University of Virginia Library

COMPLAINT OF THE MEDIA BOARD AGAINST THE CAVALIER DAILY

The President outlined a complaint brought to the Student Affairs and Athletics Committee by the Media Board.

Under its statutory authority the Board of Visitors set forth guidelines, by resolutions dated March 26, 1976 and amended January 22, 1977, which established the Media Board of Directors, and delegated to that Board authority and responsibility for supervision of all student operated publications and electronic media at the University.

The guidelines adopted by the Board of Visitors explicitly include The Cavalier Daily among the student media organizations under the Media Board's jurisdiction. Before the establishment of the Media Board, The Cavalier Daily was subject to the jurisdiction of the Board of Directors of The Cavalier Daily created by the Board of Visitors in June, 1958. The student Vice Presidents of the several schools of the University were designated by the Board of Visitors to serve as the apolitical Directors of The Cavalier Daily in addition to their responsibilities with the Honor Committee. In the ensuing years the Vice Presidents' participation in the day-to-day functioning of the Honor Committee increased to the extent that The Cavalier Daily contended that an unresolvable conflict of interest existed. In 1976, a student-faculty committee chaired by Mr. William A. Elwood, Associate Professor of English, made a comprehensive study of this problem and the subject of student media in general and recommended that the Board of Visitors establish a Media Board of Directors to which all student media would be accountable. The Cavalier Daily has stated, however, in

a March 26, 1979, letter to President Hereford that it "does not recognize the authority of the Media Board" and has refused to abide by the resolutions of the Board of Visitors applicable to student media organizations.

Having reviewed the previous resolutions of the Board of Visitors of March 26, 1976 and January 22, 1977 establishing the authority of the Media Board for The Cavalier Daily and being convinced that such resolutions are lawful and, in particular are consistent with the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, and that The Cavalier Daily has refused to comply with the requirements of such resolutions, the following resolution was adopted:

RESOLVED by The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia that the President be, and he hereby is, directed to confer with the new Managing Board of The Cavalier Daily to determine whether that Board will refuse to abide by the resolutions of the Board of Visitors establishing the Media Board. If the Managing Board refuses, the President is directed to take appropriate steps to withdraw the University's support of the newspaper, including the withdrawal of permission to use University space and to use University furniture and equipment, and the revocation of The Cavalier Daily's position as a University Affiliated Organization.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Visitors reaffirms the authority of the Media Board set forth in its resolutions of March 26, 1976 and January 22, 1977, has considered the complaint received from the Media Board regarding The Cavalier Daily's actions with respect to Mr. John Davies, and defers action on the complaint pending resolution of the broader issue of whether the newly-elected Managing Board of The Cavalier Daily will recognize the authority of the Media Board.