University of Virginia Library

Refrigerators

As we have observed in the past, the
dormitories are not exactly the most pleasant
place in Albemarle County to live. In fact,
they are quite unpleasant most of the time.
The only thing that saves them is the presence
of friendly fellow sufferers with whom the
student can make the best of a bad situation.

The set of regulations and restrictions,
known as the Terms and Conditions, has
contributed to the penal atmosphere that
surrounds the dormitory area, especially
cinder block row on McCormick Road. The
regulations seem to be so all encompassing to
allow the student only a bed, a chair, a lamp,
and his books for comfort. None of the
appliance and articles which great American
technology has given to us to that life is a bit
more comfortable are allowed. The three
main rationalizations used by the Housing
Office in the past have been that the illicit
objects: 1) Detract from the study
atmosphere of the dormitories 2) Are
potential health hazards 3) Would overly tax
the poor electrical system in the dormitory
area.

These objections to such things as
televisions, refrigerators, hot plates, and even
foot lockers all fit into the philosophy that
the dormitory is a place to study and to sleep,
not necessarily live. The Housing Office, at
the prompting of the Executive Committee of
Counselors, has finally started to reappraise
the Terms and Conditions so that the student,
especially the first-year man or woman, will
not have to lead a Spartan existence in his
particular cell block. We commend the
Housing Office and Director Ralph Main for
showing a little more responsiveness to the
needs of the students.

The issue at hand now is the presence of
refrigerators in the dormitories. The plan
currently under study by Richard Shutts,
Business Manager of the University, would
grant refrigerator rental privileges only to the
Food Services. There is fear that if students
were allowed to have refrigerators, the Food
Services would suffer a loss of business and
thereby revenue from their facilities in the
dormitory area. To compensate for this loss
the Food Services would be granted a
monopoly of the refrigerator business on the
Grounds.

We would like to submit an alternate plan
which would give the student,
our concern, greater benefits, yet would
hopefully not diminish the Food Services
revenues. The Food Services would have a
rental monopoly on refrigerators, but
students who have their own refrigerators
would be allowed to have them in their
dormitory rooms. Outside concerns would
not be allowed to come onto the Grounds to
set up any kind of rental plan as an alternative
to that of the Food Services. The student who
has his own refrigerator should not be forced
to rent University Food Services if he wishes
to have one in his dormitory room. We do see,
however, the reasons for keeping outside
concerns out of the business on the Grounds.

We urge students living in the dormitories
to vote for refrigerators in the Survey that
will soon be taken, despite the possibility of a
climb in food prices or a shortening of the
hours of operation of the Food Service
facilities. As we have seen in the past, Food
Services will do what it wants with prices and
hours over the cries of students anyway.