University of Virginia Library

The Board And Us

Anyone who disbelieves the radical rhetoric
about an oppressive, elite, white power
structure ought to take in a meeting of the
University's Board of Visitors. There, around
a table covered with green felt is, sure enough,
the oppressive, elite, white power structure. In
the flesh. These men and women come from
one segment of society - the rich, old, and
powerful one. (The Rector, for example,
asked us where we had gone to prep school, as
if the only way to get ready for college was to
go to a private preparatory school. In his
social circles, it probably is the only way.)
They are out to protect the interests of their
segment of society, specifically the interest
that segment has in the University. That's why
it took a court order to get them to move on
coeducation. The prospect of legal coercion
was more inimical to their interests than
coeducation was.

We were at the meeting because it has
come to the attention of the Board that The
Cavalier Daily is not exactly working in the
interests of the rich, the old, and the
powerful. These men know very little about
the way this newspaper is run. They simply
know that we have been saying things that
they don't agree with - a situation they
would like to see changed.

What the Board will do about it is another
question. Mr. Rogers assured us that the
Board does not wish to censor The Cavalier
Daily, a statement that was about as
reassuring as defense of freedom of the press
from Spiro Agnew would be. He did, however,
make vague statements about our funds, and
what the Board would like to do with them.

The arguments that the Board used to back
its position were unsubstantiated and inadequate.
The complaints boil down to the fact
that the Board doesn't like what we're saying.
We can't believe that they would suppress us
on such a basis; perhaps they only sought to
intimidate us. We can only wait and see what
the Board decides, and then act upon that
decision.