University of Virginia Library

Only Money

Much has been said in recent years about
the commitment that a true effort to enlarge
the percentage of black students at the
University will require from students, faculty,
and administration. We have heard the excuses
that such and such a proposal cannot be
implemented because of lack of funds, trivial
state regulations, etc.

This week the University community will
be presented with an opportunity to alleviate
some of those problems that have stood in the
way of an intensive effort to recruit students
from minority groups and disadvantaged
backgrounds. Friday night, John Mayall and
Lighthouse will be playing in University Hall
and the profits from the concert (jointly
sponsored by Student Council and WUVA)
will be used to subsidize minority recruiting
and the Churchill Jordan Scholarship Fund.

It will be interesting to see the effect of
the concert's purpose on the ticket sales. John
Mayall and Lighthouse are accomplished
musicians, and their innovative ability places
them in the forefront of the new trends in
popular music. If their type of music appeals
to you, or if you are merely curious about the
type of thing they do, the concert will be well
worth attending.

Perhaps it would be unfair to use the
success of the concert as a measuring rod to
gauge the sentiment of the University
Community on black admissions, but that is
undoubtedly how it will be interpreted. If the
show is a success, on what has been termed a
half-big weekend, it will appear that either
John Mayall is very popular or people really
care about the imbalance of the student body.
If it fails, the obvious conclusion will be that
people stayed away because they didn't
believe in the cause.

So this concert's success ought to be of
paramount importance to all who are
interested in increasing the number of
qualified black students at the University. If
you are into Mayall or think you could be, be
certain to go. If you aren't, buy a ticket
anyway. All it will cost you is money.