University of Virginia Library

Students Elect Officers, Vote On Honor Referendum

Verklin Supports Code,
Values Single Sanction

By PAT GRANEY

Photo By Jay Adams

Bob Verklin, Gaylon Layfield, Ted Knetzger

Campaign In Webb Dorm To Discuss Election Issues

Third-year College candidates Bob
Verklin, Ted Knetzger and Gaylon
Layfield running for president, vice
president and secretary, respectively,
support a single-sanction Honor System.

The three students campaigned
together in the dorms last week.

"Although we are 'status quo'
candidates in the sense that we support
the present Honor System and that we
feel that the single sanction is extremely
valuable to the strength and continuance
of the system," Mr. Verklin said, "we are
very curious about student feedback and
want a real consensus of opinion before
any changes are made.

The candidates do not favor the
upcoming referendum and believe that a
"true evaluation" of the Honor System,
cannot be made by the present
referral because the average student's
understanding of the system is inadequate
to decide such an important issue."

The candidates proposed several ways
to improve a student's understanding of
the system and suggested that a massive
education program be undertaken next
fall.

The program would include more
special Cavalier Daily issues on the Honor
System, publication of an honor trial's
minutes and the presentation of a mock
trial.

Mr. Knetzger also expressed hope for a
more extensive freshman orientation. "As
experienced counselors," he said, "we
feel that freshman orientation is
inadequate and that misconceptions
develop during a student's first year and
remain, thus causing a breakdown in the
system."

The candidates emphasized that only
after such a program had been established
would they favor a professional poll to
measure student opinion.

They also emphasized that the poll
should be more extensive than that taken
by the Honor Committee last year.

College secretary candidate Gaylon
Layfield said that as chairman of the Bad
Check Committee he would "hope to
improve community relations, extend
check cashing privileges and implement a
'bonding' system where 'bounced'
checks would be made good by the
committee, and students would reimburse
the committee"

Commenting upon the University's
expansion, Mr. Verklin said:

"The big problem with the Honor
System is student diversity; that is, the
committee must equate the system with
the students and expansion will only
make it tougher to orient people to the
program."

Although reaction to the candidates'
proposals was diverse, most students
openly supported the present Honor
System, citing the freedom it allows.

Some students expressed concern for
the future of dismissed students, and
thought the Honor Committee and the
University administration should aid
these students in every possible way.

Students also thought they were
inadequately prepared to vote in the
upcoming referendum.

Elections for officers from the
College, Engineering, Commerce and
Education Schools and the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences will be
tomorrow and Thursday.

Also on the ballot will be an Honor
Committee "advisory referendum"
designed to gauge student support for the
single-sanction penalty system.

Students may vote only for officers
from their own school but all students
may vote in the "advisory referendum."

Write-in candidates in the upcoming
elections will be accepted if their
petitions are filed in the Student Council
offices before 5 p.m. Thursday, Voters
must write the candidates name on the
ballot under the appropriate office title.

Students may vote in Cabell, Wilson,
Gilmer and Newcomb Halls, Alderman
Library. They may also vote in the New
Chemistry Building, Tuttle and Emmet
Post Offices and at the corners of
Pavilions I and II at the Rotunda.

The Engineering students may vote in
Thornton Hall, Commerce students in
Rouss Hall and Alderman Library.

Graduate Arts and Sciences students
may vote in Cabell, Wilson and Gilmer
Halls, the Physics and New Chemistry
Buildings and Newcomb Hall Post Office.

"Advisory Referendum" ballots will
be available for architecture students in
Campbell Hall, for business students in
Monroe Hall, for nursing students in
McKim Hall, for medical students the
Medical School Lobby and for law
students in Clark Hall.