Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Letters 'Creatin DO"r Mr. ftPP: After reading Monday's edition of The Gamecock, I see as I have in so many past issues that you are again creating issues rather than reporting news. The space in your newspaper could be filled with more newsworthy material. On Monday you said, "The blacks weren't' there because they have heard Dixie too many times." I find it rather difficult to believe that you or any member of your staff was at the football game for the express purpose of taking head counts. I believe The Gamecock staff has voiced its opinion on the playing of "Dixie" before and has been sufficiently rebuffed by the students of Carolina. Your statement that "Dixie" and the Confederate flag are synonymous with " bigoted Southern aristocracy" makes me wonder about your ability to report any news objectively. I fail to understand why a song that generates so much en thusiasm and positive feeling from the fans should be attacked so needlessly. For what Carolina student goes to the game to sing with te long dead issue of the Civil Hoi By W. W. ASMUS Guest Columnist (Fd Note- The following article is - based on the writer's six years ex nerience. enlisted and commis sioned. in the U.S. Army.) Walk in on a casual conversation among male students on campus and usually you will find the subject of discussion to be the draft. All who face it seem to have an opinion about it and today the draft is a major controversy. It remains, however, that until Selective Service reforms are legislated, the draft will continue to be a major factor in the college student's plans for the future. Much of the apprehension voiced by students is largely the result of the great uncertainty involved in being subject to the draft. Yet too many of these uncertainties come from a general lack of information often made up for by large quantities of "war stories" and general misinformation. Two years in the Army may not be the most pleasant way to start a new way of life after many years of formal education. Yet these years need not be wasted ones, especially if they can contribute meaningful experience in your chosen career field, experience which can be There are many ways to look at the Army as a whole. One is to compare it to one of the nation's larger civilian corporations. As suich it is a little easier to un derstand that almost all depart ments and functions found in a civilian firm are also represented in the Army. Here they are usually performed by working divisions supervised by general and special staff sections. Now how do you as a draftee get into an area of work corresponding with your civilian career in terests? It is not as difficult as you may imagine and the key is knowing in advance which office or department does work most closely related to your own field. One of the easiest ways to get this information is to ask a recruiter. Make as if you're thinking about enlisting and want to know all the options before making up your mind. Remember, however, that it is not advisable to sign anything. A recruiter should have a cata'og of all militarv oc H ALLOWEEIM Fr 50% OFon as Drawing for U.S.C T g issues War in his heart? Most of our students have more constructive ideas and issues with which to occupy their time. Since the beginning of the school year, your newspaper has con tinued to gie leftist views of the issues. I do not believe The Gamecock was intended to convey the ideas of one minority. If you and your staff ever intend to report the news objectively and in an unbiased manne, I suggest a change in your reporting procedures. ('11tSTOPl0 1R GRIFFITII Facing the facts Dear Mr. Stepp: I enjoy attending our ball games. I stand up and cheer. I yell as loud as I can cheering our team on to victory! I stand and sing our alma mater. This is our school. It is our band. Why must the band play with their backs to us at half time? Is our band leader ashamed to face us and play? GEORGE KUNDRICK Vto( cupational specialties (MOS) which in most cases are cross referenced with corresponding civilian occupational titles. Once you have a list of military job titles you can find out from the recruiter in what working sections these jobs would be found. Getting a job in the Army, once you're in, is no different from getting one as a civilian. First there has to be an opening for you. Second you must meet the qualifications, and finally you must take the initiative to get the job. The openings are not too hard to find at the present time. The Ar my's overseas committments have made it increasingly difficult to get qualified personnel to fill positions at installations here in the United States. Your college major will most often serve as the necessary qualification for fields within your career interests. It also points out that your intelligence level is sufficiently high for you to function in a job with a minimum of training. Many staff directors are finding that they have to fill their vacancies with trainable "bodies" and welcome someone with even a minion of applicable ex perience with sufficient interest to ask for a job. Initiative is the key to job hun ting. Most draftees feel that once they have been called up for ser vice they can have no influence whatsoever over their occupation for the next two years. Most never recover from the initial shock of transition from a civilian to a ...olo-r ;md1( smeI1' seemII no4t to care' imtan)1~tt thing2 to dto is to) try to mainltain) at least .1 Semblence('( of anilty m I thel colnfusionl re'igning~ e'it'ht wee'(ks are4 r-eally the miost llnl)lrtaniit to vont During these first eight weeks you will be processed into the Army and receive your basic training. It is during this time that a determination is made as to what y'our MOS is to be' for the remainder of your service obligation. This is done around the sixth week of basic training ac cording to Department of the Army needs, and shortly thereafter you will receive orders for advanced inidividual training which will qualify you for the selected MOS. This training is I BIRTHDAY CE day, Saturday, and pecial group of fall and .STUDENTS ONLY. For URTLE HEELS in your ci of color. THE GAi Carl Stepp Editor-in-Chlef Educat( What many see as a setback fo ''qiant leap for mankind," to qi The Supreme Court has fina seqreation is a thing of the past complain and say they are pr speed." Now they must act to end legi South, the haven of legal segrega In a short while the battle will end is put to de facto segregatic "A house divided cannot stanc has not changed. If we continue to different ways, we will have two t nation. We can now see the folly of se( qroups who can hardly communic understand each other. Integration may be painful, t American way of life may be the l it accomplished in one of two ways. Either you are sent to a formal training course, or you may sbecome MOS qualified through on the-job training (OJT). The latter holds the most promise for the job hunting draftee. Not only is this a chance to escape another eight or more weeks of formal "con ditioning", but you are also trained in the section in which you most likely will continue to work. Getting into a working section is mostly a matter of making your interest and qualifications known to the section supervisor as soon as possible after induction. Instead of going to the PX or beer hall during some of the early free times you will have it would be advisable to visit the section in which you're interested to have an informal talk with the officer or non commissioned officer in charge. This contact can also be made while you are still a civilian if the installation where you are to take basic training is nearby. Timeliness is important because during the first three to four weeks most of your records are still handled by the training center to which you are assigned. If the section supervisor has an opening and feels you can fill it he can. during this period, request an adminstrative hold to be placed on your records with a recom mendation that you be assigned to his section following basic for OJT. This means that your records will be held at the training center instead of being forwarded to the Department of the Army ac cording to usual processing procedures. This is nothing unusual, and your- success will primarily depend on the con tribution the supervisor feels your addition to his staff will make. Remember though that he doesn't owe you any thing. If he (can use you and1 feels you can do the job then he usually will make every effort to get you assigned to his section. hlowever, the decision is not his alone' If he can't use you he will let you know, and in that case he may be able to help you find a slot in another sec'tion which also needs people with your qualifications. In this case, if he is sufficiently im pressed with your desire to (10 something worthwhile, he may be a v'aluable reference for the other sc(t ion A favorable attitude on your part LEBRATION Monday winter fashions. a pair of ioiCe kECOCK JackPa ,d idea r the Nixon administration is a iote Neil Armstrong. IlIy told the states that legal - no longer will they be able to oceeding with "all deliberate 31 segregation. This "hurts" the ition. But that will not be the end. be carried into the North as an n. ,' Lincoln said. The principle educate two groups of people in lifferent groups populating our ;regation - we have made two ate with each other, much less lut the total destruction of the )nly alternative. - Obj will also be a major factor in the success or failure of your job hunt. This does not mean that you must he happy about having been drafted into the Army. No one expects you to fall in love with the Army. Yet once you're inducted you might as well attempt to do what will be best, both for you as well as for the Army. Working in an area in which you are qualified will usually satisfy these con ditions. Being honest and straigh forward during your conversations and displaying at least a small amount of tact will aid you greatly in convincing a section chief to take you on. Finally it must be said that there is no guarantee that this means of finding a job for yourself will work in-all cases. 1t. can't. The idea of a draftee looking for his own job in the Army is not exactly recognized by official policy even though it happens quite often in practice with frequent success. In any event it is an attempt worh making. By JIM TURNER Guest Columnist Are you opposed to war? Are you opposed to killing? Do you think it is wrong for you to be a soldier? Then you may be qualified as a Conscientious Objector.A flood of misinformation exists about this classification. First, there are two Be! Be! Be Formal The Stagline Package . . . a must for the men with a sure sense of style. After Six eliminates guess. work when you have to look your best. Here in one special package is the smart Stagline Tuiedo. soft pleated evening shirt, vest or ceas. merbund and tie set and elegant studs and links. Now all you need is the girl on your arm to complete the picture. Letters Jones Dear Mr. Stepp: Having just read your article "President Jones, Where are you?" we find ourselves compelled to relate to you the consequences of our recent encounter with the office of the president of the University. We were beginning to become, like yourself, disturbed by the general attitude of the University administration. My roommate and myself had paid thirty dollars to rent a refrigerator from thhe University and three weeks had lapsed without our receiving it. Upon looking into the matter we were told by the housing office that they had not knowledge of the refrigerator rentals, and the dean of men told us that he couldn't be bothered by such trivial private student affairs. At about this time we received a strong letter from the housing office claiming that we had an unpaid balance of ten dollars apiece for our room. My roommate was told to pay it within a week or we would be moved out of our dorm. Realizing that, according to the bulletin of the University of South Carolina 1969-70, we were already paid in full, we decided steps would have to be taken. We went to the president's office Bctor classes of "Co." For each class, one must be, "by reason of.. religious training and belief. opposed to participation in war in any form." Beyond that, a "I-0" objector must also be opposed to working in the armed forces in a noncombatant capacity. Objectors seeking the "--4-O's serve as medics, though some serve in army bands or do office work. I-O's are assigned to alternative civilian jobs, therby serving their country in a completely nonmilitary capacity. Many men who might qualify as COs fail to apply for such a classification, due to unfounded fears or misinformation. Many believe, for example, that to be a CO one must be a churchgoer must, in fact, be a member of a "peace church." "Quaker, Mennonite. or the like. Govern ment files indicate, however, that COs from at least 100 different denominations have been BURGI KIN' 0 - Collem - pro bler right away and told our story. The next day we received a phone call from President Jones's office and were told that their office had contacted the housing office and straightened out both problems. As a result, the refrigerators arrived the next week, and everyone received a six dollar rebate. Also, the room fees matter was cleared up. We have found that the office of the president is quite willing to Dick C (Continued from page 1) sworth the most honest man "I know." Gregory assailed college presidents as not caring enough for the student and contended that "98 percent of the Boards of Directors of colleges are the major cause of world problems." Calling upon students to organize, Gregory told the crowd that anything, including teenage 3r drE recognized; and many recognized COs claim no religious affiliation at all. The U.S. Supreme Court now says that a CO must either believe in a Supreme Being Whose laws transcend man's laws or he must have a belief that is as central to him as a belief in God is for others. Another frequent misconception is that a CO must be an avowed pacifist in all his activities, and must declare himself opposed to every war ever fought in history and any war that may be fought years fi om now. But the statement one s rins to claim objector status says. "I am ...opposed." No man can say with any certainty what his beliefs might have been in the eighteenth century. or what he may believe 20 years from now. Nor (an any man say positively what lie would do if someone tried to rape his grandmother, though darft hoards are fond of asking such hy ipot hetical questions. Got al Get a go)i food( in: I urger 1King! I GO your giant "\\ te St. '2 Block frn ramnupls Horesho a solver take a stand concerning the per sonal affairs of students and has shown us that the way to handle any such University problems is not to try and create a disturbance, or make strong allegations against anyone, but to bring our grievances to President Jones himself. HOWARD G. COMEN and WILLIAM F. SHORT rregory vote and the end of the Vietna war, could be achieved throu4 organization. "We're tired, tired," he said. "We have been under the foot for 360 years, and we're tired." Concluding he thanked the students "for changing the civil rights movement into a human rights movement." "But don't forget about your white hillbilly brother, who is going to bed starving and can't get an education." tftee However, if one does believe in personal self-defense, he should be prepared to explain that this does not conflict with his position on war. Becoming a CO. or a non cooperator, is a weighty decision. No man should try to reach that decision alone. But no man who is opposed to serving in the armed forces should "give up" on the assumption that he has no alter native. Anyone who seeks a class other than I-A should consult a preacher. teacher, or other counsellor. Help is available to anyone who requests it. Two national agencies exist: the Central Committee for Con-I scientious Objectors, 2016 Walnut St.. Philadelphia. Pa. 19103 and the National Service Board for Religious Objectors, 15th and New York Ave.. N.W., Washington. D.C. 200)05.f linute? ACTUAL. SIZE MEA L! it ing. You4 get re al sua.lly in les~s than a 111 'Int 'it you Ir(l('r, hl lIer" liln hot I cre:unijv thick shiaike ur en.loyinenIt .You'll