University of Virginia Library

Council Appropriates
Funds For Gay Union

By SAM BARNES

Student Council last night
voted 12-9 to allocate $45 to
the Gay Student Union (GSU)
from the Student Activities
Fund.

The Council Organizations
and Publications Committee,
responsible for making
allocations from the Student
Activities Fund to all student
organizations, appealed the
case to council because of legal
implications involved.

Council Vice President Larry
Sabato, chairman of the
Organizations and Publications
Committee, said that his
committee had determined the
amount justly needed by the
GSU but wished to refer the
final decision to the entire
council.

Mr. Sabato said that there
was some question from the
University Legal Advisor's
office as to the legality of
funding an organization which
presumably fosters homosexual
acts illegal in the state of
Virginia.

Activities Fund Threatened

Mr. Sabato also said that
funding the organization posed
a threat to the future of the
Student Activities fund.

"I think one of the coming
dangers in the next few years is
the possible abolition of the
Student Activities fund," he
said.

According to Mr. Sabato
there is already a great deal of
public sentiment for abolishing
the Student Activities Fund as a
payment required of students.

"In terms of strategy, if we
come out in favor of this
allocation and the case does go
to court, the University is
going to be in one of the most
horrible positions it could be in
as far as public opinion is
concerned," he added.

"It's pretty much assured
that the case will go to court
either way. Should council be
sued for funding the Gay
Student Union, loss of the case
could ultimately lead to
another suit in court to abolish
the Student Activities Fee
altogether," Mr. Sabato said.

Not A Court

College representative Greg
Luce said that council was not
deciding what the legal
implications in the case mean.

"We're not acting as the
Supreme Court," he said "We
are not deciding what the
precedent will be but what the
people we are representing feel
about the subject," he added.

Council members voting to
fund the GSU were Sam
Brown, Paul Dipasquale, Jerry
Harris, Bill Huyett, Sally
Kauffman, Kip Klein, Greg
Luce, Taylor Putney, Rod
Singleton, Sherri Smith, Lee
Story, and Jay Waldron.

Those voting against the
allocation were Dave Aer,
Dave Horan, Tom Wilson,
Scott Tollefson, Mark
Cummings, Joel Gardner, John
Rogan, Larry Sabato and Tom
Sson