University of Virginia Library

SDSHolds Second Meeting,
Future Exploits Discussed

By Thom Faulders
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

With more than 50
people, students and interested
members of the Charlottesville
community, meeting in the South
Meeting Room of Newcomb Hall
last night, the Students for a
Democratic Society held their
second organizational meeting.

Joseph Sydnor, chairman of the
organization, early in the meeting
solved a problem that dominated
much of the meeting last week. He
conceded that many students
sympathize with SDS, but because
of possible endangerment of future
job opportunities, they feel they
cannot join the organization. For
these people he suggested theat
there is much work to be done, and
if they want to work, they need not
become official members.

Mr. Sydnor went on to say that
membership includes all those who
are willing to place their names on
the list to be sent to the national
SDS organization.

Student Council recognition,
Mr. Sydnor added, should be
forthcoming, because all necessary
information has been supplied to
the Council.

Along with the concept of SDS
comes many projects. A peace vigil
is tentatively scheduled for
November 11 to 13 which would
demonstrate the group's feelings on
the war in Vietnam. The vigil will
be a silent protest of the war to
take place at night with candles. It
will be "straight enough" to attract
many people and will possibly be
followed by films or lectures.

Dormitory discussion groups on
the awareness of the United States
position in Vietnam is another idea
discussed at last night's meeting. It
would consist of small groups
talking about the war and the draft
and hopefully would create the
climate of opinion needed for the
vigil.

The question of greater control
of the school by faculty and
student forces evolved from the
mention of student power. Such
questions as how much control
should the Board of Visitors have
over the University and should
students have any power in the
hiring, promotion, and tenure of
faculty members will be studied by
the group.

In conjunction with student
power, the Virginia chapter of SDS
is in the process of conducting
extensive research on the existing
structure of the University and to
try to answer the question, what is
a university.

Always present in a student
radical movement is talk of the
draft. Several programs were
discussed including a possible picnic
in the Dell one Tuesday afternoon
before the beginning of the Army
R.O.T.C. leadership lab.

Discussion of the proposed
"free university," one where
subjects to be taught and who
would teach them would be
entirely up to the students who
attend, also took place. Stress was
placed on a broad student body,
not just those members of SDS.

The meeting ended with a short
presentation on racism in
Charlottesville and a plan for
coeducation at the University. It
was also suggested that instead of
yelling with the cheerleaders at the
football games, students should
respond with, "Hell no, we won't
go!"