University of Virginia Library

Actions To Influence Commission
Focus On Letter-Writing Campaign

By KATHY NUNNELEY

Plans for protesting state
imposed limitations on
out-of-state students will
center around an intensive
letter writing campaign,
announced Student Council
President Jim Rinaca yesterday
afternoon.

The action endorsed by
Student Council Oct. 31, will
attempt to influence the
Legislative Commission on
Higher Education chaired by
State Sen. William F. Stone.

It will include compilations
of arguments in support of a
high out-of-state ratio, and
visits by Council President Jim
Rinaca and Vice President
Larry Sabato to members of
the Stone Commission.

All students living in
districts represented by
members of the Committee are
being asked to write letters to
their delegates and express
their feelings on the decrease in
out-of-state students.

During the next few weeks
this letter writing campaign
will focus on Mr. Stone's
district which includes
Patrick and Henry Counties
and the Martinsville area.

Two University students
from this area will direct the
letter writing by personally
contacting all students residing
in these locations and
informing them on the reason
for supporting a high
out-of-state student ratio.

Letters will be written to
other state senators, and an
effort will be made to involve
other state institutions with
high out of state enrollments in
the campaign.

The key goals of the
campaign are to emphasize the
importance of maintaining the
University's national character
and to stress the financial
benefits that a high out-of-state
enrollment has for the
University.

The letter writing campaign
including other state students
will show even more support
for retention of the
out-of-state student ratios.

The proposal could come
before the legislature as soon as
January of February, so it is
hoped that strong support of
the campaign can be generated
and an impact felt in the
Legislature by this time.

Mr. Stone's feelings on
limiting the number of
out-of-state students date back
to as early as 1964 when he
expressed his concern over the
large segment of non-Virginian
University population.

He also claimed that strong
entrance requirements were
keeping average in-state
students out-of-state schools.

Their positions were being
filled by "many students from
the North coming to our good
colleges and universities
because they can do so much
cheaper than in their own
states."