University of Virginia Library

Committee To Review Present
Use Of University Facilities

Paul Saunier, Director of University
Relations, acknowledged recently that
the policies and regulations concerning
the use of University facilities are being
reviewed by a special committee and that
recommendations for improvements
should be forthcoming.

Mr. Saunier will chair the Scheduling
Subcommittee of the University's
Committee on Calendar and Scheduling
which is conducting the review of the
space reservation policies. Mr. Saunier has
requested any student who wishes to
make his won recommendations to the
Scheduling Subcommittee to submit his
within the next several weeks.

The problems arising from the scheduling
policies have already been studied by the Public
Events Advisory Committee, a group which acts
on a continuing basis to assist in the
clarification of rules and the resolution of
scheduling conflicts.

The advisory committee, also chaired by Mr.
Saunier, has released statements concerning its
findings on a number of the various problems it

has studied, including the frequent question of
amplified outdoor meetings.

According to the statement on amplified
meetings, the committee has found that
extremely loud rock concerts have brought
complaints from persons in residential areas,
both inside and outside the University.

After reviewing the validity of these
protests, the committee recommended last year
that "amplification of music or other events on
the Lawn . . . was was contrary to University
regulation, derived from President Shannon's
statement for September, 1969, on the
freedoms of students in using facilities, which
prohibit disruptive noises that penetrate
academic and housing areas."

Rallies and Concerts

The committee then concluded that "in
order to prevent subjective and detail-ridden
decisions on degrees of amplification . . . the
only proper way to protect the residential and
academic areas . . . from disruptive sounds
would be to prohibit amplification per so."

However subsequent developments arising
from last Mays demonstrations "convinced a
majority of the committee that in the interest
of protecting free speech, outdoor meetings
could properly be held in the old University
area 'with amplification limited to the amount
necessary to communicate clearly to an audience
which has assembled as a reasonably compact
group, and yet insufficient to penetrate
classrooms in use.' "

This is the current interpretation under
which the committee now acts.

This fall, three outdoor concerts have been
held and two of them turned out satisfactorily
insofar as complaints are concerned. The only
failure was an attempted concert which had to
be moved inside from the west side of Newcomb
Hall after complaints were received.

The concerts held between two of the
Alderman Road dormitories and in Lambeth
Field were both successful from the noise
standpoint. The former was interrupted by rain,
however, and the Athletic Department complained
about the tab-tops, rubbish and glass
left on the playing surface of Lambeth Field.

Permission also has been granted to permit
trial concerts in Madison Bowl, provided that
the promoters would agree to prevent the sort
of dangerous residuals that letter followed the
Lambeth Field concert. Mad Bowl is used for
fraternity intramurals.

Suggestions Asked

Mr. Saunier stressed that the various committees
concerned would like to receive all
possible suggestions as to locations at which
outdoor concerts could be held without disrupting
other persons or activities.

He added that other questions that will be
considered, and which will be covered later in
The Cavalier Daily, include use of University
facilities for religious purposes, discrimination
by race or sex, and an improved codification of
rules governing the use of University space.

Student recommendations are requested on
all these issues.