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Parti The end of the fall 1972 semester is almost here and we suppose something ought to be said for it, however difficult. But on the whole, it has not been a particularly out standing period. Let us analyze our failures, for little is learned from success. Athletics The football team had a rotten, putrid season, barely managing to pull a 4-7 season. Contributions from interested donors dropped reflecting increasing disillusion ment with Paul Deitzel's perfor mance. We feel this disillusionment has been too long in coming. Dietzel has had seven years to give USC, the city of Columbia, and the fine people of the sovereign state of South Carolina a truly good football team. He has failed. He has not failed because he lacked a ready smile, flashing teeth, or one of the finest facilities in the south east. No, "Pepsodent Paul" has all of those. However, he does, fairly obviously, lack the competence and talent to coach a football team to win. We submit that the university is throwing away its money when Deitiel's team can't even beat a team who's coach has decided that his only future is outside the realm of coaching-CLEMSON. Rumor has it that the Board of Trustees has decided to keep Paul around for a another two years-his final chances. Like most bad rumors, this one is probably true. We think the Board is waiting two years too long. We need a football coach with the ability of our basketball coach. Academics It's bad enough that our football team can't win, but what's even worse is that a losing proposition should siphon off so much money-money better used for bet ter things. The university is growing rapidly, and somewhat haphazardly and many academic facilities are entirely inadequate. One should The Gutenberg E; Tom, D BY HARRY HOPE DEAR SANTA CLAUSE, I don't believe in you, but please send me a Christmas goodie of some sort - any sort. I'm lonely. I don't have any friends (not since they found out I was bugging their bed rooms for cheap thrills.) I have been a good boy. I've only killed a couple of million people, and Bebe and I have stopped doing naughty things at the Florida White House. Please send Pat a new set of den tures - her old ones are worn out from smiling so much during the election. RICHARD NIXON DEAR SANTA, How ya doin', good buddy? Please send me some peppermint flavoring for my foot. It might as well taste good. Also, please send me a book on genetics and a book on how to WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE. Also, how about a few James Brown records and "SOul on Ice?" Believe me, I need them. THOMAS F. "UNCErru TOJNS ng Ce compare the football team's movie theatre used to review game films with almost any lecture hall on cam pus. Sorry academics, you loose. But there is much more to academics here that needs chang ing. Facilities are actually almost unimportant when compared with the importance of THE PROCESS OF EDUCATION. The process of education here is often dehumanizing, irrelevant, damaging and ineffective. We have editorialized about this kind of thing this semester because it is one of the most important, underlying issues at colleges and universities today. Briefly, here is the problem as we see it. Grades are no indication of what a student has learned: they may be an indication of what he has memorized. By their very nature, grades have become the. object of study, not knowledge. They subvert the process of education. If you don't believe it, or aren't sure and would like to read more about this idea, try "Wad-ja-get?" by Kirschenbaum, Napier and Simon;it's published by Hart Pub lishing Co., New York City. The book is available in Columbia now. If you don't even go that far, just consider one little idea. If students were truly trying to learn for the sake of learning rather than a grade, why is amphetamine usage for studying so widespread? Along with grades, we have tests, lectures, required courses, mandat ory attendance, termpapers, required textbooks, and any number of other things that subvert education. Space does not permit an adequate elaboration on each of these. We again suggest a little out side reading. Be sure and get a copy of "Teaching As A Subversive Activity" and "The Soft Revolu tion," both by Neil Postman and <periment ck, Glo, DEAR MR. CLAUS, Congratulations on your tre mendous continuing success. Wish I could say the same for me. Please, Santa, if you don't do anything else, please (pretty please - with sugar on it?) send me some first round draft choices for next season. Or just a team - any team. I need a team so bad. Thank you. . PAUL F. DIETZEL P.S. - I'll leave milk and fruitcake in the living room by my copy of "The Life of Bear Bryant." CHARLIE CLAUS, Look, honky, I'm getting damn sick and tired of trying to make my kids believe that a white man is gonna come through my neighborhood to give them pre sents. So hang it up, man. (And if you get in trouble this year, don't bother me at three in the morning.) DICK GREGORY DEAR SANTA, Please send me a gold medal. I didn't get mine when I was sup posed to. KEVIN JOYCEw hots Charles Weingartner;"On Learning And Social Change" by Michael Rossman; "How Children Learn" and "How Children Fail" by John Holt; "Summerhill;" "Deschooling Society," Ivan Illich, and many, many more. And don't look in the Campus Shop! Walden at Dutch Square and The Joyful Alternative are two sure bets. The suggested readings will begin to give you an idea of what we're up against. Don't take the authors as preachers of the "true word," but use them as guidelines. They are saying some thing worth listening to. Treasurer's office A short final note on the continu ing saga of University offices that have a reputation of being nasty places to visit is in order. One of the worst was the Treasurer's Office, after Housing, and although there has been vast improvement at both, Treasurer's Office still has a way to go. We overheard one employe there last week discuss ing their hours of operation. The sign posted says they are closed during lunch. Untrue. The employee said, indirectly but accu rately quoted here-we've been operating through lunch hour for over a year but_ Mr. Rhodes won't let us change the sign because he doesn't want students to make a practice of coming over here during lunch. But if someone comes in, we wait on them. (You're slipping Mr. Rhodes.) So such is life at the big umver sity. We realize that none of what we say here really matters. At the best, the very best, we hope some student may decide that an idea about education presented on these pages this semester is worth con sidering, worth pursuing. If so, then we have succeeded at least in part; for what is the purpose of a news paper or a university if not the pre sentation of ideas? Paul, etc DEAR SANTA, Please send Nancy a massager vibrator. I'm 'bout wore out! STROM THURMOND DEAR SANTA, REPENT!!! REPENT AND BE SAVED!!! IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR! ACT NOW, AND WELL SEND YOU A FREE COPY OF "WHAT EVERY CONVERT SHOULD KNOW." CAMPUS CRUSADE FOR CHRIST DEAR SANTA, Please send us some gift baskets from Hickory Farms. We're tired of eating here. UNIVERSITY DINING SERVICES, "THE PEOPLE PLEASERS" DEAR SANTA, Is it safe to come out now? GEORGE MCGOVuEN " PaPs Shoald the "Fighting Gamecocas' be called the "Losing Capons?' write to Santa DEAR SANTA, DEAR SANTA, Please be notified that I an recal- What are you, some kind of comn ling your sleigh. We may return it mie fag? How about giving us some if it meets our test standards. pin-ups of William F. Buckley and RALPHNADERRichard Nixon. YOUNG AMERICANS FOR DEAR SANTA, FREEDOM Shove it, you dirty capitalist myth-bearing pig honky! ANGELA DAVIS DEAR SANTA, DEAR SANTA, Iook, I need some money. I mean, be Snta, too. Just because St.m that ...mO Nicholas of Asia Minor was male doesn't mean you have to be, too. I wanna play Santa at MaysNHAROLD BRUNTON year andI'm onnado it. DEAR SANTA, SENE Your parking fines, plus feed for the riendeer, plus campus visitation DEAR SANTA, rights total $769.88. Please remit promptly or we'll ground you. Can you get me a good lawyer UNIVERSITY TREASUR ER'S after this? OFFICE HRYHP