The Cavalier daily. :: Thursday, May 8, 1969 :: University of Virginia Library

Fourteen of the sixteen
candidates for College Student
Council posts expressed their views
on the issues facing the University
last night in Gilmer Hall Auditorium,
as the Council presented its Spring
Forum (picture above.) The
meeting, which was poorly
attended by about 60 students, was
moderated by Kevin Mannix, a
representative from the College.

Mr. Mannix opened the forum
with a set of questions for all the
candidates from the four
representatives of the student press
and radio. The first question asked
the candidates how many meetings
of the Student Council they had
attended.

A surprising number said they
had attended none, or very few.
Only Charles Murdock, who is
currently a member of the Council
running for re-election, had
attended more than "a few."

Two candidates, Tom Gardener
and Robert Blankenship, could not
attend the forum. Mr. Gardener was
attending a meeting of President
Shannon's Equal Educational
Opportunities Committee. Mr.
Blankenship was spoken for by
Michael Capobianco, who is a
write-in candidate on Mr.
Blankenship's Liquifactionist Party.

The candidates present were:
from Sceptre Society, Steve Hayes,
Joel Gardener, and Bill Fryer; from
Skull & Keys, Don Martin, Chip
Massey, and Ken Scott; from the
Virginia Progressive Party, Paul
Bishop, Charles Murdock, Al
Sinesky, Buzzy Waitzkin; from the
Liquifactionist Party, Michael
Capobianco and James Woll; and
two independents, Peter Freinberg
and J. Keen Holland.

When asked what he considered
his qualifications for running for
Student Council were, Mr.
Freinberg, dressed in a long,
flowing robe, stated that he had the
answer to the problems facing the
University, the state, the nation,
the world, and the Universe. Later
Mr. Freinberg, who calls himself the
"messiah" explained his belief that
man can achieve everlasting peace
through a "revolution of the mind.
If a man can land on the moon," he
said, "he is capable of achieving
peace."

With that statement, he gathered
up his colorful robe and slowly
mounted the steps on his way out
of the building, to a great round of
applause.

The representatives of the press
then proceeded to ask individual
candidates questions.

Mike Russell led off the
questioning by asking the Skull &
Keys candidates about their
platform, which stated that they
were in favor of a "reorientation of
perspective," while opposed to a
"restructuring of the University."
Mr. Massey explained that he
thought "barging in to a meeting
of the Board of Visitors was
unnecessary. This reflects a basic
attitude of the Council and
reorientation of the Council is
needed here."

Mr. Scott said that he thought
the Student Council motion on
"Dixie" was mishandled because it
did not reflect student opinion.

Mr. Martin, when asked about
his caucus, stated that caucuses
aren't parties. He stressed that each
candidate from Skull & Keys was
running as an individual."

He also said that the
fraternity-independent split must
be solved by having the Political
Societies and Elections Committee
of the Student Council
"restructure" the present caucus
system."

Mr. Waitzkin stated that the
purpose of forming the Virginia
Progressive Party was to isolate the
ideologies of the candidates rather
than their fraternity affiliations. In
the past the Council hasn't taken
the lead in University affairs. This
has always been done through ad
hoc committees. The Council, as
the established channel, must take
the lead in student affairs," he said.

Mr. Bishop cited as the primary
contribution of his party, "the
introduction of relevant issues into
the election." Mr. Sinesky, when
asked about Mr. Canevari's "goon
squad" of varsity athletes who
served as "ushers" during the
Founder's Day exercises, said that
Mr. Canevari had "overstepped his
bounds, a brash act which I could
never support."

Both Messrs. Sinesky and
Murdock said that they thought the
channels to the administration
would never be closed "if the
Student Council were as strong as it
should be."

Mr. Fryer said he thought what
President Shannon called "reverse
discrimination" was necessary to
allow "an influx of black students.
I think the problem is big enough
to merit 'bending over backwards,'
" he said.

Joel Gardner said he was in
favor of having a double-sticker
parking program that would allow
first-year students to operate motor
vehicles in the Charlottesville area,
so long as they did not park on
University property.

Mr. Capobianco stated that he
thought his greatest qualification
for office was his "imagination"
and that, if elected, the
Liquifactionists would not
"prostitute our beliefs" by working
with the "conservatives" on the
Council.

WTJU radio will broadcast the
entire forum Friday at 2 p.m. and
tonight at 9.