Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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For WI A certain professor receni the time has come for studen selves what they are doing at Why are we really in school? have at the end of four yea this part of our lives? Today it seems that too n interested only in the preser concerned with the effect our will have on our future. W< be interested in today, in enjo and in gaining temporary rec will soon fade into oblivion without the important thing, have held our attention whex away from our studies to le things. Elections have just ended. privilege of electing our stu< indeed good, but when we thralled with campaigning t about classes, we are being selves, to the professors, t who gave us unlimited cuts, From The New Pr 'They Air To the Editor: I am prompted by a sincere sense of gratitude and humility to express my thanks to the "Men and Women of Carolina" for the signal honor they have bestowed upon me. I realize that I have been chosen for the highest office that the University can offer one of h'er students. When an individual accepts this office and the responsibil ities that accompany it, he must realize that he is the representa tive of the entire student body of the University - each and every one of us - and must govern each act accordingly. I assure you that I am aware of these responsibilities and will strive to the best of my ability to fulfill the duties that this of fice requires. To all of you, I can only say, "Thank you," and I shall strive always to emulate those qualities which you expect of me. Ideas or Criticisms If you have any ideas to offer or any criticisms to makte, they will be most heartily accepted and welcomed at any time. Our present student govern ment has done an admirable job and I think that they should be duly congratulated. Only through a continued student interest in our student government and its varied program can we continue our present rate of progress. Under the able guidance and leadership of President Fred Le Clercq, student government was responsible for the inauguration of the Artist Series at Carolina. Cultural Motivation The cultural motivation offered to us by this program has been and will continue to be of im measureable value to the "Men and Women of Carolina." Of course, this is the highlight of Student Government's pro gram this year, but it is not the sum total of its activities. Foot ball trips, student council dances, queen of hearts contest, May Day, and freshman orientation are just a few we might mention in passing. For the future I offer no tremendous changes in our pres ent system but merely a sincere desire to provide more services for our student body. I hesitate to make rash promises because it is not my desire to radically change our University or student life in general. Return to Yesteryear But even nmoreso, I do not want to make promises and then not be able to fulfill them. How ever, It would be my desire to return to the days of yesteryear when students of this University were prousdly referred to as the "Men and Women of Carolina." If we would Instill In ourselves the pride and feeling of respon lat Are We In 4 ;ly stated that idea of a si be to ask them- Classes aj the University. come second What will we cerns in th( rs to show for they should anything thi iany of us are While we t. We are not purpose of h present actions tically no r , seem only to not the way ying ourselves, should hope ognition which to reach. and leave us The quesi which should college has i we wandered now it has sser important Students ar( their purpos To have the activities ab lent officers is When stu( become so en- which can h< hat we forget mere purpos unfair to our- ter and card ) the officials ask ourselve md to the true lege." -esident . . i't Seen N( sibility that was true of pasi generation of Carolina Game, cocks, we would realize a muct greater and more progressivo Carolina. Today we are fast becominj members of the metallic age. Th< age of gold in our teeth, silvei in our hair and lead in our pants We must not allow ourselves t< be overcome by this spirit of in, difference towards our respon sibilities. Vig.or of Youth We must awaken now and witi the experience of the past ani the vigor and enthusiasm o youth must strive forward to wards a greater Carolina. With the understanding an guidance of the administratioz and the cooperation of the stu. dent body, I am certain that nexi year will be an even greater yeai in the growth and development o: our Carolina. Last month while riding in E cab in Washington, D. C. the cal driver turned to me and Eaid Anthony E. Brov Unlimi Soon [ Last spring the Administra tion announced students wh< were taking courses above certair basic levels were to be allowve4 12 absences from each cours< during the term. These were t< include both excused and un excused absences. Now, due to the continuou: abuse by many students, this sys tem is being invalidated, and th< University will return to th< former four-cut maximum for unexcused absences. To many this will appear tc be a gross infringement on stu dent rights and many voices will be raised in protest. The poini being made here is that no en croachment has been made thai the majority of the students did not impose on themselves. Present Cut System The cut system now in effect was offered, with many doubters, to the student body with the assumption that it could be car ried out with maturity and intel ligence on the part of the atu dents. The system was designed to give more freedom, more flex ibility to classroom procedure and to allow for unexpected emergen eies which may arise during the semester. For a contrasting example, we would like to point out that at Duke University, renowned for its student spirit and its academ ic standards, each undergraduate is allowed one cut per semester hour carried. That is to say that a three hour course would indicate that three cuts would be permitted unexcused, a four-hour course, four absences. Crade Points Moreover, if a student cuts his Monday and Wednesday classes, without an excuse, he Is penal ized by having grade points sub tracted from his grade pQints ratIO. Similarly, If he cuts te monege? Ludent. id studying seem to have -be ary to a number of other con lives of students when really have priority over and above it may arise. pay to come to school for the barning, we cut classes for prac ason at all. This is certainly to achieve the goal which we for and are supposedly striving ion of what we are doing in been discussed for years. And come up again on our campus. certainly failing to live up to e when they place their social ove their studying. lents are willing to miss classes, Hlp their minds to grow, for the e of distributing campaign pos s, it is certainly time for us to s: "What are we doing in col )thing Yet' "Mister, you ever seen the in scription on the cornerstone of i the Archives Building?" I told him that I had not, so we im mediately drove past the build r ing so that I might see the cornerstone. "Nothing Yetl" The inscription read, "All that is past is but a prologue." The driver turned to me and said, "Mister, you know what that means?" I replied that I did not, and he said, "Mister, that means you ain't seen nothing yet!" "Men and Women of Carolina," let us work hard now to gain our foundation of knowledge so that we may build on it a proud I future that has profited from the k lessons of experience and while we are building let us continue I to have the imagination and en thusiasm of youth. r Then our cornerstone can tell the world, "They ain't seen noth ing yet." Sincerely, Jim Leventis ted Cuts )isa ppear (lay preceding or the day follow ing a holiday period, the same penalty is invoked. In this rather harsh light-or so it would appear in comparison with our more than liberal sys tem--we have no real reason to -complain. But, you may argue, there is a vast difference between the University of South Carolina and Duke. The former is state sup ported while the latter is a pri vately endowved institution. The comparison is not fair. Falucious Thesis The answer to such a falacious thesis as that is the fact that this University is supported by the taxpayers of the state and lack of attendance at class meetings is a waste of their money and of the professors' and your time. The twelve-cut system could have worked here had it been re garded more astutely by the stu dents. Instead, it was ruined by students who are here, appar ently, to cut as many times as they can rather than to learn as much as possible. This is, whether everyone ac cepts the fact or not, a center of higher learning where one is sup posed to prepare himself for his life's work. Perhaps from the failure of this trial system we have learncd that even on the college level regimentation of the mass he cause of ignorant andl flagrant abuse of privileges is necessary. CROWING FOIR UNWVERSITY OF S Member of Assoclat< Founded n4uary 80, 1905, vii first editor, ' Caeeock" is put the University of South Carolina wee yea except on holiday. and during The opinlos expressed by colua necessarily those of "1he Gemnecoe Letter, to the Editor, but all letter. not constitute an endesment. The muhcam an m leterIs .e.e..ed. Doe, I've been campaigning LETTER TO THE Outgoing Praised F An article entitled "Less Color and Excitement Expected in April Elections," which appeared in the last issue of "The Game cock," was read by me with mixed emotions. It was good to see an article rightly extolling the merits of Carolina's new student body president, J i m m y Leventis. Jimmy is an admirable person, capable and dedicated, and above all, he is a natural leader. It was distressing, however, to find within the same article a personal attack, only slightly veiled, on our present student body president, Fred LeClercq. This attack was subtle and ac complished by innuendo and not by forthright presentation, but nevertheless it created an impres sion which must not be allowed to stand as a final judgment. Judgment on LeClereq The writer's judgment on Fred LeClercq may be seen first, and most obviously, in his statement, we can say, with little fear of contradiction, that Jim will bring to the presidency of the student body a polish and stability it sadly needs." I do not know the grounds for the author's attack. Since he ad vises Carolina students to vote on the basis of ability and not conviction (as to candidates' ability) and not on the basis of personality ("popularity," he calls it), I must assume that he, as "The Gamecock's" political analyst, wvould judge a current official on the same basis, and that he would not allowv any grudge against Mr. LeClercq as a person to color his conclusion. Following his own principles then, he must judge an elected officer on the basis of accom p)lishment because, as he says, the purpose of a student body off i eial is to serve the students. Outgoing President Accepting this line of reason ing, I wvould like to offer a judg nment of our outgoing student body president which is depen dont not upon unfounded general ities, but on facts as I have known them. I believe, having seen many student body officials in my five years as an undergraduate and graduate student at this Univer sity, that Mr. LeClercq is the most vital, energetic, and hard working student body president that I have known. I b)elieve his record as student body president bears this con elusion out. Perhaps he is not the most popular president we have had, but, according to our writer's criterion, we must dis count this factor, and look to his accomplishmefits. Campaign Promises Fred was elected last spring, on the basis of a number of cam paign promises of the most am b)itious nature. One of these promises was that A GREATER DUTH CAROLINA di Collegiate Pres h Rtobeyt Elliott Cazales a the Ilahed byand for the stade.nta ar kEy, em Fridays, dmrig the eBge zaminations. nnists and Ietter wit erasiae met k." "The Gameock" ieeoirage 0 0 for a week, and now I can't get ti EDITOR . .. Student Body )r His Accom he would try to establish on this campus an atmosphere more ap preciative of fine arts (a promise which, I'm sure our writer would agree, was not of the "lightning and thunder" variety), and cer tainly many doubted at that time, because of various existing condi tions, whether such a promise could be fulfilled to any apprecia tive degree. I offer that today we have on the University of South Carolina campus a thriving Artist Series, which is one of the two matters I am entitled to speak about. I will present in this case not generalities, such as those our writer's insinuations are based upon, but facts. - Artist Series Immediately after the results of last spring's elections were in, and before I had been appointed chairman of the Artists Series Committee, Mr. LeClercq wrote over 100 letters to various col leges and universities through out this country, asking informa tion about their Artist Series how they had been established, how they were financed, and how artists of high calibre could be secured. The results of these letters were tabulated by Mr. LeClercq, and studied by him and me to gether. I invite the reader to imagine the work Mr. LeeClercq p)ut into this personally, and this wvas only the first step toward a distant destination. Throughout the summer, when other University students were enjoying the vacation, Fred spent more than four-fifths of his time at the University, setting up machinery so that a strong and vital student government could function during the coming school year. Series on Campus Much of his time was spent each week on all the complex mat ter's which wvent into establishing an Artist Series on a campus which hitherto had been unrecep tive to any sort of similar pro gramn. The point of the matter is that practically the whole of Mr. Le Clercq's summer was dedicated to the student body of the Uni versity, and if this isn't an example of "stability" In con ducting student body business, then I am unaware of what the writer could possibly mean. The Artist Series has, of course, since last summer de manded,countless hours of work on the part of many people whom I shall never forget, but the initial effort, the initial force, the power that set all this in motion, was Mr. LeClercq, and I am unhappy that this should be forgotten. Second Attack The second attack implied is that Mr. LeClercq has lacked "polish" in conducting student body business. The second area in which I am entitled to speak, because of my experience In the matter, is ample refutation of this inuendo. I had the pleasure during the latter part of the summer of at tending the tenth annual Na tional Student Association Con gress held In Delaware, Ohio, along with Mr. LeClercq. Of his conduct there, I would refer our writer to a letter pub lished several weeks later In "The Gamecock" from the student body officials of New York Univer sity, cnontulating the tTlver VOT E FO ORM is damn smile off my face. President plishments sity of South Carolina on having such an able representative as Mr. LeClercq. Southern Viewpoint The Southern viewpoint on the very touchy issue of integration was set forth in such a way that it could win the admiration of people diametrically opposed to the viewpoint itself, an accom plishment which could not have been achieved without "-polish." Furthermore, the debate on the resolution presented by Mr. Le Clercq was conducted in such a "polished" and intelligent man ner that it was tape recorded, and has been circulated to col leges and universities throughout the country. I can only conclude that tne interests of the majority of the University students were fur thered in a way which could only redound to their credit in the eyes of the nation's future lead ers throughout the United States. Polish and Stability Therefore, the assertion that the office of student body presi dent of the University has lacked "polish and stability," and that those qualities are "sadly needed," is not only erroneous, but grossly unjust. A wrong has been committed, and I hope the writer will agree --placing the matter in the light of truth-from the basis of his own criterion as to what consti tutes a "good" student body president. Artist Series work has occu pied almost the whole of my asso ciation with student government since last summer, but as an adviser on several matters which have arisen during the year con cer'ning student body government, I have been aware that various reforms, needed reforms, were b)eing accomplished. Extent of Reforms These have not always been publicized, and their extent per haps will never be completely ap preciated in their relation to Mr. LeClercq, but I would like to assure University students that they have had a leader who has been vitally interested not only in their welfare, but in the wel fare of future student bodies at this University. The author of the column im plies in his article, though he never makes the outright state ment, that Mr. LeClercq's activ ities as a debater have hurt the office of student body president. The main fallacy in this argu ment is the assumption that if a man excels in one field (debat ing), he therefore cannot excel in another. Second Fallacy A second fallacy is his igno't ing of the fact that excellence In one field may well assist excel lence in another, ignoring that talents are usually complemen tary in a good man. The argu ment Is in itself unreasonable, but in view of the facts that I have presented, It is more than unreasonable-t is wrong. The other parts of the article are worthy as a more objective elections. With the writer I look analysis of this year's campus forward to a strong admiinistra tion under Jimmy Leventis, which will continue and enlarge upon the work done so capably under the outgoing student body president. Sincerely, RUSS BURNS The Majority Or Viewpoint * Of One Man (Editor's note: This is part five in the series dealing with the question, "What is wrong with Carolina's spirit?") Policy ... Policy ... POLICY. Some people accuse us of harp ing too much on our policy of dissecting policies, but all plan ning is built on policy of one sort or -another and it is through In spection of this foundation thA* one gains insight into the tru makeup of a man, organization, country, or what have you. . . . Anyone can adopt any policy and call it his own. The only trouble is that he looks rather foolish when standing beside someone else who has an identi cal policy or when standing next to someone with a radically op posed policy. O.K.! So we have talked in riddles long enough. What is it all about? The answer is-our band! Garnet and Black The University's colors are Garnet and Black. The band rep resents the University. The band should therefore "decorate" it self with the school colors, thus symbolizing the spirit of the in stitution. . . . The only trouble is: What is more wretched than a gaudy garnet and black uni form? It was because of this aspect that our band chose to take on more pleasing and conventional colors. BUT WHY IN HEA VEN'S NAME . . . BLACK AND GOLD1!! Black and Gold just happen to adorn the band uniforms of Wake Forest in the Atlantic Coast Conference, just happen to be used by the Wofford band here in the state, and just happen to shroud the band of Booker T. Washington High School here in the city. Now if we must switch from the standard school colors to something more individualistic, for Pete's sake let us not regi ment ourselves with all our neighbors. Undetermined Makeup Perhaps more consideration -r should be given to using our school colors for there may be some yet undetermined makeup of a uniform in garnet and black which will be in good taste. Now, for the second point let us "dig up the hatchet." This point is bound to bring great controversy . . . should we re install majorettes? Our band leader has steadfastly held to his original decree of no majorettes. Stubbornness can be a virtue, but not when taken to the point of ridiculousness. Has our band really been vastly improved by the absence of majorettes? If it has we would like to have these improvements held up for public approval. In fact, we would like to have Mr. Garnett reply to this challenge within these pages. Evaluation of Views Perhaps a step by step evalua tion of Mr. Garnett's views asi opposed to those of other notable bands with majorettes should be forthcoming. As much as we dislike drag gmng our country cousins from up in the hills down here in the argument, we feel that CleW son's band achievements in the field of majorettes should be closely compared to Carolina's majorette sterile musical aggre gation. Yes, our band has lost a lot of prestige because of one man's stubbornness, and therefore the University has lost favor in the eyes of the public. Miss Carolyn Willis The turning away of Miss Carolyn Willis and other attrac tions certainly aroused ill com ment from all quarters. That is right, we said attractions. Let's face it, good majorettes are good attractors of attention and thus serve as good ambassadors for our school. To be blunt, our band is li~ke a cake without an icing. No matter how good the cake Is, the majority like It better with a little Icing. The question Is: Do we favor the majority or one man'sve point? The one man's stubborn view point has lost for us public favor and also some of the best musi cians on this campus who quit because they could not conform. It is time for the majority' to BAND together, to revive school spirit-a spiNtual revival, shall