University of Virginia Library

The President Speaks

President Shannon delivered the most
important speech of his life yesterday
afternoon to a crowd of students and faculty
close to 4,000 people. He didn't seem to
realize just how angry most of the students
were over the events of the past few days,
particularly the arrest of 68 students early
Saturday morning. But he and the crowd were
in substantial agreement over the war, and his
strong letter to Senators Byrd and Spong
brought a tremendous ovation from the
audience.

President Shannon has been caught
between two demanding constituencies all
through this strike and has had to decide
exactly which will have his true support. On
one side he sees the people and governor or
this state who have generally favored
President Nixon's Southeast Asian policies
and who would vehemently react against any
public statement President Shannon might
make against the war. On the other hand have
been the students and faculty of the
University who believe that the United States
has made a terrible mistake in Indochina and
who now feel that the most productive
manner through which dissent can be
registered is through the strike. We hope that
the words we heard yesterday mean finally
that President Shannon has cast his lot with
the people who compose this University
community.

Friday night's invasion of this University
and President Shannon's protest against the
war should serve as a rallying point for all of
us who oppose the war in Indochina and who
oppose the type of oppression and brutality
that occurred this weekend on the Grounds
and occurs daily in this country, particularly
among the black and disadvantaged. No
matter how many police or troops are brought
into our University, there will never be
enough to smash our bitter opposition to the
war and to totalitarianism in the nation. As a
result of the arrival of police and their
lawn order campaign, the University faces one
of the biggest crises in its long history.

All of us are outraged by the police action,
but we must exercise restraint, caution and
continue our nonviolent protest.

The strike referendum today can be
decisive in carrying forward a meaningful
strike. As President Shannon said yesterday,
every student should take this opportunity to
express his individual opinion. We believe that
the results will strongly endorse the strike as a
whole and the Cambodian and Kent State
demands in particular.

We endorse the proposal of the Strike
Committee for academic alternatives:
"Fourth-yearmen and other graduating
students who choose not to attend classes or
exams should be given the option to accept
their May I grades as final grades, or graduate
with a special notation explaining why no
final grades are recorded for this semester.
Non-graduating students who choose to
conclude this semester's education by working
against the war should have the option of
receiving May I grades or have grades stand
incomplete until October or until the student
is able to complete the work."

We believe that it is of the utmost
importance to keep the University open. A
University that is closed is a University that
cannot dissent.

We now have the solidarity and unity
needed to make the strike truly successful. We
need to rebuild our invaded community and
once again gain sight of the goals to end the
war in Indochina and the repression that is
blanketing this country and the University.