University of Virginia Library

'So It Goes' For The Voter

By MICHAEL CASCIO

Walter Cronkite. William F.
Buckley. Sen. Edward Kennedy.
John Kenneth Galbraith. Howard
Cosell.

These are just a few of the
possible Commencement speakers
waiting anxiously to speak at UVa.
next June.

"Who picked these gems to
appear on the Senior Class ballot?"
is a valid complaint. But we won't
quibble. There's a choice for
everybody.

Who, however, are the simulated
pearls running for president? Where
did they come from?

Here, we find a choice for no
honest voter.

Last spring, as most do not
recall, the ballot boxes were stuffed
(yes, stuffed) by supporters of one
or both of these candidates. They
won't tell us who did it.

Howard Cosell?

This year, instead of re-doing
the whole show by re-opening
nominations (or, if they did,
keeping it a secret), the
fourth-yearmen will get to choose
between two token candidates
(Fratfreak and Wahoo), both of
whom participated in an election
dripping with fraud. But, then,
rigged elections are a way of
democracy, as we observe President
Thieu in South Viet-Nam.

As for the speakers, most do not
recall that last year's class chose
Walter Cronkite and got Sen. Vance
Hartke. The Indiana Democrat was
not a bad choice, only the Senior
Class didn't choose him. President
Shannon did.

So, this fourth-year class goes
into an election with no campaigns,
no new nominations after a tainted
election and a list of speakers to
satisfy every strain of intellectual
and political excellence (Howard
Cosell?) even though there's no
guarantee we'll get the speakers we
want. Somewhere, dishonesty lurks
at this, um, Honor-bound
University.

Voter apathy, especially among
students, is consistently
condemned. However, it is ironic
that apathy must now be used as a
registration of discontent among
honest fourth-yearmen and those
who dread the thought of President
Shannon choosing their graduation
speaker.

Write In

The only way out of this absurd
mess is to NOT VOTE for Senior
Class President.

Or, on second thought, write in
the name of President Thieu.