University of Virginia Library

Rent Reduction Asked
For Mayall Concert

By Barry Levine
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Asking for "a show of support and a
sign of good faith" for the upcoming
John Mayall concert, the Student Council
last night unanimously requested that
University Hall be rented at cost this
Friday, rather than at the normal charge.

The motion by Henry Doggerell,
representative from the School of Commerce,
was in light of the situation with
the concert and in response to a letter by
University President Edgar F. Shannon
clarifying current policies.

The Mayall concert, to be presented
this Friday night by the Student Council
and WUVA, is being held to raise funds
for the recruitment of "black and economically-deprived
white students." Approximately
500 tickets have been sold thus far, which,
according to one Council member, is ahead of
the rate for most concerts.

However, James R. Roebuck, Council
President, said he was "very disappointed" over
the University's policies concerning rental fees
for University Hall. Mr. Roebuck read a copy of
a letter sent by President Shannon to A.R.
Kuhlthau, Associate Provost for Research, in
which policies concerning rentals were given.

The main objection to the policy was that
the rental cost was too high.

Formerly, the charge was "not more than 10
per cent of gross income" for events requiring
extra equipment and staging, regardless of the
amount of equipment needed.

Mr. Kuhithau transmitted two resolutions
designed to after the regulations to President
Shannon for approval. The new regulations
were approved and made effective immediately.
They set the "maximum charge" at "seven and
one-half per cent of gross receipts plus the cost
of extra services required," due to the fact that
"student organizations promoting events requiring
little staging may find the ten per cent
charge high enough to prohibit some events of
interest to students..."

However, according to Mr. Roebuck, even in
the case of a sellout crowd at the Mayall
concert, the University would take $2000, with
the profits totaling only $1000. Mr. Roebuck
labeled the set-up as "only a little short of
ridiculous," particularly because the concert is
being held to raise $1000 to match the $1000
of the University recruitment efforts. Mr.
Roebuck argued that the concert would only
raise the money for the administration to give
back to the recruitment drive. "The letter and
the response," Mr. Roebuck said, "are totally
inadequate."

Charles Murdock, representative from the
College of Arts and Sciences, reported that the
actual cost of running University Hall, including
electrical costs and maintenance wages, is $100.

The matter of the Hall's cost was raised last
week at a packed crowd to hear attorney F. Lee
Bailey. Dozens of students were required to
leave the Cabell Halt auditorium lecture because
the overcrowding reportedly presented a fire
hazard. Representatives of the sponsoring
Student Legal Forum told the audience that the
lecture could not have been held in the much
larger University Hall because the $514 cost for
activities that do not charge admission was
prohibitive to the Forum.

The Cabell Hall incident also helped to
prompt the Council's request for a waiver of
costs. An earlier motion had called for a total
revamping of the rental system, particularly in
respect to benefit performances and events that
do not charge admission.

However, the Council decided that such a
request would require an investigation and
careful consideration of University policies, and
that such a broad request would be of no
benefit to this week's performance. Mr.
Doggerell's motion was made to "concentrate
on this one event," in the hope that such a
move would be more likely to produce results
for the concert, and with the understanding
that a motion calling for a broader revision
would be made at a later date.