University of Virginia Library

Political Parties Avoid College Officer Race

By Bryan DeLaney
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The Honor Committee announced
earlier this week that no political parties
would run candidates in the spring
election for College officers.

Although the Virginia Progressive
Party confirmed this in a general meeting
Monday night, Quinn Spitzer, president
of the Jefferson Party, stated yesterday
that he had not been involved in making
the decision and that it had been forced
upon the parties by the Honor
Committee.

David Morris, president of the College,
said that a candidate's association with a
particular party is often misleading and unfair.
The difficulty which arises, he said, is that the
duties of the College officers are not at all of a
political nature while the sponsorship of party
often carries with it an immediate and
influential political label.

Mr. Morris added that this problem had been
considered for a long time and the
announcement was made with the
understanding that the major parties had
already decided not to run candidates.

Jeff Kirsch, president of the VPP, stated
that his party held a meeting Monday night and
decided at that time that independent
candidates would receive fairer consideration
than candidates bearing a party label.

He also added that it was their purpose to
maintain a unified party along primarily
political lines and agreed that the College
positions were, indeed, nonpolitical.

He did, however, encourage people to run as
independent candidates and pointed out that
there is a great need for someone who might
help foster change and improvement in the
present system. Such a candidate might receive
unofficial support from members of the VPP,
he said.

Apparently the Jefferson Party will not run
a candidate although no meeting was held to
discuss the decision. Mr. Spitzer, president,
claimed that he had been "completely
surprised" by the announcement of the Honor
Committee and that it placed any party desiring
to run a candidate at a severe disadvantage.

Any student desiring to run as an
independent candidate from the College should
submit a petition with at least 200 signatures
supporting his candidacy no later than 5 p.m.
March 8 to the Student Government offices in
Newcomb Hall.