University of Virginia Library

Whitebread Assails Issues
Of Parking, Dorm Living

By DONN KESSLER

Photo By Saxon Holt

Charles Whitebread

Speaks For 'Well-Planned Expansion'

In a speech before 100 faculty wives
yesterday, Charles Whitebread, associate
professor of law, proposed four requisites
for well-planned expansion in
Charlottesville.

Mr. Whitebread began his speech by
stating that the real question was not
whether we grow but how we grow. He
continued by attacking and offering
solutions for the plans for paid parking at
the University and for a full scale inquiry
into living conditions in the dormitories.

All of Mr. Whitebread's proposals were
included in his "four requisites for wise
growth at the University". His first
requisite was for an increase in state
expenditures for higher education. The
law professor explained how Virginia was
one of the lowest states in expenditures
per student for higher education and
pointed to the state of Alderman Library
as a result of the low expenditures.

Despite the best efforts of those in
charge of the library, it is not a first rate
research library. "It could be." he
continued, "if the state would give more
money."

The way to increase state allocations
would be to convince the General
Assembly that Virginia needed a national
institution for both the nation and to
attract the best Virginia secondary school
students, he said.

Architectural Planning

The second requisite cited was that of
improved architectural planning. Mr.
Whitebread noted two examples of poor
planning. The first was the proposal now
being considered for paid parking and
parking meters on the Grounds.

The speaker explained how
automobile traffic alienated the student
from his environment and proposed that
the University ban all non-essential
automobile traffic from the Grounds and
provide a fringe parking-shuttle bus
system.

The banning of cars from the Grounds
was met by a round of applause from the
audience.

Mr. Whitebread also called for an
increase in concern by faculty members
over the present problems and future
development of the University. The lack
of any institutional vehicle for faculty
input in this area was cited as Mr.
Whitebread described the faculty senate
as being "moribund" and criticizing its
inability for reforming itself.

Finally, Mr. Whitebread, who is a
resident advisor in the first-year
dormitories, criticized the quality of life
in University housing. "The dorm
residents have to live under a huge
number of authoritarian, senseless rules
that are cutting into dorm living." he
said.

'Police State Atmosphere'

Mr. Whitebread described the
conditions in the dormitories as
approaching a "police state atmosphere"
where maids are no longer the friends of
students but spies and where secret
reports on violations of rules are followed
by secret letters from housing
administrators to students.

As examples of these "senseless rules"
Mr. Whitebread noted the regulations of
refrigerators and waterbeds. "Up to a few
years ago, students were not allowed to
have refrigerators in the dorms. There was
a great deal of discussion on the problems
with electrical wiring and insects" he
explained.

Refrigerators

Finally, it was realized that the major
reason for rules against refrigerators was
that "people were afraid of the impact
the use of these appliances would have on
the University's investment in
food-dispensing machines," he concluded.

Mr. Whitebread called the rationale for
such a rule wholly "unjustified."

On the problems with waterbeds, the
speaker noted that students were being
notified that they could not have
waterbeds only after many of the dorm
residents had installed them.

Mr. Whitebread concluded his criticism
of dorm living by saying that "not all of
the rules are not sensible" but that there
was no major chance for substantial
reform from within.