University of Virginia Library

Getting Into Shannon's Head

displaced otherwise qualified white,
male applicants. Political
pragmatism forbade this simple
remedy and made growth
inevitable.)

The chasm between student and
administrative, concepts of basic
student needs is manifest in their
divergent concepts of the
University's primary responsibility.
The student views the University as
an autonomous entity.
Accordingly, the President of the
University is expected to
demonstrate leadership in his
endeavor to meet basic student
needs. The University has finite
existence for the student since he
will take his B.A. or B.S. after four
years of study. A future building is
of no importance because it will
never contribute to his well-being.
In short, the student must have the
best now.

Ongoing Service

In contradistinction, Mr.
Shannon's view of the University is
one of an ongoing service instituted
to meet continued state needs. He
must make do with what the
University has today and plan
better things for tomorrow. Its
contribution to the state
supplements other state
institutions. For example, other
colleges, many primary and
secondary schools, highways, police
and fire protection, etc. all are a
part of the total picture of the state
providing for the welfare of its
citizens. Consequently, as Mr.
Shannon astutely noted, the
University competes in stiff
competition with other state
institutions for scarce resources.

This casts Mr. Shannon as the
University's chief administrative
official, in a political role. One may
surmise from Mr. Shannon's own
remarks that he is not a "president"
in the truest sense, but a mere agent
of the state. This is not to imply
that he does not consider himself as
a catering to two sots of
needs-those of the state and his
students. Rather, where needs
conflict, the pinch is necessarily to
be felt by students.

Personal Experience

Mr. Shannon related his concept
of basic student needs to the crude
conditions he experienced as a
student. While at Oxford, he did
not have running water and mice
were a problem From the personal
source and tone of this response, it
is fair to conclude that he perceives
existing conditions (be they acute
shortages) are satisfactory.

Obviously, Mr. Shannon is not
in a position to empathize with
students since his ministerial duties
do not afford him the opportunity
to associate with students and
understand their academic and
social environment. This is to say
that because Mr. Shannon is not a
contemporary undergraduate, he is
oblivious to the true nature of
universities as being both an
academic forum and a social
setting.

From his 29 October speech,
one can adduce that since he does
not experience the infirmities
brought on by the disparity
between student enrollment and
the University's physical capacity,
he does not see the problems either.
Mr. Shannon's blindness is the
result of anticipating outside
pressure and an aloofness from the
student body.