University of Virginia Library

Women Accepted

The make-up of the new class was not
always beneficial, however. Problems soon
arose that may soon test the strength and
wisdom of the University.

One problem was with women and sexual
discrimination. While most student
organizations changed their rules to allow
women into their ranks, at least one group, the
Jefferson Society, refused to allow the women
into their organization.

This action brought the repercussion of the
Student Council desiring to oversee the use of
University facilities to insure no discrimination
by sex. But the Jefferson Society continued to
exist all male and the ownership of Jefferson
Hall was still in question.

An even more crucial problem arose over the
sizeable number of black students entering the
University. In years past, one saw only a few
black students in the University's classes, but
now the University community could no longer
ignore the fact that the capstone of public
education in Virginia was finally being made an
institution of all the people, and not just
whites.

The reaction of the University was not good.
It did not take long until charges of harassment
and fears of alienation began to spring up. It
was in November that the Council heard
Maryann McDermot warn that the University is
"faced with the possible total alienation of
blacks. Unfortunately, the problem is getting
worse and not better."

Almost proving her warning, it was only a
month later that blacks reported incidents of
harassment by city and University police,
students and other University employees. The
black students claimed that students had
grabbed black girls and had thrown bottles
from dormitories at groups of blacks, and that
police were indiscriminately stopping black
students in checks on student identification.

Despite administration assurances that
attempts to end such harassment would be
made and denials by the University police that
they were stopping blacks due to race,
harassment continued to be reported and
students were left with the words of one black
students that people harassing blacks "might
not get away next time."

Reactions from last year's student strike also
precipitated events at the University during the
semester ranging from a new conduct code to
the nol prossing of trials.

In reaction to the take-over of a building last
spring, the Board of Visitors, administrators,
and conservative students met over the summer
to construct a new student conduct code.

Replacing the old rule of "conduct
unbecoming a University student," the code
made "disorderly conduct," "lewd and obscene
behavior," and conduct such as interfering with
the proper "educational purpose" of the
University punishable by various sanctions.

Trials also marked the reaction of the
University and community to the student
strike. Arthur 'Bud' Ogle, former president of
the Student Council, was convicted over the
summer for failure to disperse during a rally last
spring. Another student, Tom Doran, was
convicted for destroying University property
and then convicted again in the fall for
'perjury. A third student, Bob Collector, was
convicted on charges stemming from county
offenses.