Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 12, 1990 TAG: 9005120268
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: MARGIE FISHER RICHMOND BUREAU
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Members of UVa's governing board have confirmed that James Dyke, Wilder's secretary of education, has been calling them to quietly lobby in favor of the school selling $15 million in stocks and bonds of companies with ties to South Africa.
Although the governor's office has not confirmed that Dyke has done this at Wilder's behest, board members who have gotten the calls took them as a message that the governor wants divestiture.
This is probably a smart political move, some analysts said Friday, because it may silence criticism from black leaders around the nation that Wilder has shown little concern for issues of importance to blacks.
But some say his actions on the UVa matter are inconsistent with his policy of staying out of the controversy over whether Virginia Military Institute should admit women.
Wilder has said VMI's admissions policy is strictly up to the VMI Board of Visitors, and he tried to remove himself as a defendant in the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit to force VMI to end its males-only admissions policy. Wilder's argument was that a governor has no say in how a college or university is run.
There is "a hypocrisy" in how he is approaching the VMI issue and seems to be approaching the UVa issue, said Larry Sabato, a political scientist at UVa.
And beyond that, Wilder is "absolutely" playing the issue for its political value, Sabato said. "This was pretty much wired," because a majority of UVa board members had already indicated they favored total divestment before Dyke started calling around.
Because it seems fairly certain the board will vote for total divestiture, Wilder figured "why not take credit for it" and shore up his sagging support among some blacks at the same time, Sabato said.
Wilder's press secretary, Laura Dillard, said the difference between the situations at UVa and VMI is that that VMI is the subject of a lawsuit. However, Wilder steadfastly refused to say how he felt about the admissions issue throughout the 1989 campaign and before the lawsuit was filed.
Getting involved in the UVa divestiture issue is a way for him to mollify members of his "core constituency" and "make overtures to progressives in the Democratic party who have felt somewhat left out and disenchanted" with his `new mainstream,' " said Mark Rozell, an assistant professor of political science at Mary Washington College.
But as a matter of public policy, the divestiture issue could become "a briarpatch" for Wilder, Sabato said.
That is because it raises questions about the future of millions of dollars in investments by other state agencies, including the Virginia Supplemental Retirement System, which handles pensions for state workers. The retirement system holds $450 million to $700 million in securities of companies that do business with South Africa, a nation that officially sanctions racial discrimination.
"What's good for UVa ought to be good for the retirement system, the port authority" and any other entity of the state that has such investments, Sabato said.
S. Buford Scott of Richmond, a member of both the UVa board and the retirement system board, has said that divestiture of UVa's South Africa-related investments would be "pretty easy to handle." But it could be much more difficult to unload the massive investments by the retirement system, which holds an $11.5 billion trust fund for state employees, Scott said.
Thus far, Wilder has not made his feelings clear about divestiture by either UVa or other state agencies.
In April, speaking before one of Sabato's classes at UVa, the governor said, "We need to do everything we can in terms of ending the system of apartheid" in South Africa. But he also stressed that the university's board is "autonomous" and that divestiture is a decision that rests solely with the board.
Also, in 1986, Wilder said he favored legislation requiring the retirement system to sell off its South Africa-related interests. Such legislation, however, was never introduced.
South African holdings at UVa once totaled $37 million but have been reduced to about $15 million.
Dillard has indicated that the governor will say plainly how he feels about the issue soon. Some in the administration hinted the governor could make his views known as early as today, when he is scheduled to give the commencement speech at Norfolk State University.
by CNB