The Cavalier daily :: August 1, 1973 :: University of Virginia Library

University President
Edgar F. Shannon announced
yesterday that he has ordered
parking removed from
McIntyre Amphitheater and
the outdoor theater converted
into a grassy space during the
summer of 1974.

Mr Shannon's
announcement comes after
rising protest and
dissatisfaction was expressed
last spring over the appearance
of the amphitheater. A long
lobbying campaign for the
"greening" of the
amphitheater culminated in a
Student Council resolution
calling for the grassing of the
theater along with a
demonstration against the
parking.

President of Student
Council Larry Sabato said he
was pleased with the
long-awaited announcement.
"We, of course, would have,
preferred for the action to be
taken this summer, but the
eventual reseeding of the
amphitheater is certainly
good news," Mr. Sabato said.

The reason for the delay in
reseeding Mr. Shannon
explained, was that the
University has a "moral
obligation" to treat the people
parking in the amphitheater
as they do others that park on
the central Grounds.

Continues Parking

Along with the
announcement, Mr. Shannon
requested Business Manager
Richard F. Shutts to continue
leasing the 42 parking spaces in
the amphitheater, but to
notify them that this will be
the last year they may use the
parking spaces.

Mr. Shannon also requested
Mr. Shutts to provide alternate
parking next summer for those
that will be displaced by the
reseeding.

University
Vice-President Vincent Shea
has been instructed by Mr.
Shannon to make arrangements
with the Department of
Building and Grounds to
remove the gravel from the lot
at a convenient time after the
close of the 1973-74 session.

Possible alternative parking
spaces for the following year
are the spaces made available
by the moving of the Law
School, the Judge Advocate
General School and the
Graduate School of Business
Administration to their new
buildings. Nearly 160 new
parking spaces would be made
available, said Mr. Shannon.

Eyesore

The amphitheater's parking
lot has always been considered
an eyesore by many, but only
recently has vocal protest come
out against its condition.

One of the main forces
behind the regrassing of the
Amphitheater was a petition
circulated last April and May
which strongly urged "the
University administration to
remove the parking in the
amphitheater and return it to
grass by next September
(1973).

The petition was written by
the Amphitheater Restoration
Committee with the support of
the First-Year Council and the
Association of Resident
Councils.

Council Resolution

While the petition was still
circulating, Student Council
passed a resolution April 24
supporting a demonstration on
May 1 against the parking in
the amphitheater. The
resolution was not passed
unanimously, however. During
a protracted debate, six
members of the council
brought up objections ranging
from fears that it would
alienate the administration to
the belief that it would "bomb
out".

Mr. Sabato, then Council
Vice-President said, "President
Shannon didn't indicate
support at all (for the
regrassing) and it will take a lot
more than one day to change
anything."

College Representative
Taylor Pitney said, "Council
must push for mass action and
encourage student action and
student use of the
amphitheater. We're not
pushing for a major renovation,
just get some grass down
there."

Besides passing the
resolution, Council also sent
letters to faculty members in
the parking lot urging them to
to donate their spots to
anything other than a parking
space for their car on May 1.

Poorly Attended

As it turned out, the rally
was poorly attended. The
petition, however, continued
to amass signatures.

It has been estimated that
the reseeding of the
amphitheater will cost $600.

One of the reasons that the
University had opposed
reseeding the amphitheater in
the past was that the area was
tentatively scheduled to be the
site for a new social science
building complete with an
underground multi-story
parking garage.

Another objection was that
noise from heavy air travel over
the amphitheater would make
meeting there impossible.