Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Bridge For I BY BOB CRAFT The Renaissance Festival, sponsored by the Art, Music Theatre, English and Foreign Lan guages departments, has recently ended. This is perhaps the first time on this campus that anything like this has ever been under taken and its success shows us several things. First of all, that different departments can work together, which lays to rest the charges that the departments on this campus are fief doms that carry on by themselves. Secondly, the educational experience pro vided for in the lectures and other events of the festival shows students that education can take place other than in a classroom and other than in the conventional forms usually classed as "education." It is indeed refreshing to go to a lecture and not have to worry about taking notes and not to have the brain worry and the bowels quake with thoughts of tests or quizzes, but rather listen to the lecturer and gather what he says for the sheer enjoyment of it. Finally, it shows the community what the University can offer it. It shows how the University can meaningfully participate in the community and bring something of value to it. A frequent criticism of large universities, such as this one, is that it stands aloof from the community and does not contribute to it. This leads to local residents feeling resentful. This resentment leads to comments like "The University will soon take over the city." Remarks such as this are so pedestrian, are so much a part of everyday conversation, that we of the University seldom take into conside ration the paranoia that is behind them. The townspeaple fear the University. What it generally knows is what it reads in the news papers or sees on the television news. What it gleans from these sources of information are not altogether pleasant pictures: Faculty mem bers being arrested for possession of drugs, stories of professors selling drugs to their stu dents, students being arrested for possession of drugs, etc. Along with this, is moral indigna tion or jealousy from the mere fact that the students are young and "free" and the misin formation that is gotten about the so-called "sexual revolution" that leads to thoughts of perpetual orgies here at USC. To anyone at the University, such thoughts as these are laughable and astonishment pre vails that such attitudes could exist in the com munity, but exist they do, unfortunately. These attitudes become somewhat clearer if one has the chance to be on campus on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Cars full of families cruise Have something to gi Subscribe The Summel Keep abreast of sumri Fill In below and send with *2.00 to: Summer GAMECOCK Drawr A, Campus Summer Address: Name ......................... Street ......................... Cfty........................... JSC Esteem the streets of the university, and the passen gers of the vehicle stare out in wonderment as though this were some exotic zoo where the animals walk on two legs and wear funny . clothes and hairstyles. . Perhaps this is too strong, however. More, it would be like a family touring Europe or some other far-away place and they are not quite sure what to expect of the natives. Again, this may seem comic until one falls .into conversation with a Columbia citizen. This sort of seemingly ridiculous question occurs and recurs. It is sad to contemplate that the esteem of the University is so low in the community, that remarks such as "I wish I would wake up one day the the University would be gone" still can be heard around Columbia. It is at this point where the University, with such functions as the Renaissance Festival, could come in and strengthen its esteem in the community. The citizery may fear the University and have serious reservations about it, but it also wishes to understand it. There is a vacuum that needs to be filled, a vacuum that something such as the Renaissance Festival could fill. The fact that the Renaissance banquet was oversold by 30 tickets with a minimum of pub licity, indeed, with little more than word of mouth, should give some small credence to this argument. - Dean Robert E. Alexander, the dean for stu dent activities said that he wished that more things such as the Renaissance Festival could be held to strengthen USC relations with the Community and that it could easily be done if the departments on the USC campus would pull together and work for it. For too long, the ambassadors of USC have been the football and basketball teams with assistance from the band and cheerleaders. We are an educational institution and as such, we should show it, not in Saturday afternoon contests in the fall or the playing of the Carolina fight song. We have here the resources to break down the ivory walls, to let knowledge flow into the streets, as Gerald Farber said in his essay, "The Student As Nigger." What we have failed to do is mobilize these resources or even to really recognize the problem of our community relations. The Renaissance Festival has proved that we can do It. It has- proved to both participants and spectators that knowledge can be worth while and enjoyable In and of itself. We must do more of It. And do more of it soon. ipe about this summer to and read r GAMECOCK rer campus happenings ............. 21..... ........... To The TO THE EDITOR: Edward C. Fennell has obvi ously failed to get the word. So for the benefit of Mr. Fennell and anyone persuaded by his ill founded comments, I will attempt once again to clarify my position. At no time have lever "voiced no regrets" that Slater would have first option on the prop osed convenience food store. I, not Mr. Fennell, stated that Sla ter has a monopoly and first option on any food contracts on campus, a fact that the majority of Carolina students are not aware exists. Somewhere, Mr. Fennell's vivid journalistic imagination forced him to read between the lines, when there was nothing to read. I realize that Slater's monopoly is a highly undesirable situation, as I firmly believe in a free enter prize system governed by sup ply and demand principles. However, unlike Mr. Fennell, I realize that excess verbosity is not the solution. Action from GAME Although The Gamecoc students of the Universil is not an official publicatic opinions expressed hereim resent those of the unive: or all the staff members 4 Editor ................. Managing Editor ....... Editorial Page Editor .. News Editor ........... Copy Desk Chief..... Sports Editor .......... Asst. Sports Editor .... Advertising Manager . Photo Editor .......... HAVE A 600 MOE L aE BRITCHI Headquarters Almost A1 Editor concerned students working through the proper administra tive channels is the only way to end monopolies and achieve free enterprize on campus. If Mr. Fennell would cease to make unfounded statements and channel his efforts in a more productive direction, he may help to achieve this goal. As to what interest groups I represent, I am a student, a haIl advisor, and I also have the sig natures of several hundred stu dents, including married stu dents, who live on campus and feel that the establishment of the proposed facility would be of benefit to the Carolina com munity. For any student who would like to sign the petition, includ ing Mr. Fennell, copies may be obtained at the Student Govern ment Office in the Russell House. DIXON LEE COCK. k is a publication of the y of South Carolina, it n of the university. The do not necessarily rep rsity, the student body of The Gamecock. ..... Jerelyn Eddings ......Sybil Norwood .....Linda C. Owens .......Patrick Tyler .........Bill Grant .......Steve Parker .........Jim Hersh ......... Art Frank .........Tom Price D SUMMER! EVY'S CS BREW for Levis and Lnythingr