University of Virginia Library

Edward Saunders

End Elitism . . . Expand

At the foundation of all the
arguments against expansion, one
finds a very subtle yet treacherous
elitist exclusionary consciousness.
The University of Virginia as a state
University, has very definite
obligations to the constituents of
Virginia. Namely that of educating
these individuals who are qualified
for a higher level education.

This entails their duty to the
too often neglected black and
minority group population within
Virginia. Though they make up a
very sizable proportion of the state,
their subsequent student ratio
within the University is criminally
deficient. The University has been
abjectly negligent in achieving this
congruent level of student
enrollment. Yet, these are the
individuals that so desperately need
the opportunity to benefit from
this level of education which their
ever present tax dollars have
instituted.

If expansion is aborted, then
these are the people who will be
denied this very vital opportunity,
not the white middle-class male. It
is common knowledge that the
University of Virginia has until very
recently been an exclusive, white
southern aristocratic "private", yet
state funded school, whose past is
rampant with the psychotic
exclusion of blacks, poor whites,
Indians, Mexican-Americans,
women and other minority groups.
Though the University enjoyed the
pleasure of discrimination in their
admission policies, the State and
federal taxes were demanded
indiscriminately of all for its
funding. To cut off expansion in its
embryonic stage is to perpetuate
these criminal activities.

When I speak of expansion I am
advocating also the expansion of
academic sensitivity to students and
in particular minority students.
While in the throes of
overcrowding, those individuals
that are most stifled in economic
survival because of their color in an
oppressive white society must be
guaranteed housing, financial aid
and security, which will enable
them to remain at the University
once admitted.

If this is not dealt with and the
systematic economic elimination is
allowed to continue, then decay of
the University is imminent. It is
cold reality that a black student
must face each day and until it is
abolished, maintenance and most
importantly expansion of the
University will be impossible.

On the other hand if the
University can assure us that by
temporarily limiting expansion in
order to "buy time" for an
extensive building program, and for
the alleviation of the overcrowding
problems, while they increase the
enrollment of black students to its
congruent level and cut down the
enrollment of white male students
in order to reach an equitable
proportionate student
representation, then this would be
an ideal situation.

But, the history of this nation
and that of this school, has all too
well dramatized the point that
when it is between a black (and
other human beings) and one of
their own "blue-eyed devils" in
the acquisition of equal
opportunities (educational, social,
economical, etc) they will brutally
and sadistically stifle all others for
their own avaricious gain. The
history of the University of Virginia
has differed slightly. By all rational
considerations, one can have very
little faith in their good will to act
differently if expansion is allowed
to be curtailed.

So, in short, for those to
encourage the abortion of
expansion is to reflect that
elitist-country-club mentality which
has been detrimental to blacks in
the past, and one can see little
change now.