University of Virginia Library

Leaders Seek Offices
Through Party System

Three times a year student
leaders hit the campaign trail as the
student body elects Student
Council and Judiciary Committee
members and officers of the various
schools.

Last May a myriad of candidates
ran for Student Council in the
College's most exciting election in
recent history. More students in the
College voted than ever before for
six candidates offered by the two
traditional political parties, Skull
and Keys and Sceptre Society; four
nominees of the. University Party
and two from a new party, the
Anarchists.

In addition to these candidates,
three students ran as independents.

The two candidates nominated
by the Anarchist Party swept the
election with over a third of the
voting students supporting them
among a field of sixteen candidates.

The traditional rival political
parties, Skull and Keys and the
Sceptre Society, meet twice a year
to nominate candidates for Student
Council and the Judiciary
Committee and once during the
second semester to nominate
College officers.

In the past these two societies
have virtually controlled the
selection of leaders for the various
elective positions in the University.
The arrival of the University Party
and the Anarchist Party,
however, has forced the 43-year old
rivals to consolidate somewhat, as
last year they each nominated
fewer candidates than in previous
years.

University Party

The University party, consisting
mostly of independents and
non-fraternity men succeeded last
year in electing their candidates to
several Student Council positions.
The strength of the University
party in the last election was
diminished by the success of the
Anarchist party.

The Anarchists appeared last
May with a campaign designed to
stir up apathetic students. They
promised to put "life in the
Student Council." The success of
the Anarchists in electing more
candidates is yet to be seen, since
the party has no formal
organization.

In the Engineering School, the
Trigon Engineering Society and
Theta Tau political fraternity
provide rival tickets for all elected
positions in that school. The
University party has also entered
some races to provide a third party.

Oldest Party

The history of political parties
at the University has been complex
and exciting. In 1895, Skull and
Keys, the oldest surviving political
society, was established to
"promote social enjoyment and a
spirit of class allegiance."

The Sceptre Society was
founded in 1896 as Lambda Pi. The
Sceptre Society states as its purpose

to "promote good student
government in college activities.

These societies were formed
primarily as academic fraternities.
In 1939 they united to form the old
University party, which controlled
College elections until it was
overthrown by the newly organized
Cavalier Party in the 1951 election.

Both the Cavalier party and the
old University party are now
defunct. With the demise of these
two parties, Skull and Keys and
Sceptre Society again emerged as
rivals.

The presidents of the College
political societies are Lawrence
Altaffer, Sceptre Society; Robert
Green, Skull and Keys; and Randy
Ross, University Party. The
Engineering School presidents have
not been announced.