University of Virginia Library

By Joel Gardner

The New
Establishment

It is a natural occurrence for
individuals who are dissatisfied with
the current state of affairs to attack
those that are in power. Many times
these attacks are specifically
directed toward what is popularly
termed "the establishment." The
term establishment connotes a
ruling clique of like-minded people
that are able, because of their
positions of power, to successfully
propagate their point of view. The
word establishment takes on different
connotations, however, as it is
translated to different levels of
power. On the national scale it may
imply the "military-industrial complex"
and on the state level a
combination of business and professional
men: At the University the
term establishment has also had a
special connotation.

For many years the establishment
at U.Va. was considered to be
the fraternity system. It appeared
as if every position of student
power was held by a fraternity
man. The Student Council, publications,
the counseling system, the
University Union; all were completely
dominated by the fraternities.
But it was actually not
fraternity control in toto - it was
control by certain select fraternities
and by a certain type of fraternity
man. The coat and e man; the
man from the prestige house; the
conservative - this was a member
of the establishment. The establishment
as such did exist at the
University for many years. The
fourth year-man at the University
can remember it well. But for the
past three years it has been rapidly
crumbling; and in 1969 one can
honestly say that the Old Establishment
is virtually dead.

Today we are witnessing the
growth of a new establishment at
the University. It is not as strong
now as the old establishment was in
its prime, but it is getting there.
The new establishment is characterized
by a liberal-radical, anti-traditional
and generally anti-fraternity
tinge. Currently the new
establishment is in control of every
major University publication (The
Cavalier Daily, The Virginia
Weekly, The Virginia Spectator)
and the Student Council. It has its
eyes set on the Honor Committee
and the Judiciary Committee, what
they consider to be two of the last
bastions of the old establishment.

Whether the new establishment
ever becomes as firmly entrenched
as the old establishment is up to the
students of the University. If the
current trend continues, then the
new establishment will progressively
get stronger and be able to
plant its roots deep in the power
structure at the University. And as
we all know, once an establishment
is entrenched, it is quite difficult to
root out.