The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 14, 1974, Image 10
GAMECOCK
'"It is a newspaper's duty to prist the news, and raise bell."
WILBUR F. STOREY
BILL GRANT. Editor
aiJ OUTLAW ART FRANK
drhd Page Editor Advertising Manager
Oct. 14, 1974
Activities ees:
SAC and the SGA
A bill was introduced in the USC Student Senate several weeks ago
which, if passed by the senate, could completely restructure the
Student Allocations Commission (SAC). SAC is the organization
which appropriates student activities fees ($13.50 per student or ap
proximately $400,000) paid each semester to campus organizations
which meet the specified guidelines required by SAC to receive funds.
The intent of the bill; the restructuring of SAC, is to provide a checks
and balances system of the money which SAC allocates to campus
organizations each year. Its intent is also to bring the appropriations
of these funds back to the control of elected representatives (members
of the student senate rather than appointed representatives
representing different campus organizations). Some question does
exist, however, as to whether the bill can feasibly accomplish the
above stated purposes.
There are three primary points in the bill which has caused con
siderable dispute between the authors and supporters of the bill and
present SAC members. The "heart" of the bill is to change the func
tion of SAC from that of determining the appropriations of student
funds to one of recommending to the student senate where the funds
should go.
Members of the SAC, as it now exists, serve on a continuing basis
primarily because they need to be aware of how each organization
applying for funds operates. The organizations submit their budgets
for the coming year to SAC in the spring, at which time hearings are
held by SAC to determine if the budget submitted by that organization
is needed, and if so, how much it will receive. Many man hours are
spent by SAC to determine who will receive what and how much it will
get.
The student senate has not in the past attended these hearings and
most of its members probably will not do so in the future either. There
is a constant turnover of personnel in the senate, most of whom are
unconcerned about what organization gets how much money, yet this
bill wants the senate to be.the final authority on the appropriations of
funds when it (the student senate) has not had the background the
members of SAC have. The idea of elected students determining the
appropriation of student funds is a good one, but due to the constant
turnover of personnel and the lackadiasical attitude of many, but not
all, student senators, this portion of the bill cannot possibly ac
complish its desired effect.
Another point of the bill is to change the makeup of the persons
serving on SAC. As previously mentioned, continuity and constant
awareness of what is going on in each organization is needed by
members serving on SAC. Presently, SAC is composed of two
members representing the Board of Publications, three members
representing University Union, four members appointed by the SGA
President, the Treasurer of the student body and an appointed
member from the Student Activities Advisory Council (SAAC). The
proposed bill would have four members appointed by the SGA
President, four members appointed by the student senate, the
chairman of the Student Senate Finance Committee and the treasurer
of the student body, who would automatically serve as chairman of
SAC. SAC currently elects its chairman on a yearly basis in an
election by its own members.
Since the four appointees by the SGA President are subject to the
approval of the student senate, there is no need for the senate to ap
point four more members. A great portion of the money appropriated
by SAC goes to the Board of Publications and to University Union and
they should be entitled to have substantial input into the SAC ap
propriations. There is no need to have both the SGA Treasurer and the
chairman of the Student Senate Finance Committee on the SAC. The
finance committee chairman already is overloaded with the SGA
budget, which is 11 percent of the total student activities ffes.
Another portion of the bill would allow student organizations raising
their own revenue to retain the revenue raised within that
organization. This Is good in theory because these organizations could
use their own funds, rather than student funds to sustain themselves,
but the problem arises that organizations could easily "misuse" their
own funds while still receiving allocations from SAC. Implementation
of a strict supervisory nature concerning the handling of clubs raising
their own revenue would be mandatory if this provision of the bill is
going to work as it is designed to do.
The bill that has been introduced is a good one in theory, and its
passage could vastly improve the scrutinization of funding allocations
for clubs and give students more input into what is to be done with
their money. The SAC and the student senate need to work together to
accomplish this common goal; instead of working against one another
in a political power struggle. More research and input is needed
before this important bill is brought before the senate for a vote. WN
LETTER:
Military's function
is to defend
TO THE EDITOR:
In response to Mr. Bob
Osbourne's letter concerning
ROTC on campus please allow.
me, as a currently enrolled
NROTC student, a short reply.
First of all, if indeed the func
tion of the military was to kill
people as Mr. Osbourne states;
Mr. Osbourne would undoubtedly
not be around to write his en
tertaining letter. However, the
function of the military is to
defend the country.
Granted this is not always the
case, few people (hopefully none)
will agree that the military acted
properly in the My Lai massacre.
But, on the other hand, let us look
at Mr. Osbourne's "people with a
higher education."
If they indeed do have "better
solutions to human problems"
why aren't they using them?
Never mind, Mr. Osbourne, I'll
answer this one unless you can
show otherwise. I'm afraid to
say that man is not a very
rational being when it comes
down to the final judgment.
(Yes, you too, Mr. Osbourne.)
You see, as has been proved
time and time again, when it
comes to having what one wants
or having nothing at all, man will
usually fight to get what he wants
and other men will fight him to
keep what they have from him.
Simple, isn't it? Like you said,
Mr Osbourne.
We're here because we believe
in this country and what it stands
for even in horribly corrupt times
such as these--and we want to
protect it for ourselves and even
you, Mr. Osbourne.
I'm not saying the military- is
great, or anything like that, it has
its problems and let's pray these
problems are never too great to
handle. I'm just saying right now
the military is necessary even if
they never lift a finger against
another human being (and I hope
they don't).
Why are they necessary? To
let people know there are people
in this country who would give
their life to keep this country
going and who believe in it
enough to want to protect it so
that it may grow and someday no
longer need a military.
Would that make you happy,
Mr. Osbourne?
RICHARD D. DOWLERY
Send solution
to USSR
TO THE EDITOR:
The purpose of this letter is to
comment on the letter written by
a Mr. Bob Osbourne, published
in. the Sept. 30 edition of The
Gamecock.
He states in his letter that "the
function of the military is to kill
people" is the reason why people
have and do oppose ROTC
programs and other military
institutions. I would like to direct
my comments to Mr. Osbourne:
Do you call raising the stan
dard of living in many nations
abroad since World War II
"killing people?" Do you call
engaging in search and rescue
operationsannd in mercy.
... The militar
Campus
0 0
Opinion
missions, showing goodwill and
promoting friendship with other
nations "killing people?" And do
you call supplying aid in times of
national disasters "killing
people?" These are some of the
many tasks and functions the
.military forces of the United
States carry out in order to meet
and uphold national objectives.
They can hardly be termed as
"killing people."
I suppose, if you had your way,
Mr. Osbourne, that you would do
away with all military forces in
this country, bacause as you put
it so intellectually, their sole
function is to "kill people." And
where will you and 203,185,000
other Americans be when the
Soviet Union launches its 1,618
intercontinental ballistic
missiles? If the USSR were to
launch one of its SS-9's, an ICBM
with an explosive force of 25
megatons of TNT and capable of
destroying a large city, the U.S.
would be able to launch an an
tiballistic missile which would
destroy Russia's missilebefore it
reached our country. However, if
you had your way, Mr. Osbourne,
we would all be dead in a matter
of seconds. 4
I wish, Mr. Osbourne, that you
would give to the USSR some of
those (as you put it) "better
solutions to human problems
known full well by people with a
higher education." We 203
million Americans would cer
tainly appreciate it.
A.M. Jeffords
Why difference
in book prices?
TO TIlE EDITOR:
How can the University of
Georgia Bookstore sell their books
cheaper than our Campus
Bookstore?
Last Saturday while in Athens
for the game I had the opportunity
to browse through the University of
Georgia Bookstore. I decided to
compare their prices with the
prices we pay. Of the five courses I
am taking, they had the identical
textbooks for four of these courses.
The prices ranged from one to two
dollars cheaper.'
Why do books cost more here
than there?
Lawrence D). Giuerry
The Gamecock's
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...books
e C
Scoreboard needs
repair job
TO THE EDITOR:
I wish to express my outrage on
behalf of those exiles seated in the
South . Stand of Williams-Brice
Stadium. The best available seats
issued to Freshmen and
Sophomores is the end zone. For
the past two games, the scoreboard
opposite the South End Zone has
been blacked out. Two weeks
between games should have been
ample time to fix the scoreboard.
Looking over one's shoulder to
find out the score tends to be both
inconvenient and painful. I do hope
that the stadium management
makes an extra effort to repair this
badly needed source of in
formation.
Robert C. Dries
Students behavior
"inexcusable"
TO THE EDITOR:
While sitting in the upstairs
Russell House grill, a scene moved
me to the extent that I had to tell
someone. More averse to littering
than to most things, I have always
found leaving an empty cup on a
table or just tossing a cigarette
butt to the ground inexcusable.
Today reinforced my values and
has even made me more in
tolerant of such slovenliness.
I watched a blind student have
lunch and when through, deposit
the trash in a recepticle, even
bothering to pick up a cup that had
dropped.
As superflous or insane as this
might sound, I felt the scene~ to be a
commentary on others behavior
those who feel no guilt --and thusly
do not care, or don't hesitate a
moment to readily leave their
tables a mess or impulsively
deface the ground with an array of
cans, papers, etc.
If this one boy can have the
thought and care to not litter, why
is it that so many others ignore
doing such a simple thing?
NAME WITHHELD
letter poucy
ers from readers. Letters should
a maximum of 300 words. They
irs true name. Pseuons or
but the writer's name wHil be
mat. To assist us In verifying the
ide your mailing address and a
an be reached. We reserve the.
centent, but to meet our space
Opinien. Dr...,.. A, .USC