University of Virginia Library

Shannon Responds To Coalition Proposals

President Calls Equal Opportunity
'Firm Commitment' Of University

Student Council Representatives Chandler, Ogle, Robinson At Last Night's Meeting

Councilmen Assign Committee To Draft Answer To President Shannon's Letter To Hickman

The following statement is
President Shannon's initial
thoughts in response to the
11-point proposal presented to
him by the Student Council.

I write in reply to your letter of
20 February conveying ten
proposals endorsed by Student
Council at its meeting on Tuesday,
18 February, for consideration and
implementation as soon as possible
by the University, members of the
University, and officials of the
Commonwealth, with a request for
my support. Thank you for the
opportunity to discuss them with
you.

I wish to express my
appreciation to the Student Council
for these proposals, since one of the
primary constituted purposes of
Student Council is to advise the
President on matters affecting the
students and the good of the
University.

The thrust of your proposals, as
I understand them, is deep concern
for the economic welfare of the
employees of the University and for
a University that is completely
nondiscriminatory on racial
grounds.

I applaud these concerns on the
part of the Student Council and
share them. So do the other officers
of the University and the Board of
Visitors. I am glad to have your
expression of student support for
expanded opportunities for black
and disadvantaged students at the
University and for increased wages
for employees. As I am sure you
recognize, some of the specific
proposals vary in appropriateness
and effectiveness for attaining our
common goals.

Let me reiterate that the
University of Virginia is formally
and firmly committed to a policy
of equal opportunity for all persons
as regards race, color, religion or
national origin; and the integration
of all University facilities and
programs in these respects is a fact
and will continue to be so. Students
faculty, and staff must themselves
insure that this policy is a matter
of spirit and atmosphere as well as
of fact.

Unfortunately, though the
University's policies and actions for
equal opportunity have been
frequently stated and published,
they apparently have not always
reached the entire University
community. Last summer, for
instance, the University undertook
special programs to be in
communication with, identify, and
train less qualified employees for
advancement and improved
compensation. Last fall, special
efforts were made to emphasize the
opportunities for black students at
the University and to encourage
their application and attendance.
You will recall my remarks to the
Student Council in its meeting on
19 November (carried in the
minutes) on this subject and about
the conference of guidance
counsellors from predominantly
black high schools that the
University had scheduled soon
thereafter.

I enclose excerpts from my
statement at this conference in
November and from my remarks to
the state convention of the NAACP
held in Cabell Hall in October.

I am gratified that the Student
Council's proposals do not reflect
the new kind of racism that seems
to be afflicting some other
universities where students have
urged segregated facilities,
segregated admissions, and
segregated academic programs.

The University will continue to
take into account the proposals
that the Student Council has
suggested. I shall bring them to the
attention of the appropriate
officials of the University and to
the Board of Visitors. I shall be
pleased to discuss them further
with you after the Student Council
has given such further consideration
to them and to my comments as it
may wish to undertake. My initial
thoughts on the council's proposals
are as follows:

WAGE SCALES

I approve in general the
proposal that the State raise the
minimum wages for non-academic
employees of the University. The
Governor and the Legislature are
keenly aware of the needs of
increased salaries in the classified
service. As Mr. Jenkins explained in
his interview with The Cavalier
Daily, the matter of wage scales is
complex, and some areas of the
classified service more severely
require increases than others. I am
personally involved constantly as
are such officers of the University
as the Director of Personnel, the
Comptroller, the Provost, the
Chancellor for Medical Affairs and
others in making the wage needs of
our employees known to the
officials in Richmond. There have
been increases this year, and I am
confident that there will be some
improvement for or during the next
fiscal year. Again, increase will be a
part of our appropriations request
for the next biennium, 1970-1973.

As to the second aspect of this
proposal, the University would be
glad to have the flexibility of
raising its own pay scale. We have
pointed t to the state authorities
certain uneconomical and
inefficient aspects of the
University's scales being tied to
unrelated activities of state
departments in other areas of the
state; but the option would be of
little value without the state's
furnishing money toward the
increased scales.

The University will continue to
work for the necessary increases
and all of us who are involved in
this effort appreciate the support of
Student Council.