University of Virginia Library

Visitor Scott

Governor Linwood Holton's
announcement that Senator Hugh Scott
(R-Pa.) would fill the four-year seat vacated
by Richard Cross, who was ineligible for
reappointment, came as quite a surprise to
most members of the University community.
For the most part his appointment along with
the reappointment of C. Waller Barrett of
Charlottesville and William S. Potter of
Wilmington, Delaware came as pleasant news
to us.

Mr. Barrett and Mr. Potter through their
diligent efforts on behalf of the University.
especially during times when this institution
was under vicious attack from many of their
associates, have demonstrated their ability
and desire to continue to serve Virginia. Mr.
Barrett is best known for his continuing
interest in and support of the Library, a
critical part of the University that is currently
in desperate need; Mr. Potter has been
particularly active in bolstering the
University's financial status. Both men are
becoming increasingly more attuned to
working with students.

While most students would have preferred
the appointment of a black, a woman, or one
of their peers to the Board, they certainly are
not dissatisfied with the appointment of
Senator Scott. Considering the political
realities for Governor Holton in this state
along with the "leak" of Student Council
President Kevin Mannix's trip to Richmond to
lobby for an appointment of a black, the
Governor appointed a most worthy man.

In February 1972 there will be three
definite openings on the Board, thereby giving
the Governor more room to maneuver.
Hopefully by that time, the swing away from
the Nixonian doctrine at home and abroad
will open the way for the Governor's
appointment of a black as a Visitor.

There are many students who question
Senator Scott's appointment to the Board
because of his political association with the
Nixon Administration. Senator Scott has
labored for the past two years bordering on
complete disfavor of the President because of
his lack of support on some critical issues. His
position is difficult and, for us, often hard to
justify on a national level, but we do feel that
here he can follow his open and liberal
inclinations completely uninhibited by a
public eye to take him out of power.

The only reservations that we have with
Senator Scott's appointment is whether in his
monopolizing position as Senate Minority
Leader he will have sufficient time to
adequately perform his tasks on the Board
and comprehend what is actually happening
on the Grounds. Perhaps the greatest problem
students have had in presenting proposals
before the Board is getting its members to
understand the spirit and actual events that
are present on the Grounds. After last May's
hue and cry showed many members of the
Board how little they really knew about the
contemporary student in Charlottesville, they
were determined to spend more time with and
be more open to students. Their actions this
year have, by and large, reflected that
determination. We hope that Senator Scott
realizes that his acceptance of a position as a
Visitor is much more than an "honor," it is a
demanding job that must be performed
without narrowness so that the University can
proceed rapidly along a positive course.