University of Virginia Library

Dear Sir:

No credit can be given The
Cavalier Daily for its narrow,
misinformed and ultimately
stupid editorial concerning the
Virginia Weekly.

A discussion of the forces
that hounded the Weekly into
ceasing publication would have
been more in order, especially
since CD coverage of the
various suits, harassments and
administrative attacks against
the Weekly was only cursory.

Since I do not recall the CD
being in the Vanguard when it
came to attacking the racism at
UV or the sexism of the
Virginia abortion laws, or the
varied aspects of the Indochina
war (such as the bombing of
the ike systems in Northern
Vietnam), or the Intolerable
wage situation of the
University's non-academic
employees, it seems not only
petty but patently unfair to
omit mention of these struggles
when discussing the
Weekly whose pages and
whose staff reflected a
commitment to social justice
notably absent in the aloof CD.

The Weekly dealt with
issues that affected students in
the broadest of the term.
U.Vs. cannot stick its head in
the sand much
longer–although the CD seems
to still be trying. Many of us
who are alumni will miss the
Virginia Weekly.

We can only hope that
someday The Cavalier Daily
will find itself aware of the
nature of the real world and
where power lies. Perhaps the
CD will take an unpopular
stance and try to stay with it
and be then assaulted by the
same reactionary force that
tied up the Weekly staff's time
and energy.

Perhaps then the CD will
care to be so smug in its
condemnations of those whose
view of journalism is serving
the people, not catering to
the Board of Visitors and the
Student Activities Office, who
guarantee more funds to the
CD per year than the Weekly
saw in its entire existence.

Steve Squire