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.

A bout camnpus Studei BY CHUCK CROMER AND TERRY DUGAS Of The Gamecock staff There are two major facets of student involvement: service related organizations and those geared to the individual. Service organizations throughout America have reported stable membership levels over the past 10 years, but there has been no surge of en thusiasm to match the near "divine mission" attitude during the Kennedy years. This trend is missed in the service organizations at Carolina. Volunteer Services has ap proximately 1,500 students in volved each semester. According to Robert Alexander, Dean for Student Activities, this figure has held steady over the last few years. University Union membership has not changed much in the past three years. The Student Government Association has not seen a significant rise in in volvement over the past four years. On the other hand, organizations catering to individual student needs have shown a marked in crease. Representative of this movement are fraternities. Ac cording to Alexander, the Greeks were at rock bottom four years ago due to their unresponsiveness to changes in society. The national leaders saw problems and took steps to make Greek society more relevant to the student. The dehumanizing aspects of rush have evolved into' mem bership drives and the rigid uniformity of fraternity structure has been made flexible enough to cater to the individual goals and desires of members. As a result, fraternity membership has in creased almost 20 per cent in the past three years. Another aspect of personal VOLL The Voluntary Ac in a great summe who will apprecic Wheelei Work i Get(< Pre-registr< For more inforr its pref4 development outreach is seen in the growth of career oriented organizations. There are 188 such chartered campus organizations. This figure represents a turnover of about 20 organizations a year as old interests die and new oties are born. Organizations such as these serve a two-fold purpose. First, they sponsor events such as speakers or seminars directly related to student career goals. Second, they may serve as social organizations that promote fellowship among people of similar interests. These organizations serve, to a large extent, the role of a professional fraternity. An analysis of still another set of figures supports the trend toward personal development. In the last two years, participation in in tramural sports has increased more than 40 per cent. More than 5,700 students participated in the program last year. It appears students and society in general have begun to ask what they can do for themselves. Frank Siano, University Union president said, "People seek more personal growth of themselves as in dividuals and aren't interested in working for other people through service organizations." This is a The showing of two documentary films, originally scheduled for the Nursing Auditorium, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Russell House Theatre. Fred Wiseman's films "High School," a sharply-edged com mentary on U. S. youth and education, and "Primate," a study of man's cruelty when using apes for experimentation, will be shown. Wiseman will also appear at the showing. INTEERS NE tion Council urges you I sr program and work w ite it - r Hill Activities n: Sports Arts & Crafts Swimming First Aid academic or CEU cr and a good feeling ition in Russell House A nation call Volunteer SE er to sei good suumary of the direction campus involvement has taken. It was the const-isus of many ad ministrators, staff and students. Despite the trends noted above, a quick look at the figures shows less than half the student body is in volved in campus organizations. In other words, more than half the students have no contact with the University outside the classroom. Why? One reason is that 67 per cent of the student body lives off campus. Once a student leaves the structured framework of the university, he is free to cultivate community interests, job responsibilities, parental or home obligations and the like. All these factors can hinder a students' extra-curricular involvement. Only at small, cloistered in stitutions is this not a problem. It is shared by very urban school in th nation. There are other reasons for student un-involvement. Siano said, "Students are tired of being hassled by things in general. Why get hassled by getting involved?" This statement reflects a widespread belief among sociologists that a spoon-fed generation has been created. Some feel that by the time a student reaches college he has Fred Wiseman EDED o participate ith some kids Pro ject Music & Dance Tutoring Camping Cultural Activities edit pril 23 & 24. ~rvices - 777-780 entert rve their become conditioned to a passive, receptive role. When a person watches television, or a concert, or hears a lecture or sees a movie, he is acting only as a receptacle for information. The blame for a third cause of un-involvement lies with the organizations themselves. Alexander feels there is "specialization in involvement because people to a large extent don't know the opportunities available to them." Organizations constantly seek to make students aware of events. There is only so much poster space, so much room in a newspaper and so many letters that can be sent out before the mind refuses to receive anymore information. Siano explained students are in We're looking for a few good legal 1 who want to becon USMC OFFICER SELEC' CHARLOTTE, NORTH A challenge and a from the Marine ( Here's the Challenge: Practice law with us.The Judge Advocate D)ivision (our legal branch) is no rose garden. You've got to be good and want to bc better. Here's the Promise: you'll never he a law clerk. Never. You'll step right into a courtroom with us. You'll be a leader, too. As a Judge Advocate in the Marines you can stay with us and make a career in the Corps. Or, you can leave the Corps to go into civilian practice after three years. For your continuing legal edu cation, you have the opportunit y to qualify for nearly twenty supple mental law courses... all paid for by the Corps. I you're a man or a woman in pre-law, law school, or you've already passed the bar.. .we have a law program for you. '[he total story is too substantial... and exciting...to be told in a few words here. But a Marine Corps Officer Selection Officer can state our case completely and concisely. ainment nselves too big a hurry to be aware of things. He feels they need to take time to see the things around them. Perhaps this relates to the sociological theories mentioned above. Information, like leaning and entertainment, must be forced on a student. He will not seek it out. It appears that organizations need to restructure their promotional campaigns. If each organization emphasized what it could offer to the individual student rather than what the student can offer to other students, response would be greater. There has always been student apathy and there always will be. Even during the riotous years of the 60's, only a small minority of Cqninued on Page 12 wA iinds ie good lawyers. [ION OFFICE CA ROLINA promise ,orps.... If you're looking for responsibility .if you want to practice law in a wide variety of challenging ways... we ask you to do t wo things: 1) Phone us or mail the coupon, and an Off icer Select ion Officer will call on you at your conv'enience. 2) Keep this in mind: lo be a /au cyer is a good uhing... Ib be a lawever wIeho is a leader is~ a still beitter thing. 800-423-2600, toll free, for the Officer Selection Office nearest you. (In California, call 800-252-0241.) 'Suite 208A, Executiv B1c 1623 E. Trade Street ICharlotte, N. C. 28202 lica prviacnw ih more ,nhormat,on on h Manne~ Corp.. Judge Advocate Pnigram