“Texas Southern University asks for $120 million to replace aging law school” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Texas Southern University is asking lawmakers for $120 million to replace its law school building after the organization that sets standards for law schools deemed it unsafe and ill-suited to serve students with disabilities.
If the university doesn’t address the litany of problems with the building, the school stands to lose its ability to offer federal financial aid to its students.
University officials say storms — from Hurricane Rita in 2005 to Hurricane Harvey in 2017 — have battered the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in the nearly 50 years since it was built in the Third Ward of Houston.
They say they addressed leaks, mold and foundation issues as they arose, but the fixes weren’t enough for the American Bar Association, which evaluates and sets standards for law schools across the country.
In 2021, the organization told TSU the building did not comply with its standards for facilities, equipment and technology. The school was told the building poses health and safety concerns and needs more elevators for people with disabilities as well as more space for students and faculty overall.
The ABA told the university it would need to build a new facility to remain accredited. Accreditation ensures a higher education institution meets basic quality standards. Only students attending accredited institutions qualify for federal student grants and loans.
The ABA does not appear to have given TSU a deadline to meet its facilities standards. The organization declined to comment on this story.
“I cannot speculate on what failing to replace the aging facility would mean. What I would say is we owe our students the best learning and preparatory experience possible,” University President James W. Crawford III said in a statement. “It is very difficult to do so in the current facility.”
This is the second time TSU has requested money for a new law school building.
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