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B BY MARSHALL SWANSON his George Zarvos leaned back on the front stoop of his four-room duplex and petted his seven-month oft old German Shepard. "There's alot of discrimination. Statistically there's more discrim ination than there is against blacks, 'Puerto Ricans, Mexicans. More o, than against any nationality 'ad against any other handicaps. Much more so than against deaf people and the retarded. It's true! rigi "Simply because-and relate it ist to yourself-if you meet a retarded get person you won't be so uptight wa about It. When people meet me but they just picture darkness, I guess, N and they're completely flabergast- wol ed by It because to them It's the so I most horrible thing that could hap pen to them." lige Zarvos, blind since age seven prhv when glaucoma took his sight from whe one eye and an errant softball of blinded him in the other, came to - USC from Bergenfield, N.J., In the fall of 1970 and completed his sophomore year before dropping a e out in the spring of 1972. He said thir he may return to classes in Sep. ficu tember although he doesn't "feel wou like" schopi any more, to g He talked about his blindness and his lifestyle for almost three ' hours as he sat on the front step of like his rented duplex. caus caus I'm College A Reinforcer enjo sles like to b He said he dropped out of pitia school after completing a straight You A semester because he felt he was that "going In circles." He complained that his lifestyle had become too b secure and life wasn't posing any bea challenges. Job I "They reinforce you In college," he said. "I felt I wasn't growing as into care fast as I'd like to. I couldn't force dec myself into new situations." job I Zarvos said it seemed there pers were no pressures except for gra- sion des, and that college was an unreal world. A cami "Everyone was stereotyped. By less moving away, I knew I'd meet stacl people who had other concerns," he -said. Upon leaving school, Zprvos headed for Florida, where he per- ae formed a series of odd jobs. After five months he decided to move on to Texas with a friend. From there, he returned to Columbia. *Easy To Open Gamecock Charge Account, *100 (LUmit) - RIT TON indFormer t ;ince returning to Columbia, primary concern has been to e up with a job he feels he is ble of and at the same time 'rs some challenges. So far hes 1 bitterly disappointed. Work Hard To Find People reject you for work I t off," he said. "I've got a job , but only because I was per- I int and stuck it out. I had to a lawyer I got so angry. There a two- to three-month fight I had a principle to establish. fact is that a bl,nd person can k, make it to work on time and )rth. I want to challenge my intel ice. I would like to have the lege of even a shitty job 1 I wanted one. It's the fault eople's ignorance about blind Ple that I can't get hired. [ haven't given up all hope of reer job I want. I can only c of practicalities now. It's dif t to say what an ideal job d be. I have to harrass people t them to let me work. 've given thought to what I'd to do with my life partly be- a of blindness and partly be of character. There are fields I ,terested in that I feel I won't h being in because of the has. '11 be put through. It's almost al aying I feel like I'm not going r, given a fair shake which is a ile thing to feel for yourself. s shouldn't feel something.like e hen I graduate I'm going to ;ting around a little bit longer a most people trying to get a i the field I'm going to be in. a ave to decide to either get n a field I want to do and not about the consequences or " e to get into a field where a almost guaranteed to a blind n. I haven't made that deci Vet."1 6M ter talking with Zarvos it be apparent he isn't happy un- bi e has a challenge and an ob- sli he can work to overcome. liu in wl ISC Student T( Likes To Travel "I like to go to an area and 'now people," he said. "I like to ningle. Some say there's no dif erence between people in differ int parts of the country. I don't hink so. I like the people (in Co umbia) more so than any other >lace I've been. There are some Irawbacks but that goes In every hing." Then Zarvos, an inveterate trav Dller who likes to "move around," turned to his mode of transporta tion. "When people m just picture dark completely flabb "Well, I've been hitch-hiking bout two years now," he said. I I've liked it more than I do now. I ; can be pretty humiliating, stand ig there begging for a ride. 'I can remember some desper e situations when I needed a de. Sometimes I'm lucky and t imetires I'm not. I'm probably At like anyone else (when It mes to hitch-hiking). e I 'The frequency of rides are r Verage around town," he added. c When there are alot of students s ound I have good luck, when ti At, the luck Isn't so good." n P M Directions Easy a Zarvos is at home on Colum a's city streets the way most ~hted people are. At times he? d amazed friends by announc the name of a street corner ie he is driving in a car. 2 p.my on. Fri give y ou - q u lit obnis0 or @ &0.UNR Blossom St Is Of Travel1 "When I'm on city streets I walk with my ears. My cane is really only an identification for N ie. If I'm at a traffic light and cars are coming I can hear them. If I cani feel sidewalks and curbs and when walking alorig the side of the road, I trail the grass. "I can visualize In my mind ar maps of the areas I cover," he W continued. "I gained knowledge sa of street names in a gradual way. aF I ask in a subtle way and Incor- pI porate the information into my u head. When I hear a street name, I don't forget It. I feel familiarized, with an area anywhere I go," he wl added, "I don't think there's any- a where I can go now that I couldn't E get back from on my own." e th st3 dc eet me, they of ha ness, they're d th Sthi ergasted." kn dit thi Despite the obvious dangers of th kitch-hiking, compounded by his ar >lindness, Zarvos takes a stoic th( riew of getting into a car he can't ing ven see. He figures his chances of no unning Into trouble are the same s those of anyone else and admits " o having been in some tight spots ilmself. "The worst experience happen. d when I was with a girl late one 'riday night in Florida. We got a ide from three drunks who be- Za &me interested in the girl. They ble lopped at a rough bar and one of tio iem decided he wanted to fight he le to get the girl. I ended up by tas ulling the girl out of the car and, alking down the roadside for {S )out half an hour."o CAMPUS CIU 900 MAM COLLEGIATE AT DRAFT BEER- MI 4:00 P.M. UNTIL FROSTY MUGS *"OLDIES BUT G . SOUNDS FROM TI . BRING YOUR OW FOOTZBJ "CHALLANGE T1 "SPECIAL DEAI RK GA1 PLEASE CARRY E o Special Program Wanted Zarvos came to USC for a var ty of reasons. He said he was oking for a new geographical sa, he liked the South, and he inted to attend a big school. He Id the idea of a city environment ,pealed to him. at the time he ap led but that now the lustre of ban living has worn off. "Another reasowI came to U8C is that I didn't want to come to school that offered special pro ims for blind students. Blind ople have been channelled too Ach. Directioned. I don't like it. It leads to a predictable life rle and makes me feel chained According to Zaivos, he espe dly wanted a school where most the students and professors dn't been exposed to blind stu nts before. He wanted to create own situation and feels now it he was successful. "When I came to school I didn't ow where my classes were. Some ght think that is terrifying. I In't consider. It a problem )ugh, . One has to know where building is that your classes being held in and what room class- Is in. It comes from ask and I don't mind asking. I'm t afraid to ask questions. Books Hard To Get When he first came to USC 'vos said he faced such pro ms as having to learn the loca i of new stores but added that considered that an enjoyable ee ZA R VOS on page six) N.... hIOSPHERE JsiC-PIZZA CLOSING -25C.-4-8 OODIES" * et * 23 ROPDE I.D.*