University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor:

Reader Suggests 'Boot the Hoot'

There appears to be a general
apathy throughout the University
concerning Virginia's basketball
program. In a year when teams have
been equaling or surpassing recent
records, Football 7-3, Swimming
8-2 and wrestling finishing second
in the ACC, why is there no interest
in the basketball situation? Does
the University community believe
the charges brought against Coach
Bill Gibson to be unfounded?
Hardly, for if they are the Athletic
Department would readily refute
them. Do we wish only to rest on
laurels of past Athletic performance
and forget sports not producing
winning records? If this is the case
why not close down the University
Hall court and forget basketball.

In this period of increasing
prestige and bettering of records we
must face facts and demand a
change. Gibson has had six years to
prove himself and he has proved to
be a loser, 50-97. Let's not remain
passive but rather show some
interest and "Boot the Hoot."

'Promote Gibson'

I made the mistake of going to a
Virginia basketball game during my
first year and witnessed the spectacle
of orange ties supporting a
team that my high school would
have been ashamed of. As I recall,
there was plenty of individual
talent, a number of brilliant individual
efforts; however, I also saw a
disgusting lack of teamwork
coupled with an embarrassing over
abundance of fouls.

Many evenings during the last
three seasons have been spent either
in University Hall or listening to the
radio announcer. Always the story
is the same: we were good, we
played hard, but we weren't good
enough - the difference in the
game was fouls.

I watched another Virginia game
on television during the past season.
Fouls were so abundant the three
players on our starting lineup
fouled out. Once again I saw that
distinct lack of team effort that has
come to characterize U.Va. basketball.

There is something very wrong
in our basketball program here at
Virginia. The players blame Mr.
Gibson, their coach. In his column
this past week, Mr. McKean has
made a convincing case for the
absence of teamwork being due in
large part to Mr. Gibson's personal
handling. Perhaps the abundance of
fouls is due to a lack of talent: I
prefer to think that it is due to a
lack of discipline and coaching
attention. In any event, the team's
performance has demonstrated Mr.
Gibson's incompetence as a basketball
coach.

I genuinely enjoy a good basketball
game. I would have liked to
have supported my team with
pride; however, I found myself
embarrassed at their performance
again and again. If Mr. Gibson will
not resign, then I recommend that
he be "promoted" to some other
position. I cast my vote with the
team. I don't care how, but -
Gibson Must Go!

Self-Appointed

Greetings. Your policy on coeducation
for the College of Arts
and Sciences:

1. As self-appointed representative
of William & Mary I love you.
Now you can be just like me and I
won't have to have a quota.

2. As self-appointed delegate for
Mary Washington College I hate
you. Everybody here wants to be
there. We are so well qualified that
about half of us will make it.
Maybe that's no so bad because
then half of you can come over
here.

'Dixie'

There is widespread misunderstanding
of the Student Council's
motive for "urging" the Pep Band
and WUVA to discontinue their
playing of Dixie. While discussing
this issue at length on February 25
and March 4, it was unequivocally
recognized by all Councilmen that
their objective was not to outlaw
free speech or to strike Southern
heritage from U.Va.'s books; nor
were they saying that racial bigotry
is exclusively confined to the
South. Finally, they did not argue
the song. They noted
that in absolute terms, to be sure,
the words of Dixie do not constitute
a racial song.

The reason of their decision lies
in the fact that music is emotional,
not objective. No matter how much
nicer Dixie sounds juxtaposed with
the Star Spangle Banner, the former
has definite racial overtones, inasmuch
as, it is used by a number of
University students as a rallying cry
for white dominance over Negroes,
and signifies to some blacks and
whites, past ill-treatment of minority
groups in the South.

The Student Council is trying to
lead the University in fostering
desegregation by making appeals to
two student organizations not to
proliferate racial prejudices. The
Student Coalition by its eleven
demands is trying to have a little
effect. The Council's resolution is
not (nor was ever intended to be) a
decree banning all singing, playing
or listening of Dixie. Rather, its
explicit design is to make the
University desirable to all ethnic
groups.

Perverted Meaning

To most white citizens who have
grown up in the South the
Confederate battle flag has been a
symbol that related primarily to
courage and to regional pride. In
recent years, its use by anti-Negro
groups has been intended to indicate
racial bias and new opposition
to the United States Government,
particularly since the United Stated
Government has become the
principal protector of the rights of
minorities. Increasingly, its effect
upon American Negroes has been
one of insult. In a word, the
meaning of a brave flag has become
perverted.

The growing resentment of Negroes
to the Confederate "Stars and
Bars" apparently is similar to the
reaction of another generation of
the swastika. The World War in
which Americans served and lost so
many friends was fought against an
army and nation whose flag showed
the swastika, no matter how many
times one reflects that it once was
an ancient Persian symbol of
benediction, it still tends to mean
Nazism to many. To Jews it must
still stand for the death of six
million men, women and children
who never even had a chance to
defend themselves in battle. To
American Negroes the present perverted
use of the Confederate flag
apparently signifies Southern
lynchings, as Jews understandably,
equate the swastika with Nazi
torture and gas chambers.

The playing of "Dixie" at public
events is becoming equated with
the perverted meaning - not the
real meaning - of the Confederate
battle flag. The history of this
exciting tune is well known. From a
music hall tune enjoyed by
Abraham Lincoln it came to be
appropriated as a marching and
later as a Southern regional anthem.
It is now being misappropriated as
has been the flag, to become for
many people a public signal for
standing and shouting, ostensibly
for principle and patriotism, but as
a matter of opposition to Negroes.

The fact that "Dixie" does not
offend individuals personally is
unimportant when compared to the
fact that it is extremely offensive to
Negro Americans. It appears that
this relates to a matter solely for
individuals to decide. Perhaps as a
matter of taste and consideration of
the feelings of Negro students and
citizens, the playing of "Dixie" at
public occasions should be suspended
until the day (and it will
come) when its present perverted
meaning has been outgrown and it
can be considered again as an
exciting tune to rally Southerners
in honorable competitions - but
not in bigotry.

Roger L. Long
Consultative Resource Center
on School Desegregation
102 Levering Hall