University of Virginia Library

Collier Says Protest
Demonstrates 'Reality'

By PARKS BRITTAIN

"We've gotten caught in the vice of
something called student demonstration,"
said Tom Collier, president of the
Student Council in a press conference
yesterday afternoon concerning the
activities over the past few weeks which
climax today with University Tuesday.

"Because of the fact that two years ago
students demonstrated...and ran around
wild at the University and other universities
across the country," he continued "we are
again getting the connotation of these other
types of demonstrations."

"That's not what we've got planned," he
said. "We've stated over and over again...that
this demonstration is not to threaten anyone,
it's not to coerce anyone; this demonstration is
just to show how real these problems (involved
with expansion at this time) are."

Mr. Collier reviewed many of the problems
he attributed to increases in the enrollment at
the University. He noted that at student council
meetings from the beginning of the semester,
students have demanded action to combat these
problems. He cited situations where students
have had tests in subjects for which books have
not been made available, the lack of classroom
space forcing students to sit on the floor during
class, the frequent long lines in the grill and the
contract cafeteria at which a number of
students have had to wait "40 minutes just to
get their dinner."

Another question students asked the council
were "What are you doing about the fact that
800 of us tried to get into dorm rooms last
year, and now we're having to pay exorbitant
rents for...apartments."

Mr. Collier also cited the lack of adequate
parking space; the lack of space in Alderman
library, emphasized by the fact that "last year
during exams students couldn't find a place to
sit down and study," and the inadequate
facilities for recreation.

He then outlined what he thought the
University Tuesday activities would accomplish.
He said that the demonstration would "convey
to the administration...how very much aware"
the students are of "how much each and every
student at this University is affected by all of
these problems, and how much worse these
problems are going to be next year if they don't
stop the increasing enrollment...until they are

Secondly, Mr. Collier continued, the
activities serve to make the newly
commissioned Future of the University
Committee more "sensitized about the deep
and sincere feeling of the students, and maybe
it will bring more impetus to get them to look
at the problem more closely, and to come up
with a more favorable recommendation."

The third accomplishment Mr. Collier hopes
is achieved is to make the people in the
Commonwealth of Virginia including the Board
of Visitors aware of the problems in the
University.

In regard to possible disturbances and the
intervention of any violent action on the part
of participating students, Mr. Collier said that
"about 100 students," including 40 law
students, a number of dorm counselors,
presidents of various fraternity houses, and
some student council representatives "be at all
these events to make sure that they come off in
a very responsible manner, that they don't get
out of hand."

He noted that the police were also blocking
off the streets in the areas where the crowds in
the march would overflow from the sidewalks.
"We've tried to explain to them that we're not
going to cause any trouble," he said.

"What we want to do is to keep it very law
key, we want kids to have fun when they join
us, we want them to come out there to express
their concern about what's happening at the
University."