University of Virginia Library

Lawn Rally Set For Noon Today

Students To Present Proposals
For Ending 'Racist Atmosphere'

By Thom Faulders

Photo By Bob Armstrong

Students March (above) To Assembly On Rotunda Steps (below)

Yesterday's Rally Drew 400 Students To Protest 'Racist' Visitor On Board

Photo By Mike Glidewell

Drawing students from nearly
all factions of the University, a
student coalition met for four
hours yesterday to compose a list
of proposals and demands to
present to the student body today.

The eleven point program is
designed to demonstrate that the
responsible students of the
University can no longer tolerate
the racial inequalities that have
been prevalent on the Grounds for
so long.

One of the members of the
coalition stated that the program
will be presented to the student
body today on the steps of the
Rotunda at noon to show the state
and the legislature of Virginia that
"the racist atmosphere is offensive
and oppressive to the academical
village."

"The aim of the group is to
present a tight agreement between
the widely divergent factions,"
according to Robert Rosen,
chairman of the coalition, "and this
agreement will focus on specific
requests and proposals."

List Of Demands

The list of demands, those
proposals which have been
previously supported by the
Student Council, are as follows:

That the $10 application fee be
made optional for low-income
students, and that the photograph
presently required on all
applications be made optional.

Appointment of a full-time
Black Assistant Dean of Admissions
by April 15. 1969; such
appointment to take effect upon
Mr. Stokes' termination of service.

That the Director of Athletics
immediately state publicly and
demonstrate at the earliest possible
date his eagerness to recruit black
athletes and hire black coaching
staffs.

In addition to the three
demands above, the group also
listed eight strong
recommendations that have not yet
been presented to the
administration in formal proposals;
the preface to this list reads:

We urge the Student Council, as
the representative student
government organization at the
University, to endorse and
recommend to the appropriate
persons the following proposals. We
urge those to whom they are
addressed to accept them and take
the proper steps to implement them
as soon as possible.

Raise Wage Scale

That the legislature of Virginia
raise the minimum wage scale for
all non-academic University
employees in the state and allow
the University of Virginia the
option of raising its own pay scale.

That the legislature pass
legislation to the effect that
University employees have the right
to organize employee associations,
collective bargaining agreements,
strike, and affiliate with national
unions.

That the Board of Visitors direct
President Shannon to prepare a
desegregation program for the
University of Virginia which sets
concrete goals towards the creation
of a student body which is fully
representative, racially,
economically, and sexually of the
population of the state; and
specifies realistic means to be used
to achieve this end in the face of
the obstacles posed by past
inequities and current realities in
the state of Virginia.

That the Governor of the Commonwealth
make all future appointments
to the Board of Visitors so as
to bring its composition into line
with the racial, sexual, and age
makeup of the population of the
state of Virginia.

That the University stop sending
recruiters to secondary schools that
discriminate.

Establishment of a Black Studies
Program by the fall of 1970 with a
full proposal for that program
adopted by June 1969.

That the University guarantee
full funding of the transitional program
proposed by the faculty committee
on educational opportunity
chaired by Mr. William Elwood;
funding to begin in the summer of
1969.

Today's Presentation

The presentation today on
the Lawn will begin with marching
around the colonnades of the Lawn
followed by the movement of the
assembled students to the rally site
in front of the Rotunda. Seven
speeches will be presented and will
be followed by the opening of the
floor for any others who wish to
express their feelings on the list of
proposals and demands.

Moderated by Jeff Werner, the
program will start with one of the
members of the coalition announcing
the eleven point plan.
This will be followed by speakers
Jim Roebuck, Assistant Professor
William Elwood, Mr. Rosen, Steve
Squire of SDS, Mrs. Willie Lee
Rose, assistant professor of History,
Bud Ogle, a member of the Student
Council, and terminated by the
Reverend David Ward from St.
Paul's Memorial Church, who will
read a statement prepared by an
association of ministers.

Among the students supporting
the rally, the First-Year Committee
passed a resolution last night stating
that "the First-Year Committee go
on record in support of today's
demonstration against racial discrimination
at the University, and
urge all concerned first-year men to
attend and participate in the noon
demonstration on the Lawn."

In addition, the Student Council
is scheduled to meet tonight and
will probably discuss the plan proposed
by the student coalition.

The coalition meeting started
shakily as events of yesterday's
rally demonstrated extremes within
the group. Mr. Rosen, the group's
chairman, spoke first, noting that
the impossible must be done, "reconcile
the irreconcilable."

After a presentation of the
general situation and some discussion
concerning the tactics of
the presentation, Mr. Ogle presented
his list of points for the
proposals and demands.

Each proposal and demand was
carefully considered by the students
in attendance and was
dropped or modifies according to
the consensus of the members of
the coalition.

With shouts of "no more
racism" and "Wheatley must go,"
approximately 400 students,
mostly attired with the traditional
coat and tie, assembled on the
Lawn yesterday to show their
support for making the Board of
Visitors "more representative
body."

The demonstration yesterday,
and a similar showing today, are to
express disgust with the "racial
injustices prevalent at the
University." These are exemplified
by the lack of a black member on
the Board of Visitors, the presence
on the Board of a member that was
a leader in the Massive Resistance
movement in Virginia in the last
decade, and the sub-standard wages
paid to the non-academic
employees of the University,
according to the group of student
leaders and the SDS-SSOC.

Photo By Mike Glidewell

Robert Rosen, Leader of Coalition Group, Addresses Crowd

Students Schedule Rally, Speeches For Today's Demonstration