University of Virginia Library

Council Votes
To Aid Petition
On Kent State

By RICHARD JONES
and BEVERLY DOWELL

Student Council Tuesday night
granted a request by a former Kent State
student for aid in printing a petition
which calls for another federal grand jury
investigation of the Kent State incidents
in the spring of 1970.

Gail Hughes, now a University
student, said that she will take these
petitions, with the aid of some
volunteers, around the University. She
added that she will set up a table in
Newcomb Hall where students may sign the
petition.

The previous grand jury did not indict any
of the guardsmen at Kent State, saying that
"they were not subject to criminal prosecution
because they fired their weapons in the honest
and sincere belief and under circumstances
which would have logically caused them to
believe that they would suffer serious bodily
injury had they not done so."

The jury did, however, indict 25 persons in
connection with the disturbances at Kent State,
which took place in May of 1969.

Tom Collier, president of the Student
Council, stated that the petition had been
approved last year by the Council.

A council member also criticized the Daily
Progress for its support of "big time football".

Mary Ann McDermott, a second-year
representative from the Graduate School of
Arts and Sciences, asked the Council to instruct
Mr. Collier to write a letter to Dave Sparks,
sports writer for the Daily Progress, saying that
"rather than having paid football players, we
should have football players who are students."

Miss McDermott said that "the University's
football team should be a representative of the
University's life style." She added that "Mr.
Sparks believes that intercollegiate football is to
provide entertainment for the public." The
Council passed her motion unanimously.

In response to two letters written to the
editor of The Washington Post by C.L. Coghill,
a former University student who criticized
students for participating in University
Tuesday, Pete Gillespie, vice-president of the
Student Council, said that he "will write an
official reply from the Student body officers."

Mr. Coghill said in his letters that students
should concentrate on studying instead of
supporting University Tuesday. A University
student replied to his first letter and then Mr.
Coghill responded to that letter, to which
another student responded. Mr. Gillespie said
that the official reply may be printed Monday
in the Washington Post.

Nine positions on the Student Council are
open for election December 8 and 9. Five seats
will be vacant in the college, along with one in
law, one in architecture, one in engineering, and
one in graduate arts and sciences.

Petitions must be submitted by November
30 with the signatures of at least two per cent
of the students from the school concerned or
25 students, whichever is greater. To qualify to
run, a candidate must have at least two
semesters left at the University and must be in
good academic standing.