University of Virginia Library

Council Chooses New Officers,
Votes To Eliminate Sex Bias

By RICHARD JONES

Student Council elected a new
Secretary and a Treasurer last Tuesday
night and passed a motion to eliminate
sexual discrimination in student
organizations except those whose primary
purpose is athletic or social.

Larry Sabato, second-year
representative from the College, was
elected secretary, and Rod Singleton, also
a second-year representative from the
College, was elected treasurer. Both were
unopposed and were elected by
acclamation.

In other business, Council passed a
motion, by a vote of 14-14, that "no
organization shall discriminate in its
membership on the basis of sex except by
those organizations whose primary
purpose is athletic or social."

Before supporting this motion,
members of Council debated and
consequently defeated a motion to
include fraternities in those organizations
which must not force women into
fraternities because of state laws against
cohabitation.

In response to action taken by Omega
Delta Kappa to change the national
charter in order that women may be
admitted, Council passed a second
motion exempting those organizations
with a national organization from the
sanctions of the previous passed motion
"until the next meeting of that group's
national organization has been held."

Gus Howell and Terry Dan,
co-chairmen of the First-year counseling;
Program, met with Council to answer
questions about the change in the
counseling system.

Mr. Dan rebuked the idea that the new
system will hamper academic advising.

He added that the purpose of limiting
a counselor to two years in the same
position was because "the longer a person
stays in a position the more he lacks
interest."

Mr. Sabato told Council that because
of the confidentiality ruling in the Future
of the University Committee, he could
not report its findings or developments to
Council.

Criticizing this ruling, one student on
that committee commented that "the
requested confidentiality has the effect of
keeping students uninformed." He added
that "there is an acute danger that the
end result of the committee's findings
will not be accepted by the student body,
especially if the students do not have
access to information that administrators
have, specifically information in the
Office of Institutional Analysis."

Another student member of the
Future of the University Committee
recommended that "Council should be
fully informed even in matters of
confidentiality so that when the
Committee report is released, Council will
be able to make responsible decisions in
relation to the final report."

He also criticized the Administration
for not advising non-administrative
members of the committee of President
Edgar F. Shannon's announced cutback
in next year's entering class before the
meeting. "It was so obvious that
administrative members of the committee
were well-informed beforehand," he said.