University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

general, cannot register to vote
in Charlottesville and
Albemarle unless they show
"intent to domicile." Most
students have no intention of
remaining in this area a
after graduation, and are therefore
forced (1) to secure an
absentee ballot (a rather
cumbersome process whose
procedures have not been
widely publicized) or (2) in the
case of in-state students, to cut
classes so that they can return
home to vote.

Student Council, in its
unanimous motion of October
3, sought to ease both of these
restrictions. Council requested
that The Cavalier Daily print
our list of absentee ballot
regulations in the 50 states for
use of out-of-state students.
And Council requested class
suspension to aid in-state
students, many of whom
(especially Engineers and
Graduates) find it undesirable
and even a hardship to miss a
difficult course or two.

Madison College and other
colleges throughout the
country have seen the wisdom
and fair play in suspending
their classes for Election Day.
It was Student Council's hope
that the University of Virginia
would act similarly.

However, your editorial
wish that Student Council's
request "not be approved" is a
self-fulfilling one, I'm afraid.
Administrators will
undoubtedly point to your
editorial when explaining their
refusal of Council's request.

Your editorial was not in
the best interests of students,
nor did it represent what I feel
is the opinion of an
overwhelming majority of
students at this University.

Community

Your editorial on whether
or not to rush was at best a
superficial on the treatment on
the subject.

The C.D. seemed to be
telling the first year class to
either join or not to join a
fraternity simply on the
condition the system is in now.
By giving such advice, I think
the C.D. missed the crux of the
matter.

Fraternities at U.Va. have
a potential for community
living that the University seems
to have forfeited. Except for
the dormitories and the Lawn,
the University offers no
housing that enables a fairly
large group to come together
to live as a community.

The first year class will
know what I mean when next
year it is scattered all over the
Charlottesville area,
fragmented into small groups.
Under such conditions, it is
very difficult to keep alive just
a few of the many friendships
built during the first year.

Theoretically, fraternities
hold the promise of enabling
one to develop a large number
of friends with whom a person
can share the college
experience for four years, not
just one year. Sure, fraternities
have drawbacks, but that is not
the issue that I am addressing
myself to right now.

I just wanted to point out
what I think is the best thing
fraternities have going for them
at U.Va., an aspect which the
C.D. failed to point out.

Fraternities have a great
potential for community life at
this "commuter University"
and the first year class might
do well to try to tap this
source of potential and to
improve the fraternities at the
University rather than to reject
or accept them solely for what
they are now.