University of Virginia Library

Yuhnke Replies

We appreciate the extensive publicity
which your paper has finally
conceded to give to the issues
concerning black students in the
last few days, issues which we have
been raising over the last few
weeks. However, I was most disappointed
to see that as usual the
CD has accepted unquestioningly
administrative handouts and made
no effort to contact other parties
involved in important news stories.

Sine a representative of the King
Chapter of the Human Relations
Council was not interviewed concerning
the statement by Mr.
Saunier or any of the issues raised
in the communications between
the Council and the President's
office, we hope that you will allow
us to correct one major misconception
which you included in
the story. A close reading of the
letter which the Council sent to
Mr. Shannon on April 29 will
show that we did not ask for
"complete maintenance for five
Negro students" as you reported
but rather funds for "five
students" from culturally deprived
backgrounds. This misinterpretation
has been the source of some
confusion in a number of quarters.
Your lack of careful reporting
has not helped eliminate that
confusion.

Robert E. Yuhnke, President

Martin Luther King Chapter

Virginia Council on Human Relations.

In order to obviate any further misunderstanding
on both sides, we quote
here in toto the fifth paragraph of
your letter of April 29: "For the same
reason that special consideration must
be given to black students in admissions
polices, it is not alone enough
to simply admit students from a culturally
deprived background. The University
must also offer such students
academic and financial aid. As you
know, the faculty recently established
the Martin Luther King Scholarship
Fund. We feel that it is important for
the University to promote the success
of this Fund. Therefore we recommend
that the University seed the Fund with
a contribution sufficient to provide
complete maintenance for at least five
students. This could come from present
scholarship funds or other uncommitted
funds." These were your words.
They speak for themselves.-Ed.