The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 22, 1966, Image 8
Editorials
Friday, April 22, 1966
The Elections
Student body elections are over-leaving much to be de
sired, both in persons elected and in the manner in which
the elections were conducted.
For the most part, as usual, voters, when marking their
ballots, were influenced more by good looks, athletic ability
and social graces instead of platforms, achievements and
leadership qualities.
We thank the defeated, qualified candidates for offering
themselves and hope that their talents will be used elsewhere.
On the matter of election and campaign conduct, we point
out that nearly every campaign rule established by the elec
tiois committee and publicized in last week's Gamecock was
flagrantly disregarded.
Among other things, at the polls, it was strikingly evi
dent that once in the door one could vote any number of
times.
The use of unlockable, easily obtainable, grocery store
discarded cardboard boxes in which to store ballots also
leaves much to be desired in the way of protecting the true
vote cast.
We could go on and on about lost votes and other things.
However, we do not feel this is necessary. Surely the Caro
lina student body wants the best.
To achieve the best, we ask that a committee be appointed
NOW to work with the new elections chairman to assure stu
dents that next year's elections will be well planned and
well executed.
The election mistakes of this year should never be re
peated.
Graduation
Speaker?
We bemoan the choice of State Supreme Court Chief
Justice Joseph R. Moss as commencement speaker.
While not questioning the background of the man, we
doubt that his appearance will mean much to graduating
seniors from South Carolina and certainly less to those grad
uates from out of state.
Particularly since the University has such few men of
great renown to visit and speak on campus, commencement
should provide an extra-special address by an extra-special
person.
Last year's selection of poverty chief and former Peace
Corps Director Sargent Shriver was an excellent choice.
Next year we urge that an effort be made to go out of
the state and to choose an individual of widespread promi
nence, in tune with the tempo of the times, who can truly
provide a rememberable challenge to those leaving Carolina.
Peace Corps
Visiting on campus this week are four returnees from
Peace Corps service now serving the organization as re
cruiters.
The four have an outstanding background of achievement
and are extremely interesting to talk to.
We urge USC students today to take time to meet these
fine people and to learn more about the organization they
represent-an organization that has served the world well
for five years.
Distinguished
Professor
An effort is being made again this year to allow the
student body participation in the selection of the recipient of
the annually given Russell Distinguished Professor Award.
The form below can be used when making a choice of an
individual, man or woman, who exemp)lifies the best available
professor at Carolina. The award's recipient will be an
nounced at commencement.
The form should be mailed to Sig Hluitt, Editor-in-Chief,
in care of The Gameceock, Campus Mail, by Friday, April 29.
My nominee for Russell DIistinguished Teacher
Award is
(signed)
f/A GAA#Gcocit
SIG HUITT
Editor-in-Chief
BARRY IIREIBART JANEAN MANN
Business Manager Managing Editor
Founded January 30, 1908 with Robert Elbonte Gonzales as the first erbtor. The
Canecock is pubbish ed by and for the students o,f the tinsersity of South Casr.hna
weekly during the college year except dunng hohdal.ys and eamiu.ttin.
The opinions expressed herein do not n,ecessarily reflect the s tews of the .ohin-i
astration. the faculty or the student bIody as a whole.
Offices or The Gamecock are in Roonm 208 of the Rtussell lionse on the U,:n.erutis
campus. Phones are 765-4220 and 765-4249.
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Press. Subscriptonl rates are $3.00 per year.
UNI'
"Crowing
I ~
Woulc
Mising Rallots-S
From Th
Ify J
I wish I couldI begin this col
umn with something like "'the
end of an era;" but it's obvious
that I can't. I wish I could sit
here and type a column that
would show my great satisfac
tion with the job I've done this
year; but again, I can't.
Hut 1 can say this much: it's
been good--at least for me. I've
enjoyedl every single minute that
I've been at Carolina and par
tieular'ly the hours spent in serv
ing as presidlent of the student
body.
As for accompijlishments -
there's prohably not a great deal
I can say. A lot of good has been
done in student government, not
all of which will see completion
during this school year. And yet,
many things have been started
n~ hich have definitely failed,
never gotten off the ground.
But I ('an honestly say I have
tried. I have tried to really hie
that much-discussed "link be
tween student bodyv atnd student
governme'nt."' I ha~ve e'ndeavore'd
to know andl know well as many'
studlents of Carolina as I possibly
could. I have tried always to
treat my fellow studlents with
respect, particularly when they
have come to me with problems
or suggestions.
Some have called me "'ideal is
tic."' Anud I woul not dare deny
this. For', as preside(nt of the
student body of the Ulnive'rsity
of South Carolina, I have had the
privilege and even the~ duty of
leing idealistic. When one is
given the oppor0t unity of leadling
a group (if students as fine and
pote'ntiall y caipa ble and success
fiu as t.hese, opt imism nd idealI
ifm, oif necessity' aboutJndl.
As I leave this position and
this school. I lease( with a feeling
of love and concern for Carolina
and her students. To those who
succeed me, I wish them well at
their atte'mpts. Andl to them, I
woulda .ki tha teir. .ffrts..e.
A 4c4
/ERSITY OF SOUTH CAl
for a Greater Carolina Since
-U
--|
====. 0.
6"
ilackness at the PoIls-UJnenf
e Gravesyai
alwa. s achannelled to keep Caro
ia "small," to keep that wonder
ful, piersonal atmosphere on the
caImp)us.
My greatest hopie for Carolina
is that more of a feeling of
"we're all in this together so
let's (10 our best'' will be wide
-spread. For some of the finest
group~s and organizations on our
campl1us couldl serve t<> split our
student bod(y so severely that the
dlivision couldl not he overcome.
When it comes to saving
*thanks,"' the list could get ex
tremely long. In the Administra
tion, I feel especiallyV indetedt((
to D)eans Clotworthyv andI Witten
for their hard work, tolerance'
with me, and for their continual
availability.
The1 individuals to whom I owe
w~ ords of thanks are much too
numerous to ment ion; so I hope
to get them all thanked by letter
or at least verbally before I grad
uiate. As for groups, I p)articu
larly appireciate the efforts of
(he Student Senate andl the Stu
dent-F"aculty Relations (Commit
tee. Th'Iese two organizations
I EXCH
The D)iamnondhack of the Urni
versit. of Mary land reports that
the Haltaiore l'layboiy Club liun
nies traded their silk ears for
basketball sneakers and played a
benefit basketball game against
he Maryland varsity for the
('am pus (lhest. The varsity men
mnaintained a tight mann-to-hunny
defense throughout the game, but
Itreir shooting ga me was ha m
e rid by having to wear boxing
g!ove. lHunnies were1 awardiedl
three points for a basket, whiile'
the si ors werme given line per
hnsket. One hanny's e('it,ostrai
ZOLINA
1908"
p,
0-00
00-1
lieve?
orced Regulations.
have served faithfully and have
effectively rep)resented their con
Nt it uents.
Andl then there were groups
like Westminster Fellowship, Thec
G;amel(cock st.aff, the sixth floor
"L," anld the (;arnet andl Black
staff--to whom I couldl always
go for advice, solace, or just a
break from the routine.
Last, and( perhaps most impor
ant of all, come the Pi KA's who
have been brothers to me in the
finest sense of the word, who
have given me their unanimous
su pport and always their sincere
concern and help. For these men
I will always have the greatest
resp)ect andl admirat.ion.
Finally, I would like to express
a most sincere applre'ciation to
all the students of Carolina for
giving me noat only the oppor
tunity to serve themi, b)ut also
heir much-needed supp)iort, even
when the chips were down.
Todlay, mine is a pirayer of
r rat itudle for a wondlerful year;
andl I also pray that God will
iessx each ofC you, now andl in the
years to come.
ANGE CO:
was stolen by an ardent fan, but
her only comment was "It's all
ini the y:ime.'' The bunnies were
I he recepJtion."
Tlhe 1'niv ersit y of ( oilorado
l'1ean's office. i-sued a stateme(nt
that. the t'niverisit y "consideris a
water halluion a lethal weapon.''
A ccorig toi the (Coloradio I)a ily,
anyone notw caugh.t th rowing
w\ater hanlloons froma a dlorm wvill
be '-uspe'nded( fro'm school.'' Next
P n thi hst, will lbe squirmt guns,
rubbier hands, amnud paper air
Co
State E
The recently completed campus
elections offer, at least in part,
a situation analogous to our state
elections. Even though the Caro
lina voters turned out in record
numbers, the lack of concern was
readily apparent. Unfortunately,
this malady is not peculiar to the
Carolina campus. I n d e e d, it
exists in epidemic proportions on
a state-wide level.
In the campus elections the stu
dents were fortunate enough to
have a choice between highly quali
fied candidates for most major of
fices. (President of the student
Union was a notable exception.)
This is particularly true of the con
test for President of the Student
Iody. Both men were highly quali
fied and extremely capable candi
dates and both men brought well
planned, workable platforms into
the campaign. 'The unusually close
vote provides evidence that the stu
dent hody was aware of the merit
of these men and considered their
choice carefully. Here any analogy
with our state's political situation
must end.
The people of South Carolina
shall not be faced with a choice
between qualified candidates. In
fact, in many instances they shall
be forced to choose between the
lesser of two evils. The platform
of most candidates will consist of
a simple belief that anything that
has happened since 1890 is wrong
and change or progress is a tool
o& the devil.
You can het with certainty that
the average S. C. politician shall
make dozens of speeches and say
absolutely nothing, extoll the merits
of himself, God, motherhood, and
the flag; eat enormous quantities
of barbecue and watermelon; and
h o u n d Washington, the Federal
G;overnment, and the Yankee lib
erals to death. You can also bet
that the voters of S. C. will return
to office the same politicians who
shall contin ue to (Il) perpetrate
illiteracy, (2) f o s t e r hyproeracy
through antiquidated liquor laws,
(3) comndone organized and me
thodical thievery by refusing to
regulate the smiall loani racket and
(4) keep omne hand e-xtended in
gree-ting amnd the other in the tax
piayer's pocket.
Of course, I don't want to imply
that all the incumbents are crooks
or that the politicians who are
Dear Mr. Hluitt:
D)oesn't anyon- besides me get
dlismayedl at the senseless fan
ning of the swinging dloors that
conne'ct tnle post office and the
lower lobby of the Russell House?
This dlaily opening andl closing,
hour after hour, day after day,
the wasted energy, and the ac
cumulation of gooey hand p)rints is
totally purposeless because t h e
doors are ne(eded only at closing
time. Furthermore, because the
archite'ct madfe them to swing in
wardl, all they do is constrict the
piassagewamy ini the piost office at
rush hours. Why have the stu
dents silent ly put up with thi.
stupidlity for all the years the
Russell II (I u s e has e'xisted? It
would be simple to change: Just
KNERI
Tlh- Technician (of N. C. State
quotes anc amnnmous source as
aying "l.,ve is a cup of hot tea
that warms your heart and cools
off leamvji a bitter taste in y'our
ruouth i. . whole. universe
is blac k with tiny poinits of light
that can hardly bet seen, and
never be1 gras pedl. . .. Li fe is a
little fat man with a bowl full
of jelly so let's dot it open for
desert... Maybe everybody
w hoi is Manie has been committed
a m,ndy so now we can make the
bomb and xtermninineouseve
mmentary
Columbia, South Carolina
doto
lections
returned to office shall be the
only ones guilty of the charges
above. I am supremely confident
that the people of South Carolina
shall find some brand new
despots.
One might think that the advent
of a two-party system in S. C. offers
the voter a choice, however, the only
choice provided in most istances
is between two brands of 18th cen.
tury politics.
W h i I e attending one of the
many stump speaki ngs held
around the state, the spectator
becomes aware that something is
missing besides original or con
structive ideas and then grad
ually you realize what it is - the
powdered wigs, knee stockings
and den unciation s of King
George III.
Of course, there are a few bright
spots in the dark cavern of S. C.
politics. A few candidates (mostly
for national office) have had the
intestinal fortitude to advocate such
revolutionary Ideas as compulsory
attendance laws, actively seeking
new industry, trying to work with
the Federal Government, and a re
vision of S. C.'s outdated and out
moded Constitution. (The editor
said I shouldn't mention candidate
Fritz 1Iollings' name for political
reasons, so I won't.) 'Tese candi
dates are actively seeking the help
of the young people in this state
and they are entitled to it. Young
ideas come more naturally to young
men and this state is in desperate
ieed of young ideas.
You don't have to be 21 to
distribute campaign materials,
answer telephones, or type letters.
All candidates need this type of
help and I promise you that they
won't reject your offer of it.
College students should also be
able to influence their parents to
some 4egree-. Tell your parents how
you feel about the candidates and
what the issues are as you see them.
Even if they don't agree with you
they may be prodded into a closer
examination of the candidate they
favor.
Above all, if you are eligible
then register and vote. It's your
state too and you should have a
voice in how it's run. Nothing will
produce young ideas in old poli
ticians faster than a larger num
ber of young voters. To quote one
of our younger State Senators,
"This is the Pepsi generation."
Let's work in the coming election
to show our elected representa
tives that a lackadaisical attitude
is not hereditary and that the
votes are going to go to "those
who think young!"
take off the screws and switch
the doors so they swing out, and
then attach a door stop. Would
this not serve to remove another
pain from the daily life of the
Carolina student?
I have mentioned this problem
several times to various head per
sonnel; miy suggestions have been -
politely r e e e i v e d - and then
ignored.
But perhaps this in itself im
plies that I am criticizing more
than just a constricted passage
way and unnumbered thousands
of wasted energy units per hour.
Maybe I am really attacking the
sacred concept of red tape and
inertia w h i c h undergirds the
functioning of this University.
Who knows what disrupting con
ditions could result from a trend
toward considlering the practical
side of things once in a while,
and, e'veni more important, at
templting to ease the already too
ene'rvating routine that the Car
olina student must endlure dlay
after day he-cause no one gives a
hang. Students, protest and ask
your se-nators to petition for this
aend other needed improvements!
JIM COX
THIANKS
The Gamecock is indebted to
Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and Chi
Psi frate-rnity for help in dis
tribiuting I asa t Sunday's special
spring election editioni to each
dlornmitory on camptus.
We trualy appreciate their serv
ic t en aro'l.nina (t'nnennity.