University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

VPP Platform Baffles

Thursday I found myself baffled
by the VPP platform as published
in The Cavalier Daily. Perhaps it is
because I am a naive First-year
man. However, even without an
extensive knowledge of the University,
it seemed clear to me that
many of the proposals of the VPP,
although noble and idealistic, are
highly impracticable or ridiculous.

"Continued for a meaningful
black studies program" reads the
platform. It does not mention who
is to decide what is meaningful or
how this program is to be incorporated
into the University curriculum.

What effort has been made
thus-far by the VPP to secure
privileges for first-year men that has
not been done at least as effectively
by the first-year men?

How could the student book
exchange be accomplished without
losing the sizable contribution that
Anderson Brothers feed back into
the University, thus alleviating
some of the effects of their
preeminence in the textbook field.

Room change policy has already
been clarified. Why propose its
clarification?

The "study and steps to facilitate
co-education" seem to have
already been taken and encompassed
in the Board of Visitor's.

Why should the phone company
now improve its service when
according to several upperclassmen,
it has not responded to the
same pressure for three years? How
can the proposed improvement of
the student social facilities be
achieved without plunging the student
union into even greater debt?

I would appreciate knowing
what other types of housing there
could be, other than the dorms,
and those already available.

Mr. Beaurline's proposed residential
colleges are idealistic and, as
I used the adjective before, impracticable.
It would necessitate a shutdown of
the University to prepare
the classrooms, labs, and other
facilities necessary for proper operation
of a college.

Space and the deadline for
publication prevent me from completely
evaluating the platform, but
it seems to me a mere panacea, a
plea for a vote on ideals rather than
their practical applications.

As a concerned yet neutral
student, I have been and continue
to be shocked by your treatment of
the Student Council Elections. First
of all, you say that you do not have
the space to publish complete
statements of the candidates. This
can only work in favor of the status
quo - it basely (else) denies those
students who do not have enough
money to run a properly gaudy
campaign the publicity they need:
to get across their ideas and let the
students know about themselves.

Further, your reporting of
events is totally slanted in favor of
the more typical parties. You treat
the elections as if, for all practical
purposes the JP and VPP were the
only people running. Your little
articles about the other candidates
that manage to slip by the Editor
are biased too. The extreme case of
this being the deliberate mangling
of the Peter Freinberg statement
last year.

The Liquifactionists, and the
Independents (sle) to a lesser
extent, are important too. There is
certainly as much chance, if not
more, that they will truly represent
the students.

This is your last warning.

A lot has been said in the
College elections about Student
Council bringing change at the
University. All the candidates favor
some sort of change. There is one
candidate who has already worked
for change.

Kevin Mannix, who is now
running for re-election to Student
Council has provided dynamic
leadership in bringing about co-education:
he served as the only
undergraduate student on the University
Coeducation Committee,
and filed a Minority Report opposing
the pans for holding off full
coeducation until 1980. His efforts
helped bring about the current plan
for partial coeducation by 1970
and full coeducation by 1972. He
has been the only student to
continually battle for cars for
first-year men. He supported allowing
scholarship students to have
cars. Perhaps most important, he
has worked for curriculum reform,
such as the pass-fail system.

Just by reading The Cavalier
Daily it can be seen that Kevin
Mannix has not merely sat at
Council meetings, he has energetically
fulfilled the promises he made
in last year's election, unlike so
many "politicos" who fade so
rapidly from the scene once they
are elected.

For some strange reason, the
two girls now on Student Council
consistently vote against co-education.
Council deserves a woman
who will support a more natural
environment than presently exists
in the all-male College. I urge you
to vote for Judy Wellman for
Graduate Arts and Sciences representative.