Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

opInion, Editorials Tickets By the middle of this afternoon students will begin to line up outside the Coliseum to wait for a chance to get tickets to the USCr-Marquette basketball game scheduled for Feb. 22. The wisdom of reputedly intelligent human beings going through such torture as sleeping all night on cement just for a chance to, see a game between that already has six losses and a team that is struggling to stay in the.top ten is probably deserving of editorial comment by itself. But, going on the assumption that all the student-fans are sane, it is time again to examine the athletic department's ticket distribution method, By early Friday morning students with the good fortune of getting good seats to the game will leave content that USC's ticket distribution plan is fair after all. At about the same time, or shortly thereafter, students who either get seats in the outer reaches of the Coliseum or get no seats at all will go away cursing the ticket distribution set-up and demanding that a change in the plan be implemented. When viewed objectively, however, the distribution methods now in use are probably as fair and as efficient as pssible. e Coliseum holds just slightly more than 12,000 people. Since the enrollment of the University is about 20,000, it would be impossible to assure every student a seat at every game. Also, since the athletic department, similar to any good business, likes to make money, it sells season tickets at a price of $7 per game. When season tickets, complimentary tickets and other seats are subtracted, only about 5,000 tickets remain to be distributed to the students. For almost every game, with the exception of a Marquette or Notre Dame, this number is adequate and every student who wants to go to the game can get a ticket. However, problems do arise when Marquette does come to town and nearly every student with even a passing interest in the sport wants to see the game. USC's ticket distribution plan is a comparatively orderly and equitable way to get tickets to the students, certainly better than any suggestions that have floated around in the past. The plan divides students by social security numbers and allows every one a chance to get first crack at tickets for at least one game per season. Inevitably someone always comes out on the good side-this year it is students with social security numbers ending in eight or nine. They will get a chance for the best seats at the Marquette game. Of course, somebody also has the luck of having a social security number ending in six or seven. They might as well forget about going to the Marquette game. But at least they had the satisfaction of getting good seats for Georgia Southern. Instead of blaming the athletic department for not being able to get good seats for Marquette, maybe people with six and seven identification numbers should blame Georgia Southern for not providing the quality of team Marquette does. THE GAMECOCK Managin9 *di, JIM H ER SH AduertIManage STEVE PARKER ART FRANK The Gameoc* welcomes oetters from readers. Letters should b,e limited toea single subject and a maximum of 300 words. They must be signed with the writer's true name. Pseudonyms or other aliases will not be used, but the writer's name will be withheld If circumstances warrant. To assist us in verifying the Identity of writers, please include your mailing address and a telephone number where you can be reached We reserve the right to eit al letters, not for content, but to meet our space Carolina. Its own "Kingsfield," shouted Hart, trembling with rage and humiliation. "You are a son of a bitch." The class audibly sucked in its breath. Hart stalked off, Professor Kingsfield's glaring eyes drilling hot holes in his neck. Just as he was near the door, Kingsfield called him. "Mr. Hart," His voice boomed. A pause. "That was the most intelligent statement you have made all day." ' Taken by surprise, the class laughed. "You may take your seat, Mr. Hart." Hart walked back, smiling broadly. Professor- Kingsfield could, indeed, be very trying at times. One couldn't ever catch him smiling, much less ever see him laughing. On the first day of school he did not saunter into class five minutes late and ask students to introduce themselves, taking care to mention the high school they attended. Instead, Kingsfield asked them questions from the text. And if some student did not feel like volunteering an answer, he would ferret it out of him. Naturally, the students hated him. He was the most respected figure on campus. The Paper Chase, which played in the Russell House last Thursday and Friday, attracted some of the largest student audiences ever. Apparently, students will oc casionally flock to the theatre even if Linda Lovelace is not starring. There was much about student life in "Paper Chase" that we could identify with. The bloated importance of grades, the hectic studying before exams, the pan demonium of the dorms were all familiar experiences. I imagine this accounted largely for the movie's great popularity with USC students. However, after watching "Paper Chase" for a while one gradu.ally started to sense the differences between going to school at Carolinc and going to school at Harvard. Ai portrayed in the movie, school at Harvard was pretty grim business. It was certainly different from school at USC. Not once did I hear any mention of the football or the basketball coach. There were other differences, too. Invariably the atmosphere In Kingsfield's class was highly charged; charged with ex citement-, charged with an ticipation. One didn't see many students yawning, with glazed Jooks in their eyes. Kingsfield for his part, did not disappoint them. He went straight to the heart of the day's topic. Perhaps it was not necessary for him to start chatting, because he was ready to start teaching. 4bver the idiosyncracies of the mia -here wa no enying is lacking ingsfields By Moby Salahuddir Professor Kingsfield was a learned and dedicated teacher. He was smarter than any of his students and he rubbed it in. None of this mock-modest "I-am-here-to-learn from-you" business. At the beginning of each semester, Professor Kingsfield told the class he would, by the end of the course, have them thinking more clearly. He mentioned the Socratic method. Kingsfield made certain his students came prepared to class by asking them Let's face it, some professors just don't have the personality or the ability to teach. blunt, uncomfortable questions from the very outset. In contrast, most USC professors are unduly relu'itant to "em barrass" student by asking them tough questions in class or by vigorously disagreeing with them. I suppose it is considered un chivalrous to put somebody on the spot. Whatever the explanation, for most students here the Socratic Whatever the expL students here Socratic , they read of in books e method is something they read of in books or see on the screen. It is a misconception to imagine USC students don't care what goes on in the classrooms. No matter how strongly they protest attempts to make them work hard, no matter how eager students are to divert the teacher's attention, nevertheless they respect the professor who sticks to his job. Now, I am not suggesting we become so steeped in scholasticism that going to the class becomes more like going to Sunday School. However, I am requesting that our professors get serious about their contribution to class discussions. Students may enjoy the anecdotes and small talk at the time; in the long run they resent the poor return in solid knowlede f,-om their investment of time and money. The other day I was talking -to a coed at the University. She was very disillusioned with one of her courses because it appeared her professor hardly contributed anything to the class. She told me that, apparently, her professor felt It safer to restrict his input to in structions on compiling bibliographic lists. "When I think of the money I am paying for this course," she seethed, "it really burns me up!" She spoke for a great many of us. There must be hundreds of students in this University who hate or have hated several of their courses. For some undetermined reason students, sooner or later, get stuck with these incredibly stupid courses-courses that have no relevance to any job requireme'nts; courses that are of no use in making us better people; courses that are poorly taught; courses that have no intrinsic interest. There's no escaping some of these courses: they are man datory. For other, it takes too much nerve to ask of the respective Deans why such travesties are being inflicted on students. One reason why some teaching at USC is so insipid is because students have not been demanding enough of their professors. Still, there is a small minority of students who does take these things seriously. It is up to such %nation, for most rtethod is something r see on the screen. students, obviously, to take more initiative in determining the direction a particular class takes. .It is possible that even with all alert and vigilant students, class periods will continue to be dull and soporific. Let's face it, some professors just don't have the personality or the ability to teach. It may also be that it is hard for a professor to inspire his pupils with the joy and thrill of learning when he himself Is at the University either for the money or for the opportunity It affords him to further his own career. 1 do not know the number of USC professors who fall in the above category. I can guess the number of people like Professor Kingsfield. By most aceunts, it is very small