University of Virginia Library

Rinaca Requests Apology
For Founder's Day Eviction

By CHIP PERRY

Student Council President
Jim Rinaca has asked the
University to officially
apologize to six student
organizations evicted from
Cabell Hall on Founder's Day
he announced yesterday.

In a letter to University
Legal Adviser Neill H. Alford
Jr., Mr. Rinaca said that he
believed "Council acted in
good faith through the proper
channels in inviting the
displays into Cabell Hall," and
requested that "those groups
asked to leave the foyer receive
an apology from the
University."

The organizations' exhibits
were evicted after a series of
misunderstandings as to
whether displays and
information tables could
remain in the lobby during the
Founder's Day procession.

In the letter to Mr. Alford,
Mr. Rinaca cited a
memorandum sent to him by
W. Bedford Moore. Public
Occasions Committee
chairman, which stated that
the committee approved
"displays of various student
activities in the foyer of Cabell
Hall, which will be in place all
day."

At 9:30 a.m. on Founder's
Day, however, Processions
Committee Chairman Glen L.
Dunlap instructed Student
Council member Sherri Smith
to ask all the groups in the
lobby to remove their displays
until after the speeches and
procession were over.

Mr. Rinaca noted that "Ms.
Smith acted wisely and
prevented possible trouble by
cooperating."

"Mr. Dunlap's action on
behalf of the Processions
Committee demonstrates a
very clear lack of
communication between his
committee and that of Mr.
Moore's," Mr. Rinaca said

Commenting on the
incident, Mr Moore said, "The
whole thing was a
misunderstanding Evidently
we should have made it clearer
that the lobby would have to
be cleared during the
procession

"Mr. Dunlap and his
committee were in no way at
fault," Mr. Moore said. "It was
just an oversight on my part."

Mr. Rinaca emphasized that
in her initial communication
with the Public Occasions
Committee. Ms. Smith had
"specifically mentioned the
potential difficulties of having
these displays in the foyer
during the procession." The
committee, however, approved
the request anyway.

Mr. Rinaca also asked that
"in the future, consideration be
given to the combination of
the functions of the Public
Occasions and Processions
Committees so that difficulties
of this nature will not repeat
themselves "