University of Virginia Library

ROTC Future Unsure
After Faculty Vote

Most faculty are unsure how the
ROTC credit issue will eventually turn
out, after Tuesday night's vote which
tabled the decision on the Special
Committee's recommendations to restore
some degree credit for military courses.

David Shannon, Dean of the Faculty,
said he thought most of the faculty were
in a "state of shock and puzzlement." He
said he wouldn't want to predict what
might happen, but that he thought "we'll
know in a week."

Mr. Shannon said he was undecided on
whether to call a special meeting of the
faculty, to take care of the ROTC issue and
some other matters that the faculty did not
consider, before the next regular meeting May
19. He said, though, that he couldn't say
whether the faculty would be able to decide in
one meeting.

Mr. Shannon said that the faculty is pretty
clearly divided, but that he hopes "the faculty
will develop a consensus on something."

Dante L. Germino, Professor of Government
and Foreign Affairs, said he could not say how
the issue would come out either. He said that
he had heard rumors of a compromise, but that
others would be better informed.

Woodford D. McClellen, Associate Professor
of History, said that the issue was "far from
dead." Mr. McClellen's proposal that the
faculty support its previous stand to deny
degree credit for ROTC, but attempt to keep
ROTC at the University on a non-degree basis,
was defeated by a 90 to 88 vote.

He said that it was a matter of getting the
faculty "to agree to do what it agreed to do in
December." He noted that thirteen officers of
the ROTC unit had voted against his proposal,
and that without them, a fairly clear majority
of the civilian faculty were in favor of
reaffirming the December decision.

Mr. McClellen said that the issue of whether
people with a loyalty to some thing beyond the
faculty (referring to the military officer's
loyalty to the Defense Department) should be
allowed to vote in faculty meetings is one
which will have to be faced eventually.

Members of the Special Committee on
ROTC could not be reached for comment.