University of Virginia Library

SAC Upholds Allocation To GSU,
Awaits Board Of Visitors Approval

By MARGARET ALFORD

The Student Activities
Committee (SAC) Tuesday
night upheld the $45 Student
Council allocation to the Gay
Student Union (GSU) and
denied the appeal of William H.
Hurd et al   against this
allocation.

After a four hour meeting,
the committee decided that
funds allocated were not being
"given for religious or political
activities or for honorarium or
social entertainment." A June
5, 1970, Board of Visitors
ruling prohibits disbursement
of the student activities fee for
this purpose.

Stipulation On Funds

The SAC also endorsed a
Student Council stipulation
given to GSU Pres. Larry Cress
that "the Gay Student Union
may use their allocated monies
only for expenditures in the
following categories:
advertisement, guest speaker's
expenses, travel expenses for
members to Southern Gay
Coalition in Atlanta, office
supplies, purchase of books,
postage printing, telephone
service and Xeroxing."

Board Approval

Disbursement of SAC funds
to the GSU will not be final
until the SAC decision receives
Board of Visitors approval,
Public Affairs Vice President
Edwin M. Crawford said.

SAC Chairman and Student
Affairs Vice President D. Alan
Williams was unavailable for
comment.

In a letter sent Tuesday to
Mr. Williams, Pres. Edgar F.
Shannon, Jr. clarified procedure
for appeal of the case to the
Board of Visitors, directing
that appeals be made directly
to the Board's Student Affairs
and Athletics Committee.

Keen Holland, a former
student whose name appears
with Mr. Hurd's on their appeal
to the SAC, said he objected to
"closing the public out of the
SAC hearing."

He also accused Mr.
Shannon of "changing rules in
the middle of the game by
changing the appeal procedure,
since appeals used to go to Mr.
Shannon before the Board of
Visitors."

Student Council Pres. Jim
Rinaca said his understanding
of Mr. Shannon's letter to Mr.
Williams was "merely to
inform him of Mr. Shannon's
conception of appeal
procedure, should either side
request it. The procedures are
the same."

'Disgusted' By Decision

"We are disgusted by the
SAC decision," Mr. Hurd said.
"The University has violated
the regulations of the Board of
Visitors as well as the simplest
principles of justice. The
University would now compel
us to pay for propagation of
opinions which we abhor.

"This is not in accordance
with the principles of personal
liberty upon which Thomas
Jefferson founded this
University," he continued. "We
seek to silence no one or to
otherwise violate constitutional
rights. But we will protest
when our own rights are
trampled. We will continue to
fight this allocation until we
win."

He said he doubted that the
Board of Visitors would
uphold the SAC and Student
Council decisions.

Mr. Cress, however, said he
believes that the Board will
"do a great injustice if it
overturns both the SAC and
Student Council decisions. It
will be a disservice to both
groups."

"I think we (GSU) deserve
the SAC decision," he said.
"Hurd and (Christian) White
want to claim that we are a
social and political
organization, but the Board
statement prohibits
disbursement of monies to
social and political activities,
not organizations."

"Hurd has a right to take it
to court," Mr. Cress said. "We
will take it as far as we have
resources to support it."

The Board will meet Feb. 2,
at which time it is expected to
consider the case.