George Mason University learned how hard it is to name a law school after Antonin Scalia
George Mason University Antonin Scalia School of Law does not make for the nicest acronyms, especially when intending to honor a late Supreme Court justice.
Give it a second. Yup, "ASSoL" or "ASSLaw." Not great. And probably not what the Charles Koch Foundation and anonymous donors were thinking when they donated a total of $30 million (the largest gift in the school's history) to change the name of GMU's Arlington, Virginia, law school to recognize Scalia.
When the school announced it was changing the name last week, Twitter exploded in tasteless jokes. Hashtags #ASSLaw and #ASSoL were made, and some even thought it was an April Fools' Day joke due to the announcement's timing.
Idk, I think #ASSoL is a fitting acronym for Justice Scalia (may he rest in peace)
— KT Babb (@chucktownwolf) April 6, 2016
Did we just permanently brand this school as #ASSLaw? https://t.co/FOIfHqcIqM
— Staci Zaretsky (@stacizaretsky) March 31, 2016
Luckily, the change was not permanent. In a letter reported by blog Above the Law, the law school's dean, Henry Butler, wrote a letter to alumni commenting on the acronym controversy and announcing another name change.
"The name initially announced," Butler wrote, "has caused some acronym controversy on social media. The Antonin Scalia Law School is a logical substitute. We anticipate the naming will be effective on July 1, 2016 pending final approval by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia."
So the Antonin Scalia Law School, or ASLS, it is.
I'll just leave you with this:
@GeorgeMasonU You do realize that every man that goes to your law school is now an #ASLS Chap? #ASLSchaps
— Chris Dorre (@Ninjamonkky) April 6, 2016