University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

Reporting Standards Low

I must admit that I was going to
let previous twisted verbal barrages
be bygones due to the common
knowledge that people will believe
only what they want to. But Mr.
Tom Gardner, in his letter of
February 18, has placed a sharp
verbal tack in one of my favorite
seats, and I find I must remove it in
order to sit down in comfort.

Where did Mr. Gardner get the
idea that we supported higher pay
for "non-academic" employees or a
collective bargaining position for
any state employees? Certainly not
from our letter to the Governor. In
fact, in another case, we stated
beliefs to the contrary since we felt
students had not jurisdiction over
non-student matters. However, I
cannot assume that Mr. Gardner
was aware of our true feelings. We
first presented our views to the
Board of Visitors, THE proper
channel (which I'm sure won't
satisfy Mr. Daly either). Yet one
student publication mentioned
little or nothing - to put it mildly
- about that meeting, and another
only mentioned (in what looked
more like an editorial than a report)
what the radicals had to say. Thus,
even before we sped to the capitol,
our previous doings were kept top
secret, not by us, but by the news
media. A reporter is paid to report,
but I am not paid to report to him,
so why should I earn his keep for
him?

Secrecy? BAH! The news media
knew all they needed to from the
very first phone call (Thanks, Mr.
Daly, but I already had made a
point of getting the Governor's
phone number from Dean Woody
. . . if that's alright with you). We
didn't expect much publicity, nor
did that bother us, but when we did
get it, and some of it was not up to
supposed reporting standards . . .
SURPRISE . . .

Housing Hassle

After reading today's Cavalier
Daily, I can only agree completely
with what one of your readers
wrote you about the housing office
and its director. The way this
administration run is at least
deplorable. I had the doubtful
honor to deal with Mr. Main, the
acting director on a few occasions.
I am fully convinced now that there
is no way to have a meaningful
dialogue with the housing office.
The only word used for all purposes
is their "responsibility" which
seems to exist basically in not
taking responsibilities at all when
improvements are involved. Even
the most reasonable proposals are
knocked off by applying rules
without looking at these rules.
Some of them are really outdated
because they were made tens of
years ago without ever being
reviewed. For example, the housing
office still classifies refrigerators as
"health hazards." Even the idea of
the possibility that a rule might one
day be reviewed fills the director,
apparently, with awe. It is really
regrettable that a housing administration
is so inflexible, and often
unreasonable, whereas housing is
such an important factor for the
students because it directly affects
their daily life, their study environment
and so on. As a foreign
student, I really regret that I shall
have to take home this excellent
example of administration in its
worst sense.