays to you!
Warmly,
Claire
PS –
Dear Anonymous,
You are a jerk and a coward. I’m glad that you were not at the Barrister’s Ball. Your angry demeanor and inability to do basic math to calculate the cost of such a huge event would have soured an otherwise lovely evening.
If you have such disdain for this “middling” institution, I would suggest you transfer schools.
And if you’d like to increase your chances of finding employment upon graduation, I highly suggest you work on your awful attitude.
Sincerely,
Claire
This was my favorite. I had to buy a box of kleenexes (which certainly broke my budget) for the tears.
I won! I won!!!
As someone that usually doesn’t attend these type of events,(skipped my high school prom, etc.) I thought it was a pretty awesome night. Thanks for the hard work. No reason to take out law school gripes on a student who worked hard to make a nice night for everyone.
Fuck you, Erika! I had no idea it was your decision to charge us $45K for law school. What the fuck is wrong with you?? Why did you create the class system???? All I wanted was an affordable ball. Why is that so hard?? Thanks for being such a lazy ass and giving nothing back to this school.
Happy birthday, fascist.
bahah. Despite my borderline illiteracy and consequent failure to read Erika’s long-ass response, I also would like to wish her a very happy fascist birthday.
Also I respectfully ask, what is “legally in love” supposed to mean? It sounds like evangelist ultra hetero-pride. No offense intended, just an honest question.
Really, Anonymous? REALLY?!
Erika!
You can’t please everyone. Obviously people will be irrationally angry about all kinds of things and take them out on you. I think the majority of students who are into attending awesome dance parties like Barrister’s would prefer having an annual dressy extravaganza rather than some backyard keg party for $20 (although that does have its merits). One angry wingnut in a few hundred ain’t bad!
Awesome job, and happy birthday!
<3 Stace
PS I heard anonymous is responsible for the rising price of gas!
Anonymous, BLS was a “solidly middling school” when you started. Don’t act all surprised. And if you’re pissed about the cost of attendance, then you shouldn’t be advocating for fancy balls subsidized by your tuition.
Erika, good call on the liquor, you snarky bitch!
Must jump in to defend Anonymous here, because I have a sneaking suspicion that no one else is going to do so.
We started this website as a vehicle for transparency, and yet the ONLY time people are willing to unabashedly speak their minds on this site is when they comment anonymously.
As a diehard lover of the First Amendment, especially in school settings, I am quite concerned about soft forms of censorship. Thus, I greatly appreciate Anonymous’ comment and hope that this backlash does not discourage him/her or other students from sharing what’s on their minds in the future. Check back later today for a Jack Knorps column on this very topic…
UPDATE: 3/28/12, 9:46PM
Edited for clarity
Since I write under a pseudonym, I will second my lovely editor and defend Anonymous: I would not have started this column about the “naughtier” aspects of student life at BLS if my identity was known. I try to keep my posts light-hearted, but The BLS Advocate also covers some pretty heavy issues that the student body should feel at ease discussing on this forum, whether or not they want their peers to know who they are.
Erika – Despite the hefty ticket price, I fully enjoyed myself last Saturday night…I’m not one to miss out on any potential BLSG hunting grounds. (And a very happy birthday to you!)
Anonymous – If you happen to be a member of the opposite sex, feel free to contact me to “personally discuss” your financial woes further… I promise that your secret will be safe with me
Lizzie B: I see a little difference between Anonymous’ comment and your column. You are telling anonymous stories about yourself and other students who also remain nameless. Anonymous is personally attacking a particular student, identifying her by name, and using anonymity to avoid having to further discuss the matter with Erika. He or she isn’t “discussing heavy issues,” but blaming Erika, personally, for . . . class systems in law school?! Obviously, that is Anonymous’ prerogative, but ya’ll can’t be surprised that other students have come on to support her against such an unwarranted and ridiculous assertion.
Julie: Hi! I think that this thread is a good example of how many people are willing to frankly discuss their feelings on a subject, even an emotionally charged one, and sign their names to their opinions. You guys have done a killer job with this paper and I am sure that the general attitude of the student body has been frustrating at times. But, I don’t think that this anonymous commenter is analogous to a source for a news story wanting to remain off the record (for the reason discussed above). This is where I think something that Erika referenced is very important to remember: “[T]his is me speaking as a human being . . . .” This is a pretty closed-universe publication, mostly read by BLS students. Precedence and other legal concepts aside, it matters in a very real and personal way that one of the comments is yelling specifically at Erika about botching one of her major contributions to the school this year, especially since the commenter hasn’t provided any real context for his/her conclusions/attacks. In this context, I think that “backlashes” such as these, where other students share their feelings about such an occurrence, are just as valuable to the BLS Advocate’s comment section discourse. That being said, soft censorship sounds bad—uhhhh . . . I haven’t taken first amendment—and like something you should rightfully be worried about and give disclaimers on.
But dear Lizzy, I’m not sure you could handle a villain like me — we are quite unlike your normal BLSGs and true scoundrels.
If you think you handle it then give me your digits and we will have an anonymous ” evangelist ultra hetero-pride” “study session.”
I’m sorry, but griping about the price of the Ball is unrealistic and annoying.
Umm, do you go out in this city? I do. A lot. A fair estimate for decent—not lux—dinner in the city comes in at $30. Drinks generally at $10 per… day you have four, which, based on the behavior displayed at Ball, is a conservative estimate. Your tab is already at $70. If you want to go to a place with bumpin’ tunes where you can dance and people are dressed up, like those in the meatpacking, the price goes up. Oh, and don’t forget your cab back to Brooklyn for $15-20.
$75 is a fair price. This is not unreasonable. It’s a ball. It’s not cheese fries at O’keefes.
Congratulations BLS Advocate, you’ve got yourself a comments troll!
I just want everyone to know that “go fuck yourself” is intended as a loving, warm and jovial jest between schoolmates. If I had *meant* it, I’d have said “go suck a bag of dicks” several times.
There you go again, Erika. You know what a bag of dicks costs these days? You’re like the Mitt Romney of BLS.
Following Mike, Julie, and Lizzie B, I have to respond as a columnist for the advocate.
First of all, let me disclose that I did not go to the barrister’s ball, and that i am not “anonymous” – and I am glad I am not.
Erika, I have wished you a happy birthday in two different mediums today – so let this be the 3rd – happy birthday! I have full faith in your efforts in the SBA and I know you have our best interests as students at heart. I only didn’t go because (1) $85/$95 for one night may be better spent in certain ways for me personally; (2) i equate barrister’s ball with prom – so if i go, it will be next year – and only if i have a date. Erika, I know that you will be remembered after you graduate and that your example will be followed. You have a bigger heart than the majority of students here, and you don’t deserve to be so sharply criticized.
Now then: Anonymous is an example of ATL syndrome. ATL syndrome is an after-effect of reading too much “above the law” and results in depression, paranoia, anxiety, anger, despair, and helplessness. I know, because I was there. I’ve written about this extensively, in fact. See http://flyinghouses.blogspot.com/2011/06/special-comment-scamblogs.html (last visited 3/28/12). BLS has been trashed on ATL – and hey – look, we are on the up-and-up —-moved up 2 spots!
Kidding aside, Anonymous, our school is not so bad. It gets trashed, but let them trash it. Who cares. I don’t even know if Anonymous is even a student here. Whatever. I am not going to address their comment anymore – except to say that I feel it suffers from ATL syndrome. And there is nothing wrong with that. I had ATL syndrome. I just never took it out on anyone–i kept my blog for that.
But in regards to the dozen or so others that have been haranguing Anonymous, yes, i understand, their views may seem wrongheaded, but they do not deserve such rancor. I guess it’s the natural human tendency to fight rancor with rancor, but yeah, calling them a jerk….this is really indicative of the whole problem with online commenting.
online comments on ATL make me want to throw up. these comments are not as bad. i am glad that people are sticking up for erika because she is a good person and obviously tried as hard as she could to make this a great event. but Anonymous wrote very little – and it appears that they went to the ball, and probably just didn’t have an experience that was worth $75 or whatever. such a debate involving comments, like, “that guys a loser” aren’t all that constructive – obviously 100% transparency isn’t possibly (yet!) but a real discussion about the priorities of SBA would be more appropriate than a bunch of anonymous-bashing.
Anonymous, I would like to ask you to participate in MEP next year. MEP is the Monthly Expense Project, a new subsidiary of the Thrift Club – where, yes, your monthly expenses will be compiled ANONYMOUSLY. this assuming you are actually a student and don’t transfer/drop out (see NIED column “I can’t go on. I’ll go on.”
Once we have enough students to compare their Recreational monthly expenses, we can begin to understand what is reasonable and what is not. I am sure that if people considered Barrister’s Ball an “unreasonable expense” and lobbied for its end as a waste of school resources, there would be a huge student uprising against it….but yeah, the whole point of MEP is that some students like to go to bars and some students like to go to house parties…i’m a bit nervous that no one will be interested in participating in MEP–but maybe some figures will assist: i’m the first guinea pig, alright. I did February. I’m finishing March on Thursday. Total amount in Feb? 1200. Total recreational expense? $375. March is probably going to be worse. $450 on an auction item? oy.
But yeah, I’m founding MEP, so I should be good about this stuff, right, but if I went to 4 Barrister’s Balls in february, that would equal about the amount i spent recreationally in February (at $85 a pop).
petty complaints are lame. when you have something that really upsets you, you should be allowed to say it. (but hate mail is part of the package)
You lost me at ATL. I hate to break it to you Chris, because you seem like a smart kid who jumped the shark one too many times, but ATL means Atlanta. This video explains it all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
I tend to agree that ATL means Atlanta, in general, but what you are suffering from is ATL-syndrome. I invented the phrase. It exists. You suffer from it. I constantly jump the shark and am not ashamed. Lost is one of the most sucessful shows ever and it jumped the shark every single episode.
Ah, the thin skinned lawyers are my favorite. Now Erika, I am sure you were shocked that someone would actually call you out on your general insensitivity. Which is exactly what it was. A little sincerity will treat you well, especially in our illustrious service industry. But please, do not take what I said too personally (you did)… you are simply a cog in the SBA/Administration party machine. I do not fault you for that. And I hope you enjoyed your birthday battle (I do like that swing of heart you made at the end for Shaima).
As to the many personal attacks you made and solicited against me. Laughable. Yuengling? Laughable! Flip-Flops? Laughable! But I do truly appreciate the Facebook parade you shamelessly pulled into your perceived fight. My ego is quite large, and we all do enjoy a harmless villain. One day you’ll get it kiddo (and you’re in your 30s?). One day you’ll step out of your ivory tower bubble (or it will pop) and empathize with whats going on in the streets.
As to my identity? Never. I’ve done too many things and continue to do things for the school to promote its rep (much more tangible than defending the SBA and Administration while providing booze and pointing fingers at my constituents). To jeopardize all the things I represent by speaking a little bit of edge, snark and perhaps even a (small) bit of truth.
Remember, we all are not all in elevated and important SBA e-board party planning positions that allow us to be forgotten at the time of our glorious departure despite dropping personal attacks, insinuations and F-bombs directed at our fellow students.
Cute! Just try to remember, kiddo, one doesn’t ever damage one’s worth or “rep” by signing his name to the truth. Not sure which segment of our illustrious service industry you aim to enter, but it might “treat” you well to consider that.
Also, go fuck yourself.
Oh! Also, dear anonymous, I would think that a clever hacktivist like yourself who knows how to look at a facebook page would be able to figure out that you just *might* have been the only BLS student to add me as a friend on monday, shortly after I posted my too-snarky reply to Lizzie. Don’t worry, I have no interest in outing you. And seriously, all asshole-ish-ness aside (of which I am eminently capable, I concede), i still welcome you to email me, anonymously or otherwise, so that we can have a normal discussion about the things that concern you, if in fact they are actual things. because, as i tried to make clear in the beginning, i’m interested.
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