University of Virginia Library

I feel it is necessary to respond
to three remarks in Peter H.
Goldman's letter (April 17).

The first remark refers to the
"rude comments and applause
during President Shannon's
call for all to follow the paths of
reason." The only comment that I
heard from the audience which was
generally audible came during Esmond
Wright's speech, and I admit
that it was rude.

Mr. Wright, however, was able to
produce an immediate rejoinder to
the comment, and the entire
audience showed its appreciation of
the put-down with applause. How
Mr. Goldman could interpret the
applause which followed Mr.
Shannon's initial remarks as sarcastic
is beyond my comprehension.

Mr. Goldman's next comment
referred to the walkout, or "withdrawal."
The walkout was a symbolic
manifestation of sorrow and
distress concerning the conditions
which exist here, and, more specifically,
a protest of the Seven
Society's hypocritical presentation
of racial harmony award (not a
protest against the choice of the
recipient, as many have said).

Finally, Mr. Goldman has adopted
what can be seen as either an
absurd or a paranoid notion that
the demonstrators were protesting
his commendable academic achievements.
Members of the Coalition
also marched in the procession, and
I am sure that they did not feel that
their Dean's List status, or anybody's,
was the raison d'etre of the
protest. If Mr. Goldman has been
able to spend the past year here and
still not realize at whom the protest
was aimed, and against what practices
it was aimed, he must truly be
a very insulated character.