Students and NAACP Protest Vanderbilt Davis Cup Matches

Three thousand students from Vanderbilt University and other colleges in Nashville. Tennessee demonstrated yesterday against South Africa's participation in the regional Davis Cup tennis matches hosted by Vanderbilt University this weekend.

Yesterday's rally took place outside of Memorial Gymnasium where the tennis matches are being played. After the rally, students formed picket lines around the entrances to the gym to protest last night's opening ceremonies.

No Sell-Out

Beverly Asbury, Vanderbilt University chaplain, said yesterday that the university must sell 12,000 tickets over the three-day tournament in order to break even financially. As of last night only 2500 tickets had been sold.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will sponsor a rally this afternoon to protest the South African government's policy of apartheid.

Political activist Dick Gregory and NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Hooks will address an expected 2000 demonstrators who have traveled to Nashville from around the nation.

The NAACP and student groups began organizing this weekend's demonstrations two weeks ago when Vanderbilt announced its intention to host the tennis matches.

At that time, a spokesman for the university defended the decision by citing the school's "Open Forum Policy," a "well-established policy allowing any group to assemble and speak on campus."