Greek

Can I choose? GTFO.

We got to fight... for the right... to stuuuudy!

That's right...  This time it isn't about the undergrads (directly), instead, it is about the unwillingness of law students to stand up for their rights.  It was a Sunday, 4/15, with finals starting in less than a fortnight, and several groups of law students spending blocks of time greater than 6 hours in the commons; no one made an effort to relocate the obvious groups of undergraduates.  9 PM, 6 hours past the cut off for non-law students, and there are no seats in the upper commons, but several groups of students with calculators and picture books.  No one did anything.

Suppose, ad arguendo, that these law students don't care about the strictures of the rules set forth to protect them, but each and every one of them should mind that the optimal study conditions of the commons are being compromised for the sake of "I didn't want to get involved."  That's what we do. Especially when it involves us.

Why Are They Still Here?

It is well past 8pm, and these undergrads know they should not be here, yet they still claim our territory as if nothing is amiss.  Please, please stop coming here.  Don't make me be mean and kick you out.

Administrative Blunders: from Passive Allowance to Blatant Endorsement

At this moment, room 218 of Hutchins Hall holds roughly 85-95 undergraduates studying Kinesiology in something akin to "Biomechanics," though wolverine access doesn't actually list a location or a course under that specific name.  

I can't believe that this room change (purportedly changed from a CCRB lecture hall, according to one student loitering in the hall) was un-endorsed by law school administration.  Presumably, this decision was held, at least in part, on the grounds that with the new building we have plenty of room for all.  One problem:  the scheduling for courses this semester is a joke of monstrous proportions.  Examples of poor scheduling: several courses scheduled within 10 minutes of each other (in the same room, no less); the Wednesday 20-minute debacle (if you aren't a victim... thank whatever power you like); lunch events running into scheduled course time.

So, explain to me how we have available space to loan it out to undergrads, but can't fix our own internal problems first?  It's slightly reminiscent of U.S. foreign policy, but let's not get into that.

You can get more flies with honey than vinegar, but sometimes, all you have left is vinegar

We've been using honey for the past 2 months, but our supply has dwindled.  We've been waiting to use our vinegar out in the open anyway, and now we can, and we will. 

GTFO by 8pm M-W, by 3pm on Sundays.

How many undergrads does it take to find the Commons basement?

Apparently 5.  You're so lost you have to take the elevator to find the basement.  The stairs aren't that hard to find. Just follow the yellow brick road until the road drops into a gaping hole filled with descending layers of stone.

Not all law students hate you...

Just the ones that go to the Commons. 

I have it from reliable sources that those students who choose to stay underground (in the library) with the soulless creatures of the night are apathetic about undergraduates in the Commons.  Fortunately, their opinions are irrelevant. 

Michigan Law is an amazing, welcoming community...unless you're an undergrad

Don't get us wrong, we're usually quite nice and supportive of each other, but we draw the line at graduate student versus undergraduate.  Part of what makes us such a wonderful community is our exclusivity and isolation from the rest of campus.  It's what we love about this place. Ergo, our community gets diluted when undergrads infiltrate our space.  The minute you get that admissions letter from Dean Z, you are welcome here.  Until then, please let us enjoy our space in peace.

Keep the couches separate

There's a reason that they put tables between each couch in the basement--so that multiple people could use them and so that they didn't become places of inappropriate conduct. Push the couches back apart, put the pillows back, and sit up.

"Commons" is a fitting name for a place for people with something in common

Consider the location of the Commons.  It is centrally located, and ideal for off-campus law students to spend time between class.  It is closer to nearly all law classrooms (not S-106) than any other non-hallway area to study.

I live off-campus.
I don't want to walk home when I have 1-3 hours between class.
I have work to do before my next class.
I have an interest in maintaining a usable, centrally-located space for studying.
I like the idea of having a common area where I can go and be surrounded by substantially boring conversations about evidence, professors, and other law school things.
If I can't find a seat next to someone I know, I want to at least know the person I end up sitting next to isn't going to be having picture-book time or struggling to keep their "OH MYYYY GOD" statements to a reasonable volume.
That excludes you, in case you missed it.