University of Virginia Library

Changing Enrollment, Strike
Precipitate New University

Semester
In Review

By Donn Kessler
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Ranging from problems generated
from the make-up of the freshman class
to reactions from last spring's strike and
to student activism (or lack thereof), the
University has now finished a semester
that could be the start of the new
University.

During the first week of the year,
returning students noticed something new
on the grounds: girls in 'large' numbers
and more black students than have ever
been seen at the University before.

All told, 350 freshman women and
100 transfers had entered the University
in the first phase of the Board of Visitors'
plan for co educating the College.

Blacks also populated the class in
larger numbers. Ninety-two black
students had enrolled in the first year class
raising the percentage of blacks in the College
to 1.9 percent from 0.7 percent last year. All
told, the black enrollment had risen from last
year's 1.3 percent to a 'peak' of 2.2 percent.

Women Accepted

The make-up of the new class was not
always beneficial, however. Problems soon
arose that may soon test the strength and
wisdom of the University.

One problem was with women and sexual
discrimination. While most student
organizations changed their rules to allow
women into their ranks, at least one group, the
Jefferson Society, refused to allow the women
into their organization.

This action brought the repercussion of the
Student Council desiring to oversee the use of
University facilities to insure no discrimination
by sex. But the Jefferson Society continued to
exist all male and the ownership of Jefferson
Hall was still in question.

An even more crucial problem arose over the
sizeable number of black students entering the
University. In years past, one saw only a few
black students in the University's classes, but
now the University community could no longer
ignore the fact that the capstone of public
education in Virginia was finally being made an
institution of all the people, and not just
whites.

The reaction of the University was not good.
It did not take long until charges of harassment
and fears of alienation began to spring up. It
was in November that the Council heard
Maryann McDermot warn that the University is
"faced with the possible total alienation of
blacks. Unfortunately, the problem is getting
worse and not better."

Almost proving her warning, it was only a
month later that blacks reported incidents of
harassment by city and University police,
students and other University employees. The
black students claimed that students had
grabbed black girls and had thrown bottles
from dormitories at groups of blacks, and that
police were indiscriminately stopping black
students in checks on student identification.

Despite administration assurances that
attempts to end such harassment would be
made and denials by the University police that
they were stopping blacks due to race,
harassment continued to be reported and
students were left with the words of one black
students that people harassing blacks "might
not get away next time."

Reactions from last year's student strike also
precipitated events at the University during the
semester ranging from a new conduct code to
the nol prossing of trials.

In reaction to the take-over of a building last
spring, the Board of Visitors, administrators,
and conservative students met over the summer
to construct a new student conduct code.

Replacing the old rule of "conduct
unbecoming a University student," the code
made "disorderly conduct," "lewd and obscene
behavior," and conduct such as interfering with
the proper "educational purpose" of the
University punishable by various sanctions.

Trials also marked the reaction of the
University and community to the student
strike. Arthur 'Bud' Ogle, former president of
the Student Council, was convicted over the
summer for failure to disperse during a rally last
spring. Another student, Tom Doran, was
convicted for destroying University property
and then convicted again in the fall for
'perjury. A third student, Bob Collector, was
convicted on charges stemming from county
offenses.

Anti-War Activities

As for the other members of the 68 students
arrested during the strike, the charges were only
yesterday nol prossed. This means that charges
will not be dismissed, but only that charges will
not be pressed by the city.

Also this fall, investigators from the
Criminal Intelligence Division of the Military
Police came to the University to interrogate
students in relation to anti-war activities. It
soon became apparent that administrators
working in the offices of various deans had
given the agents class schedules of specified
students.

Student response to the reaction of the
University and community to the strike was
mixed. Few protests were held over the arrests
and trials of students.

Reaction to the new conduct code came
from the Student Council, however, early in
September. Council members objected to vague
rules and even vaguer sanctions but opposition
seemed to rapidly fade until a newly formed
group, the Union of University Students,
submitted petitions for a student referendum
on acceptance of the new rules. In November
elections, the students rejected the conduct
code by a 3-2 margin.

The Council then began meetings of
students and administrators to draw up new
code of conduct. Prohibited conduct again
included disorderly conduct and "violation of
federal, state, or local law if such directly
affects the University's pursuit of its proper
educational functions." This time, however, the
conduct specified the rights of students and
attempted to include procedural safeguards in
the sanctions.

Students supported the new conduct code in
a referendum in December by a vote of
1367-538.

While reaction to the new student conduct
code grew over the semester, students seemed
reluctant to protest the arrest of Kent State
students and faculty in late October, While
some students felt that this was a reminder that
the "old University" was not yet dead, others
stated that student apathy was also apparent at
other universities over the entire country.

Election Sweep

Students may have seemed apathetic on the
'playing fields' but elections pointed to an
indication that the students wanted a change in
Council government. Following a sweeping
Jefferson Party victory in the spring, students
voted predominantly for the Virginia
Progressive Party in two fall elections. Out of
eight seats up for grabs in both the Council and
the Judiciary Committee, VPP candidates were
elected to seven.

Differentiated from the problems in the
changing profile of the freshman class and
counter-reaction from last spring's strike, other
important events changed the University in
various ways.