University of Virginia Library

Funded Activities To Bear Brunt
Of Student Allocations Challenge

By MICHELE FAISON

Six University students
formally requested yesterday
that the Student Activities
Committee reopen its
appropriation proceedings,
claiming that 60 organizations,
including WUVA, the Jefferson
Society, and The Cavalier
Daily, were funded in violation
of new guidelines recently set
out by the Board of Visitors'
Student Affairs and Athletics
Committee.

In a letter addressed to D.
Alan Williams, vice-president of
student affairs and Committee
Chairman, the students claimed
that the organizations were
illegally funded because they
are "social and political,
non-tax exempt organizations
which deny de facto access to
some students; and that, in any
event, allocations to these
organizations constitute a
breach of fiduciary
responsibility, and the
unlawful taking of private
property for public use..."

Attorney C. Waverly Parker
listed the petitioners as
second-year graduate student
Leon Podies, third-year Law
student Christian White,
fourth-year men Alex Simon
and Bill Hurd; third-year man
Boyd Marcus; and second-year
student Gary Williams.

The letter further requested
that the hearings be reopened
with prior notice and that the
named students be allowed to
participate in the decisions.

Parker said that these
organizations never did fit the
standards. "The standards
weren't changed, they were
made plainer. We just want to
make sure that everyone
follows the rules–that they
don't just apply them to
discriminate against the Gay
Student Union."

Mr. Williams did not wish
to comment upon the letter,
saying that although the letter
was addressed to him, he had
not yet received a copy.

Larry Sabato, vice-president
of Student Council and
Organizations and Publications
Chairman, said, "Their
contentions in the letter are
ridiculous. I don't see how
anyone could construe the new
Board interpretations to
include 60 funded
organizations."

"Further, the SAC was
charged by the Board with
reviewing all organizations in
light of the new guidelines.
They are not new hearings.
Therefore, they are not subject
to appeals such as Mr. Parker
contends."

Further complication was
added when the students
involved were reached for
comment. Because of a
"monumental
misunderstanding," Mr. Simon,
Mr. Hurd, Mr. Marcus, and Mr.
Williams wished to have their
names "disassociated" with the
letter.

"White contacted us and
said that he didn't think that
the Radical Student Union and

Union of University Students
fit the guidelines," Mr. Simon
said.

"We agreed to challenge.
Sometime between Thursday
and Monday, the list grew to
60. It had been our
understanding that only such
groups as the RSU and UUS,
which were inconsistent with
the guidelines and political in
nature, would be contested."