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fcrvA stand ? \3\jr iusciiiiia The Republican Party was insane when it chose not to affirm the ERA as part of its platform in 1980. Reagan may enjoy a big lead in the polls over both Carter and Anderson, but alienating women voters by not affirming ERA will cost him the election in November. The party platform doesn't mean that much. It is more symbolic than anything else, and the candidate can completely ignore it once elected anyway. Thus, the Republicans had nothing to gain and everything to lose in not affirming ERA. Whether the Republicans support ERA or not, they should have af firmed it in something as vague and non-binding as the platform. It could not hurt them to affirm it, even if they didn't fully support it. Backing the ERA was a political necessity even if it did not fit perfectly into the Republican ideological game plan. Remember that over 50 percent of the eligible voters are women. Pickets outside the convention in Detroit and letters to Reagan from every major women's magazine are just two examples showing that these voters are displeased and have been alienated by the GOP stand. The Republicans can still recover from this drastic political blunder by affirming the ERA at the convention, but it appears that the ultraconservatives will not allow that to happen. And of course Reagan won't trv to change the GOP Dosition because unity is much too important this year to the Republicans. The Republicans may not care about the political ramifications of denying the ERA now, but they will in November when women voters express their wrath and it costs Reagan the election. Steve Riddell Editor-in-Chiei Riley vs. USC A substantial round of applause should be directed toward Gov. Dick Riley for his intelligent, hard-lined stand against a $250,000 approval to pay for architects and planning on the proposed Carolina Arts Center. At the last meeting of the board July 8, Riley was pressured by eacn board member ? especially power-weilding senate finance committee chairman Rembert C. Dennis. They tried to convince Riley that a rnKKorcf nmrvinrt r\f f Vin (tOKA AAA ??tnn nimrvKt 14 i ouniipiug ui me <j>auv,wv? auuvauuu was snupiy uic jjiuce&s uicii needed to be taken. Riley was not easily convinced. . Daetwyler, USC systems vice-president of business and finance, and Rinker, USC systems vice-president for facilities and planning, were confident of getting the affirmative nod from the board, but Riley held firm, sending the two USC officials back to Osborne Administration building shaking their heads. "It would be a mistake to spend $250,000 to build a building we don't X A ~ I 11 J M T"% * 1 1-1 1 neeu iu uuiiu, ruiey suatea. Riley is right. Once again, USC is selfishly looking toward its own ends to make this campus "the window of the world." Never mind that every institution in the state would probable like to have an arts center or share in the control of such a facility. This "me first" attitude is something that has been the watchword for ^resident uoiaerman ana tne Board oi Trustees along with those who ride on Holderman's coattails as USC progresses in casing more about those outside South Carolina than the people who live here. This opinion is reflected in fact. The money going for the Arts Center II ^..4 1 -Li:i! t 1- - Li a* A % win cuuie uui ui general uungauuii ounas, wmcn means mai everyooay in the state will have a hand in paying off the debt for this monstrosity. As usual, those that will have to pay have no say in the matter. The Gamecock challenges USC administrators, as well as students, alumni and everyone associated with this college to respond to something which in our estimation is a squandering of our money and yours. Mark Platte Staff Writer flamecQck On Columns Founded 1908 In an effort to increase reader input into future issues, the (iamecock offers a Stephen Riddell Editor in Chief weekly guest column. _ _ Columns must be limited to one """"i <-opy uosK cruet newsworthy subject and must be no more Danny Powoii Nows Editor than four typed pages. All columns must be typewritten and triple spaced on a 65M.ke Chibbaro Sports Editor SpaCe line. All facts must be accurate. The marK unuvaiter Entertainment Editor eauonai page editor reserves the right to reject any column for any reason and edit John Parnell Graphics Editor t 4 > 1 j iui for space, content, style and accuracy. Karen Addy Editorial Page Editor Columns must be signed with correct name, address, telephone, major and class t-arlBabcock Graduate Assistant standing or faculty position. Address Anthony Gray Advertising Manager columns to: Guest Column, The Gamecock, Drawer A, USC, Columbia, SC. Bill Outlaw General Manager 29208 Jean Hatched Business Manager vvniiam i insiey rroauctiori Manager Mark McEwan Assistant Prod. Man f W Mark Ethridye Jr Adviser The Gamecock welcomes letters from Newsroom: 777-7181 its readers. All letters must be typewritten Advertising: 777-4249 aru* triple spaced on a 65-space line and Business Office: 777-3888 should be a maximum of 300 words. Production: 7 77 2833 letters must be signed with the writer's correct name, telephone, mailing address, Sole reproduction righto granted to the class standing and major. Fseudonums Associated Press. All other material contained are unacceptable, but the writer's name herein may not be reprinted without the may be withheld by request if cirpermission of the editor. cumstances warrant. We reserve the right to edit letters for Opinions expressed in the Gamecock are space and style. Address letters to: those, if signed, of th? writer and, if unsigrted, Campus Opinion, The (>amecock, Drawer of the senior editorial staff. USC? Columbia, S.C. 29206. *0fHfeacM-p T uition in To the Editor: I have read with interest the letters to the editor in the July 2nd issue of the Gamecock, par ticularly Mr. Scalera's comments concerning President Holderman. A few facts should be brought to the attention of your readers in order to permit a balanced consideration of the problem. Funding by the General Assembly has fallen far short of that called for by the funding formula and that recommended by the Commission on Higher Education. The per capita income of South Carolinians has increased more rapidly than (JSC tuition has increased. T Inflation has far ex$ ceeded the USC tuition in- -r crease. USC is faced with con- 1 tinuing pressure from rising ^ costs for materials, main w tenance, supplies, equipment, ^ and particularly energy. n The tuition increase was recommended by all the principal fiscal and academic . officials of the University. The tuition increase , , , Jg . a recommended 10 tne Board of Trustees by President jt Holderman was less than that recommended by some USC Fetus a life I To the Editor: Karen Addy (July 2, "Abortion a ruling an injustice") apparently 1 feels that ecomonic and d sociological statistics are suf A . . _ * ' - ncieni grounds lor me taking of a prenatal lives. Implicit is her denial of the "personhood" of the v fetus, an issue which pro- tl abortionists say should be left up to a the mother and her doctor. "Pro- p life" advocates, however, point to p vftrv pjirlv hpflrthpat facial *>v. " pression, response to stimuli etc. ? factors which indicate grave a moral risk in allowing any mother s to consider a child, as expendable r as a wart. v The pro-life value premise P (sanctity of life) is no more v iciigiuuo man uic pi u-auui uuil " value premise (individual rights). P What I would like to know is where ii did we Americans finally decide v that personal unpleasantness, 11 inconvenience, and psychological distress (i.e. of the mother) are worse crimes than murder? c James M. Gibson Fostdoc/Cfiemistry Dept. -Letters crease nc officials and was less than that needed or justified. * The date of the announcement of the tuition increase was late due to the l_ ii n 1 iau; acuun 01 me Vjenerai Assembly. President Holderman and other USC proponents were continually active in attempting to obtain sufficient funding in hopes that no tuition increase would be Sex, not abo to is real issue othe Editor: Concerning Karen Addy's editorial ijustice," which dealt with the r< pholding the Hyde Amendment: Ms. Addy's "reproductive freedom" lat abortion advocates overlook: nair Oman's body; on the contrary, a f< iological organism drawing sustena ssiding in the uteral cavity") is a bodj human body unto itself. Abortion advocates imply that a hui uman and that as long as no formal hould have no qualms about ending th lleged alien nature of the fetus, wl equence of sexual intercourse, pr listract attention from the real is: Reproductive freedom" can thus b aying "sexual irresponsibility," anc bscure the fact that abortion, as a m ccasion for murder. Abortion, as a means of birth contr ind emotionally, for supposedly-n [responsibility. We get incensed, thoi lelinquency ; we are ever so happy t< ixhileration but are dismayed at di: equence of our actions As Ms Addy points out, "a woman ha metner or not she will terminate a pre hat in most cases a woman has the ad t all. In this connection Ms. Addy co: roof birth control device;" although roof birth control method does exist, abstinence." If women and men of our society do 11 should be willing to forego the few i o often and so naturally lead to pn eceived 40% of the abortions in the U /ho since 1973 have received 33% of il erhaps learn more about the abstine /hich is guaranteed, both in prevent elf-respect and self-discipline. The be irofit from learning about sexual at rresnonsihilitv whinh IoqHo g j AVMVUJ VV pi /omen who must make the final agoni; lew life within them. We hear that "the wages of sin is de n both sexual abstinence and the pi onstitute no crimes but contribute to 1 Eng ieded necessary. "Big Daddy Jim" has been singularly successful in obtaining financial and other support for USC. A significant factor has been the increase in visibility of a fine University due to the distinguished visitors to the ramnns in recent years. Rufus G. Fellers Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering rtion, of July 2, "Abortion ruling an ecent Supreme Court decision argument ignores the same fact lely, that a fetus is not a part of a jtus (here defined as "a viable nnn t*A?Vl f hf* nn iiviii uic |/airui nudi wiiuc / unto itself, and a human fetus is man fetus is something less than protest is made by the fetus, we le fetus' life. By focusing upon the hose presence is a natural cono-abortion/pro-choice advocates sue, which is sexual behavior, e seen as a roundabout way of I the euphemism is employed to ethod of birth control, is often an ol, is a cheap way, economically nature adults to admit their igh, when reminded of our sexual ) enjoy a few moments of sexual scovering the most natural cons the constitutional right to chose ignancy." It is worth noting, also, Iditional right not to get pregnant mplains of the "absence of a fail twhnipnllv not a rim/ipp n f?i1 v ?' M and it is commonly referred to as not desire unwanted children, we moments of sexual arousal which ignancy. The teenage girls who ,S. in 1979 and the welfare women he abortions in this nation should snce method, the effectiveness of ing pregnancies and in building >ys and men of the U.S. could also )stinence, because too often the incy is laid solely upon girls and eing decision whether to abort the ath;" but it is difficult to find sin evention of abortion: these two iving for all of those involved. Edward Roberts [lish/Secondary Education Senior