The Cavalier daily :: Wednesday, October 8, 1969 :: University of Virginia Library

A motion asking the Housing Office to
clarify its policies concerning room
changes, especially in regard to changes
made for racial reasons, was passed by the
Student Council at its meeting last night.

The motion, sponsored by Tony
Sherman and the Council's Housing
Committee, urged specifically that the
Housing Office stress that no room
changes be made on the sole basis of
racial prejudice.

Rooms Switched

According to Mr. Sherman, of the 22 black
first-year men living in the dorms, three had
white roommates who switched housing assignments
the first day, one had a roommate who
switched after two days, and three more arrived
at the University to find that their assigned
roommates had switched rooms sometime
during the summer.

The adopted motion read:

"Due to Council's concern that solely racial
considerations have entered into Housing Office
room change policies in the past, we urge Mr.
Ralph Main, Acting Director of Housing, to
publicly state Housing Office policy concerning
room changes and include such in the Terms
and Conditions.

"We also ask that the Housing Office not
penalize those affected by past discriminatory
actions and that no room changes be granted
until written statements from both roommates
have been presented to the counselor and the
Housing Office.

"Furthermore, we ask that a two week
waiting period be mandatory before a housing
change may be made. We feel that racial
prejudice should not be considered valid reason
for a room change."

There was considerable debate over the
Housing Committee motion. Ron Hickman
expressed fear that, by forcing white and
black students to live together when one of
the two was opposed, it would create
additional, unnecessary friction between them.

Educate Or Fortify

Mr. Hickman said that he was not sure that
by forcing a black and white to live with each
other whether it would educate them about
their prejudices or merely fortify them.

Another consideration was the fact that,
when a student's roommate moves out, the
Housing Office forces him to either find
another roommate, move to another room with
only one occupant, or to pay an additional $40
per semester for the privilege of living in a
double room by himself.

This arrangement, the Council felt, placed
an unfair burden on those students whose
roommates vacated the room.

Meeting Cancelled

In other action taken at last night's meeting,
the Council voted to cancel next week's
meeting as a gesture of support for the October
15 Vietnam War Moratorium.

Bud Ogle, in introducing the motion, also
pointed out the added reasons that many
Council members desired to attend the concert
which will be held next Tuesday and that
others had Council committee work that was
still to be done.

The motion read that "The Student Council
cancels next week's meeting in sympathy with
the Vietnam Moratorium and urges all students
to refrain from going to class or to use their
classes to discuss America's involvement in the
Vietnam War on October 15.

"We further request the Provost of the
University to encourage professors not to give
quizzes that day."

No Commitment

Before the motion was accepted, Charles
Majors asked whether the Council was contracted
to meet at any set time. Once everyone was
assured that the Council had no such
commitment, the motion passed easily.

The Council also asked that the Calendar
and Scheduling Committee waive the service
charge for the Student Legal Forum's use of
University Hall for Senator George McGovern's
speech Friday night.

Apparently, there is an automatic $400
charge for using University Hall, over and above
the actual expenses. The money collected is
used to pay off an amortization bond on the
hall. The Council reasoned that since all
students pay a set amount out of their
comprehensive fee, there should be no charge
for student groups using the hall for non-profit
functions.

In other action involving speakers, the
Council agreed to underwrite at least partially
the cost of a trip by Ralph Abernathy to the
University on Saturday, October 18.

$200 Guarantee

Mr. Ogle introduced the motion which said
that the Student Council would guarantee up to
$200 to defray the costs of Mr. Abernathy's
Charlottesville trip.

Before the meeting was officially called to
order, Mr. Ogle and Sam Robinson took time to
further elaborate on their arguments concerning
the 1842 Lumberjack's War between the United
States and Canada.

Mr. Ogle referred those present to the
American Heritage Pictorial Atlas, claiming that
the United States wanted area extending to the
St. John's River. Mr. Robinson said that the
actual boundary was set at the St. Croix River,
all the way to New Brunswick.

Mr. Ogle then realized that they were talking
about two different areas in Canada and agreed
to end the discussion. Mr. Robinson ended the
argument by saying, "All we got out of it was
some paltry fishing rights, anyway."

The motion to send a letter to President
Nixon telling him to leave the Canadian waters
alone was defeated.