University of Virginia Library

I am responding to Rod MacDonald's
column in the September
25, 1969 Cavalier Daily in order to
clarify my position regarding student
appointments to administrative
committees.

First, the Council's motion requesting
the power to appoint
student members of administrative
committees is not due to any
"resulting friction between the
Council and Pavilion VIII." The
Student Council has been studying
and discussing student appointment
of students on administrative committees
for nearly a year. As the
Council's unanimous letter to President
Shannon indicates, that particular
motion resulted from ideas
discussed with numerous members
of the administration at Mountain
Lake.

Second, at no time have I
considered the students I recommended
to President Shannon to be
"the men the Council recommended."
Each member of the
Student Council and many other
interested individuals submitted a
list of recommendations to last
year's President Ron Hickman. The
only "Council" recommendations
were the compiled list of all
students referred to Mr. Hickman.
Unfortunately academic and other
pressures made it impossible for
Ron to forward the list of over 200
names to the President until June
25. In the interim President Shannon,
committed to consider all
possible student recommendations
to administrative committees, requested
that I (having taken office
at the end of May) send him a list
of recommendations. After repeated
unsuccessful efforts to contact
Mr. Hickman in early June, I
worked up a partial list, indicated
my preferences, and sent it to
President Shannon. At that time I
apologized for the delay and
expressed hope that a complete list
would be forthcoming, In late June
Assistant Dean Robert Canevari
notified me that Ron Hickman had
sent a list of recommendations to
Mr. Shannon. In a most cooperative
way Mr. Canevari helped me supplement
the earlier list sent to
President Shannon. At no time did
any administrative officer go
against the recommendations of
Council since the Council as such
made no specific recommendations.

Third, Mr. MacDonald makes
several misleading attributions, such
as "the real crux of the issue is that
Student Council President Bud Ogle
believes President Shannon made
committee appointments this year
to nix the chance for a strong
(student) voice"; "Ogle said Tuesday
'I am trying to learn to trust
President Shannon,' but added he
feels the President acted unwisely
in stacking the committees against
the men the Council recommended."
Over the past two weeks
I have talked with Messrs. Peter
Shea and Rod MacDonald of The
Cavalier Daily staff. I did indicate
disappointment that few student
activists were appointed to The
Future of the University, Admissions,
Housing, and other important
committees. At no time did I mean
to give the impression nor do I
believe that President Shannon
went against the wishes of Council,
"Busted the Trust" of students, or
tried to undermine a student voice
on administrative committees.

In conclusion, Mr. MacDonald is
accurate in assaying my disappointment
at some of President Shannon's
appointments. This disappointment
has been expressed to
Mr. Shannon directly and at Mountain
Lake discussions. To attribute
the Council's desire to make student
appointments to a lack of
trust in the administration, however,
is wrong. The Council seeks to
make student appointments to
University committees because we
believe that students can best select
their own representatives. Although
we have often been critical of
various actions and inactions of the
administration we appreciate the
openness of the faculty and administration
in seeking a larger role
for students on faculty and University
committees. We look forward
with full trust in increasing expansion
of the role students play in the
planning and programming at the
University.