"Good afternoon. I have come to Grounds to support the workers at UVA. My wife worked most of her career in the Hospital as an OR nurse. My son did all his education - from undergraduate to medical school and surgical residency at the University. My daughter has a Master's Degree from the Curry School. My brother is an alumnus.

My family and I know that the mission of this great university cannot be accomplished with out a dedicated work force. These folks sometimes appear to be invisible, yet all of us know that UVA is more than Larry Sabato and the lacrosse team.

It is the orderly who takes your Mom to the OR, comforting her on the way, so she will face live saving surgery with confidence. It is the groundskeeper who gives us a university campus that makes us proud. It is janitorial staff who work late at night, often in their second job, to give us all a healthy place to work and study.

UVA classified employees are not only the backbone of this university, but they are also leaders in their communities. They are what makes this a region in which so many want to live.

This University has an obligation to its staff, its students and its alumni to play a leadership role in keeping the wider community healthy. President Casteen is fooling himself if he thinks alumni will give willingly to a $Billion endowment fund campaign if they think UVA is indifferent to the needs of the rest of us.

We are here to support the students who are working for the future of UVA. University workers are the muscle and sinew. The faculty, let's call them the brains. The administration, they are nervous system that keeps everything functioning in tandem. But the students -- they are the heart of this great institution. They are the conscience of the University of Virginia - and today, at this time and at this place, they are the voice of our own conscience.

President Casteen. You have a chance to be a leader who kept UVA wealthy. Good for you. But you have a chance to show the world how a truly world class university can be a productive partner in its community. This is not an "either-or" choice. But it is a yes or no choice. For your legacy as a leader I pray the answer is yes.

Thank you, students, for this great effort." (Al Weed Statement to Protestors, April 15, 2006)