University of Virginia Library

Reserving Space

What few nationally celebrated
personalities that come to speak at the
University, usually do so at the invitation of
the Student Legal Forum. The Forum, whose
presidents have included Robert and Edward
Kennedy, is currently led by third-year law
student Kit Summer who is, at present, a very
frustrated young man.

The explanation for Mr. Sumner's
exasperation is that the forum has had
tremendous difficulties in the past two years
in reserving a proper auditorium for its
speakers. Three factors are obstacles to the
Forum in making their speakers available to
the demand to hear them from within the
University and the community.

The first problem that must be solved is
the question of money. To reserve University
Hall non-admission charging groups, of which
the Student Legal Forum is certainly the most
notable, must pay $200. In addition, the
group must pay fifty dollars for a podium and
stage which makes the total cost $250. For an
organization like the Student Legal Forum
this expenditure has put University Hall out
of the realm of possibilities, sometimes
forcing its officers to schedule lecturers in a
much smaller hall at the expense of many of
the public who will miss the speech.

The Forum received $1285 from the
Student Council for this year's operating
costs. This money would probably be
sufficient if the Forum did not also have to
pay the speaker's expenses (travelling costs,
accommodations, etc.) and conduct a publicity
campaign so that the community will be
informed. The Forum does not pay any
speaker an honorarium, so that the speakers
who come to the University do so as a public
service.

Unable to afford University Hall, the
Forum is forced to try to reserve substitute
space. Ordinarily this would not be a
complicated process, but due to the unique
nature of the Forum's activities and the lack
of large auditoriums on the Grounds, it often
is. According to Mr. Sumner, the Forum
rarely knows more than a month in advance
when and if a speaker can come to
Charlottesville. More often the Forum is
informed with less than two weeks notice.
The student members then frantically
flounder about looking for suitable space, bu
they have repeatedly discovered that some
groups, particularly the Music Department,
have reserved most suitable spots months in
advance for their events. As Mr. Sumner
describes it, Cabell Hall is "monopolized by
the Department of Music," which is unwilling
to bargain with the Forum since the only
Grand Concert Piano on the Grounds is in
that auditorium.

What is the result? We feel that the
University community comes out the loser.
The Forum, in desperation, resorts to the
New Chemistry Building Auditorium which
only holds an audience of 500. Richard
Kleindienst spoke there last year, and former
Associate Justice Abe Fortas will speak there
later this month; both of these events could
draw more than double the building's
capacity. When the Forum was able to get
Cabell Hall. It was forced to turn away
hundreds for speakers such as Averill
Harriman and F. Lee Baily. It is ridiculous for
men such as Justice Fortas to be relegated to
an inadequate hall and does a "real disservice
to the University."

The Forum by itself has no way out of the
dilemma. They can hardly dictate terms to
possible future speakers like Senators
Kennedy. Tunney and Church, or to President
Nixon who would do the University a great
service in coming. There is little likelihood of
the Forum being able to further tax its own
members o substantially increase the
donations from private foundations that have
kept the group operating.

The University should come to the rescue.
One of the significant advantages of living in
an academic community is the myriad
cultural and political offerings afforded to the
resident. Just as the classroom and the social
occasion are valuable educational experiences.
students likewise benefit from speeches,
concerts, and displays. The work of the
Student Legal Forum is especially
commendable, since the organization brings
national figures who are often responsible for
shaping the direction of the nation face to
face with the student generation residing in
Charlottesville.

We students cannot afford to miss the
opportunities opened by the Forum because
of inflexible regulations and an arbitrary first
come first served policy. It is more than
unfortunate when interested people are
repeatedly turned away from informative and
important speeches because the Forum
cannot afford to put up a mere $250. We
believe that the University should waive costs
for University Hall for the Forum and
establish a Review Board to arbitrate between
conflicting space reservations taking more
than "first come, first served" into account.
The Student Legal Forum has done its job,
let's hope that the powers that be do theirs.