University of Virginia Library

THE PRESIDENT AND THE STUDENT BODY

The students should be a major concern of the President. A student's educational experience depends on a mature and well-guided program under the President's direction. The rate of student growth has been a major concern in recent years. Uncontrolled expansion, with poor planning, produces overcrowded classes, intolerable living conditions, and an irreparable loss of community and personal interaction. The students at the University are concerned with this problem and will require the next President to be responsive to student efforts to maintain an environment of scholarly pursuit in conjunction with a meaningful living experience.

The President should also be firmly committed to the concept of student self-government and participation in the decision-making processes of the University. To do this he must:

1) Constantly take a strong public stand in support of the Honor System and render all possible assistance to student leaders so that it will remain safe from attacks from outside the University.

2) Make sure that the University committee structure provides a meaningful system for both student and faculty input in the administrative decisions of the University.

3) Actively seek input from student leaders concerning the problems which students face. In every sense of the word he should be "concerned" with students and student input.

The next President must also strive to attain even higher levels of academic excellence at the University. He should continue to insist on the importance of out-of-state students and use his influence to preserve the national character of the University. At the same time he should recognize the responsibility of the University to the State in providing education to those from all socio-economic levels. He should firmly commit the University to the increased recruitment of minority students.