University of Virginia Library

The Governor's Words

Perhaps because his personal contacts have
been limited to Young Republican types,
Governor Linwood Holton has apparently
brought a friendly and open-minded attitude
towards students into the Capitol with him.
Paternalism permeated his remarks to the
Association of Virginia Colleges last Friday
night, but at least it was an amiable sort of
paternalism, and that's a far cry from the
attitude displayed by his immediate predecessor.

Consider that these statements came from
the Governor of Virginia:

- Student participation on a Board of
Visitors can be very helpful, although the
Governor did not endorse the concept of
voting student members.

- Students ought to participate in such
University affairs as curriculum reform;
moreover, their judgment on the teaching
capability of faculty members is most likely
valid.

- Student unrest is not caused by
irresponsible rabble rousers; the Governor
attributes it mainly to demonstrable deficiencies
within the educational system such as
publish or perish pressure on faculty members,
emphasis on research at the expense of
teaching, etc.

- Mr. Holton, while he will not tolerate
student destruction, does not mind dissent,
partly because his political career was based
on dissent until last November.

This is hardly a radical manifesto; but it
wasn't even a year ago that Mills Godwin told
University students to be good boys and leave
the decision making to their elders. The
Governor wants students to think that he likes
them and is always willing to listen to them;
that he might even consider their opinions in
making a decision that affects them, though it
would shake the Capitol to its foundations if
he did so.

The Governor's attitude is, of course,
paternalistic. He values students in their place,
and that place is certainly nowhere near the
station occupied by full-fledged members of
the community. Students will be happy, he
suggests, if they feel that someone is merely
listening to them. Their voice is to be heard
with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that these
people are, after all, only students. They may
come up with a usable idea now and then but
they are not capable of assuming major
responsibilities on a regular basis.

And although the Governor's words were
encouraging, they were only that. He may
think that students will be happy if you listen
to their grievances whether or not you do
anything about them - we must wait to see
what he does when called upon to act. John
Mitchell taught us that Republicans want to
be judged by their actions rather than their
words; Governor Holton should afford us the
first opportunity to so judge him when he
makes his appointments to the Board of
Visitors later this month.