In the past few days the
University of Virginia has taken
great strides forward from the days
of a conservative, segregationist
past to a future of equality for all,
men and women, black and white.
The struggle has been a difficult
one, but with the meeting of the
Board of Visitors on Saturday, the
barriers to a better University
community have been breached.
However, the highest praise goes
not so much to the achievement
itself, but to the methods whereby
the goals were (and are being)
realized. Unlike many campuses
across the nation, this University
has proven that rational action on
the part of concerned students can
accomplish as much, not so
dramatically, but perhaps as
quickly, as violence and
destruction.
Gentlemen like Robert Rosen,
Ed Hayes, and all the others who
sponsored and participated in the
demonstration yesterday have
proven beyond any doubt that, at
the University of Virginia, "we are
not afraid to follow truth wherever
it may lead, nor to tolerate any
error, so long as reason is left free
to combat it." Errors have been
made in the past, but they can
better be rectified with reason than
with resort to violence. I can only
hope that activists throughout the
nation will learn and profit from
the example of a small university in
the Old South.
