University of Virginia Library

Students To Press
For Action Today
By Faculty Group

By Rob Buford
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

A reliable source has informed
The Cavalier Daily that a "group of
concerned students" will hold a
demonstration and present two
basic demands to this afternoon's
meeting of the Faculty of the
College of Arts and Sciences.

The demonstrating group will
gather for a half hour before the 4
p.m. faculty meeting on the bridge
between Wilson Hall and Cabell
Hall. The faculty group is to hold
its meeting in Wilson Hall
Auditorium.

The demands are that the
meeting be declared open to students,
and that "a clear, public and
representative procedure be
established to handle faculty hiring
and promotions." The source stated
that "all concerned students are
asked to come demonstrate their
concern for academic freedom and
for a democratic decision-making
process open to public scrutiny."

A leaflet to be distributed by
the students reportedly begins: "We
are your students ... It is our
education that you are discussing in
your 'Faculty' meetings. A
decision-making process that is
closed not only to the participation,
but even to the observation of
those affected by the decisions, is
inherently anti-democratic."

In related events, students in the
Sociology-Anthropology Department
have organized a "Departmental
Association," which, as its first
action, is distributing a petition
among Sociology-Anthropology
majors "asking the University to do
what is necessary to retain Messrs.
Ross, Watson and West on their
teaching staff."

The students signing the petition
will apparently declare that they
will consider transferring their majors
to another department or
School "if the University and the
Department do not take immediate
steps to attempt to keep Messrs.
Ross, Watson and West."

Mr. West told The Cavalier Daily
that he came to the University from
the west coast after officials here
gave him certain guarantees concerning
his wife's education. These
guarantees were not met and Mr.
West handed in his resignation early
this fall. He stressed that his
resignation had nothing to do with
the Ross case.

In addition, students in the
Department of Mathematics are
circulating a petition of their own
expressing disappointment in the
fact that James England did not
receive a promotion. Both Mr. Ross
and Mr. England were reported last
week to be resigning "under pressure."

The petition also demands that
the membership of the Faculty
Promotions Committee be made
public and that students be represented
on the committee.