University of Virginia Library

Candidates Quizzed
In 'Meet The Press'

By Thom Faulders
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Seeking to bring out issues
before the University community,
the University Forum will sponsor
its version of Meet the Press, on
which all candidates for the
Student Council will appear.

The innovation in Council
campaigning will be held tomorrow
night in Gilmer Hall, beginning at 8.
Representatives from the press will
include members of the staffs of
The Cavalier Daily, Virginia
Weekly, Rapier, UVM, WUVA and
WTJU.

The meeting of the candidates
was proposed approximately two
months ago by Gordon Calvert,
chairman of the Political Societies
and Elections Committee of the
Student Council, and the University
Forum took charge of the
operation. It is part of a long-range
plan for the up-dating of election
procedures on the Grounds.

Don Bellomy, a member of the
steering committee of the
University Forum and moderator
for the election presentation, said
that with the present system, not
everyone is able to see all the
candidates, when they visit the
dorms and added that those
students who live in fraternities and
off-grounds housing never have a
chance to meet the candidates.

Election Improvement

"For this reason," continued
Mr. Bellomy, "This panel discussion
should be an improvement as it will
be the first time that all the
candidates - 12 representing two
political parties and two political
societies, and one independent
candidate - will be assembled to
answer questions from the various
news media from around the
Grounds." When asked why the
news media representatives were
chosen, Mr. Bellomy replied, "The
University Forum felt that the news
media could best pick out the issues
that the candidates would face."

Program Structure

The structure of the program
will consist of general questions
addressed to the candidates as a
whole. The individual candidate
may address himself to any of the
general questions, and he may also
be asked questions directly by
members of the six
communications organizations.

Mr. Bellomy said he felt each
candidate would have a chance to
speak on his own behalf at least ten
minutes, and expressed hope that
both candidates and students would
remain after the two-hour program
to discuss issues further among
themselves.

Experimentation Election

Noting that this election seems
to be one of experimentation in
campaigns, Mr. Bellomy said he felt
that the forum was properly in
place. For examples supporting his
statement. Mr. Bellomy noted that
the two political societies have
instituted platforms on which their
candidates are campaigning, the
University Party talks about the
approach of their candidates rather
than specific issues. Mr. Bellomy
also pointed out the appearance of
a third party and a student running
independently.

Future Of Elections

According to the Student
Council's Election Committee's
plan for the future of elections, the
hope that the idea of all the
candidates addressing the student at
the same time will spread to the
other schools of the University has
been expressed. The possibility of
extending the idea to the election
of school officers, and thus to the
Honor Committee, has also been
discussed.

When asked about the
continued sponsoring of the
program by the University. Forum,
Mr. Bellomy replied, "We might as
well; the Elections Committee has
quite a bit to do already." He also
made clear that the program was
born out of coordination and
planning between both the
University. Forum and the Election
Committee.

Overall Purpose

Mr. Bellomy concluded by
stating the overall purpose for the
discussion as he saw it: "Its success
depends on a large enough
attendance so that it will have an
effect on raising issues before the
student body, thus allowing the
student body the chance to make
an intelligent choice in choosing its
representatives."