The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, May 10, 1957, Page Page Two, Image 2
Too 5111
(Editor's Note: The following are excerp
from a news story appearing on the froo
page of The New York World-Telegram a
Sun on April 30. The story is supposed
based on the Block C initiation ceremor
which took place at the University tv
weeks ago, and is by-lined by Fred Spark
The headline reads: "Death Often Lurl
Amid Campus Fun.")
We can be almost positive that with
in the next six weeks-before schools
close for summer holidays-these col
umns will carry the names of young
men, in the full richness of their lives,
killed and injured at college or prep
initiations, hazing or hell weeks.
This insanity-which makes me won
der why they call them "institutions of
higher learning"-is a national disease
comparable to the degrading savagery
of Mau Mau tribal rites and American
ized Russian roulette. They do not make
pleasant reading, but a thorough appre
ciation of the dangers attending such
unfunny festivities might save the life
of your friend, son or brother.
The first seasonal, sordid episode
came from the precisely manicured cam
pus of the University of South Carolina
at Columbia.
Tommy Sayetta, a lanky, dark-haired,
20-year-old sophomore, a cross-country
runner, whose wind and gifted legs have
marked him Olympic material, was to
be "honored" by Block C, a society of
lettered athletes.
There was a dinner and while booze
was not necessarily featured there were
some martinis and a private jug of
cheap corn whiskey, which can make
some strong men into bleary brutes.
Then the lads to be initiated were
first introduced in solemn oaths of
double-talking gibberish, then made to
run as fast as they could in all direc
tions in a kind of scramble; simply
hilarious. Two collided, head on; their
scalps were opened as if slashed by
straight razors, required painful stitch
ing.
Then came the moment of supreme
delight when husky football players and
muscular wrestlers and strong-armed
BowI
A college newspaper editor's career is al
together a demanding, fascinating and con
suming experience. Little problems, big
problems . . . dilemmas of all sizes mark his
tenure.
But when the time comes to gather up
the stubs of copy pencils and the well worn
notebook from the office that has served
as work place, dwelling and conference
room, the problems, in retrospect don't seem
quite so formidable and the dilemmas are
redluced from crisis proportions.
With this editorial I write finis to my
editorship of The Gamecock. I feel that dur
ing this semester, The Gamecock has en
joyedl a comfortable measure of success, due
primarily to the unselfishness, industry and
cooperation of the paper's small, but vitally
interested and highly efficient staff.
Few tasks are more thankless than those
(lone by college newspaper people. The Game
cock staff recognizes this. But they also re
alize that the caliber of the college news
paper directly reflects the quality of the
school it represents.
The Gamecock staff is also cognizant of
the paper's paramount duty: to turn out a
creditable product of high quality for the
student body. The Gamecock is a paper
DIC K SMI TH
What Then, Dot
Culture in any human pack is reason behind
simply the things people do af- immigrants: ti
ter finding and hiding food, anew, the tick~
dIrink, and shelter. It is the corn- structing fron
posite itch, the manifest pre- thing. . . . Bui
scription for boredom. . . . It plenty, a cance
caused the Cro-Magnon (in his the "mummy
particular itch) to beat a hollow ancient breast.
log with his enemy's leg, thus Within this
creating percussion. tially all the in
Culture, then, in its many make it the c
forms (with the possible excep- the state. It c
tion of human sacrifice) is a and be so many
good thing. Institutional relig- of us follow ti
ion attempts to control it, Hitler of sliding throi
tried to burn it, and most of us mental action
aren't the slightest bit inter- The presiden
ested in it . . . but still It re- sity has spent
mains, money bringin
The University has physically grammes to the
entered the Olympian arena. No are usually emi
more collapsing classrooms, cel- tration has se
lar canteens, dust path.. In tempted to inji
many respects we are in a most meaning into
enviable position, for in no other Idea. No respoi
sphere can a person so enjoy How many o
himself as in that of being part could identify
of a visible creative process. that most magn
This is the reason pioneers Ian poems? HIow
braved the Western plain. the simply by metre
For Words
ts boxers formed two lines-like an Apache
at gauntlet and took off their belts and the
id newcomers were ordered to ruu through.
ly A belt lashed Tommy Sayetta low,
iy around his middle, and he was immedi
ro ately in pain, but said nothing. Next day
s. agony heightened and he requested med
cs ication and his mother found out and
in anger, r 'ar hysteria, called a local
press man and said:
"Tommy might be rendered sterile
, a fine initiation !"
(Tommy's doctor said after rest he
will recover.)
Violent Pranks
Mr. Sayetta and a neighbor and a re
cent University graduate told me that
Block C's hazing often passes from
pranks - where a boy stands under a
second story window and tries to catch
the yolk of an egg in his mouth-to near
violence... .
Let us hope that Tommy Sayetta will
run again and wear our colors at the
next Olympics. He is depressed about
the wide publicity attending his injury,
but if it can stir others to stop such
nonsense, beyond the forced consump
tion of gold fish or midnight blanket
tossings, Tommy will really deserve a
letter of honor.
What you have just read cannot be called
journalism. It is not a reporting of facts,
but a fantastic series of conjectures.
The simple fact that a college youth was
accidentally injured and not seriously at
that (as borne out by his own physician's
statement) has been ignored by the writer
of the article whom we assume, brazenly
calls himself a journalist.
The references made to cruelty, drinking
and skull-slashing in the story are quite
evidently "facts" created in the mind of
Mr. Sparks. So far astray did the writer's
imagination lead him that he even injected
the presence of brawny wrestlers and boxers
at the initiation, a somewhat comic fabrica
tion since Carolina has no wrestling or box
ing teams.
We wonder about the source of Mr.
Sparks' journalistic training. Newspaper
folks around our way base their stories on
the facts, simple, unadulterated, ungarnished
facts.
ng Out
wholly for and by the students, not the ad
ministration, nor the trustees. It is not a
house organ of the University. It IS the eyes,
ears and voice of the students.
With these principles in mind, the spring
staff has worked hard. The awards won by
the paper have, wve feel, given an indication
that the paper is fulfilling its function.
Producing a good newvspaper takes more
than an editor. It requires the combined ef
forts of the entire staff. The Gamecock has
had such a staff this semester. On the news
sidle, Roy Williams, Melba Corley, Jerry Mc
Guir'e, Scott Cain, Sylvia Hlanna, Barbara
Hawthorne, Carol Watson and Mac Hill have
(lone more than their share. Photographers
Walt IIorton and Ken Sturgeon have turned
out excellent pictures to supply the paper
with art.
On the business end. Ed ith Ha llock,- Leila
Stuckey andl Jim Herring have kept the fi
niances in tip top shape. No more capable
nor more conscientious group exists on cam
pus.
Next wveek's paper, the last of the year,
will be put out by the new staff', a group
which promises to have The Gamecock
"Crowing for a Greater Carolina" in stronger
vo'ice thain ever before.
s Culture Mean?
America's first inoma lehkspreno
~e joy of creating ne?
ling itch of con- Ilwnnycnietf he
Inothing, some- hsicly pni,casek
;, in the midst of funl ftogetatos
r seems to form, cudietf ~ofoesb
cloths expose an clsicton lwmycod
school lies poten- settin whotbng ol
aterial needled to wa.t rieadwa ocn
ultural center of (en
ould do and say Ido'evnros tetu,
things. Yet most ytitiemarsigodscs
e familiar ritual teBbewt ocle hit
gh with as little iasbcueothrigrae
s possible. Why? fasc ibiasyblman
t of our univer- cotn,adteribltyo
large sums of gaptesgiiac frlg
Scultural pro- inbyn t ul-lasn
school. The halls poete.Te alt ope
ity. The admninis- hn vnterms ai ti
veral times at- cliple
eCt some cultural Rtwyee eto hs
the University sotoig?N n sitr
~se. Why?('tdNooecrsThipa
f our Christians thtcltlruofeevsnad
"Paradise Lost," rpoatnpouigismc
ficent of Christ- tofomdbetbal.Evni
many could tell, itwsvohbatigntefrt
and feelinan,dethefplahe.
CARL M. REYNO
Ar
In Congress, according to the
most accurate sources, there is
a Bill, which, when made into
law, will cut the appropriation
for the GI Bill in half.
Simply, veterans attending
school under this provision, would
receive exactly half of their
present training allowances.
We do not intend, now to wax
chauvenistic, salute colors at
sunrise and walk about campus
in step. That took place 5ome
time ago.
A JUST STEP
It is our serious contention,
however, that the Federal Gov
ernment was performing a just
and a necessary step when the
lawmakers established the Vet
erans Administration, and thus
complicated the budget with
transfer payments earmarked
for what is called the GI Bill.
Equally as serious, our con
tention is that it would be un
Professor Smurdley is too lazy
finals. . . . Ile just changes the 1
ROY WILLIAMS
Traveling Is
"Genius is ten per cent inspir
ation and 90 per cent perspira
tion" runs the old saying. Fig
ures don't tell the complete
story, for with a little inspira
tion the job's half done. 1
Not only does the family 1
breadwinner need to be given a
lift but we students must have i
a cup)ful of inspiration on Mon
day mornings and other eventful
days-not only on the night b)e
fore.
This past weekend more than
50 journalism students and fac
ulty members made a field trip
to Myrtle Beach. In adldition to
an ocean cruise, buffet dlinner at
the luxurious Ocean Forest Ho
t(el, top notch accommodations,
and Myrtle Beach thrown in as
an appetizer, students had an
opportuniity' to observe how a re
sort city hiandles4 its newvs and1
publicity.
D)urinig the latter part of April
for a wveek 32 phar:nacy students
and theiri chaperones toured the
Upjohn and E. I. Lilly plants
as their guests in Michigan and ;
Indiana. Pharmacy students 01)
servedl the testing andl manufac
ture of pharmaceuticals, visited <
biological laboratories where <
smallpox, polio and other vac
cines are made and saw phar- r
miacy nc:t as a classroom lecture <
RONALD L. BERN
A Study OfThe~
Since time immemorial, man- t
kind has provedl time and time t
again that it is far easier to
criticize than to laud, that it is t
much easier to cast a stone at
a beaten man than to defend
him, and that it is much easier
to sit in judlgemnent andl condemn
an institution than to help it im- 1
prove andl prosp)er.
Recently, I entered into a dis-i
cussion with a student who was d
hitt erly complaining ablout Thee
(Gamecock. lie seemed relatively i
fluent and intelligent so I asked to
him why he did not join the staff i
andl through his own efforts help ni
to improve the plaper. iIe imme-i
dliately replied . . . "Why, I don't c
have time to mless with the pa- y
per." This brings me to the crux e
of my column. ti
At our University, about five d
per cent of the students maintain o
studlent organizations, publica- a
tions and institutions. These stu- f<
dents find time for many a(.nti- a
[LDS
Jote To All
just and unwise for the Con
gress to pass legislation at this
time which would reduce or
otherwise impair the provisions
of the GI Bill.
Numerous persons this week,
when informed of the legislation
currently pending Congressional
action, seemed rather uncon
cerned that the Bill has passed
the first reading.
ACT ABSURD
They suggested that it would
be absurd for Congress to pass
such a bill, strictly from the po
litical connotations. More often
than not, we have seen that
Congress has been guilty of do
ing things which we have con
sidered "absurd," thus one more
will not likely penetrate the
souls of these mortal politicos.
Last year, Senate Bill 633,
which would increase the GI Bill
allowances for veterans in school
was never given a hearing, or
to change the questions on his
mswers.
nspirational
mt as a profession.
Much is being done in other
lepartments and schools. The
chool of Engineering takes fre
luent field trips, Phi Delta Phi,
:he law fraternity, has promi
ent lawyers from various
ba~ses of the law field to speak
o their group and lecture series,
unch as the Guignard, while not
>ffered to any specific profes
~ional group, are offered stu
lentLs.
While the University could ntot
afford to pay a famous person
ility to reside on campus for a
omiester there are many well
<nowvn persons in the various
)rofessional fields in South Car
>lina who would merit students
ittention.
Perhaps the University could
.p some of this talent and ar~
ange a program for the school
>r department concerned that
'.ould include people such as Ber
iaird Baruch, James F. Byrnes,
"rank Gilbert, author of the best
eller, "Cheaper By The Dozen,"
iames G. Richards, Carol Glen,
he musician, and others.
)Vith the routine day-in-day
'ut agenda in so many students'
urricula a program of inspira
ion could he the shot in the arm
eeded to produce the 90 per cent
if work needed.
Time Excuse
ies, and they give freely of this
ime.
Incongruous as it may seem,
hese people also have classes
*nd assignments and personal
ives.
I direct my column to the 95
er cent of students who are too
usy for studenba activities. If
ou feel that things are being
mproperly handled by the stu
ents who participate in extra
urricular activities, join them
'i their attempts toward a bet
er* Carolina. Perhaps you can
uprove the conditions which
iany of you obviously feel qual
ied to criticize. If you find that
:mnditions prevail which prevent
our participation, don't criti
ize the people who mak% time
>do the jobs which have to be
oine. You can be sure that each
f them is making an honest
ttempt toward a better school
>r you as well as their state
nd themselves.
Carolina Vetei
reading on the floor. Perhaps,
because there was not sufficient
backing from the public . . . es
pecially from the veterans, them
selves, who were in support, pas
sively, of the bill and certainly,
in favor of the proposed provis
ions.
CVA SUPPORT
Distinctly, the Carolina Veter
ans A s s o c i a t i o n petitioned,
fought for and encouraged sup
port for the passage of Senate
533. But the masses of veterans
who were most directly con
cerned, did not even bother to
express their opinions to their
Congressmen.
This, of course, is routine.
For it has long been the cus
tom to allow less than ten per
cent of the people to do the work
. . . to instigate . . . to perform
. . . to be responsible . . . and
then for the remaining 90 per
cent to be discontent with the
situation, to complain, to gripe
and wonder why things aren't
different.
ANOTHER RALLY
We dare suppose that again,
the Carolina Veterans Associa
tion will try to rally. That group
will write letters, sign petitions
and make an honest effort to
represent the veterans.
Also, we dare suppose that
many of the veterans-about 90
per cent-will talk about the bill
. .. condemn the cutting of any
veterans' appropriation, and ex
ROBERT TALBE
Weddings,
A Qu
The Wedding Season: There
is something about the air that
breathes on this campus that
makes this the wedding season
. . . maybe it's not the air but
rather--year, month, and day
that catches the heart in three
four time.
'Tis a season of happy bliss
for some . . . but for others it
brings the shotgun unions of two
unkindered souls . . . the court
ing for them has come quick and
fast . . . rushed into the final
stages before the aisle-walk.
There is really no love in most
of these cases. The union is only
sanctioned out of fear and hate.
This fear and hate wrings all of
the beauty from the soul and
one enters the matrimony be
cause of the unsure and cloudy
future.
It seems a shame that the
courting wasn't longer or more
enjoyab)le . . . something of
bleauty and truth to long remem
her forever . . . but it hasn't
beent for mtost.
Yes, the wvedding season is
here . . . with senior students
franttically wooing the coy mis
tress - knowledge. For four
yeats this has been a mere flir
tation wvith the twvo parties not
seenmig to care until now...
the wedding season. Will the
hurtried labor he0 lost in this at
tenmpt at a final love?
Will my mate be enough for
me? Will she protect me? Will
she help me always through
life? . . . So wvonders the lover's
heart.
But this is love of sorts...
and the wedding season . . . and
it is here.
* * *
A Babe's Birth: Shortly the
Sandllapper will make its third
attetmpt to become a permanent
part of the Carolina panorama
of publications. It has faced sev
eral hardships in this voyage
and in fact, had to sail from a
foreign port with a skeleton
crewv. Is there no reward for this
magazine? There will be if stu
LETTERS TO TH
Reader Wants No More l\
D)ear Editor:
The article by. Dick Smith in
the May 3rd edition was most
enlightening.
It is most gratifying to read
an article by someone who has
such a broad vocabulary. (Bal
enciaga to red neck, etc.) His
humility in describing the coun
try p)eopie of South Carolina did
CROWING FOR
UNIVERSITY OF S
Member of Associate
F'ounded January 8o, 1908, with R
edito', "The Camuecock" is publish<
University of south Carolina weehl
r es nhldy and durin1
ans
press all sorts of concern over
the matter ... and then not even
register an official opinion with
their duly elected Congressman.
The bill to reduce, by half, the
veterans schooling allowances,
will soon be up for toting. Our
latest report is that it has passed
the first reading. The official
lawmaking vote is taken after
the third reading.
The third reading, inciden
tally, should-be within the next
couple of weeks.
TAKE UP PEN
It would be well if every vet- 0
eran concerned with this legis
lation would write to his Con
gressman and Senator, urging
the defeat of any bill which
would reduce veteran allowances
. . . and suggesting the re-intro
duction of Senate 533, which
, would adjust the allocations to
meet the present standard of liv
ing, certainly not reduce them.
For, the GI Bill, indeed, is not
a handout. It is a long-term in
vestment. For, when the stand
ards of living are increased
through education, what greater
return can come from an invest
ment.
Write your Congressman? It
would be nice. But, then, we
probably do not have the re
motest idea who the dickens they
are anyway. So, as in everything
else, we may as well forget about
this, too, and settle for half the
training allowance.
RT
Births And
estion
dents and faculty alike give their
honest Opinion of this, the third
attempt.
" " -
A Skinny Note: With exams
and all cotping up too quickly,
here is a little thought for those
who contemplate this type of
skinny sheet. Don't, by all means,
use the method of copying notes
on your fingernails. I knew one
nervous young man who did this
and before he realized it, he had
eaten the first six presidents, the
preamble to the constitution and
the dates of the revolutionary
war.
a i s
A Campus Vignette: The paper
boy hitched up his jeans which
were bunched high around his
waist and shifted the hand of
his paper satchel from one shoul
der? to the other.
Ile stood in the room of his
hero. A big healthy athlete wvhom
he idiIzed.
He had c111(ome to c(olleect for two
weeks' pap)er delivery.
The paper b)oy's hero was
st retchedi in his bed, clothes dis
arrayed and his head hanging
Iimp11 over hiis pillow.
"Paper boy . . ."' the lad's
voice trembled as it did when he
talked to his hero.
A thick tongue rolled, "Whade
ya w'ant." This was followed by
a' profane sIlur and cough.
The paper boy reacted in fear
coupled with compassion. His
timid voice cracked, "I . . . just
w~ant to collect for the paper."
"Getoutahere, ya little . . .
the t irade came again from the
herto.
The p)aper~ boy backed slowly
from the room andI closed the
door with silence.
He turned down the hall tode
liver the rest of his papers. His
mind wvas worried now, for this
wvas his hero -the person he
hoped to be like someday. And
he woundered--do all heroes act
like that?
Sometimes, we wonder the
same thing.
E EDITOR
lay Reflections
express wveIl his regard for them.
.No doubt Mr. Smith is an ob
ject of their insp)ection. I am
sure he failed that inspection,
miserably.
Let's have less of these ar
ticles of self-glorification In the
guise of "Reflections In the
Warm Month of May" or any
other month for that matter.
Joe Donald Beard
A GREATER
OUTHI CAROLINA
d Collegiate Press
bbe Elliott Connaleg as the 1k
4 by and for the students of the
!onFriay,during the ceflegs
sltg and letter writer, are met
Pml.Ing doe, not coagetite