University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

Finally, Co-ed Gym

As one who is actively
involved in club sports at the
University, I am acutely aware
of the problems experienced in
funding our activities. The
article on club sports in the
Tuesday, November 7, issue of
the CD cogently presents
certain aspects of these
problems. Unfortunately, its
accuracy in making accusations
concerning discrimination
against women in club sports
was lacking.

Ms. Hand, in giving
examples of the alleged
injustices done to girls
athletics, contrasts the $433
allocation for the girls hockey
team to the $1273 allocated to
the "boys' gymnastic team".

First of all, there is no such
thing as the "boys' gymnastic
team" per se. The title of our
organization is the University
of Virginia Gymnastics Club,
for one major reason. Nearly
half of those students who
have filled out membership
forms this year and participate
in our activities are women,
Because of this, our allocation
for 1972-73 will be used for
equipment, supplies, uniforms
and activities for both men nd
women.

My point is, simply, that
our club in no way
discriminates against anyone
on the basis of race, religion,
age, national origin, sex or
ability level. If Ms. Hand is
looking for an example of the
injustice done to women
through club sports, I suggest
she look elsewhere.

Gymnastics at the
University is, unfortunately, a
generally unknown and
unpublicized activity. What
publicity we do receive, we
hope would at least be
accurate.

Going Once...

Your hysterical editorial,
'The Buying of a Senator"
Nov. 10), in which you
continue your attacks on
Congressman (soon to be
Senator) William Scott must
not go unanswered.

Political campaign
contributions have been a part
of politics throughout
campaign history. In the case
of Mr. Scott, as the challenger,
it was thoroughly proper that
he outspent the incumbent,
Senator Spong, by two-to-one,
in order to be able to campaign
on an equal footing. While
Senator Spong had received
ample publicity for six years,
Mr. Scott was known primarily
to only his eighth district
constituents – about 10% of
the state.

As for Mr. Stetson
Coleman buying a Senator, he
was merely helping the people
of Virginia receive the finest
possible representation in the
U.S. Senate. Don't anyone kid
themselves into thinking that a
man who voted against a
conservative southerner, G.
Harold Carswell, for a Supreme
Court appointment, who voted
for a definite deadline to have
all U.S. troops out of South
Vietnamese, who voted to keep
Virginia among a few states
requiring federal government
approval for its voting laws,
and who spurned the caucus of
southern Senators as one of his
first acts – all things which
Senator Spong had done –
could possibly expect to be
sent back to the Senate by the
people of Virginia.

Indeed the people would
have been fooled if Senator
Spong, not Bill Scott, had been
elected. Spong's last minute
endorsement of Senator
McGovern merely confirmed
our worse-suspicions.

So once again Virginia has
two unabashed conservative
Senators – the Cavalier Daily's
and the New York Times' sour
grapes notwithstanding.