University of Virginia Library

Rinaca Denounces
Daily Progress Story

By ALVA JOHNSTON

Student Council President
Jim Rinaca has attacked The
Daily Progress for publication
of scattered portions of
University legal counsel Neill
H. Alford Jr.'s confidential
remarks on the Walter Chaffin
case to a Council meeting
Tuesday night.

"I am very dismayed at the
printing by The Daily Progress
of partial comments regarding
the Chaffin case made in
assumed confidence by the
University legal advisor to
Student Council," Mr. Rinaca
said.

Mr. Rinaca invited Mr.
Alford to speak to Council
members concerning the
University's legal settlement of
the case. Mr. Chaffin, a
security officer dismissed from
patrol duty last spring after
charges were placed against
him for harassment in arresting
University blacks, was cleared
in court of these charges in
July. Mr. Chaffin, then
working in the Personnel
Office, sued for reinstatement
in his former Security position.

University officials
announced an agreement Oct.
20 between the University and
counsel for Mr. Chaffin. Under
the settlement, the officer was
given opportunity to enroll in a
law enforcement college degree
program at University expense
at another institution, at no
loss of regular pay or benefits.

Upon successful completion
of this schooling, Mr. Chaffin
has the option of returning to
University Security duty,
officials said.

"Before Mr. Alford spoke to
the Council I requested that
any news reporters present
refrain from quoting or
otherwise reporting his
comments," Mr. Rinaca said.

Under a byline of "The
Progress Staff," The Daily
Progress reported Thursday
that, according to Mr. Alford's
statements, the University "has
no expectations of returning
Walter Chaffin to security
department duties" after his
leave of absence.

"I have to go with the
statement we issued earlier,"
Information Services Director
William Fishback said in
response to the Progress story.
Both Mr. Alford and Mr.
Fishback declined comment to
the Progress on its breach of
confidence.

"The Progress broke the
confidence of the students,"
Mr. Fishback said.

In a Friday editorial The
Progress quoted Mr. Alford as
saying the University had
decided to pay Mr. Chaffin
"chicken feed" in settlement
of his law suit.

"The 'chicken feed'...is a
price the University prefers to
pay rather than admit gross
errors in judgment (sic)," the
editorial said.

It added that Mr. Chaffin is
"unwanted by the
administration" and that the
University has "prolonged the
existence of Walter Chaffin to
the point of absurdity."

Mr. Rinaca said "Mr. Alford
himself stressed the
confidential nature of his
remarks, particularly in light of
the fact that the case is still in
litigation.

"Since the Daily Progress
reporter who was present did
not object to my confidence
request, I assumed Mr. Alford
could comment with complete
candor. Therefore," Mr. Rinaca
said, "I believe that the
publication of Mr. Alford's
remarks in the October 26
edition of The Daily Progress
was irresponsible and outside
the bounds of journalistic
ethics."

The Progress denied that it
had violated journalistic ethics
in an editorial yesterday.