Law School Graffiti Addresses Diversity

Simmering student discontent at the Law School is coming to the fore, with a mysterious group of vandals calling themselves the "Sojourner Truth Squad" spray-painting graffiti on the walls of a tunnel on the campus.

The graffiti addresses student concerns, calling for greater faculty diversity and voicing criticism of the Law School's policies and practices.

Incidents of this type have occurred twice in the past week on the plywood walls of the tunnel underneath the construction site between Pound and Langdell Halls, with the last one happening Wednesday.

Among other things, the Sojourner Truth Squad told the Law School community, "Face the Truth--Don't Paint Over it." The red and blue graffiti was painted over by construction workers yesterday as expected.

Other concerns voiced by the vandals include the lack of minority women on the faculty, the arbitrariness of examination grading, and the Law School's emphasis on preparing its students for the corporate world rather than for public interest work.

"End Debt Slavery" was one of the messages from the squad, a reference to the fact that law students often find themselves forced to accept well-pay- ing corporate jobs even if they would prefer to do public interest work, because of their financial indebtedness to Harvard after they graduate.

Third-year law student Camille D. Holmes, a member of the Coalition for Civil Rights (CCR), said yesterday she felt the graffiti was a "symptom of students' discontent."

"The Law School emphasizes corporate practice and de-emphasizes public interest work," she said. "People come here with an interest in public interest law, but it is not developed."

Lucy Koh, another third-year law student, concurred with Holmes. She said the school's schedule, placement office, required courses and examinations are all geared to placing students in large law firms.

"I have never taken an exam that wasn't written like "You are a junior associate in a law firm, write a note to your senior partner...," Koh said.

The general tenor at the Law School contributes to "everyone in society looking at lawyers as parasites," Koh said.

And the kind of criticism voiced by the Sojourner Truth Squad makes people at the Law School feel uneasy, she said.

While something like faculty diversity "doesn't challenge people, and is more unifying," other aspects of the group's message makes many people uncomfortable, she added.

Neither Holmes nor Koh said they knew the identity of the Truth Squad. Dean Robert C. Clark could not be reached for comment yesterday

Third-year law student Camille D. Holmes, a member of the Coalition for Civil Rights (CCR), said yesterday she felt the graffiti was a "symptom of students' discontent."

"The Law School emphasizes corporate practice and de-emphasizes public interest work," she said. "People come here with an interest in public interest law, but it is not developed."

Lucy Koh, another third-year law student, concurred with Holmes. She said the school's schedule, placement office, required courses and examinations are all geared to placing students in large law firms.

"I have never taken an exam that wasn't written like "You are a junior associate in a law firm, write a note to your senior partner...," Koh said.

The general tenor at the Law School contributes to "everyone in society looking at lawyers as parasites," Koh said.

And the kind of criticism voiced by the Sojourner Truth Squad makes people at the Law School feel uneasy, she said.

While something like faculty diversity "doesn't challenge people, and is more unifying," other aspects of the group's message makes many people uncomfortable, she added.

Neither Holmes nor Koh said they knew the identity of the Truth Squad. Dean Robert C. Clark could not be reached for comment yesterday