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Facts of the Strike
Several organizations were committed to voicing their opinions against the draft, such as the Union for National Draft Opposition (UNDO), National Council to Repeal the Draft (NCRD) the Charlottesville Draft Resistance. The Charlottesville Draft Resistance hosted an event in which they encouraged citizens to bring their draft cards and promoted Tom Reeves, the National Chairman of the NCRD.

On May 6th, a gathering titled “Freedom Day” took place at University Hall that was advertised to be a “day of peace, music, thought.” Attorney William Kunstler and activist Jerry Rubin spoke at the gathering and about the movement that was occurring on Grounds. These sentiments, among others, caused tension to arise, and eventually build up to the public movement.

In a Letter to the Parents, Alumni, and Guests of UVA, the students explained that the strike was a call to action in which they state “You can no longer afford to be silent - together we can solve our country’s problems”. As far as the strike itself, the Virginia Strike Committee wrote a summary report of the events which occurred on the lawn of UVA the night of May 8 and early morning of May 9, 1970. According to the report, the events were as follows:


 * The strike began on major roads, including Rugby Road, Main Street, and the intersection of Routes 29 and 250.
 * Once police and officials began to show up, the students headed towards the Rotunda.
 * Once on the lawn, the police showed up.
 * President Williams gave a statement. Since many students couldn’t hear, they pushed forwards to hear the information, causing the police to charge.
 * Several students were trampled seeking safety. Some students hid in lawn rooms.
 * There were reports of students being clubbed and dragged away by police.

A number of students said they had been informed that the Virginia Riot Act had been invoked which would make any groups of three or more persons subject to arrest for unlawful assembly. Once the excitement began to dissipate, several students were arrested and charged with illegal assembly, disorderly conduct, and failure to disperse. According to the report, nearly 70 arrests were made with bail set at five to one thousand dollars per person. After the strike, several students worked to raise as much bail money as possible.

Strike Committee Demands
After the events of May 8th and 9th, the Virginia Strike Committee recognized the academic purpose of the school and its goals towards education. Following the events, the committee requested that the faculty make a number of academic provisions, including pushing back requirement deadlines, substituting requirements, and designating certain courses as “pass” or “fail” grades. The Strike Committee also made the following demands:


 * As supporters of students throughout America, they wanted to see:
 * A government end to all political repression, especially of Black Panthers, and all political prisoners.
 * A government end to the invasion of Cambodia and the withdrawal of all US forces from Southeast Asia.
 * Universities (including UVA) to end all complicity with the military, specifically ROTC, contractual obligations with JAG, and all defense-related research.
 * As UVA students, they demanded the following from President Shannon:
 * Increased recruitment of women and blacks, namely a university-wide goal of 20% black enrollment $100,000 allocated to meet this goal
 * No outside police on grounds at any time and that university police be disarmed.
 * University employees maintain the right to organize and strike to gain a living wage, or in other words, the right to strike.

President Shannon did meet some of these demands. For example, he accommodated those who participated in the strikes with more time to meet their academic requirements. He even commended students for their “magnificent spirit” even though they had attempted to burn down the ROTC building, blocked traffic, and assaulted Shannon’s home. Shannon also endorsed the “demand that called for 20 per cent enrollment quota for black students and allocation of $100,00 for a black admissions program."

Sentiments following the Strike
The Virginia Committee Against Violence at the University of Virginia made a statement regarding the strike on Grounds. They were very adamant about not having the strike represent the University. "It is not fair to represent this Assembly as the voice of the Faculty of the University of Virginia, which the image that has been presented, especially to the news media". Various posters were hung around Grounds claiming the strikes were taking away from the students ability to receive proper education at UVA. Similarly, following the strike, in 1971 a survey conducted among the student body found that about 49% of students supported the involvement of the student council in international matters that impact the student body, such as the War of Indochina. According to the university newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, many students and faculty said that the United States has made a terrible mistake in Indochina and felt that the best way to combat it was through strikes.