University of Virginia Library

Failure To Communicate

University 'Suspends' Students

Letters of suspension greeted a number
of transfer students, possibly as many
as 20, upon their return to the University
this week The Cavalier Daily learned
yesterday. Their alleged crime was failure
to submit to a physical check-up in
September.

D. Alan Williams, newly-appointed
Vice-President of Student Affairs, informed
the students of their suspension,
effective immediately, in letters mailed
just prior to the start of this semester. It
is believed that most of the suspension
orders had been rescinded by Mr.
Williams.

Jamie Wilson, one of the students
involved, detailed the events of the affair
yesterday, after he spoke to Mr. Williams
and was assured that he was still a
registered student.

Mr. Wilson said that he and a number
of other transfer students missed their
appointments for physicals in September
for many reasons. He himself does not
remember ever being notified of the requirement
but admitted that Mr. Williams could be
co in saying that one of the cards in the
registration packets informed them of it.

Mr. Wilson told Mr. Williams that the
confusion concerning the status of a transfer
student who has attended summer school at the
University, as was the case in his situation, was
a major cause of the mix-up.

He said that since he had already attended
most of the Orientation meetings before
summer school, he and the other students were
treated more like returning students th
first-year men. He added that the notification
card may well have instructed "first-year in"
to report for physicals, not "all new students."

Mr. Wilson explained that since the students
take the physicals by dormitory halls and since
most of the transfer students live on upper-class
halls, they never were reminded of the
requirement, if they were notified at all.

Instructions For Physicals

In November, all the students who failed to
take the September physicals were instructed to
report to Student Health for a make-up
appointment, for which they would be charged
an additional $7.50 as a penalty for missing the
first ones.

Mr. Wilson said that his time was on the
evening of the first day of classes following
Thanksgiving Break. He said that he and others
missed that appointment also, claiming he
forgot about it over the holiday. He also
admitted that he was not sure he would have
taken the physical even if he had remembered.
arguing that he might have refused to pay the
fine since he did not know of the first physical.

On January 13, Mr. Williams mailed Mr.
Wilson a letter ordering him to return to
Student Health and take care of his physical
requirement or face disciplinary action. This he
did but was told that the earliest date would be
February 4, Mr. Wilson took the physical that
night.

However, Mr. Williams' final letter, dated
February 2, informed Mr. Wilson that James
Camp, Director of Student Health, had told
him that Mr. Wilson had failed to fulfill the
requirement.

The letter said that Mr. Williams had no
choice but to suspend him as of that date.

Mr. Wilson attempted to speak to Mr.
Williams on Wednesday but, despite the fact
that he was suspended, he could not make an
appointment until yesterday afternoon.

Failure In Communication

At that meeting. Mr. Wilson said, Mr.
Williams assured him that the whole problem
was caused by a failure in communication. Mr.
Wilson said that either Dr. Camp did not know
what was going on in his own department o
Mr. Williams was unaware of the events that
transpired in Student Health.

Mr. Wilson said that Mr. Williams complained
that the status of transfer students had
always created problems but that no notices of
the suspension had been mailed "outside the
University."

Mr. Wilson said that he received no
explanation why the Vice-President did not
check with the students before actually
suspending them although he himself sed
that the whole suspension was just a threat.

While he admitted that he was relieved to
know he was not suspended. Mr. Wilson still
was disturbed at the issue.

Mr. Williams could not be reached for
comment. Robert Canvea. Dean of Students,
explained that the students were suspended for
failing to obey a requirement for registration.
He did not know how many students were
affected or how many still were suspended.