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SSPPBI^H! The Student Senate this past month took a long overdue step to eliminate the confusion students are subject to by the Student Government, SG, judiciary. The senate passed a bill in early March providing for a student advocate program to assist those students who are forced to go I ?l ?l_ it- _ If-'-l iiu uugu ine juuiciai process. Previously, a student could go through the process without being fully aware of the severity of the charges against him, the options he has, the procedures of the judicial system or the possible consequences the adjudication would have on him. With proper implementation, the student advocate program should end this confusion. The student advocate will defend students before the university judiciary. Also, he or she will help the student understand the charges against On Letters The Gamecock welcomes letters from its readers. 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Opinions expressed In the Gamecock are those, if signed, of the writer and. if unsigned, of the senior editorial staff. m Student will aid ir him or her, the options available, the seriousness of the judicial action, the procedures used in the university judicial system and, in non-disciplinary cases, help the student or student organization understand the appropriate procedures and rules of the case and the options available. In short, this system provides a most necessary ingredient to the administration of due process heretofore lacking in the student judicial system - the right to counsel. The Student Government has long attempted to emulate the democratic processes provided for in the Constitution of the United States. The student advocate program is an excellent example of one area where SG succeeded in this attempt. The 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees that, in federal cases, no person shall be Goodman: Why are people angry? I [ MID: TUR) Peace ________ Bumpy kca nee?cniai e. > ? ?? ~ V,-,. .>?T" v-.' " - .? xv-:v.. P?*"4- >:i| f i Aii'lm ,v| \v i / / "It" i j- - w: w Y rf;-: Y^M^llL > Ilfel / CL\A V H3 i 'due proc deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. And in 1963, in the celebrated case of Gideon v. Wainwright, the Supreme Court applied the due process clause, tnrough the 14th Amendment, to the adjudication of state cases through the 14th Amendment. W P thinlf tho Cfl Cnnntn f i v unim viiv v_7iuviva11> uullcxt^ acted in exemplary fashion in adopting the same principle for the cases before the university judiciary. The university judiciary, like the state and federal courts, has the power to impose strict sanctions, such as expulsion from the university, which could ultimately deprive a student of personal liberty ? the liberty to attend the school of his choice if he meets admission standards. We find it most disturbing that, considering the possible consequences arising from the adjudication of university By Ellen Goodman tu- n * ? I HO UUS1UI1 VJIUUU BOSTON ? I don't usually play the great American game called Categories. There are already too many ways to divide us into opposing teams, according to age, race, sex, and favorite flavors. Every time we turn around, someone is telling us that the whole ) country is made up of those who drive pick-up trucks and those who do not, and then analyzing what this means in terms of the Middle East. Still, it occurs to me that if we want to figure out why people are angry right now, it's not a bad idea to see ourselves as a nation of L.M3I 4 PIKE NEXT TV/O >C^ exiTS D AHEAD ^|Lx ' - v\\ >, t*ZmwZ .>C\*V^S^v .? \N*.s?\\\\\w\\\??... program 'ess of law' cases, the right to counsel was not established long before. We should keep in mind that judicial process of any kind can be confusing to those not familiar with the operation and procedures of the system. The university judiciary can be just as confusing as U.S. District Court to those confronting it for the first time, perhaps even more so since the right to counsel has been taken for granted in the federal system since 1978. For someone so unfamiliar with the judicial process, the right to counsel can make a difference in the outcome of the case. Obviously, a defendant has a much better chance of preparing a competent defense if he has the advice of an expert in judicial administration. To quote Mr. Justice Black, writing for the majority in the r'; ^ ~ ~ - j-f 1 ? * vjiucuu Lciac, <x ueienuani "requires the guiding hand of counsel at every step in the planners and non-planners. It's the planners these days who are feeling penalized, right down to I their box score at the bank. > The part of us which is most visibly and vocally infuriated by inflation, for example, isn't our liberal or conservative side but, rather, our planning side. Inflation ' devastates our attempts to control ? our futures ? tr? huHcrot v w >^v?vt^vV UI1U i predict and expect. It particularly makes fools out of the people who t saved then to buy now. To a certain extent, it rewards instant gratification and makes a joke out of our traditional notions of preparation. It is no news bulletin that the : ' ... ;; proceedings against him. Without it, though he be not quilty, he faces iL - J + ' me uanger 01 conviction Decause he does not know how to establish his innocence." (372 U.S. 335 ; 83 S. Ct. 792; 9 L. Ed. 2d 799 ?1963). While we concede the university judiciary is not as complex as the state or federal systems, especially in regard to rules of evidence, we think the probability is still great that many students have been judged wrongly because of their ignorance of the system. The student advocate program should effectively put an end to this one-sided judicial process. We encourage any student who must face the university judiciary to take advantage of the program's benefits. The bill also proves something else: without the circus atmosphere, the senate can be very effective. people who dove over their heads into the real-estate mafket a few years ago are now generally better off than those who dutifully decided to save up for a larger downpayment. With that "larger downpayment" they can now buy two double-thick rib lambchops and a partridge in a pear tree. But inflation isn't the only thing that leaves the planners feeling betrayed. There are other issues that find them actively pitched against the non-planners. We all know families who saved for a decade to send their kids to college. A college diploma these days costs about the same amount See Goodman, page 27 ' . V' .V Afwvi-o V.ic ?nu T ^ \ V w . - .w'v.nx . o