The president of the Student Bar Association for the LSU Law Center sidestepped making a full apology at a meeting Tuesday for sending an e-mail many called “grossly unprofessional.”
Jacob Gardener, law student and president of SBA, accidently forwarded the e-mail, titled “Ghetto Spellin’ Bee,” along with his comments about the e-mail to Alcie Maxwell, a member of the Black Law Students Association, and several Law Center Administrators on Oct. 21.
Members of BLSA and members of the student body at large said they regarded the e-mail as widely offensive. One student said she was “embarrassed to put LSD on my resume” because of its content
Gardener refused to offer a full apology at the meeting because he said he “needs to further educate himself on the ramifications of an apology.”
The e-mail Gardener sent lists 15 words that are re-construed in an ebonics dialect in a mock homework assignment from Leroy, a fictitious “20 year-old inner-city 5th grader.”
The second “vocabulary word” on the list is dictate which the e-mail defines as “My girlfriend say my dictate good.”
Gardener sent the e-mail as a reply to a BLSA member who had e-mailed him earlier that day to recommend that SBA place bulletin boards in the Law Center to display the organization’s meeting agendas.
Gardner said in the e-mail, “Wow. . .#2 be my favorite. Maybe we can post this [list] on those bulletin boards BLSA is riding my ass about?!?”.
Members of SBA said the BLSA member who received Gardner’s e-mail would not be identified while Gardener and other members of BLSA continue to speak with Law Center Administrators.
Gardener said in the Tuesday meeting to members – some calling for his resignation as president of SBA – that he would not make a public apology to the student body until “all ramifications of an apology are considered.”
“The ramifications of my comment are far greater than I realized, and I think a few more sit downs with BLSA will allow me to make a meaningful apology,” Gardener said.
Gardener said he met with Law Center Chancellor John Costonis, other members of the school’s administration and members of BLSA on Tuesday to discuss the best way to handle reaction to the e-mail.
Tuesday’s meeting was the first one held since the e-mail was sent because Costonis had been in Europe for the past two weeks.
Costonis said he could not express an opinion on the situation until he had more time to speak with Gardener and the recipient of the e-mail.
“This happened in my absence, so I feel it is premature for me to express my opinion,” he said. “But I will say that it is my commitment to make LSU’s Law Center a positive place for African American law students. We’ve been aware of concerns about diversity for the last seven to eight years, and we have been working to address those concerns.”
Costonis said he considers the e-mail and its effects an important issue to address.
“Anything that puts the Law Center’s image in regards to racial issues in a negative light is of deep concern to me,” he said.
When SBA members demanded that Gardener make an apology, he said one was coming but that he could not make one yet.
“I’m just telling you we’ve met once, and we’re working on it,” Gardener said. “I’m not jumping into an apology until we continue the discussion.”
But some law students at the meeting said Gardner’s response was insufficient.
Emily Andrews, law student, told Gardener during the meeting that his e-mail reflected upon the entire Law Center.
“Your actions have injured the reputation of the law school,” she said. “I’m embarrassed to put LSD on my resume, and I think it’s time you step down with dignity.”
Ronald Haley, BLSA member and law student, said during the meeting that he would not comment on BLSA’s stance regarding the e-mail, but he said it could “damage the integrity of the internal dialogue and the resolution of this matter.”
“Perception is more dangerous than reality,” Haley said. “We need to get beyond dialogue and get to action. The longer it goes on the worse it will be.”
 
Contact Jeff Jeffrey at [email protected]