University of Virginia Library

Council To Enforce Ruling
On Recognition Of Groups

By Rod MacDonald
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

"In light of the ruling passed
by Council Tuesday night, it is
now necessary for all University
organizations to seek recognition
from the Student Council," said
Foster Witt yesterday.

Mr. Witt, chairman of the
Council's organizations and publication
committee, told The Cavalier
Daily yesterday that "Without
Council recognition, no student
group can use either the
University's name or its facilities."

Strongly Enforced

Although this has been the
rule in the past, Mr. Witt emphasized
that this year the policy
will be strictly enforced.

"Any organization that does
not have recognition and does
not file for it will lose its University
privileges," he said. If it
refuses, the deans of the school
involved will be informed to suspend
any use of facilities. If it is
a national organization, its national
office will be informed that
the group is no longer affiliated
with the University."

Need For Policy

The need for a strict recognition
policy came about from he
Council's year-old rule barring
all recognized groups from using
segregated facilities. Some organizations
had dodged seeking recognition
to avoid complying
with the regulation, forcing a
strong policy of enforcement on
the Council's part, he noted.

Now All Subject

Tuesday night however, the
Council passed a new ruling to
the effect that all student groups
even subject to recognition are
barred from using segregated facilities.

The new regulation says, "No
organization subject to recognition
by the Student Council as
stated below shall patronize any
establishment that maintains a
policy of discrimination with regard
to race, color, creed, or national
origin.

"Organizations subject to Student
Council recognition shall include
honor societies, professional
fraternities, publications, debating
and literary societies, special
interest groups, departmental organizations,
drama and radio
groups, military organizations,
music societies, political societies,
service organizations, social societies;
special activities groups,
and sports and hobby groups."

"In other words," said Mr.
Witt, "all groups have to seek
recognition or else face being
thrown off the Grounds."

Procedure Used

In order to receive recognition,
a group must first submit a petition
to the Student Council. All
groups who were on the Grounds
last year were required to do so
by October 15; however, if any
failed to file, applications are still
being taken. Other groups that
have formed since then should
file as soon as possible, added
Mr. Witt.

"The purpose of filing yearly
is to provide the Council with
an up-to-date record of what organizations
are still in existence,
who their officers are, and what
the groups' purposes are," he
noted.

Upon receipt of the petition,
the Council's organizations and
publications committee will recommend
to the Council whether
to grant recognition or not. Allocations
of funds are contingent
upon receiving recognition.

'Will Enforce Rule'

Mr. Witt added that "This
power to grant recognition and
withhold privileges contingent
upon was granted to us by the
Board of Visitors and President
Shannon. We will enforce this
rule."

In other business Tuesday
night, the Council expressed its
strong displeasure to the Student
Activities Committee for allocating
$4000 to the Jeffersonian last
week.

Beverly Crump said, "I resent
this move, since we are facing a
large deficit this year and have
three more organizations up for
funds."

Want Some Say

A motion was made by David
Wicks to ask the SAC to return
the budgets that would have to
be cut to make up for the large
grant to the Jeffersonian. "We
don't have the money to grant
our original recommendations,
and feel we should have some
say in the final decision."

It was noted, however, that
the SAC had its next meeting today,
before the budgets could be
reviewed.

President Rick Evans added
that the Jeffersonian request had
been approved last May as either
$4,000 or $1.50 per issue, whichever
was less. The $4,000 had
been guaranteed, and the group
was entitled to the money.

Mr. Wicks then withdrew his
motion.

Interest Endorsed

At the previous meeting the
Council unanimously approved a
motion submitted by Ron Hickman,
councilman of the architecture
school, supporting the
"interest in curriculum shown by
the fourth-year students of the
School of Architecture in their
boycott of the final examination
in Architecture 47."

Mr. Hickman added that the
motion merely congratulated the
students for their concern and
the principle behind their boycott,
although it did not endorse
the boycott itself.