The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 13, 1973, Page Page 8, Image 9
opinion
A Fading Smile
The Faculty Senate has passed a resolution which
would require USC Athletic Director Paul Dietzel to
appear before the Student Allocations Commission in
order to receive money from student fees. All the
resolution need is approval by the Board of Trustees.
Currently, the Athletic Department is receiving
$340,000 from student's pocketbooks, the largest
amount of any organization on campus. This is a lot
of money, but it certainly isn't much in light of the $2
million plus budget the Athletic Department will
operate on this year.
Now, the point is-four years ago such a move
would have been declared sacraligious by everybody
from the Columbia Chamber of Commerce to the
Southern Baptist Convention. The best season Deitzel
ever had here was 1969-7-4. Last year it was 4-7.
The man with the baby blue eyes and the Pepsodent
smile is beginning to lose his charisma. As a result,
more and more people are beginning to grumble
about his performance. And the revelations last
Spring concerning his contract haven't helped the
former LSU coach one bit.
People take their football seriously down here.-far
more seriously than it deserves yet far less seriously
than the South Americans take their soccer. Empires
topple; so do athletic directorships. Dietzel may be
playing for more than the Peach Bowl this year.
-RHH
A Lost Forum
In our Sept. 6 issue we ran a letter from former
student senator, Mike Taylor, in which he he let it be
known he was resigning from the Senate because of
its "impotence which strangles almost any effective
legislation that the Senate is able to enact."
It is not difficult to understand Taylor's frustration
in that body, which admittedly has not been known for
its legislative "potency." But in the same breath
Taylor says the Senate, embodying all groups on
campus, faculty, students, administration and staff,
is the only way to effectively govern this institution.
What we want to know is how Taylor intends to
work for university governance of this type now that
he has cut himself off from his only forum. His action
seems appallingly immature in the light of his
statement that he is convinced a university-wide
senate would be a step in the right direction at USC.
We can only conclude that Sen. Taylor now refuses
to take the personal responsibility for working for
something that he evidently believes.
-PET
AlthughTheGamecock is a publication of the students ;of the University of Sou
Carlia,it s otan official publication of the university. The opinions expresse
heren donotnecessarily represent those of the university, the student bot
or all staff members of The Gamecock.
Editor ............ ....---------------.---------------.------Patrick Tyler
..........................................................William C. Grant
Associate Editors.-.........~....................-...-......Bb Craft
New Edto--- -" -------- ".------------------*-...Doug Wi m
At. News Editor..""""""-"""""-------"...----*""-".Larry Emond
Art Director .......................-.........................-Thomas A. Price
Phosto Editor..........................-..........-..........-Geoffrey Darling
Sports Editor................-----.....------------. ------..Steve Parker
Asst. Sports Editor.......------ .-----------------.----.----- - -Jim Hersh
Copy Editors..........................................-......Betty Woodruff
Aaron Medlock
Advertising Manager...~~.............-...--....-...Art Frank
Staff writers.....--.............--.------------------------...Marshall Sanso
Gary West
R. Vance Butts
Tommy Fowler
Phtgaphiers.............................----. -- - ---..--Tho as A. Price
Davi Ale
Doug Febr
Staff Artist........-.--------.-----------. ..---*-*-.*.RickBaty
iuin Manager .........--........ ..--.-------Keth Gressmn
Aderis ng tff...-- .............------.--...---.--- ...----------C.P. Patitucci
Ed Terrio
Hite Miller
Pa.utio Stff -.--*--------..-.---- --...-- Valerie Lingg
Salley Gihmore
Patty M6Qillan
Letter
To the Editor:
I am writing as z memb
of the "Carolina Cori
munity" to register r
dissatisfaction with yoi
editorial, "The Openir
Shot" on page 5 of the Se
tembei 6 Gamecock. In th
editorial you candidly tc
your readers that you gai
the President of tt
University the "opportuni
to say something to US
students . . ." but that y(
declined to print his remarl
because you refused to " ,
.be party to a preside
tialdodge . . ." I judge yoi
decision and action to be
poor taste, rude and an inst
to the intelligence and i
dependent judgement
myself and every othf
member of the Universi
community.
First of all, to invite t
senior administrative offic
of our institution to addre
the students and then refu.
to print him appears to me
be an affrontery and
contradiction to the mannei
which I know you have ar
which mark you as a
educated man. Secondly, y(
deprive me and every oth
reader the opportunity
make up our own minds as
whether the President
remarks constituted
"dodge." I thini yoi
readers deserve moi
respect for their perceptivi
than you have shown then
I would prefer that you pri
any such statements and I
me judge myself as to the
meaning.
Finally, your action strik
me as a kind of "censorshil
of the worst kind. Usuall
student journalistsfuncti4
with a high regard fi
freedom of the press. I thh
you have violated a mc
sacred principle.
Your position as editor
our student newspaper is
powerful and respected on(
I have confidence in yo
ability and I would hope y
would use this position in
more cnstructive mannet
'harges Ce
It is my belief that we all
r must work together on this
y campus; I maintain that the
[y open airing of all points of
ir view is an essential aspect of
this kind of cooperation
P. which is a pre-condition for
is making this the great
,il University of which we all
re want to be a part. "The
te Opening Shot" appears to
Ly me to have been yours and
C not the President's.
>u John N.Gardner
Cs
n: OthersNeeds.
in
t To the Editor:
.i At the top of the ramp to
)f the Undergradute Library,
!r two bikes were parked,
ty locked to the railings at
either side. One person could
ae walk between. It is my
mr understandig that the ramps
Ls have been added on campus
ie to make accessible to han
to dicapped persons all
a facilities.
r We able-bodied can reach
id without thinking about it. Of
Ln what use is "book learning"
lu if in our simplest daily a
r ctions we can't think about
to the basic needs of others?
to Lois R. Shell
's
a
ir Superstar
ty
1.
t To the Editor:
et Mr. Craft's blunt criticism of
ir the movie version of jesus
Christ, Superstar, was not
B without a good bit of just cause.
)P For one thing, the entire thing
y was conceived as a rip-off,
n even by its authors; I did
)r notice flaws in character
Ik portrayal that should have
st been corrected by the director.
And anti-Semitism and racism
of are certainly evils ripe for
a extirpation.
But these flaws would by no
means condemn the entire
film, especially certain
a segments of the film -and this
is where Mr. Craft, usually a
0~ 4)
nsorship
mastermind of piercing satire,
has completely balked His
admission that he, too, is a
Christian dogmatist and hence
most assuredly capable of
analyzing the film's "error"
(heresies,) simply underscores
the reason why both the
members' of Fundamentalist
"hellfire and damnation"
religious sects and their
escapist proselytizing coun
terparts in Jesus freakus
fadism (and also those who
would often preach but rarely
practice,) can NEVER really
appreciatethe album, the play
or the movie - jesus Christ ,
Superstar is an experieRce in
agnosticism. Its agnostic
authors have deliberately
worded the play to express an
either-or attitude about the
divinity of Christ.
this is precisely why Craft,
despite his great penchant for
satire, found the "resurrec
tion" of Judas in modern dress
and his chorus of "Leon
Russell auditioners" a virtual
obscenity - for he cannot
comprehend the garish
materialism of a society not
needing "salvation" from
want, hunger, misery or
despair so much as an avenue
of escape from it all-too
evident absurdity. When the
chorus repeatedly demands
Christ to show his credentials -
"how .do we know you're what
they say you are" - it reflects
the endless query of some
members of a surfeited society
for purpose. Hence it was not
at all surprising and rather
enjoyable for me to observe
this satirical treatment of the
modern condition, both in the
Judas scene and with Herod
and his cohorts.
I should perhaps not blame
Bob Craft for his failure to
perceive this element in the
movie. After all, it might be
argued that only true
agnostices have profound
religious experiences.
Tim Beall