University of Virginia Library

Letters

Alumnus Hits War,
Calls Shannon Censure
'An Egregious Error'

—Ed.

I am in receipt of your circular
letter of July 6, 1970 reproducing
your letter to the alumni written
after your letter of May 15
censuring the rector and the
president of the university.

I am not aware of any survey
taken of the Alumni Association
and feel that it was presumptive on
your part to assume that the
majority is in support of your
stand.

I take strong exception to your
criticism of the president for what
you choose to call his "stand on
political issues." The war in
Vietnam has long since passed
beyond the realm of being a
political issue and is now a
fundamental moral and ethical
issue. Your errors are so egregious
in this matter that you would be
well advised to resign, I cannot but
feel that your action in censuring
the president was much more
political than his comments on the
war. Your use of the office of the
president of the Alumni
Association to take such a political
stand in opposition to the rising
spirit of indignation expressed by
the students and the faculty is far
more deserving of censure.

I am proud as an alumnus to
know that President Shannon, the
faculty and the student body have
the intellectual capacity and
integrity to make a clear distinction
between politics and fundamental
questions of morality and ethics.

After reading Mr. Heblich's
article "The Custom Lives On" in
the September 14 edition of the
Cavalier Daily, we are astounded by
the inaccuracies he is propagating.
Although the coat and tie tradition
has lost some of its appeal at the
University, it most certainly hasn't
vanished, especially on "road
trips."

At least until last June, the vast
majority of Virginia males were
coat and ties—a fact to which any
perceptive observer will attest. Not
only does the tradition still exist, it
is expected by most girls
throughout the state.

As regards "refreshment," we
doubt marijuana's classification as
such. After having consulted several
veterans of road trips, we have have
been reassured that the bourbon
flask remains an essential
accoutrement of the well prepared
Cavalier.

The only conclusions we can
reach concerning Mr. Heblich's
blatant ignorance is that he has
obviously never gone "down the
road" and is merely pandering to
the Time Magazine stereotype of
modern American college students.

Daniel Falcone
College IV

—Ed.