University of Virginia Library

Council Rejects 'Concession'

it seems to us that the best way we
can do this is through
demonstrating the undeniable fact
that these facilities are needed. This
we hope to do on Tuesday.

A week ago, I suspect that we
would have treated your letter on
the Future of the University
Committee as a good-faith effort to
do what we've been asking, and
would have waited to see what
conclusions, if any, the committee
reached on the physical problems
of expansion. By this, I mean that I
seriously doubt that any actions
would have been scheduled. But
you waited until one o'clock this
morning to present us with this
letter. You waited until a very great
number of students were firmly
convinced from the expressed
attitudes of members of your
administration that our words had
failed and the time had come for
demonstrative action. As a tactic to
put us over a barrel, your letter was
superbly timed. But, after due
consideration, we have concluded
that, on the strength of a letter
such as this, our constituents would
not permit us to urge cancellation
of the proposed actions. Some
more substantive statement would
be necessary; it has not been
forthcoming.

The frustrations over our
academic environment have been a
long time building. Since the last
meeting of the Committee on the
Future, the great majority of
students has become convinced that
it is necessary for us to take
rational action to demonstrate the
points our words have clearly failed
to make. Unfortunately, Mr.
Shannon, you waited too long to
try to reverse this attitude.

Let me make perfectly clear, Mr.
Shannon, that we of the student
body and you in the administration
are committed to an identical goal:
the pursuit of excellence for the
University of Virginia. Too often
within the last day it has seemed
that you felt we were antagonistic
force selling to
advantage over one another. That,
it seems to me, may be the spirit in
which you wrote yesterday's letter
to Vice President Shannon. But this
is not as it should be. It is not what
we desire. The University is
suffering now from the effects of
precipitous growth. It will, we are
convinced, suffer more if the
enrollment projections confirmed
by you, by the State Council for
Higher Education and by Governor
Holton are put into effect. Our
actions on University Tuesday will
demonstrate this. They will
reaffirm our dedication to the
excellence of this University.