The Cavalier daily. :: Friday, May 9, 1969 :: University of Virginia Library

Despite the slight turnout for the
Student Council forum Wednesday night, it
was an excellent chance to examine the fine
nuances between candidates' viewpoints.
Most of the questions asked were excellent
and thought-provoking, especially some
from the audience; so this column will not
attempt to convey several impressions
gained there to those who were unable to
attend.

- Steve Hayes and Bill Fryer proved
that, contrary to its campaign rhetoric, the
VPP does not have anything close to a
monopoly of liberalism or commitment. Mr.
Hayes, who has attended twenty Council
meetings (far more than any other candidate
except Charles Murdock) proved amply his
commitment to progress and depth of
knowledge of student affairs. Asked with
which present Councilman he felt nearest in
ideology, he replied "Jackson Lears, for his
hard work in following up the Council's
policies."

Another Sticker

He was the only caucus candidate willing
to answer that question. Another sticker
was with "what motion from Tuesday's
meeting do you most disagree;" his answer
was "The request for a Comprehensive Fee
raise of $2.50 to support the Transition
Fund, for such action passes the burden for
supporting the Program each year to the
students, when it should be paid for by the
University."

Also impressive was Bill Fryer, who came
out for "reverse discrimination" to step up
the recruitment of black students, a position
most caucus candidates would studiously
avoid. He also showed considerable quickness
when asked what policy should be
pursued toward influencing Board of Visitors
meetings. He replied that we should
instead deal with the administration, whose
decisions are ratified by the Visitors.

Came Across Well

- Nonetheless, the Virginia Progressive
Party candidates came across very well.
They stressed their ideas (Al Sinesky noted
"We have a compatibility of ideas") and
their commitment to change once elected.
Paul Bishop went through Charles Murdock's
record (as he was their avowed "Best
Councilman") with a clear understanding of
the actions.

Buzz Waitzkin also scored a major point
for his party, when he said "My positions on
the issues are dictated by my committed
actions, working for the Transition Fund
and academic reform; not by the politics of
this campaign."

Mellowed Murdock

- Charles Murdock has mellowed. Gone
was the flamboyance and emotion, replaced
by self-assuredness and good taste. Asked
what Councilman he most admired and how
many meetings he attended, incumbent
Murdock refused to make a joke of
answering and instead discussed other
aspects of the meetings. Curiously, he
declined an opportunity to advocate radical
action at one point "should the administration
fail to respond" and backed Al
Sinesky's statement that "with a strong
Council the President could not ignore us."

- Joel Gardner also showed an awareness
of the issues, and a willingness to state his
views. For example, he endorsed the
two-sticker car plan and said he would work
for the movement to gain higher wages for
University non-academic employees.
Although he was asked few and relatively
non-controversial questions, Mr. Gardner
handled them well.

Individual Side

- Opposed to the "liberal" side of the
race was the "individualist" side. Ken Scott,
Don Martin, and Chip Massey of Skull &
Keys had two issues: "individual
responsibility" and "Council excesses." Mr.
Massey in particular had a well-detailed
catalogue of the Council's extraneous
motions from the "Dixie" incident to
supporting the Charlottesville police in
getting higher pay. All three supported the
Transition Fund; but the telling blow was
against Ken Scott, who opposed "recall for
elected Councilmen."

In part this answer was a necessity of the
questioning strategy employed by Mike
Russell, an officer of the VPP. Mr. Russell's
questions were seldom directed against
Sceptre Society, for Messrs. Hayes, Gardner
and Fryer are all fairly liberal. Instead his
strategy, which he openly admitted, was to
"expose" the Skull & Keys candidates. The
recall question was thus worded: "Do you
favor recall for Councilmen who do not
keep their campaign promises," altogether
neglecting issues that do not arise in the
campaign. Mr. Scott was backed into a
corner by the question and his ideas of
flexibility and took the honest way out:
"No."

Useful Item

The forum was a useful item in the
campaign, although it was not well-attended
due to lack of publicity. It will run again on
tape by WTJU-FM today at 2 p.m., and we
urge everyone to listen in, for it provided
clear-cut differences between many
candidates; it especially showed the
progressive bent of the VPP and Sceptre
candidates, and allowed the Skull & Keys
candidates to develop their own ideas along
more individual lines.

As a parting shot, it should be noted that
this writer is an officer of Skull & Keys, and
that the opinions above do not necessarily
represent The Cavalier Daily's official views.
Letters and comments are invited, which
The Cavalier Daily will print as space allows.
We will not, however, print letters from the
candidates themselves.