University of Virginia Library

Stuart Pape

Committees: A Story Of Stagnation

A few years ago, students at the
University, along with their
compatriots at most other
institutions of higher learning,
decided that membership on
administrative and faculty
committees was the only way that
they could obtain influence in the
decisions affecting their school. The
feeling was that while
demonstrations and rallies could be
and still are effective tactics for
expressing opinions and forcing
responses, the real decisions were
made in the various committees and
hence student representation was
imperative.

In the interim since that battle
was won, at least for the most part
by the students, there has been
much to warrant a serious
questioning of the continued
viability of the committee system
and student membership. By and
large, the experience on the various
committees has been unsatisfactory
and in many cases downright
frustrating if not infuriating. A few
examples will serve to clarify the
point.

Rare Meetings

For some reason, a large number
of these committees, faculty and
administrative rarely meet. In fact
some do not meet at all. The ROTC
Affairs committee, chaired for the
past two years by professor
Hamilton of the Biology
Department did not meet at all last
year and as of this date no meeting
has been scheduled. It is hard to
believe that with all the controversy
surrounding the presence of ROTC
units on university campuses and
the questions, concerning the
contracts between the schools and
the Department of Defense that
there have been no matters
appropriate for discussion by this
group.

The ROTC Affairs committee is
a good example of the failure of the
committee to carry out its
designated role. During the debate
carried on by the College faculty
about credit for ROTC courses it
was repeatedly claimed by
supporters of credit that the
committee created by the College
faculty and headed by Professor
Selden of the Economics
Department was engaging in an
inquiry only into the academic
aspects of the program and that if
the matter-was removed from the
jurisdiction of the College and given
solely to an administrative
committee, all the other issues
could be aired with a perspective
broadened by the more diverse
membership on the latter
committee.

Yet, since the adoption of that
position by the College faculty, no
meeting of the ROTC Affairs
committee has been held and no
discussions on the myriad issues
involved has occurred. A clearer
abdication of responsibility cannot
be found.

Shenanigans

There is however, a more
outrageous example of the
shenanigans that are engaged in to
effectively and systematically bar
students from full participation in
the governance of the University.
This is done by manipulation of
committees.

One of the prized
appointments that students have
eagerly sought is to the Future of
the University committee. Given
the problems of growth and the
impact on present and future
students, this committee has been
felt to be the one where discussion
of real issues and actual
involvement can be had.
Unfortunately such has not been
the case.

In previous years the charge
given to the Future of the
University committee by President
Shannon has been limited and
consequently only a relatively small
number of problems discussed. Last
spring the Student Council received
a commitment that the committee
would be reconstituted and given
responsibility to discuss and make
recommendations concerning all
aspects of the growth problem,
particularly those which had an
impact on students,-parking, class
size, housing and so forth.

Misled

It was with that assurance in
mind that the student members of
the committee eagerly awaited the
first meeting of this year. Much to
their amazement they were told
by the Chairman of the committee,
Vice-President David Shannon, that
the committee would be examining
only those aspects of growth that
related to academics-quality of the
faculty and so forth. Somewhere
along the line someone had
reneged on last year's promise.

The most important result of
this limited charge given to the
committee is to provide no forum
for students, faculty and
administrators to discuss growth
problems. There is no other single
committee that can possibly have
responsibility for these problems.

The students have been shut out.
What happens now that the
burdens that students are forced to
shoulder because of growth are not
to be discussed? Other tactics must
be resorted to, that is boycotts,
rallies, sleep-ins on the lawn and the
like. These latter tactics will not be
rational discussion of the issues as
desired by the students but appear
to be the only remaining way to
demonstrate concern and desire for
involvement.

Aside from committees that do
not meet, and those that meet but
do so with cleverly restricted
charges, there are those which
should not even be in existence.
There is the Special Lectures each
year, and there are other
committees in this area.

Active Roll

But, the real question is what
can students do to see that their
voices are effectively heard on these
committees and to force the
committees to carry out their
responsibilities?

For one, a more active student
role is needed. Students should not
be content as committee members
to sit back and wait for issues
which are important to them to
come up. A good committee
member does more than merely
comment upon matters initiated by
other non-student members. The
student members' should consult
with the faculty representatives on
the respective committees and
attempt to jointly cause issues to be
discussed.

Write Letters

One recognized method for
getting a matter before a committee
is by writing a letter to the
chairman setting forth in general
terms the nature of the question
desired to be discussed. In some
cases, though, letters of this sort are
never mentioned by the chairman
in which case all members of the
committee should receive copies.
There are indications that students
who are on committees and desire
to send letters of this sort to all of
the members of a committee may
have them sent by the Student
Council secretary, eliminating the
cost and time required. This avenue
has been effective in the past and
should definitely be pursued.

Students should call or write the
committee chairmen for the
purpose of requesting a meeting if
their committee is one of those that
appears to exist in name only. If
necessary, students should get in
touch with Jerry Gardner, President
Shannon's assistant who has
indicated an interest in the
committees and their activities and
who has given assurances that he
will attempt to get them disbanded.

It seems manifestly unfair, to
place so much of the burden upon
the student members, and perhaps
it is. But, what else can be done?
Assuming that the students who are
on committees go to the meetings
(they frequently don't), they
should play the game like everyone
else does. A student on an
administrative or faculty committee
is just like any other member. He or
she is not a second class member
with a limited function.

The student body here expects
full representation from its
spokesmen on committees and
deserves nothing less. The time has
come for all student committee
members to speak out, to exercise
their prerogatives and to begin to
insist that the University be run the
way we have been told it does.