Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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9As We cr nt lea'i Th. wole story ~tte Russef Ituse "oc Y"O" l l confusing one, but sMsto sama n t b efforts e of the occupants, University administret and the governor to provoke a confrontation, disrupt the normal use of the building and to create con 'fusion. The occupants were not always acting as a group and when they did, they frequently quickly reversed themselves. Usually the second decision was the best - such as encouraging the press to remain in the building with cameras, such as unlocking the doors, such as taking the crosses from the doors on the first floor. Just why the Russell House turned tali and ran out is not clear. Assistant Dean of Men Jerry Nix (did he ever get all the dirty assignments that day) was able to stay in the building. The Russell House administrators and staff say that they were told to leave or be taken out. Just who did this is not clear nor from whom. Barbara Her bert, one of the occupants, said she was asked whether or not the assistant diriector of the building should leave, and replied, "yes, if you want to." The original idea of the staff to stay and offer entertainment seems much preferable to run ning, but perhaps the occupants wanted to take Russell House rather than be given it. We also question whether or not it was really necessary for President Jones to be in such a haste to turn the whole situation over to the governor. Of course, Jones had already taken care of the situation for the University by having everyone in the building suspended - without pny way of knowing who most of the people in the building were. McNair acted with much less restraint than the troopers he ordered in, but that should be popular with the folks back home. Then, too, there were the students - mostly grits or silent majority types - who damaged the police cars in the heat of the situation. Tsk. Tsk. What people will do in such a situation. The occupants kept the building (at least the front door on the second floor) open all the time. The police in "liberating" the building not only arrested the students, but closed all the student offices in the building, took us out for the duration and closed the building overnight. Students certainly can't use a closed building. 1984 again Thought 1984 was still a few years away? Think again. We are told that Governor Robert E. McNair boasted to a group of students that he has tapes of all "subversive" meetings about campus. McNair even boasted that he knows about decisions made in these "subversive" W~,to.-show con 'We got tog liy HIAIRHARA A. HERBERT soeknofC Gauest Columnist toec kind COflco I write from cell nine of the dinrec poddingnc women's section of the state andary tha yn penitentiary. Those terms are out express our intc of vogue now; I write from my recent events, 10< "dormitory room" in the Har bison The situation was Correctional Institute. All 10 of us always is when women have been isolated in the make new forn detention center of B dormitory. wandering in a We are locked in four separate around. We kept cubicles, each with inch square the assembly roor wire mesh over the window and what to do. forming the door. Then came the our cubicle is somewhat suspension, then reminiscent of Girl Scout camp: crazy. we who fe the ceiling and two walls are made bullied by the foi of unpainted plywood, the events over whi remaining walls of plaster, painted control, being bul inst itutional gray. There is a gap of was really lit tle ci about an inch bet ween one wall L'nd u hs nyw the floor. The bed frames are presence and oui shaky and the springs squeak, just come to witness< like camp, but in place of spiders our bodies. thre are roaches crawling across We were prota the walls. Each cubicle has a witchhunts, wars commode, a sink and a fresh bar of chlrntbef square blue soap.chdrntbef We are. 10 miles outside of TIhe issues were Columbia on grounds once used for f orms for cii a hlack junior~ college. There are technicalities like only 91 prisoners here - mostly p.a.systerms. Black- who wear perky pink or poie;mn blue uniforms reminiscent of those androig.W ma worn by domestics and cleaning ipde anyone women at other institutions.ime. We rrvedto lae ordinner in newcomers or th a tiny bus marked: "prison is a beudnces ofrhe highway not a dead end." Food buindingTed ov here is institutional ethnic; fried mmdetinges o f atback. greasy eggs and craing wensee od doughnuts, hard grits. On the way staking we stand d to make my phone calil I noticed maigasnd< t wo inmates clearing off the trays. It was crazy. ir Trhe rehabilitation strategy when other studen appears to attempt to give Cambridge or the everyone domestic or work Harbara. to fee] responsibilities-to make everyone fright s at remaini f.eel a part of the institution. It is a union building. Bu pleasan t enough place with b)rOthers and sister animals (two dogs, tropical fish, have been an act C parakeets) everywhere, It is ex- wrong. trordinary how little adjustment is The cops arrivec required to turn a school into the about America ar pen. all the myths we'd It is very strange to think that we but see exposed e are incarcerated. Most of us who each other's han had come to the Russell House had power to the peopl< had no intention of get ting by the helmet s and arrested; Jerry had come to see .J. P' Strom ofIerec the movie "Antigone"-becamne - especially the embroiled in the conversation and courtesy extendet stayed; Lynn's friends told her were white an< something was happening and she basically. came to check it out; I wandered We stood up to over feeling isolated and impotent going limp as to make one more protest against resisting arrest the war, the student murders, downstairs throuj racism, the whole,rotten system. corridors out the I We had come to be together to there was the v~ tqke time and the placf to define seemed watching 0ee i t res questions meetings before the members who were not there do. That's not all, a little over a week ago, we got an announcement planed into our office from the UFO-in-Exile prolect of the Student Moblization Committee. The announcement was that the three convicted operators of the UFO, Inc. would be invited as guests. The next day, they lust happened to be banned from campus. A 'principle' The Statement of Student Right and Freedoms within the Academic Community has been adopted by the Board of Trustees as a principle - a principle to show off, but not to respect, if today's proceedings can be believed. Paragraph b of Section VI of the Statement -specifies: "Where misconduct may result in suspension, the student should have the right to a hearing before the Discipline Committee." But' those arrested in the Russell House will not. They will be tried before a special tribunal dominated by the politically-appointed Board of Trustees. The students deserve a fair shake before a judicial, rather than political, body. Inside agitators Don't try the "outside agitators," theory to Thursday's Russell House takeover. It won't work. Of the 41 arrested, there were 32 students, nine nonstudents. Of the students, 20 were from South Carolina, five from other Southern states, and seven from north of the Mason-Dixon line. Of the nonstudents, four were South Carolinians. No addresses were listed for the other five. Letters writers Our letters writers (bless them and their diarheic typewriters) have discovered a new attack in the old battle to stretch a few column inches to hold miles of their efforts. The latest attack is a challenge to the editor - insult him. The challenge goes that 1) you are too biased and liberal and leftist to print this, or, 2) you are too conservative and liberal and bourgeolI to print this. This is followed or preceded by a long epistle. It may work occasionally, but, people, please try to confine yourself and give us a chance to print as many letters as possible. If possible, keep the letter to under 200 words, type it, double-spaced on a 65-space line and keep it on a matter of campus interest. Thanks. cern ether today' rnmunity, to in- onto the penal bus, shouting, ~rn into the or- chanting waving, sitting down in utine of the day, support. ibolic action to Our mood changed from somber nse feelings at to jubilant; we were a minority but al and national. we were many, and finally it had pretty chaotic (it all come home and we were eople attempt to sharing together the burden of the is) with people whole rotten system and somehow nd out and all lust by force of numbers we were an open mike in going to find ways to change n trying to decide things-we were going to win. threats, first of I write this by the night-light of arrest. It was under the sink; it is after 11 so lt so pushed and they've turned the lights off. Most ce of horrifying eryone else is asleep now - ch we had no some voices calling out words from lied more. There nightmares. We talked about some loice for those of racism and the "justice" system ~apons were ou this evening, and I've been ideas; we had thinking about women's liberation ur concern with and the women here. It's been a long time coming asting murders, but I feel like we here at S.C. are ;we were not just beginning to understand ghtened away- something of the feel of the of lives, ideas, struggle. It's about self 'ilization, not dectermination and human dignity, door locking and the right of all people to have control over the decisions and e threats, bluffs, mechanisms that affect their lives. people coming For the first time today we got de no attempt to ourselves together. That's a start. only to warn e possible con naining in the nts blur in my ATTENTION --STUD ily by an in- OF FACULTY RETUI dignity ; just by ring something; ST R O RWINTEI the year 1970. ts were trashing DO NOT TAKE THEM bank at Santa. dignity (and trims, woolens, leathe ng in a student safe In our especially I aswthm trically controlled stor< f cowardice and DO NOT BE MISLED. d. We sang-songs ence between storaj like to believe in storage. s lies. We held ds;we chanted ."I was scared , the nightsticks. * I to let us leave ladies - a I because we I nice kids. hcave, not even(URUD We walked th a maze of 1415 Gervols Street >ack door. God, 601 Maj 'hole school it Ls hbeing ladedri (MR ImAge 3 ill VMDOR Thursdc Dear Mr. Wannamaker: Not so long ago the best campus newspaper in the Southeast was highly critical of the senseless destruction of property in the Lamar School incident. As a member of the student body of USC, I am highly outraged and ashamed of the actions of students and non-students alike, on Thurs day afternoon, May 7, which resulted in glass doors broken in the Russell House and damage to state vehicles. The parallel is quite obvious and the scorn directed at the par ticipants of the Lamar incident is now placed on the participants of Better thi Dear Mr. Wannamaker: Instead of holding strikes and playing good guys bad guys we should: give cottage cheese to cowboys sneak money into' other people's pockets ask a policeman to talk about his problems. do the old soft shoe in sociology class. hug students. hug professors. kiss admninistrators (they'll love it). wear our underwear back wards. pack a free lunch for a short person. give a cottage cheese cookbook to the same cowboys. give a kid a break. bc.buy something and give it bc.give something and buy it wear a suit and tie to a rock concert. and write an essay about why we trust used car salesmen. l'lIll-lP MULLIEN Who's a pig? Dear Mr. Wanna maker: Lately I have been exposed to the fact that all policemen, highway patrolmen, and SLED agents are 'pigs'. I became quite mystified, however, as I attempted to see the reasoning behind such an essential unit in our society being referred to in such a derogatory manner, to say nothing of the way in which they have been treated. ENTS AND MEMBERS ENING NEXT FALLI 2 CLOTHES WITH US HOME. Your furs, fur rs and suedes will be constructed and elec ige vaults. There is a big differ e and cold VAULT LAUNDRY & CLEANERS THE CAMPUS) 2000 Blossom Street ra Street R MR,TNVETNQ VARWlTe! ly: anoth the Russell House incident where it is so richly deserved. As evidenced by Thursday's actions, it appears that some people believe that the loudest voice denotes a majority con sensus and is therefore right. It may be in the Case of some college administrators that bend td kiss the feet of the outraged and screaming demonstrator, but who needs a lacky. When are some students going to wake up and realize that the only form of change that is lasting and meaningful is change effected from within and not forced down the throat. Perhaps it is twice as ings to do Can it be possible that there are people among us who are so bigoted as to think that policeman enter the scene of a disturbance because it gives them pleasure to do so? I would rather think not; In fact, one highway patrolman told the crowd at the Russell House Thursday that he would much rather be at home than to be where I('ontinuedl on Page 4) Jut veynewh0 Just eveyn, hde every compact. Try Be bil Tees neye do Stepp back Time fo By CARL STEPP Associate Editor One result of campus con frontation is a polarization of students into extreme positions. Drastic actions--like building occupation and police intervention --tend to split the normally moderate students. Some are radicalized by the presence of police, while others are swept into the conservative camp by their distaste for radical methods. In the aftermath of Thursday's campus confrontation, one won ders what effect the escalating of tensions will have. Prior to the building takeover, the dissenters had built a larger degree of support than ever before at Carolina. They had deftly combined many grievances into a Christmas-like grabbag with a goodie for everybody. By Thursday \night that loose unity had been divided. The Russell House takeover, followed by the dramatic presence of police and guardsmen, senk many, many protest sympathizers scurrying for safety, physically and idealokically. Brash tactics of the r Lamar easy to march around and bleat like sheep "Right On" and "Power to the People," but in my view the power has always been with the people. It's just a matter of expending a little effort. By working through existing government and cor porate channels, the student can make his voice and ideals heard without shouting, and like it or not people will pay more heed to the president of General Motors than a screaming student. If change is necessary, then I submit let it be done peacefully and not through mob action. The quicker this proposal is adopted the quicker we as students will put an end to deaths such as the ones that occurred at Kent State, which changed nothing and accomplished even less. Since this opinion is not as sensational as some I have had the displeasure to read and may not serve your purpose, I doubt if it will be published, but my purpose will be accomplished it in reading this one person stops to evaluate which form of change is best for all concerned. Fl"4WIa w. caRy JR. sees your eyes in beautiful ~Iline Daffodil eye shadow! citing shadow bouquets Blossom, Pink Peony - in oming Colors collections. and shape using two soft and the contour shade in them all - Daffodil eyes, yes, and Pink Peony eyes. >oming beautiful ! Only $2. 4G COLORS '' collections. ks-up. vet sensibly pr,a.d r remedy protestors disgusted many genuinely concerned students. Police presence itself radicalized others. But by Friday the protesters seemed to have lost the moderate support. As this column noted last week, it is when the moderates are aroused that society trembles. At the Capitol Friday, moderate support was at a minimum. 14, Vasses, around dorms, in fte Russell House, the sentiment was more against the radical action than against the police presence. The most militant dissidents will no doubt seek further action But it is doubtful if they will gain the physical support of the mildly liberal sympathizers. If radical aims are rejected, however, many of their grievances are not. Those issues which in fected the campus spirit Thursday, remain today, although now they are clouded in apprehension and uncertainty. But they remain, and they can resurge. Sooner or later, they will. As the campus stood on the brink of busted heads and mass arrests, fear made the problems shrink. When the calm is restored, they will rear again. It is now, when the spirit is less radical, when the moderates lean toward the middle, and the channels seem less frustrating, that remedies must be sought. The administrations---both in Washington and in Columbia must be open, candid, responsive. They must be honest in identifying problems and providing answers. It is fortunate that no one was seriously hurt here last week. It is hoped that no one will be today or ever. But we have seen what aggravation and pent-up emotion will do. If we move now, perhaps we will not have to see it again. The Gamecock The Gamecock is pubished trI.weekly during the fall and spring semesters with lbe escrption of university holidays and ean periods. thanKe of address forms. sub. %cription requests and other mail items should be I"t t Drawer A. UW. Columbia, S.C. 2Z2M. Subscription rates are ss per year or S3 per sementer. lRulk copies are is per is*. The (amecock this year received $3.0911 from the Otudrnt activity fund entitling full-tIme students to a subscription to the paper. offices of The Gamecock are In Ioms 30 and 310 of the Rtoemou House en the Univees4y tampos. !'00"' -MI 'X.l4liM OM -AM45.~ ITI-43WL Second class poslage peid at Colombia. S.C. the editor in chief i Jim wanamaker. Although The Gamecock Is pebished by the University of South Carolina. the opiaslow published herein do not necessarUy ropese those of the Univesity. the adout body or the tafi of the paper. S