University of Virginia Library

VPP Victory

Anyway one looks at it, The Virginia
Progressive Party scored a decisive victory in
this week's Student Council elections. The
slate presented to College students presented a
clear choice. The VPP was running on its
record, promising more of the same brand of
activism that has characterized the Student
Council this fall. The Jefferson Party, formed
by a moderate-conservative coalition, espoused
the same goals but rejected the
pressing, adamant, and occasionally radical
tactics used by the VPP.

This was, perhaps, the first real two-party
election in College history. In prior outings,
only the liberals had a platform and a group
identity; the conservative caucuses nominated
personalities and skirted the issues. This
election provided, for the first time, a clearly
defined choice on the basis of issues rather
than personalities. And the voters chose the
VPP.

Those who like to disagree with Council by
calling it "unrepresentative" will undoubtedly
continue to do so, but their position will be
much less tenable than even its previous shaky
legitimacy. No elected representative can
perfectly mirror the thoughts of his
constituency. But an election is still the best
way the University has to determine the
political thought of its students.

So it would appear that the purported
silent majority which opposed the
liberal-radical leanings of student government
and the student press is actually a silent
minority - a significant minority but
nonetheless a minority. In the Engineering,
Law, and Medical Schools, the minority was
able to elect its candidates, so its voice will be
heard on the Council; this is as it should be.
But the results from the College, the School
of Architecture, and the Graduate School of
Arts and Sciences insure that Council will be
as activist this spring as it was this fall. And
whether the Administration wishes to
recognize the fact or not, it will be a
representative council.

It also looks as if the College is going to be
choosing between the VPP and the Jefferson
Party for the foreseeable future. Despite the
VPP shutout, Jefferson Party President Joel
Gardner was encouraged by yesterday's
voting. The party did better in the first-year
dorms than it did in the College as a whole,
boding well for the future. Mr. Gardner feels
that with stronger candidates, the JP can give
the VPP a better run for its money in the
spring. The VPP's claim of vindication must
be tempered by the fact that it ran candidates
who were better known than the JP's and
whose elections were thereby facilitated.

Still in all, the elections prove that the
University has a more liberal student body
than the Administration would care to admit.
It will be interesting to see whether this fact
in any way modifies the dealings of the
powers that be with the new Council.