ARLINGTON, Va., April 7 (UPI) — George Mason University was forced to change the name of its law Scalia school twice in the last week after the acronym for the school set social media afire.
The Arlington, Va. school immediately found out they had a problem with the newly named Antonin Scalia School of Law when it was pointed out the acronym for the school would be either ASSOL or ASSLAW.
The first name change occurred when the college received $30 million in donations. When National Public Radio’s Nina Totenberg tweeted the renaming, the school officially confirmed it on March 31 and soon regretted they did.
Students and others were quick to either make fun of the name or criticize the university for not vetting the name more carefully.
“Please tell me I am not the first person to tell you that your new name acronyms to “ASSLaw,” tweeted Taber Andrew Bain.
Brieahn DeMeo slammed authorities at the university. “Did NOBODY proof those acronyms?” she tweeted.
Dean Henry Butler sent a letter to alumni on Wednesday that the school will instead be called the Antonin Scalia Law School.
“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.”
But after stirring up social media the first time around, some were still quick to make a joke of ASLS, but the school is sticking with it.
